Following the storm

Sunday 8th December The rock n roll continued, as we've followed behind the worst effects of storm Darragh. The captain has been carefully negotiating between keeping us out of the really rough waters ahead, and the need to move as fast as possible since we're nearly a day behind schedule, and we have to dock into Tenerife on the 12th. 

Waves are apparently 6-7m high, which means you need to work hard to stay upright and keep moving forward sometimes. Peter's classes happened as usual - numbers were down for the first class, but we put that down to the weather and the fact it's a Sunday and there's a church service. 

As an apology for getting us out of bed last night, we found a box of chocolates in our cabins when we returned from dinner.  All I can say is, "No apology necessary." - I think any one of the passengers would prefer to be turned out of their cabin rather than the possible alternative. Apparently, the poorly passenger got to hospital and is all right, so it was well worth it. 

The sea has calmed down as the day went on and was almost unnoticeable by the time we got to bed  and I've not felt seasick, (although I did take a few pills from reception). Cool eh?

Monday 9th December Well, we could make it to Tenerife in time, the sea is calm and the ship is fair belting south past Portugal. Weather is good, quite calm actually and warm enough for me to take a walk around the deck in a t-shirt.  They changed formal night from yesterday, making for a better night, and Peter and I went to watch Ralph Allin - an absolute master of the violin - in the playhouse.  Quite awesome and well worth the watch. 

Tuesday 10th December The ship is still speeding along, I spotteed 18.3 knots on the screen in our room.  The weather is good and I've promenaded around the promenade a few times this morning.  We chatted with the crafters in the craft room late morning whilst the Marylou finished our room. At lunchtime the Captain announced that we'd get to Tenerife by about 9.30 tomorrow, so only a few hours late, (Hurrah!), and I had a chat with the Sugar Craft lass, Lindy, and her husband this afternoon whilst Peter was teaching. This evening, we bumped into the dance instructors, Heidi and Simon, on the top deck whilst we were having a little wander around. (10,000 steps achieved!), and finally, after dinner, we ambled into a very full Brittania Lounge, where after finally finding a couple of seats, we watched most of the ship's passengers get on down to the bad sounds of Soul Satisfaction.  I even got to dance with one of the art students.  A good day, and tomorrow we get a lie in.  Yaaaaay!

Patient Helivac? Evacuate!

Technically, it was a sea day. Peter and I got up early to get breakfast and set up the room ready for the first class. We were in the Amalfi restaurant as usual and quickly fell into routine. The captain announced we were going to leave about 10.30am and told us that although the ship would stay close to the (English) coastline, to expect choppy seas and a moving ship. This captain is called Kim and is quite cheerful and chatty, which sort of disuades any worries in the passengers.

Actually, the sea wasn't too bad, the class went ahead as usual in the afternoon. At lunch the captain told us that we had yet to drop off the "seasick" (joke),pilot who had guided us out of Southampton, and we'd do that at Falmouth (the Southampton pilot station was closed). We could expect a lull in ship motion whilst that happened and then we'd venture out from the shelter of land into deeper water. We were told that the waves would get bigger and the ship would move in a "corkscrew" motion.

Peter and I were tired at the end of the day, and went to bed relatively early, before the Falmouth drop off and rocky seas.  Tucked up and dozing off nicely, the Captain's voice came into the room, announcing to the crew to prepare for a helicopter evacuation! Then he woke us again with an announcement that the passengers at the front of the ship would have to evacuate their cabins. We hoped that didn't mean us, (in cabin D004, not right at the front), and we started to doze off again.  Then came a gentle knock at the door. Yes, we would have to leave our cabins.

So we pulled on some clothes and joined many other weary looking passengers in the lounges, some in pajamas and dressing gowns, and we all waited. It was around 11.30pm.  At the front of the ship, a helicopter arrived, and some poor patient was winched up to be taken to hospital. Our cabin evacuation was necessary due to the fact that this sort of winching off the front of a ship by a helicopter is one of the most dangerous manoeuvre's a pilot will undertake, if something goes wrong, a helicopter with all its fuel could really do some damage to the ship and the people on board, which is why the fire crew were also mobilised and were stood ready, in full gear, at the top of the ship.

After about an hour, the evacuation was successful and we were able to go back to bed and sleep. That was until the ship went out into deep water and started to pitch and roll. The movement woke me up, and kept shaking me awake every time I started doze off. So when the alarm went off at 7.30am, I felt like I'd hardly slept at all. 

Caribbean Cruise Day 1 - Portsmouth - Will we won't we sail?

As usual, we drove down last night, stopped in a Travelodge and had breakfast at Dunelm. The only change to normal was that we had to go looking for a pair of black shoes for Peter, who'd forgotten that he might need some for formal night.

We had no worries, but the weather did look a little ominous before we got to the ship. Storm Darragh was pushing it's way into the headlines, with the Met Office sending out increasingly severe warnings. As we boarded, we knew it was going to cause problems, with Peter and I taking bets with each other as to how the captain was going to handle it.

Portsmouth

We were due to sail at 5pm, but as expected, the Captain announced that the weather forecast was a bit more than dodgy. It wasn't safe to set out into the English Channel and we couldn't stay in our berth at Portsmouth because it was booked for another ship which would also needed to stay somewhere safe. So we set off for Southampton which is where we are to spend the night. No one could get off the ship though, since the Southampton port authorities didn't have time to set up security etc. (a shame for the crew.)

Still, it's nice and quiet- and we can sit here in the calm until Darragh blows over.  

3 August 2024 - Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland

We've been to the Shetland Islands before...... Haven't we?

We were both pretty sure we had, but memory obviously plays tricks, and we've never been here before. The Shetland Islands are roughly 100 miles off the north east coast of Scotland and are Scottish. This meant when we got of the ship, despite being on a cruise, the place felt familiar. An unusual feeling to be honest, but pleasant too.

The weather was good too, making the day even better. We hadn't really thought about what we were gonna do when we go here, so as usually we decided to go for a walk. We'd spotted a path running around the outside of a sticky out bit called The Ness of Sound, just south of the port. Good choice.

We took the shuttle bus which dropped us off near Victoria pier and made our way towards Sound. We found Tesco's and bought lunch, then made our way along the path which skirts the peninsular.

We came across a series of WW2 bunkers and tunnels - interesting.

And then climbed over the peak at the end to enjoy these views for lunch.

Once we'd completed the circuit and got back to Tesco's, we decided to have a quick look at the Broch of Clickimin. The Broch is a stone-built round house with tower dating back to the Iron Age, and Clickimin is a loch that the Broch was built on.

I have to be honest, it's impressive considering when it was built, and the fact that originally there would have been a causeway out to it. It's also free to visit, which makes it even more impressive. We really liked it.

We eventually walked back to Lerwick and the pier and caught the shuttle bus back. A good day, which was going to get better.

As we set sail from Lerwick, the captain announced that we would have a quick look at the island of Noss before heading back to Dover. Noss which is a National Nature Reserve, known for its incredibly high cliffs.

With binoculars, you could see that the cliffs were covered with nesting birds, mostly gannets.

The final thrill came whilst watching the birds - an Orca! It kept breaching as it travelled around the bottom of the cliff- probably hunting. It was fantastic to see, but no photos sadly.

And that was it, the last port of the cruise. Tomorrow is the last sea day. There'll be a class in the morning, an exhibition in the afternoon, and then "packing". I'm glad to be going home, but sorry to be leaving the luxury of the ship, but that's not really an issue, we'll be back in December for a trip to the Caribbean. Awesome eh?

1 August 2024 - The most Northern Brown Booby Ever?

We delayed leaving Reykjavik yesterday, cos the wind was so bad and the Captain wanted to keep the ship out of the worst of it. We left port close to midnight, and the ship rocked about like a good 'un. It was a bit easier this morning, but still a bit rough and windy out.

Looking out of the balcony at lunchtime and we saw this bird. I could not work out what it was - I knew I knew it, but it didn't make sense. When I checked the RSPB book, there were no birds anything like it.

"It looks like a Booby", said Peter. "I know", I said, "but there aren't any Boobys this far north."

But it was a Brown Booby - I recorded it on iNaturalist - it was the most northern record on the system. It was either blown this way or travelled on another ship. Either way, it's a tropical bird and definitely not used to the weather around Iceland.

It looked healthy enough, and after spending all it's time resting and preening, it left the ship around 4.30pm the next day, midway between the Faroe and Shetland islands. I think it had waited for the wind to die down, that and the fact it spotted a gannet or two, and probably followed them to wherever they were roosting. Cool eh?

31 July 2024 - Reykjavik, Iceland

This is the third time I've been to Reykjavik, and I was really looking forward to it. This cold is a bit of a bummer, and I didn't want to mix with people to much, so Peter got me a bacon butty from the Grill for breakfast. The plan was to walk into town from the ship, it takes about half an hour and the last time we did it, (in 2015), I really enjoyed it.

But today the weather was a bit on the dull side, and so was I, so it didn't seem quite as enjoyable as last time. But once we got to the "Recycled House", I perked up.

Apparently, it's the home of an Icelandic film director where he created stuff fir his films. It's a fantastic place and you are very welcome to wander and look around. We loved it the first time we visited, and we loved it again today.

From there, we continued the walk into the city. There is a lot to see, good views and all sorts of structures and sculptures.

And then we got to town. Basically we just wandered a little. I wasn't up to a full day of walking, so we visited the cathedral.

And then walked about the area around it. I still love the quirkiness of the place.

And then it was time to go back, we walked back to the took the shuttle bus from the Opera House (amazing building) and once back on board I spent the afternoon going through the worst of the cold, feeling properly sorry for myself. Dinner in the cabin again and a good night's sleep needed - tomorrow is a sea day, and I will need to help Peter with his classes.

30 July 2024 - Isafjordur, Iceland

OK, so now I have a cold. It's going around the ship, and I don't really want to spread it any further. We're in port though and I can get off and away from everybody. The ship was supposed to be docked, but apparently the port authorities haven't dredged the necessary bit for us, so we are having to tender in. Funny how the massive Aida ship was able to berth though.

Spirit of Adventure at anchor in the fjord.

We've not been here before and I've not got round to researching the area. A look on Maps.me shows paths that might be interesting, but a look out from the balcony tells us that getting to any sort of height in the surrounding hills is probably a bad idea. The cloud base was really low and the day felt cold and dreary

After a late breakfast we took our time, with the aim of having a walk about to see what there was to see. In all honesty..... Not much.

We found a supermarket, bought a couple of bananas and some chocolate, and decided to make our way to the edge of the town for a walk up the hill. We could see the path disappeared into the clouds as it rose, but we thought we'd go as far as we could.

Then it was back to enjoy the comforts of the ship and nurse my cold. To avoid spreading it further, we decided to take advantage of room service for our evening meal, which was surprisingly easy. This also meant that we were able to spend time watching from the balcony hoping to see whales as we left the fjord.

And we did! A couple came up to the left of our balcony, towards the front of the ship. They were so close it was the noise of the blow that made us turn and look. Then we saw a few more, some distance away, which Peter was able to film. I haven't worked out what type they were yet - either fin or humpback, but what a thrill, especially when you add the large pod of dolphins that we saw a little later. Awesome.

Room service was OK, eating in the Grill is better, but at least we didn't have to get changed for dinner. The only real hitch was that the little table in the room isn't really big enough for two people to eat from.

Tomorrow we are in Reyjavik which is somewhere we really like. Hopefully my cold will have improved.

29 July 2024 - Akureyri, Iceland

After two days at sea, we have arrived in Akureyri, in the North of Iceland. We've been here before when it was cold with snow on the ground. We tried and failed to get to the Godafoss Waterfall on that occasion, this time we are in luck, since it is an included excursion for the cruise.

Godafoss waterfall is 45 minutes east of Akureyri by bus, and we were on the first set of buses out. It's well worth the drive.

There's a footbridge allowing visitors to access both sides of the falls and Peter and I used up the hour plus that we had at the site, getting back to the bus with just a few minutes to spare. A wonderful place made better by good weather.

Sadly we had to leave, and the bus took us back to Akureyri, with a stop at the botanical gardens on the way. We were back in time for lunch though.

I'm starting to come down with a cold, and my throat is a bit sore - so we decided to take it easy in the afternoon. Next stop Isafjordur tomorrow. Cool.

26 July 2024 - Honningsvag, Norway

Today we woke to look out on the little town of Honningsvag. It is the Northernmost city (town) in mainland Norway and has a population of 2,245 (according to Wiki). Today our ship has brought somewhere in the region of 1400 people to it. And we weren't the only ones. Other, smaller cruising vessels similar to the Hurtigruten were docking too.

There isn't much to do in the town itself. It's pretty enough, with a little marina, restaurants and gift shops. But the main attraction of Honningsvag for cruise ships is that it is the starting point for bus tours up to the North Cape. We've been on this trip twice before. The first time failed due to blizzard conditions and during our second visit the rain was hitting us sideways and it was so cold we could hardly take our gloves off to take photo's before dashing back into the visitor centre.

Today was different though. Today was really warm, the scenery along the drive was stunning and we got to see reindeer.

At the visitor center we stood outside enjoying the warm wind and the sun. We even had time to find our way down to the Kings View - a platform carved into cliff accessed via a tunnel from the centre.

After the tour, we took a very short walk around the town. The water in the marina was mirror smooth and every corner presented another photo opportunity. In Peter's words "Everyone's a banger". Bonus sightings of a Black Guillemot and a couple of seals in the marina just added to the experience.

Now it is time for the us to make our way to Iceland. The ship has to sail past the North Cape on the way - more photographs.

And we got to see what I think might have been White-sided Dolphins whilst eating dinner - no photographs though. 😞

25 July 2024 - Tromso, Norway

We've been planning this visit since the last time we visited on 28th March this year on a Northern Lights cruise. Tromso in late March is covered in snow. Today it was gloriously warm and sunny.

The ship has run out of good bananas but we weren't worried as we know where the cafes are. We grabbed some water as we left the ship and got on the shuttle.

The shuttle bus driver turned out to be a mine of information, telling us where the botanical gardens were, where to see reindeers, tunnels, walking paths etc etc. I've filed most of it away in my memory for the next time.

Tromso in summer is full of building contractors who seemed to be repairing just about everything:- rooves, walls, roads and pavements. They were also repairing the bridge that joins the island of Tromso to the mainland and it was closed to traffic. Fortunately there is a tunnel a little further north.

The bridge wasn't closed to pedestrians though, so we were able to cross. There's a little ice-cream cafe on the other side near the cathedral, so we nipped in to get some chocolate and carried on to the cable car.

The cable car takes you up to 421m above sea level, which is about 2/3rds of the height of Floya mountain (671m). There's a cafe, loos, platforms picnic tables and plenty of space to walk around and enjoy the absolutely spectacular views. We pottered around for half an hour, loving the warm sun, soft breeze and amazing scenery.

And then it was time to start upwards.

It's not too difficult, but we were probably a little bit tired from our walk at Leknes. Getting to the top gave a sense of achievement.

What a wonderful place to be. We sat and ate our chocolate and tried to soak up as much as we could to take away with us. Photographs can never capture a view, and these views were magnificent.

Sadly, it was eventually time to go down, and we reversed our route.

Going down. You can just see the top of the cable car and the cafe ahead.

We enjoyed ice-creams and cold drinks from the cafe next to the cathedral before finally working our way back to the shuttle bus. T'was a brilliant day and we would happily do it again.

Tomorrow we will be at Honningsvag, the most northerly port of our cruise. We've been before, but not in the summer so this is gonna be another new experience. Awesome.