Our day at sea #2 was pretty much like yesterday at sea #1. The seas remained rough throughout the night and continued most of the day. It was better than yesterday with sea swells over 10.5 feet. The ship was still pitching and the stabilizers were out which helps with the listing. One good thing was that the promenade deck was opened to the guests today. Lounges were set up, and the dedicated walkers were out. We got in two walks today while enjoying the lower temperature of 77 degrees. There was still a 32 knots wind, but it appeared to be a following wind. As of noon, we were 540 nautical miles from Reunion and 523 nautical miles to Richard's Bay. The ship was doing 16.5 knots in 12,000-foot-deep seas.
During the Captain's noon update, we learned that he was rounding the southern part of Madagascar. That is the area of the Mozambique Channel between Madagascar and Mozambique. It runs for 1000 nautical miles between the island and the mainland. For centuries, it was a trading route along the Swahili Coast where among spices and other cargo, slaves were traded and sold. When the Suez Canal opened in 1869, the trade route was used far less. We seem to recall that this channel is subject to many cyclones as well.
The World Stage was busy most of the day starting with a series of lectures. Shore Excursions promoted their tours in the ports of Durban and Walvis Bay. Then the First Officer explained the jobs from cadet to captain. Merge is still here and delivered a lecture on South Africa – the history, traditions, and geography. Dr. Douglas dealt with African wildlife, followed by the movie "I Dreamed of Africa" – 2010.
Tonight's theme was a splash of orange for a casual dinner. Some of the guests put on orange things like a flashing necklace, head dresses, and orange ties. They were ready for the Orange Party held in the Rolling Stone Lounge at 9pm. A dance party followed at 10:30pm.
Dinner was fine with the starter of shrimp cocktails (which were not on the menu this evening) and salads – one mixed and one Caesar. The entrée we chose was the wasabi-crusted tenderloin marinated in teriyaki sauce. It was close to the steak served in the Tamarind Restaurant, but nowhere near as good as the one that is cooked on a grill. Dessert made up for it with cinnamon rice pudding. Our waiter Kadek made sure there were plenty of raisins on the top by adding extra for both of us.
The show in the World Stage was a performance of the singers and dancers doing Legends like Elton, Elvis, Billy and more. And more good news, the clocks went back one more hour this evening. That should stay the same now for all of the ports in South Africa.
Bill & Mary Ann
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