Friday 6th December -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?