Thursday, January 31, 2013, between 3:00 and 5:00 a.m., we were awakened by howling winds, pelting rain and a very rocky boat.....Tom advised me to not worry and go back to sleep....which he did promptly....FORGET THAT!!!! As I lay there, it reminded me all too much of the "tropical storm" which flooded our Puerto Rican apartment in 2004.....the winds were only 70 mph, therefore, a "tropical storm".....hurricane force winds start at 75 mph......so as we rock and roll, the wind whistles and the rain batters our balcony....Tom snores.....the following day, during his daily update, the Captain explained that we passed through a "Mistral", which often happens after Manzanillo, Mexico, as the wind funnels between mountains in a valley....a mistral is a very concentrated wind which comes and goes....and is unpredictable.....by the way, the Captain confirmed that the wind was hurricane force, 75 mph, and it was coming from the east which blew on OUR side of the ship.....
One of the few days Tom and I spent time by the pool, we noticed a crowd looking over the railing....I joined them and heard "man overboard" and "captain sees something" and a boat capsized.....about that time, Tom noticed that the ship is turning around.....and here is what the captain saw.....he reported it to the U. S. Coast Guard and we were required to stay within 10 miles of the sighting until it had been duly noted, reported and investigated.....as you may be able to see, it appears to be a dinghy, covered with barnacles...been out there for a long time.....We later learned that it could have been from the Japanese Tsunami.
We DID get to see the Super Bowl....and despite the fact that it was a great game, we missed the best part ......the commercials! Cunard had arranged for a "special feed" to the ship, but that did not include ANY of the commercials....NOT ONE!!
And one last note (promise) to life at sea.....the cardio machines in the gym had GAMES on them!!!! I played Sudoku every time on the tread mill!!! Fantastic!
