We woke up to clear blue skies, calm seas, and temperatures in the high 60's. During breakfast, we kept watch for birds or flying fish, seeing nothing. As, always, the service continues to be excellent in the Pinnacle Grill. Now that so many passengers have left the ship in Cape Town, it seems to be more quiet all around the public areas of the vessel.
We took advantage of this first day at sea to begin catching up on days gone by. While working, we had another two week delivery of sodas and a bouquet of flowers. One of our breakfast mates who also gets this benefit, requests beverage cards instead of wine , sodas, or flowers. This works well since she receives a $50 card and the extra $10 gets credited to her shipboard account. (There is no $60 card.) This might be an option for us when we get closer to the Mediterranean where we will consume fewer sodas.
Captain Frank came on at noon for his daily talk. Currently, we are sailing off the Skeleton Coast of Namibia, 110 nautical miles off of the northwest coast. He has 3840 nautical miles to go to reach our next port of Praia, Cape Verde on April 4th. We have 6 foot swells and the sea depth is 5000 feet. The weather is sunny with a fresh breeze of 10 knots. Good news – the outlook for tomorrow will be much the same. The Captain added more info about the Skeleton Coast which was referred to from the ancient Portuguese sailors that called it "The Gates of Hell". And for good reason. Due to the inhospitable conditions of the climate and winds, many ship were wrecked here over the centuries. Some of the remains can be seen from the air, which is the only way to get there, we understand.
We were making good progress online, which is working OK now, that we ended up skipping lunch in the Lido. However, we did have to attend a mandatory muster drill at 1:45pm which was for all guests, except the newly embarked Cape Town passengers. The drill is so simple these days with just having your room key scanned. One crew member reminds us to come to our designated lifeboat and that was that. If we had not left our TV going when we left the room, we would have had to watch the necessary video. Funny thing, the drill video came on the TV two days later.
Three new speakers have boarded to keep the folks occupied, as well as the usual array of fun activities. Regional wine tasting took place in the dining room for $35 with Jacques, the Cellar Master. Normally, we get invited complimentary, but Jacques is aware we are not wine lovers, as most folks here are. He has extended the invitation for anytime we desire to attend anyway. We have yet to take him up on the offer.
We did have the time before our dinner to bring up the Tygerberg Children's Choir group's performance that took place the second evening in Cape Town. A world-class musical journey was promised and they sure delivered. Their songs were powerful African tunes as well as contemporary favorites we all know. Naturally, they received a standing ovation from the guests that attended at the one time of 7:30pm.
There was a Biergarten Dinner in the Lido Market this evening featuring German-style beer fest with great food and live entertainment. However, for us, dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill. We were good and hungry having skipped lunch, so we enjoyed our wedge salads and clothesline bacon even more. One of us ordered the savory lamb chops, glad they give us only two now instead of three chops. The favorite side dish was the French fries with catsup and aioli dip. The chef here has mastered the art of cooking these fries crispy and not stuck together. There was not one limpy fry in the batch. The other one of us had the small filet mignon cooked medium. One half of a baked potato was plenty with the toppings as a side dish. There was not any room for dessert or coffee. Excellent meal and service to match.
The entertainer this evening was a pianist by the name of Naki Ataman. He played songs from around the world and was a hit with everyone.
Looking forward to more sea days like this.
Bill & Mary Ann
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