Today started differently than any other day on this cruise so far. That's because we had full muster drill, something we have not had to do for several years now. Captain Friso had forewarned us yesterday that a full-scale guest muster drill was being mandated by the powers to be in Seattle. So at 10am, we had an announcement to assemble on deck three where the general emergency alarm was sounded. We were directed to our muster stations where we had our room keys scanned. No life jackets were required. So the drill proceeded just like it used to with all of us standing at attention for about 15 minutes or more. What was different was the fact the ship was moving and it was difficult to stand for very long. This is a new safety requirement mandated for periodic implementation. After Captain Friso read his instructions, the group dispersed. We always used to wait until the thundering herd was gone, and that's what we did today. It was a good time to chat with friends and discussing the last couple of ports and what we all did. Anyway, now that we have done this drill, we sure hope we don't have to do it again. From what we understand these drills have to occur once a month, and we do not have a month left. Where has the time gone???
Kimberly delivered her talk on Cape Town, which we shall watch tomorrow morning. We do not arrive to Cape Town until after noontime, and the nice thing is we will have a scenic sail into the port. It has been years since we have been on the ship to sail this part of South Africa. So it is a treat to be doing it, especially since this part of the cruise was not planned.
The weather has been cooperating with fairly smooth seas, some swell, like 6 feet, and pretty clear skies. Early in the morning and the early evening, it has been actually chilly. Today's temperatures were in the 70's and we did enjoy some pool time around noon. There were a few more sun lovers out there as well as folks eating lunch in the fresh air.
We kept an eye for birds and flying fish during our walk, but only saw some gannets. These birds behave differently here, since they do not seem to dive for the fish. It is possible they catch their food like small squid and other small fish from the crests of the waves. Instead of coming close to the decks of the ship, they stayed a good distance away from us. Hoping for a sighting of dolphins, we were disappointed not to see any.
This evening we got some shots of a speedy sunset before 6pm. The clouds that we had while traveling in the area of the Equator have disappeared. Tonight we had mostly clear skies, and nothing for the sunset to light up. The sun simply went down rapidly and was gone. A little after-color remained, but that was all.
There was a "Braai", a South African grill-dinner in the Lido Restaurant from the usual time of 5:30 to 8pm. They served sausages and skewers of cooked meats along with other African-themed goodies. Our dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill for their regular dinner. No pop-ups tonight. We ordered our favorite wedge salads with extra dressings. We always save some of the garlicky dressing for dipping French fries. Both of us had two strips of clothesline bacon right on our plates. Our mains were the same – grilled lamb chops on a plate without the sides of parsnip swipes and whatever. We added one order of skinny fires and a bowl of sauteed mushrooms. We said no to the chocolate candy, but did order one Almost Baked Alaska to share. It was more than enough. No room for a cup of coffee. By the way, we got a report that most of the coffee machines are broken. There are only a few places to get the specialty coffees until the machines are fixed.
There was a tribute to Tina Turner in the World Stage this evening. It was a special performance by entertainer N'Dygo and the band. She celebrated the music of the Queen of Rock and Roll.
A half day at sea will take us to Cape Town, a most wonderful city to visit.
Bill & Mary Ann
