By 6:00 a.m. we left the Gatun lock system, where locomotives called mules use steel cables to keep the ships in the middle of the lock as there is very little room to spare. Again, all was quiet until we left the Atlantic reception area and were hit by the Beaufort 6 winds and …
We awoke to see many more cargo ships in the canal reception area. Transfer of guests continued during the morning and was completed around 13:00. We waited for news which came through at 18:30. We were commencing transit. There are strict rules attached – no one on deck, lights on balconies off, curtains closed. By …
Today turned out to be the longest day of the voyage! It started late Friday night when, after 10:00 p.m.we were informed that we had just made “The Cut” of the age of 70. We slept soundly knowing that we were likely to leave this ship. Breakfast was early, a sign that disembarkation were going …
We were at sea during the night and awoke to see the Gulf of Panama bathed in sunshine and teeming with bird life. A group of 4 pelicans flew alongside us and other seabirds grabbing the fish that our wake is churning up. The Captain told us yesterday that around 10:00 a.m we would …
Daybreak, and we are shrouded in mist off the Gulf of Panama. Overnight we had crossed the Equator but unfortunately we couldn’t keep our eyes open to celebrate! If we had been on schedule we would have done this in daylight and with the traditional ceremony. Crossing the Equator or “The Line” used to be …
It was cloudy at sunrise and the sun was obscured by the thick cloud banks formed by the Humboldt. We are at 4° S at 07:15 but it will take the best part of the day to reach the Equator. At present we are off Ecuador. The Humboldt dominates here but in some years …
We moved to GMT -5 overnight. At daybreak we were at 12° S 79.° W off Peru and well within the Tropics. Outside it was 24°C with 91% humidity. As of 07:40 we had travelled 4695 miles and Fort Lauderdale was 2304 miles away. We are still on course to meet the Rotterdam at 6:00 …
We awoke at 8:15 a.m. and wondered why everything was so quiet. When we went to the ship’s navigator system we saw that we had crossed the Tropic of Capricorn and entered GMT – 4 during the night. Breakfast in the room was delicious, in fact the coffee was better than in the restaurant! …
Sunrise today was spectacular at 27° S. We are getting closer to the Tropics and its towering cumulonimbus clouds. We had a low layer of stratocumulus which appeared to trap the red of sunrise in the sky and ocean. By 09:00 the sun was back again in a clear blue sky. We had taken …
It was a cloudy start to the day as we began our next day in Valparaiso. Food tenders worked late into the night and during nothing seemed to happen. Near to noon as usual the Captain informed us that he had refuelled 800 tons that gave us a range of 7000 miles. When the last …