Day 16 - Sea Day (1st of 4)

 

Date:  Jan. 24, 2007

 

Location:  At Sea in the South Atlantic

 

Next Port: Jamestown, St. Helena, Jan 28

 

Quick Summary:  The first of four straight sea days, heading towards St. Helena, enroute to Namibia, Africa…filled with exercise, lectures, a quiet dinner for two and a terrific performance by a comedian/singer.

 

<BSTYLE="MSO-BIDI-FONT-WEIGHT: normal?>Report:  We are heading into four straight high pressure areas strung out across the South Atlantic. Capt. Dag expects the pleasant weather and favorable seas to hold for at least the beginning of our long crossing to Walvis Bay, Namibia. On Sunday, we will make a four-hour stop at Jamestown, St. Helena, a small island in the midst of this vast world of water.

 

After exercising and breakfast, Karen went to the first of her Cordon Bleu workshop classes. Larry attended Daniel Silke’s new lecture series. This one was entitled: “South Africa – Origins of Isolation: Discrimination Takes Roots.” This series should be just as informative and enjoyable as his last on Globalization. Daniel holds nothing back in describing the history and current events of his native homeland.

 

Karen joined Larry for the first presentation by Dr. Robert Clark, an oceanographer and historian, who joined us in Rio.  His first enrichment lecture was titled: “The World Really Wasn’t Flat – Explorers Who Came Before Us.” 

 

After lunch, we were able to catch up with our daughter Heather and Ron before they left San Diego for a five-day vacation in Hawaii. Again, this was a successful Skype call, and we also were able to get our video cam to work. When it works, technology is great!

 

But when technology doesn’t…Larry spent a very frustrating afternoon in the computer lab! He has still not been able to work through the AOL website so that he can add photos to this journal. However, he has one more work-around try. Hopefully, we will have good news to report tomorrow.

 

At 2 p.m., we advanced our clocks 30 minutes…4:30 hrs. ahead of Chicago time.

 

We had a quiet, simple meal alone in Compass Rose. It’s fun to have met so many nice new people onboard, but sometimes it’s also good to share some time by ourselves.

 

After dinner, we thoroughly enjoyed the music and comedy of Kenny Smiles, the “Mad Welshman.” He is a very funny entertainer who has been a fixture on the Regent cruise line for 10 years. The fact that Capt. Dag and all his officers were there (and taking some good ribbing) speaks well of the love they have for him. His 90-min. performance was a sell-out. (Kenny also took many barbs at Jamie, all in good fun!)

 

Tomorrow morning at about 8 a.m., we should pass by the barren Brazilian island of Trinidad…some 500 miles east of Rio. What a surprise that must have been to the first explorers in sailing ships!

 

Karen and Larry