Happy Valentine's Day to you all!
We heard there was a nice rainbow on the starboard side early this morning. That did not surprise us since we noticed the veranda and the railing were soaked. So far, every day has started out very overcast, then partly cloudy, and eventually mostly sunny. No doubt, it was quite warm this morning as well. The rocking and rolling had decreased, which is a good thing.
We all got a very detailed letter regarding tender operations in Easter Island. Due to prevailing water and wind conditions, the transfer may be significantly impacted. Reading between the lines, we think that means boarding the tenders and off-loading on the island will be time-consuming. As these conditions are out of their control, we can expect delays. Naturally, the tour groups will be taken off first, which might take some extra time.
In addition to that, we are being forewarned about possible muddy conditions once ashore as well as sudden rain showers. Safety comes first, so there were directions on how to accept help from the trained crew. Don't need to tell us twice. The last message concerned wheelchairs and scooters which cannot be accommodated. With all that said, we do think many more folks will be scared to attempt the tenders tomorrow.
We have been to Easter Island numerous times and have seen many unusual situations from ceased tendering due to high winds, cancelled tours, damaged tender boats, and many grumpy people that never made it to the island. We have friends that got stranded there years ago and had to spend the night. And at other times, all went well. So it's the luck of the draw.
Later in the evening, we had another flyer, the same as the one we got when we left Florida. It was regarding safety and security while in the ports. The Captain cannot stress enough the importance of being careful, dressing wisely, leaving the big bags and backpacks on the ship. And most of all, leave the expensive jewelry in the safe. Negotiating taxis and flashing money can become a problem. We expect this same letter will be delivered with every major segment.
During his noon talk, the Captain said we were still over 300 nautical miles from Easter Island and are still maintaining a speed a bit over 19 knots. The weather was as good as could be expected with temps in the high 70's and the humidity about equal. The sea water is even warmer than the air temperature at 77 degrees. The swells are about 6 feet high, still creating some rocking and rolling.
We sat at the back pool and noticed that it had been filled. We think the color of the paint was the same…..very dark. It has finally warmed up enough to make certain we use that sunscreen before going outside. Captain Rens happened to stop by our table and he remarked that the color of the pool had to be changed. Funny that the paint crew did not get that message.
The Valentine theme followed through with today's activities. Since there seems to be a shortage of fresh flowers, the Pinnacle Grill decorated with folded red napkins that resembled flowers. They had another specialty dinner with a curated 4 course meal. These pop-ups seem to be happening almost 50% of the time.
The dress suggestion was formal this evening and we did see a whole lot of red, especially with the ladies. Dinner had some of the usual formal entrees, but last night, there seemed to be more. We had the everyday shrimp cocktail followed by salads. One was a wedge salad, and large enough to be an entree. One of us had the vegetarian raviolis, and the other had the rack lamb, which could have been hotter. We keep forgetting to ask our waiters for hot food. Most nights, the entrees have been warm at best. Desserts were a chocolate heart and one scoop of vanilla ice cream with a touch of hot fudge sauce. Long stemmed roses in red and pink were handed to each lady in both dining rooms. Many guests used their empty wine bottles to put the roses in. We will improvise with something in our room
Ready or not….Easter Island, here we come (maybe).
Bill & Mary Ann
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