position at 7:00 am: N15:36:02 latitude W127:35:34 longitude
(about 1900 miles NW of Nuku-Hiva, Marquesas Islands, our next port)
temperature: 74F and 97% humidity
distance since FLL: 6308 miles
blackjack status: -$12.50
We are still rocking and rolling pretty good, although the Captain and the Staff Captain both have assured that this will soon change according to the weather reports they are monitoring. It is always later that we expect calm seas and smooth sailing. Hopefully, they will be right sometime soon. The Captain said at 9am that he expected periods of brief showers daily as we near the equator and it is so.
Debbie called in sick today. She said she was not up to fighting for a space in stretch class this AM. So, we had a later breakfast outside at LaVeranda. On the walk through to the buffet Debbie saw a number of people who had been in every morning stretch class. She said she hoped that meant that some of the people who had gotten there too late to find space on the previous days had gone and gotten in and not just that no one showed up today! The breakfast special at LaVeranda today was Eggs Benedict which was a very good thing because all Debbie wanted today was a chocolate croissant and there were none! Debbie is not doing too well today, it does not seem any rougher but maybe it is just cumulative effect of day 3 at sea. She did not go to the later classes in the morning either but went back to bed. She slept til noon. Clay worked and watched the sea. Clay is totally into this and could do it forever. Debbie still insists that she is doing this cruise in dog years and has already done it for a human lifetime of cruising.
Some additional comments on our social dinner last night. The invitation just said 7:15pm at Compass Rose. So, we presented ourselves with our invitation and were taken to the table. (The last time we had an officer invite here was after Ngaire's cocktail party and so our host, Laurens was at the party and escorted us.) We were the first to arrive at the table. It was oblong-shaped and had placecards. Debbie was at the righthand side of our host, Staff Captain Daniel Green and Clay was opposite her. She groaned and sat down. Then told Clay, there is no escape, if he wants to see her weird eating, she can't fool him this close! He did notice what she ate and didn't eat, and asked how everything was, but he was polite enough not to quiz her too hard. He asked everyone else at the table the same questions. Dionne was running late and had asked Daniel to order for her. But, everyone else was running late too and she was not the last to arrive. Daniel pouted that he was looking forward to ordering for her and she told him to still do it. She was at the far end of the table from him. They had a lively banter between them with her teasing him about his 5-year engagement and him imitating the Swedish Chef from The Muppet Show. Dionne had said that she loved carbs and had to avoid them to do a cruise this long. Daniel specifically ordered her a pasta course after a careful course calculation with the waiter to ensure that she would receive that course alone when no one else was having a course. She was either appalled or amused, but seemed mostly amused since she had enlisted the help of everyone at the table over the long engagement and pity for his fiance. Later, long before the food arrived came the the silverware. She snatched up her fish knife and announced that ah-ha I got one of these useless knives, so I know I'm having fish! Daniel most have done a good job ordering for her because she ate every course and said it was very good. It seems that people in Daniel's part of the world have some different customs around engagements. Both the man and woman wear what looks like a traditional gold wedding band. When they get married the woman gets a diamond ring and another gift of jewelry in the morning. Daniel says he cannot get married until he can afford at least a "5-table ring" not to mention the morning jewelry gift. No one had heard of a "5-table ring," so naturally we were curious and he had to explain. He looked around and then pointed out behind him, counting tables, 1 2 3 4 5, that is a ring you can see the stone in the ring from 5 tables away! He explained that he had only saved enough money for a 1 1/2 table ring and that was not good enough, plus he had to buy the wedding morning gift yet. Then we explained that in the US the woman gets the diamond for her engagement and the man gets nothing and that at the wedding the woman and the man both generally get a simple band, any other gifts are optional. He did not think much of that plan.
We went to Compass Rose for lunch today. Clay told Debbie this is the last vacation we are ever taking so you better live it up. Debbie said that hardly seemed fair since she was not having fun and he was. So this could be his last vacation ever. But, she should be allowed to live at Disney World for at least 122 days to make it fair. Clay balked and Debbie reminded him that she was doing this vacation in dog years so to be totally fair she would be entitled to much more than 122 days at WDW but was not asking for it! Anyway, when it was time to order, Debbie ordered chilled Bellini Cream Soup and Bami Goreng. Clay had a salad and a sandwich. When it came Clay was amazed. It was a funky looking noodle dish with an over easy fried egg sitting on top! Clay said, were you expecting that. Debbie replied that she was being adventurous since this was apparantly her last vacation ever. Debbie could not cut the egg though, just pushed it aside. It was very spicy. Debbie did not see a dessert she wanted, so did her fallback request of a small bowl of raspberries only with some cream on the side. She says it calms her stomach some and makes her feel like she is getting her money's worth! It should be noted that raspberries were in short supply at the end of the previous segment.
The swells seem larger instead of smaller this afternoon. We both got slammed across the hall on the way to the room from lunch and Debbie called a moratorium on afternoon exercise classes as well. It was to be some kind of Curves-based circuit training and then butt busters. These were both new classes and Debbie said she could not stay upright, not be sick, and learn something new today. So, we plan to watch a DVD in the room.
When we received our tour tickets yesterday, we received a notice that our first requested excursion was cancelled. Cultural and Historical Taiohae on Nuku Hiva was apparently not well received by the recent visitors from SS Navigator and RSSC has discontinued the excursion. They will be offering a complimentary shuttle service of local transport as available to the Notre Dame Cathedral in the small village of Taiohae. Hopefully they will have some kind of maps available in case we want to wander some. Debbie did not find any maps in her research before leaving home. Last night the Captain Dag announced that during our 2-night stay in Sydney that we will be at 2 different docks. He said we will dock at Darling Harbour when we arrive and during the dinner hours of the one of the nights that we will relocate to Circular Quay for the rest of the stay. He did have an explanation but we either did not understand it, can't remember it, or both.
After the movie, Clay went to play blackjack. Somehow he is still getting a Blackberry signal intermittently out here in the middle of the Pacific. Marco called and said that we should now be getting a steady wifi internet signal in our cabin. Clay told him he would check it later for reliability and get back to him with a report. Keeping fingers crossed.
Later, Clay confirmed he is getting a good signal throughout the cabin. He even checked work email from the balcony while staring out at the ocean going by. Normally, it is too bright to work on the laptop outside in the sun, but it is dusk now and the brightness is not a problem.
