At Sea

Drafting yesterday's post, I was impressed with how much more user friendly Blogger has become. When I first used the mobile version six years ago while traveling behind my motorcycle guide in Vietnam, the app was difficult at best. now it is much easier to use on the small screen. photos can be added and moved as needed and the mechanics of editing and posting are more intuitive. I'll continue on my phone and consign the laptop to its suitcase.

During the night Sunday, we sailed southwest at about 9 knots. Our next port call is not far too the west and a little north, but Monday was a scheduled "day at sea" so we headed out into the Mediterranean Sea. 

As the day progressed the wind freshened, blowing out of the northeast. Before long there was plenty of white water and even the large Eurodam began to roll and pitch a little. In the plus side, people acquired there sealegs faster. 

A little before noon I decided to go for a walk. I walked on the promenade deck for an hour at my usual pace of about 3.5 mph. When I looked at my Pacer app it said I had walked almost ten miles. It added and subtracted (depending on whether I was walking forward or aft) my speed to the ship's speed and came up with a decent marathoner's running speed.

To recover from the strenuous high-speed walk, I took a short siesta on the veranda. 

Later Iko and I explored the ship. The usual HAL ship carries about 1300-1600 passengers but the Eurodam is a little larger and is designed to carry about 2300. On this trip I think they have limited the number of pax to help alleviate crowding in some of the popular venues. With the reduced number of passengers, mandatory masking except while eating or drinking, hand sanitizers throughout the ship, and social distancing, they hope to prevent an outbreak of breakthroughs. I feel pretty good about the precautions. 

When we got back to our room later in the afternoon, I was surprised to see a small birthday cake with a card from the captain and crew wishing me a happy birthday. It was a nice gesture even if a little premature. 

Later in the afternoon Captain Smit came on the ship's speaker system to announce that Tuesday's scheduled stop was cancelled due to the strong winds and exposed location of the berth for cruise ships. The itinerary was juggled a bit and Tuesday we'll berth in Souda, the port for Chania on the Island of Crete. 

The wind and rough seas continued all night so it seems the captain made a wise choice to change ports of call.