Yesterday was by far the worst day of weather I have ever experienced while at sea.
I have experienced big waves and seas several times, as you can see from my previous blog in 2024. I have seen torrential rain storms, again see my past posts. We have experienced winds over 100 miles per hour at sea.
But until yesterday, we have never seen all 3 at once.
When we woke up, the boat was violently pitching from side to side and end to end. We opened the curtains to see the spray from the waves had covered our windows and veranda. By 11 AM, the captain came on the intercom saying that we should not go outside because we had 60 knot (70 mph) winds with higher gusts.
It was the perfect storm. Later we found out that we were skirting a typhoon. I’m not sure if we were chasing it or it was chasing us.
There were not many people moving around the ship at any time during the day. I did not take my usual position at the pool deck at 11 AM. I too stayed in my room. Fortunately, the motion of the ocean doesn’t bother Kim or me, so we were fine. However, moving anywhere, like going to the bathroom, was a challenge.
At 2:30, there was a biologist giving a “conversation” about fishes of the South Pacific and their ways to get along without getting eaten.
I should have known from my years of friendship with my high school biology teacher that he would start with a pun. Arg. He was very informative and entertaining.
I had to use my walker to get from our room to the grand salon. It was dicey, but I made it. After the 45-minute talk, I asked Kim to help me get up to the pool deck because I desperately needed some outdoor time.
When we got there, the only people other than the bartender were the couple who we had dinner with the night before. They were sitting at the only table that was marginally close to being protected from the weather. We sat with them and visited. Kim left and told me to text her when I was ready to leave and she would come to help me navigate the halls, yes, she is so wonderful, I’m the luckiest person in the world to have her.
After a while, my friends decided it was time to go back to their room. She told him if he wanted to stay out with me, it was okay with her. He said he would go to the room with her. It wasn’t 10 minutes later that he came back to the table and said the room was not a good place to be. So, we continued to visit while being pounded by the storm. Soon, a fellow Seahawk fan from Seattle came out and was thrilled to see we were out there. It was a great way to ride out the storm.
A little before 5, Kim sent me a text that she was ordering dinner from room service. Well, if you have been paying attention to me, you should know that I just got permission to go to sushi bar at the club for dinner. Another great day in paradise.
A little after 6, I grabbed my outrigger, aka walker, and headed down to the club for my sushi dinner. I texted Kim so she knew what I was doing.
The club, like everything else, was pretty empty. I sat on my favorite stool at the bar, you know, the one right next to the sushi chefs so I can watch them make the rolls and dishes. Sitting on a stool in that weather was a bit difficult, but I managed. After I had my fill of sushi, I again tasked my outriggers to take me home. Once back to our room, we watched some tv, read from our books and went to bed.
We woke up to calm seas and grey skies that soon turned blue. It’s like yesterday never happened.
What I will log as my worst weather day at sea will also be logged into my greatest memories of my life at sea.
Tomorrow, we cross the international date line and lose a complete day. No big deal you say? Well, ask our friend Bernie, it’s his birthday, he will miss it. I told him it’s like a fountain of youth. You get to stay 84 for another whole year.
We left Papeete at 10 PM, but not before we were treated to a show by local dancers, it was very nice. Notice Ross, the cruise director laying on the floor (top photo) in front. He’s wearing a suit with shorts. I asked, and he said yes, you inspired me when you ordered your suit with shorts in Hong Kong.
Since we left French Polynesia, we have been rocking and rolling. When we got up this morning our veranda was soaked with sea spray and some of our toiletries were dumped off the shelves. I don’t go anywhere without a walking stick for extra balance, today I might just break out my walker.
As we left Hawaii a week ago, one of the nose pieces on my glasses broke. Timing is everything, if they broke a day before, Chris and Margo could have taken us to Costco and I could have had them fixed for free. In Papeete, Kim’s stealth research found an eyeglass store that was open on Saturday and took my glasses to them. They fixed them and would not charge us anything. Kim came back to the ship and grabbed a handful of the dark chocolate bars they leave on our pillows each night and took them back to her, she was greatful. So, if you are ever in Tahiti and break your glasses……..
Well, the big news in the Sharp family is that the Seattle Seahawks are going to the Super Bowl. We have been able to watch all of the games here on the ship. There are several Seahawk fans on board and the ship is planning a Super Bowl party in the Grand Salon, where the game will be broadcast on the giant screen. It will be Monday at 1:30 PM our time and we will be in New Zeland. Unfortunately, it will be a feed from Australia and not have the American commercials.
I’m not a huge better, but the day after last years Super Bowl, I had my son, the one that lives in Reno, place 3-$100 bets for me. $100 for the Hawks to win the Conference, $100 to win the Division, and $100 to win the Super Bowl. By placing these bets a year in advance and taking into account the Seahawks get little respect or attention in the league, the odds were fantastic. I also bet the one LA Ram fan in our Beer group that we would end the season with more wins than the Rams, that was a bet for $200. It started as a $100 bet, but half way through a mid season game where the teams were playing each other, I offered to let him out of the bet early for $50, he suggested we double our bet instead, so, we did. So, last week when the Seahawks beat the 49er’s to win the Confrence, I collected $700 from my Reno bet and $200 from my friend. then Sunday when we beat the Rams to win the Division and get into the Super Bowl, I won $2,900 from Reno. When the Seahawks win the Super Bowl next week, I stand to win about $10,000.
My children (3 on the right) are enjoying the use of my 6 tickets in my absence. Curt and Phil are going to San Francisco to attend the Super Bowl in person. Attending a Super Bowl has been on my bucket list for years.
We are about where the tip of the pen is.
When the rain and wind got too much for almost everyone else, I just asked for an umbrella.
Oh look, it’s one of the Golden Girls from that tv show.
There’s a reason they should start the show each night earlier than 9:30.
One of the fun things to do on board is boat building. You must build your boat out of recycled trash found on the ship. This year there were 6 teams. The ship must carry a 2.2-pound, 1 kg tin of caviar from one end of the pool to the other. Three boats successfully made the journey.
This was the clear winner.
Bora Bora was a rain out. Quite litterly. No beach day for us. However, it was nice and warm. I sat by the pool and watched the rain. We never saw the top of the mountain this time.
Here in Paradice, it rains champagne. See the bubbles on the deck?
Another day, another Island and better weather, still rainy, but with dry breaks. Huahine Island is very beautiful.
Another ad for small ships, look at how narrow the entrance to this bay is here. No way a larger cruise ship could ever stop here. All the better for us.
As we sail away, Kim and I enjoy sitting on the quiet deck. I’m out where the wind is keeping me cool , that little orange dot tucked in the center of the ship is Kim keeping warm out of the wind. No surprise there.
This morning, we are in Papeete, Tahiti. This is the end of the first leg on our trip. 85 passengers get off here today and head home. I’ll let you know soon how many get on here, hopefully not too many. I don’t know why I even say that it is never crowded anywhere on this ship, ever.
Here’s a breakdown of where the passengers live, by country. Notice that there are no Asian cruisers, that’s very unusual. I also took note that there were no women pushing their husbands in wheelchairs, although, there were several women in wheelchairs this time, that is very different from what we normally see. When I see a woman pushing her husband, I pray that never happens to us. If a wheelchair ever enters our relationship, I would be happy to push Kim everywhere.
Well people, it finally happened!
It’s time for Pool Chrinicles, you just can’t make this shit up.
When talking about the cold weather in the US, the guy at the table next to me said “I’m worried about my kids, they’re going to freeze, they have no heaters in their house, all they have is a heat pump”. I’m assuming that all my readers know enough about heat pumps and the term HVAC, which stands for heating, ventalation, and air conditioning. I guess they must have just bought an eat pump, they left out the H part.
Another guy says “we broke 2 records today, we were only ashore for 20 minutes and we didn’t spend a dime. Both were probobly because we realized we had no cash or cards with us”.
As one couple got up from their table, he said “We’ll see you in the Observation Bar at Gin til 5”.
On Bora Bora the ship announced that all 4 x 4 tours were cancelled due to incliment weather. Guess they don’t understand the workings of a 4 x 4.
And, this morning a lady told Kim to enjoy her youth while she can. I told you we are on the young side of the curve.
Well, it’s been a while since my last post, and I apologise. But, we are on our 6th day of 7 sea days between Hawaii and Bora Bora. There’s just not a lot to talk about on sea days.
I am as you probably know, I am a creature of habit. I get up and work on my computer until about 11, then head up to my chair at the pool, where there is not much (unfortunately) to report. After lunch, I either stay where I am and drink iced tea, or go somewhere cooler than the outdoor temperature. At 4 o’clock, it’s margarita time on deck 9, I have 2. Then it’s time to get ready for dinner. Pretty simple life, until something goes wrong.
A couple days ago, after margarita time, Kim and I got into the elevator on deck 9. I pushed the button for deck 6 and all of the sudden…..wait fir it. FREE FALL! Yep, the elevator dropped like a rock. It probably only dropped about 5 feet, no way to tell, but have you got any idea how many things your mind can process in that time? Even after 2 margaritas? It came to a stop just as suddenly as it dropped. I did the free fall ride at Knotts Berry Farm, it was just like that, only no one told me what was going to happen first. Soon, it continued to our floor and let us off. I reported what happened and that elevator remains closed even today.
I remember taking my kids to Disneyland when they were little. Phil was mad because he was too short to go on the roller coaster rides with me, and Sheila was scared to death of them. I talked her in to going on Space Mountain with me, by telling her it was just a gentle ride in the dark through the galaxy, with stars all around. It didn’t take her long to realize that it really was a roller coaster, she yelled “dad this is a roller coaster, you tricked me”. When we got to the end, she wanted to go again.
Not so much on the elevator ride, don’t want to do that again. The staff checked in on us the next day to make sure we were okay. They are the greatest.
Speaking of eating, today was my most favorite meal of the cruise. It’s called Galley Lunch. We actually get to go into the galley, where there are buffet style spreads that everyone can find appealing. Me being as far from a vegetarian as you can get, found Fish and chips, lamb T bone, Cocktail Shrimp, Garlic Shrimp, yellow Fin Tuna Sashimi, Snow Crab Legs, topped with Baked Alaska for desert. I don’t think I will eat again until tomorrow. A true Kings meal, unless you’re a Queen.
During lunch, the servers were paraded through the dining room so we could show them our appreciation.
Kim is on a trivia team each sea day at 11:15, after which, we have lunch with the friends we met in 2024 from Chicago. We have met more people this trip and have had dinner with other some of them at least once a week.
Here we are with a couple that live in Spain and Eastern Canada. We went to the Solis Restaurant, the only place that you must have reservations and it is limited on how many times you can go there per cruise. There is not any additional charge, but it is very intimate and cannot accommodate very many guests.
I had the 32 ounce bone in ribeye, I almost ate the whole thing!
The crew set up a tv and bar in the confrence room so we could watch the NFL play off games. The Seahawks totally killed the 49ers and by the end I was watching by myself, GO HAWKS.
We crossed the equator and King Neptune and his court of mermaids iniated the first time crossers by making them kiss a fish. They were then slimed and pushed into the pool.
I have no idea why, but I am waking up at about 5 AM daily even though I go to bed about midnight. I saw this sunrise, it was amazing. Even though the moon was just a sliver, you could see the entire “dark” part.
We will reach Bora Bora on Thursday where we will taxi to a beach bar that Kim first found about 40 years ago and we went to 2 years ago, it’s one of those beaches that you can walk a mile out in crystal clear water and only be waist deep.
More after Bora Bora, thanks for following us on this incredible journey.
Kim left at 7 in the morning to hike Diamond Head. I slept in. No suprise there.
In the afternoon our friends that were our neighbors on Puget Island picked us up and took us to Walmart where Kim stocked up on snacks and sodas, she thinks she might starve on the ship? Then we went to a mall and got me 2 Hawaiin shirts.
We didn’t leave Honoluiu until 11 that night. We were treated to a sight beyond belief.
These are pipe fish, a cousin to sea horses. We have snorkeled in some of the most sought after waters in the world. We are very familuar with these fish. When we see more than one, we are really excited. Well, that was until now, there were hundreds of them directly below our veranda. They stayed there for hours. All of the sudden, they all disappeard. What? Then I saw it, a shark was swimming by. I had a choice, open the door and alert Kim sio she could see it, or take a picture. Sorry, I wanted Kim to enjoy the moment.
That night, we weren’t wanting to dress for dinner, so we had dinner brought to us and set up on our veranda. Again, what a life?
We sailed over night to the garden island of Kawaii. Well, we found out why everything is so green.
We were suposed to have a poolside champange and caviar sail away, but the weather didn’t like that. They postponed it for 24 hours. Now, I have a problem with a “sail away” party when we have been at sea for a day, but, whose going to make that a big deal?
My brother constantly reminds me that I have no “class” and that I don’t get it. What is “it” anyway. So, when it was time for champagne and caviar, I choose Margarita, peanuts and caviar. What say you? Do you want to be “classy” or do you want to do it my way?
Okay, time for me to rant a bit. Again I see peoiplr older than us lying out in the sun all day. We know so much about skin cancer, these people are within the upper crust of the human race. Why do they do that? Ug. I also wrote about bikinis and speedos having age limits, thankfully, the cruisers heard me and there is less old skin to look at. However, one of the great things about being over 70 is that you really don’t care what others think. There is a guy that looks more like a living cadaver, that swims in his underwear every day! That’s what you young people have to look forward to. No photo, thank you.
I booked us on the 2028 World Cruise today. As you can see, it starts in Miami and ends in Loundon. Take a close look at the map above. I’m excited about the route.
I’ve been quiet because it’s been a quiet trip so far. We have settled into our “sea day” routine and are enjoying ourselves. On a typical sea day, we eat breakfast and catch up on emails and life. At 11:15 Kim goes to trivia and I head for the pool deck. Kim’s trivia team is made up of mostly the same people as were there 2 years ago. After trivia, she and a couple from Chicago that we met last time and ate lunch with most days joins me at my table for lunch. We really enjoy their friendship.
The cruise line calls them “consevationists” and “conversations”, but they really are lecturers and lectures. There are usually 4 per day, and it kinda reminds me of a college lecture. The subjects are closely related to where we are or where we are going. Facinating speakers. If you miss a conversation, you can watch it on your in suite tv any time you want to.
Speaking of watching tv, I spent the weekend watching the NFL playoff games. The feed was from Germany and in German. You really don’t need sound to watch football, but they were very entertaining anyway.
The weather is a boring high of 72 and low of 70 each day. So outdoor functions are automatic. We ocassionally get a quick shower, but the Captain does a pretty good job of steering around them. We land in Hawaii in the morning for 2 days. First is Oahu then Kauai. Kim is climbing Diamondhead in the morning then our friends that used to live on Puget Island near us will pick us up for a visit in the afternoon. After Hawaii we sail for 6 more days to get to Polynesia.
Room Service Dinner
Sushi
After dinner mint?
In the afternoon, we discuss the evenings dinner menus and choose where we want to eat. If Kim wants Indian or some other specialty, you know where to find me….
After dinner we watch a movie or conversation or we have a conversation. Then Kim takes her book to bed and I take my book to the veranda. One never knows what you might see on the veranda, like this cloudy night.
I must appologise for my lack of Pool Chronicles, but this group of passengers are well behaved.
There are 414 passengers, 346 crew, 146 doing the entire World Cruise with us and 49 Solo Cruisers.
In 2024, there were 84 World Cruisers compared to the 146 this year. The crew attributes that to the fact that Seabourn has sold this ship and we are on its’ last trip. When we get to Vancouver BC, they will pass her to the new owners.
We have not seen any sea life, yesterday we saw a sea bird, probably a Petrol. And even though the swells were at 3 1/2 meters, they are so far apart and gentle, they are hard to even feel.
As I said, we are almost to Hawaii on this map. Notice how many times we cross the International date line on our way south tp Bora Bora.
