Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Yokohama, Japan
Yokohama, Japan
11/26 - 11/27/07
Just an overnight cruise from Kobe, brought us to Yokohama the morning of the 27th of November. The good news was that we were close enough to the city to avoid the hassle of hiring a taxi and trying to communicate in Japanese (plus we love the exercise). The bad news was that we learned that we were leaving that same day and were required to return to the ship by 4:30 PM to go with the agent to the Immigration Office to clear out of the country. So, we made the most of our day.
The weather was cool and crisp but sunny so we set off for the short walk along the waterfront. Being a weekday, the streets were busy but not terribly crowded and we saw groups of school children who were anxious to talk with us and take our photos. So cute in their very neat and tailored school uniforms (short pants and jackets and ties for the boys and short skirts and jackets and blouses for the girls and all with little hats). We stopped into the City Grand Hotel to purchase a few postcards and stamps and ask directions, while we had access to an English speaking concierge.
Yokohama is the 2nd largest city in Japan (first is Tokyo of course) with a 3.6 million population which swells an additional 2.5 million every weekend when visitors from Tokyo arrive. It's a major port and fashion center for Japan and a popular tourist city for Japanese and people from around the world. Yokohama is home to Cosmo Clock 21, the world's largest ferris wheel, which is absolutely breathtaking when it's lighted at night. We passed a beautiful park that was built on top of the debri that was dumpted in the harbor after the 1923 earthquake. The fashion boutiques that line the city streets go on for blocks and blocks, one more extravagant than the next, interspersed with fashionable restaurants and spas. Definitely a city we could have spent much more time exploring.
We chose the Silk Museum as our sightseeing destination for the morning and were not disappointed. Of course I was particularly interested due to my fascination with silk painting, but Martha and Doug enjoyed it as well. It covers two floors in the Silk Center International Trade and Sightseeing Building, which was built in 1959 to commemorate the anniversary of the opening of the Port of Yokohama. It's on the former site of the British trading firm known as English House No. 1 and it's purpose was to display the science and technology of silk production, beautiful costumes and to promote the demand for silk. We were fascinated with the display of the mysterioous life of the silkworm and the stages of its metamorphosis, the process of reeling silk from cocoons, the kinds of silk yarns and the complicated procedures of weaving and dyeing silk yarns. One of the more amazing facts was that it takes approximately 110 cocoons to make a silk scarf and over 8,000 cocoons to make a silk kimona. Japan was once the largest producer of silk in the world, but China now holds that distinction.
The highlight of our day was a fabulous Japanese lunch at an elegant but simple traditional Japanese restaurant, which was recommended by a gentleman at the Visitors Office. After removing our shoes, we were shown into a beautifully decorated room that was so sparkling clean we felt we could have eaten from the floor. The waitresses, dressed in kimonas, served us tea and suggested some traditional dishes. We were served a variety of dishes of soup, pickled vegetables, a meat dish, rice and miso soup and everything we had was delicious! We were the only non-Japanese diners so attracted some attention, especially from one little boy who kept staring at Doug (probably thought he was Santa Claus) - so cute.
We made it back to the ship by 4:00 and were whisked away by the agent in order to get to the government office which closed at 5:00. Everything went smoothly and we were returned to the ship by 5:30. Not nearly as difficult as clearing in. While waiting at that office, I was fascinated by a stack of small brochures, which had the world "HELP!" in large letters, in English. Inside, the instructions were in seven different languages, that had to do with "Trafficking in Persons", a crime committed by organized crime syndicates orother criminal groups to bring in foreign women, children or others to be forced into prostitution or forced labor. It instructs: "The red page in this booklet reads: I am a trafficking victim, so please call the Japanese police. Show the red page to a Japanese person on the street and the Police or other official Japanese organizations will protect you." It then lists the phone numbers of the Japanese Police, Immigration Bureau and Counseling Center for Women-Anti Trafficking Project (NGO). This seemed like such a good program, to have the brochures available, I wondered if we have something similar in our country.
Later that night, we finished loading cargo and departed Yokohama for our eleven-day trip across the Pacific. Next stop, San Diego! It will be good to back in the good old U.S. of A., even for a brief visit. From there, we'll head for the Panama Canal and Costa Rica (where we'll off-load these huge empty containers that have been blocking the view from our stateroom since a port in China) and then our final stop in Houston.
Kobe, Japan
Kobe, Japan
11/23 - 11/25/07
We finally received a shipment of mail which was sent Fed Ex to Shanghai and returned to the U.S. because we'd been given an incorrect address for the agent in Shanghai. It was great to hear from family and friends, especially Julie who sent magazines, photos and a box of DVDs of the first season of the series "Ugly Betty". That should entertain us across the Pacific.
Before we could enjoy the sights ashore, we were taken to the Immigration Office by the Japanese agent where we were to be photographed and fingerprinted. This new procedure was just implemented two days earlier and, though we had at least six government officials working on it, they couldn't seem to get the machines to work. So, we were then driven to the passenger cruise terminal where, after about 20 minutes, they finally had us all processed into the country. Rather than go back to the ship, the agent very kindly took us into the city and offered to pick us up at 5 pm for the return trip.
What a beautiful city! Very modern and extremely clean. Our first stop was Starbucks for Martha to have her mocha fix and we found one of the young counter workers who spoke some English and could direct us to some shops we were trying to locate. The best way to see the city of Kobe is to take the City Loop Bus which, for a 500 yen day pass (about $5.00) you can see the city and get on and off at a variety of stops. The banks were closed for Workers Appreciation Holiday but we were able to get local money at an ATM machine. We learned that the workers here had recently gone on strike because the government was proposing a six-hour work day (instead of eight) and the workers wanted to go to a ten-hour day. We enjoyed the architecture of the office and condo buildings and the view of Akashi Kaikyo suspension bridge and stopped at the base of Rokko Mountain, where we could hike to a beautiful waterfall. It was quite a hike up the mountain on a path of steps with railings (very nicely maintained). There were actually three waterfalls but we didn't have the time (or the energy) to make it to the two further up the mountain. At one point we'd taken a wrong turn and asked some other hikers but no one spoke any English. One man understood that we were trying to find the waterfall and indicate we should follow his group which was very helpful. On the way back down, we came upon a wild boar and weren't sure if it was dangerous or not but we were able to take some photos and kept walking. Along the trail we saw several small altars that had small treasures and coins placed on them, we assumed to give thanks for the strength to make it that far. While waiting for the agent, we walked through a small park where there is a statue of a woman, holding a clock and riding on the back of a large fish. The statue was knocked down during the earthquake of 1995 and the clock stopped at the time the earthquake struck and has been left at that time as a memorial to that disaster. We were all ready to get back to the ship - especially Sunhilde who had a terrible cold and I felt like I was coming down with one as well.The cook prepared a very nice Thanksgiving dinner, in honor of the Americans, of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and vegetables, plus apple pie for dessert.
The second day in Kobe was Saturday and Martha and I took a cab into the city for some shopping in the afternoon. Still couldn't get any stamps for our postcards so will have to mail them from Yokohama. We again visited our friend at Starbucks who directed us to an internet cafe (Nestle Cafe) where we were required to buy a membership card (only $500 yen) and order a coffee. Next goal was to get haircuts and we found a nice salon where the owner spoke a little English. We chose some cuts from magazines he showed us and were very happy with the results. The neck and head massage was an added bonus and the tea was a treat. We spent the rest of the evening shopping for a few little gifts and enjoyed looking at all the very stylish clothes and shoes.
The agent had written directions, in Japanese, for how to get back to the ship but the taxi driver couldn't quite figure it out and he spoke no English. He called the agent but there was no answer but after driving around a bit I saw a road that looked familiar and it was the right one! By the way, the taxis here are amazing. All black, clean and polished and the seats are covered with white eyelet seat covers. The drivers are dressed in black suits, white shirts and ties and white gloves (like chauffers) and they push a button to open and close the doors for you. We were quite impressed. The people in Kobe were all so fashionably dressed - Paris of the East - and there are many high end shops like Izod, Coach and Louis Vitton and gorgeous lingerie shops. As in the U.S. all the young people were listening to iPods and talking on cell phones.
Tomorrow we depart for a 24 hour cruise to Yokohama.
Masan, South Korea
Masan, South Korea
11/18 - 11/21/07
After anchoring for the night, due to a very busy port, we came along side the pier in Masan early Sunday morning. What a welcome sight to look out across the harbor at a nearby city of tall white buildings almost sparkling in the sunlight. Quite a change from the grey, dirty, dark ports of China. We're surrounded on three sides by mountains covered in fall colors and the air smells fresh and clean. Everything on the dock is neat and orderly with hundreds of multi-colored cars (Chevrolets) placed precisely in rows next to neat rows of Volvo earth movers. One problem is the language. Even the Captain and crew are having a hard time communicating with the agents and dock workers here as basically no one speaks or understands English, even though it's the language of this industry. The other countries we've visited had at least a few people who were fluent and most spoke at least a little English. We took a taxi into town and couldn't communicate at all with the driver. Luckily we planned ahead and had the local agent here write down where we wanted to go in Korean. He also wrote how to get back to the ship, which we've learned to always carry with us before going ashore in a foreign port. We were able to locate an ATM to get some local currency (Wan) and an internet cafe (where only Korean was spoken and the characters on the computer screen were in Korean). Luckily, the internet symbol is the universal big blue "e" so we could log on and access our email and my blog site. From there we walked through streets lined with small shops until we came to a mail road where we found a six-story, very modern department store (Lotte). It being Sunday, there were lots of family shopping together and young people - all very fashionably (western type clothing) dressed. The coffee shop was as good as any Starbuck's and the cosmetic and jewelry counters were the equivalent of Nordstroms or Neiman Marcus in the U.S. We'd already had lunch but the food court was very enticing with a variety of Korean, American, Chinese and Japanese offerings. Out on the street we hurried (it was very cold and windy) past food and souvenir vendors and located another large store called E-Mart which was like a K-Mart but with groceries as well. We found a book store but no magazines or books in English and a pharmacy section with no ibuprofen (the only things on our list). I had an idea to buy some Christmas cards which I could write on the long trip across the Pacific but couldn't locate anything like that. So much for our big shopping day, but we had a good time as usual.
We took a long walk in the afternoon and enjoyed being out in the fresh brisk air. Not much to see except factories and commercial ship docks but the exercise was good. After trying, unsuccessfully, to have the port agent arrange for a tour of the countryside so see some sights, we opted instead for an evening ashore for a nice dinner.
He called us a taxi and wrote (in Korean) the name and address of a restaurant in the city. That all went well and we enjoyed an authentic Korean barbecue cooked tableside with all the side dishes (including the hottest raw garlic I've ever put in my mouth), followed by a dessert of a fruit we couldn't quite identify. No one in the restaurant spoke even a little English so that was another interesting experience. What fun!
Having nothing else to do on our third day here, Martha and I set out in the direction of the city to see what we could see. It was an hour's walk before we came to any shops or people and we found ourselves in a charming little neighborhood. Like anyplace in the world at three in the afternoon, the children were returning home from school with their backpacks - little girls giggling and chatting, arm-in and little-arm, and little boys (some in Karate outfits) kicking at pidgeons and punching at each other. Some said "Hello" or "Thank you" and others stopped at bowed to us. Two little girls, about eight years old, stopped and one said "Hello, my name is Ying Sue Mung." Martha said "Hello, my name is Martha." They both said "Hello Marta!" I said "Hello, my name is Rebecca." One said "Rebecca is a nice name." As we walked away, they said "Have a nice day." Later, we saw them again and they posed and giggled for a photo. Perhaps in another ten years, shop workers will be speaking more English. By the time we returned to the ship, it was all we could do to walk up the gangway and up the five flights to our cabins. We could barely make it through a movie that night before falling into bed. I guess, from being on the ship for so long, we're not used to that much walking.
We still miss our former crew members but are getting to know the new ones. The Captain is quite chatty and seems to welcome our requests for help with going ashore and sending emails. He often gets into long discussions with us in the dining room after meals. The Chief Engineer is also quite friendly and his English is very good. The cook and stewards are helpful as well and busy getting the galley organized the way they want it, but the meals are not as good as with the other cook. No desserts yet other than jello and pudding or fruit but we're hoping when he's organized he'll do some baking. We miss Jonni's wonderful strudels and cakes.
11/18 - 11/21/07
After anchoring for the night, due to a very busy port, we came along side the pier in Masan early Sunday morning. What a welcome sight to look out across the harbor at a nearby city of tall white buildings almost sparkling in the sunlight. Quite a change from the grey, dirty, dark ports of China. We're surrounded on three sides by mountains covered in fall colors and the air smells fresh and clean. Everything on the dock is neat and orderly with hundreds of multi-colored cars (Chevrolets) placed precisely in rows next to neat rows of Volvo earth movers. One problem is the language. Even the Captain and crew are having a hard time communicating with the agents and dock workers here as basically no one speaks or understands English, even though it's the language of this industry. The other countries we've visited had at least a few people who were fluent and most spoke at least a little English. We took a taxi into town and couldn't communicate at all with the driver. Luckily we planned ahead and had the local agent here write down where we wanted to go in Korean. He also wrote how to get back to the ship, which we've learned to always carry with us before going ashore in a foreign port. We were able to locate an ATM to get some local currency (Wan) and an internet cafe (where only Korean was spoken and the characters on the computer screen were in Korean). Luckily, the internet symbol is the universal big blue "e" so we could log on and access our email and my blog site. From there we walked through streets lined with small shops until we came to a mail road where we found a six-story, very modern department store (Lotte). It being Sunday, there were lots of family shopping together and young people - all very fashionably (western type clothing) dressed. The coffee shop was as good as any Starbuck's and the cosmetic and jewelry counters were the equivalent of Nordstroms or Neiman Marcus in the U.S. We'd already had lunch but the food court was very enticing with a variety of Korean, American, Chinese and Japanese offerings. Out on the street we hurried (it was very cold and windy) past food and souvenir vendors and located another large store called E-Mart which was like a K-Mart but with groceries as well. We found a book store but no magazines or books in English and a pharmacy section with no ibuprofen (the only things on our list). I had an idea to buy some Christmas cards which I could write on the long trip across the Pacific but couldn't locate anything like that. So much for our big shopping day, but we had a good time as usual.
We took a long walk in the afternoon and enjoyed being out in the fresh brisk air. Not much to see except factories and commercial ship docks but the exercise was good. After trying, unsuccessfully, to have the port agent arrange for a tour of the countryside so see some sights, we opted instead for an evening ashore for a nice dinner.
He called us a taxi and wrote (in Korean) the name and address of a restaurant in the city. That all went well and we enjoyed an authentic Korean barbecue cooked tableside with all the side dishes (including the hottest raw garlic I've ever put in my mouth), followed by a dessert of a fruit we couldn't quite identify. No one in the restaurant spoke even a little English so that was another interesting experience. What fun!
Having nothing else to do on our third day here, Martha and I set out in the direction of the city to see what we could see. It was an hour's walk before we came to any shops or people and we found ourselves in a charming little neighborhood. Like anyplace in the world at three in the afternoon, the children were returning home from school with their backpacks - little girls giggling and chatting, arm-in and little-arm, and little boys (some in Karate outfits) kicking at pidgeons and punching at each other. Some said "Hello" or "Thank you" and others stopped at bowed to us. Two little girls, about eight years old, stopped and one said "Hello, my name is Ying Sue Mung." Martha said "Hello, my name is Martha." They both said "Hello Marta!" I said "Hello, my name is Rebecca." One said "Rebecca is a nice name." As we walked away, they said "Have a nice day." Later, we saw them again and they posed and giggled for a photo. Perhaps in another ten years, shop workers will be speaking more English. By the time we returned to the ship, it was all we could do to walk up the gangway and up the five flights to our cabins. We could barely make it through a movie that night before falling into bed. I guess, from being on the ship for so long, we're not used to that much walking.
We still miss our former crew members but are getting to know the new ones. The Captain is quite chatty and seems to welcome our requests for help with going ashore and sending emails. He often gets into long discussions with us in the dining room after meals. The Chief Engineer is also quite friendly and his English is very good. The cook and stewards are helpful as well and busy getting the galley organized the way they want it, but the meals are not as good as with the other cook. No desserts yet other than jello and pudding or fruit but we're hoping when he's organized he'll do some baking. We miss Jonni's wonderful strudels and cakes.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Crossing the Pacific
Crossing the Pacific
11/27 - 12/8/07
I've asked Doug to write this blog entry, covering our 11-day Pacific crossing, as he visits the bridge daily, talks with the officers and is particularly interested in navigation.
Departing Yokohama on a Tuesday, we set an east-northeast heading as the first leg of a modified great circle route for San Diego, some 5,000 miles distant. It was modified to the extent that we would sail three rhumb lines taking us first up to N40 degrees latitude, then easterly along the 40th parallel and finally a east-southeast heading to Bishop's Rock and finally into San Diego. Three days out, we shifted to a east-southeasterly heading rather than follow the 40th as there was a major low pressure system to the east of us. The system was moving to the north northeast at about 40 knots and, with our altered course and our 19 knots of speed, the hope was it would exit our area before we encountered it. The decision seems to be working as on our sixth day at sea, our heading will take us south of the present position of the system. If necessary, we could duck further south to Hawaii but that would add additional time and distance to our passage. Maintaining our current heading will have us passing Hawaii about 600 miles to the south.
Saturday, 1 December, we had another crew party although the cold weather kept us inside the crew's recreation lounge rather than the after deck where the other parties had been held. While similar in terms of barbecued meats, side dishes, beer, wine and brandy, this party differed from the ones held by the former crew in that we had live music! The former crew sang and danced but it was to to canned karoake music. This crew includes at least three talented musicians of guitar and voice and we sang along to many of the songs but there was no room for dancing so it was a bit more subdued.
On Sunday, we officially crossed the International Date Line but did not change the ship's calendar until Monday. The company has issued a policy that Sundays will not be repeated as they are days off for the crew. The captain informed us that this policy was written after one ship's crossing when Saturday was a Filipino holiday and they repeated a Sunday for a three day weekend. No more of that by dictate of the German management company!
The second day out, the notherly winds, hanging around northeast to northwest, began to build with an accompanying building of the seas. These are not the incredibly sharp seas we encountered twice in the Mediterranean and again in the Taiwan Straits and Yellow Sea, but rather long rolly seas which, while not necessarily uncomfortable certainly require careful foot work and daily walks on the deck are temporarily suspended by us. (Needless to say, Rebecca was unable to paint during this passage. Our days have settled into a routine of meals interspersed with reading, playing Scrabble, chatting with our fellow passengers and watching videos.) The navigation log entries today, 3 December, indicate Force 8 winds (34-40 knots) and a Sea State of 7 which could be anywhere between 5.5 to 10.0 meters of wave height (trough to crest). Our best guess is 7 meters although it's quite a bit different reading wave height from a bridge 70' above the water rather than from the cockpit of a smaller sailing vessel, perhaps 8'-10' above the water.
In 1993, during the morning radio check in of the Caribbean 1500 (a 1500-mile race/rally from Virginia to the Virgin Islands), one of the participants asked how to determine the sea state or wave height which many reported for their local area. The response from another boater was to give it your best estimate and divide by two. It's probably true that the seas often seem higher than they are, particularly as mentioned before from the cockpit of a 35' to 50' sailboat. However, we do remember a passage from Marsh Harbour to Ft. Lauderdale where we had seas breaking half way up our 50' mast. That is probably a reasonable measure of Sea State 7. Also, by looking forward on Rickmars-Jakarta, a reference point of a hatch in the forward crane structure, approximately 2 meters in height, appears to transit through three to four distances in these seas, or approximately 6-8 meters which is consistent with the log entry of Sea State 7.
These conditions seem more extreme than those we encountered when sailing Boutonierre across the Pacific but there are two significant differences. Our 7,000-mile passage from Balboa, Panama to the Kingdom of Tonga kept us within ten degrees of the equator, either north or south. Also, that took place in 1995 and twelve years erases a lot of memories of pain and dampens the adventureous spirit. Nonetheless, we are reasonably comfortable and are able to take fully cooked meals seated properly at the mess table. Extreme weather on an aircraft carrier years ago meant sitting on the deck with an arm wrapped around a stanchion and for the poor lads in the accompanying destroyers, cold cut sandwiches, as cooking wasn't possible.
We did have a one day break on Wednesday, from the extremely rolly conditions, and it couldn't have been timed better. At 0550, the lights in our cabin failed, then after blinking a few times, came on again (I happened to be awake reading). Obviously, some sort of generator failure which was followed by the switching to one of the other three generators. But then, the main engine also stopped and after a period of time, we were "lying to" and rolling in the swells which, as mentioned, were fortunately not as extreme as they had been. When the ship lost electical power, the lubrication and fuel pumps shut down and therefore the main engine. By 0625, main engine power, as well as solid electrical power had been restored and we were back again on course at our usual 18-19 knots.
Our days have settled into a routine of meals interspersed with reading, playing Scrabble, chatting with our fellow passengers and watching videos.
We are slightly behind schedule and while we will enter San Diego on 8 December, it will be at night and too late to go ashore. Therefore, our shopping and meeting with friends will be delayed until Sunday. The captain advises we must depart San Diego on the 10th to make our date with the Panama Canal so just one day in one of our most favorite ports and the first U. S. port since we departed Boston in September.
After transiting the Panama Canal, our next stop will be Puerto Moin, Costa Rica.
11/27 - 12/8/07
I've asked Doug to write this blog entry, covering our 11-day Pacific crossing, as he visits the bridge daily, talks with the officers and is particularly interested in navigation.
Departing Yokohama on a Tuesday, we set an east-northeast heading as the first leg of a modified great circle route for San Diego, some 5,000 miles distant. It was modified to the extent that we would sail three rhumb lines taking us first up to N40 degrees latitude, then easterly along the 40th parallel and finally a east-southeast heading to Bishop's Rock and finally into San Diego. Three days out, we shifted to a east-southeasterly heading rather than follow the 40th as there was a major low pressure system to the east of us. The system was moving to the north northeast at about 40 knots and, with our altered course and our 19 knots of speed, the hope was it would exit our area before we encountered it. The decision seems to be working as on our sixth day at sea, our heading will take us south of the present position of the system. If necessary, we could duck further south to Hawaii but that would add additional time and distance to our passage. Maintaining our current heading will have us passing Hawaii about 600 miles to the south.
Saturday, 1 December, we had another crew party although the cold weather kept us inside the crew's recreation lounge rather than the after deck where the other parties had been held. While similar in terms of barbecued meats, side dishes, beer, wine and brandy, this party differed from the ones held by the former crew in that we had live music! The former crew sang and danced but it was to to canned karoake music. This crew includes at least three talented musicians of guitar and voice and we sang along to many of the songs but there was no room for dancing so it was a bit more subdued.
On Sunday, we officially crossed the International Date Line but did not change the ship's calendar until Monday. The company has issued a policy that Sundays will not be repeated as they are days off for the crew. The captain informed us that this policy was written after one ship's crossing when Saturday was a Filipino holiday and they repeated a Sunday for a three day weekend. No more of that by dictate of the German management company!
The second day out, the notherly winds, hanging around northeast to northwest, began to build with an accompanying building of the seas. These are not the incredibly sharp seas we encountered twice in the Mediterranean and again in the Taiwan Straits and Yellow Sea, but rather long rolly seas which, while not necessarily uncomfortable certainly require careful foot work and daily walks on the deck are temporarily suspended by us. (Needless to say, Rebecca was unable to paint during this passage. Our days have settled into a routine of meals interspersed with reading, playing Scrabble, chatting with our fellow passengers and watching videos.) The navigation log entries today, 3 December, indicate Force 8 winds (34-40 knots) and a Sea State of 7 which could be anywhere between 5.5 to 10.0 meters of wave height (trough to crest). Our best guess is 7 meters although it's quite a bit different reading wave height from a bridge 70' above the water rather than from the cockpit of a smaller sailing vessel, perhaps 8'-10' above the water.
In 1993, during the morning radio check in of the Caribbean 1500 (a 1500-mile race/rally from Virginia to the Virgin Islands), one of the participants asked how to determine the sea state or wave height which many reported for their local area. The response from another boater was to give it your best estimate and divide by two. It's probably true that the seas often seem higher than they are, particularly as mentioned before from the cockpit of a 35' to 50' sailboat. However, we do remember a passage from Marsh Harbour to Ft. Lauderdale where we had seas breaking half way up our 50' mast. That is probably a reasonable measure of Sea State 7. Also, by looking forward on Rickmars-Jakarta, a reference point of a hatch in the forward crane structure, approximately 2 meters in height, appears to transit through three to four distances in these seas, or approximately 6-8 meters which is consistent with the log entry of Sea State 7.
These conditions seem more extreme than those we encountered when sailing Boutonierre across the Pacific but there are two significant differences. Our 7,000-mile passage from Balboa, Panama to the Kingdom of Tonga kept us within ten degrees of the equator, either north or south. Also, that took place in 1995 and twelve years erases a lot of memories of pain and dampens the adventureous spirit. Nonetheless, we are reasonably comfortable and are able to take fully cooked meals seated properly at the mess table. Extreme weather on an aircraft carrier years ago meant sitting on the deck with an arm wrapped around a stanchion and for the poor lads in the accompanying destroyers, cold cut sandwiches, as cooking wasn't possible.
We did have a one day break on Wednesday, from the extremely rolly conditions, and it couldn't have been timed better. At 0550, the lights in our cabin failed, then after blinking a few times, came on again (I happened to be awake reading). Obviously, some sort of generator failure which was followed by the switching to one of the other three generators. But then, the main engine also stopped and after a period of time, we were "lying to" and rolling in the swells which, as mentioned, were fortunately not as extreme as they had been. When the ship lost electical power, the lubrication and fuel pumps shut down and therefore the main engine. By 0625, main engine power, as well as solid electrical power had been restored and we were back again on course at our usual 18-19 knots.
Our days have settled into a routine of meals interspersed with reading, playing Scrabble, chatting with our fellow passengers and watching videos.
We are slightly behind schedule and while we will enter San Diego on 8 December, it will be at night and too late to go ashore. Therefore, our shopping and meeting with friends will be delayed until Sunday. The captain advises we must depart San Diego on the 10th to make our date with the Panama Canal so just one day in one of our most favorite ports and the first U. S. port since we departed Boston in September.
After transiting the Panama Canal, our next stop will be Puerto Moin, Costa Rica.
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