Sunday 13th January 2013 – GMT: Side-saddle in the Bay of Biscay!

If you are intrigued by this enigmatic heading to this posting then read on since it has to do with a moment of nostalgia for me and a rather rough crossing of the Bay of Biscay!! 

Embarkation on 10^th Jan at Southampton went very smoothly and I was in my cabin and shipshape by 4.30pm the Emergency Muster drill completed now extended to include taking you to the lifeboat – a procedure implemented after the Costa Concordia disaster that occurred exactly a year ago today!  The picture shows you how delighted I was to be aboard the Black Watch again, the first time in 3 years and lots of familiar faces amongst the crew all of whom have greeted me by name and like a long lost friend. 

I hardly had time to gather my wits in Southampton before I was greeted by 3 people who had been on the Galapagos trip with me in January 2012 so there was a rather loud reunion!  The reunions have continued on-board since I am sharing a table with two ladies who also did the Round South America cruise and I have said hello to at least one other couple.  So the atmosphere on-board is very friendly and relaxed already!!

Unfortunately the weather has not been quite so relaxed.  As we pulled out from the Needles a Force 5 hit us and from then on until late yesterday evening (Saturday 12^th Jan) a gale force wind (Force 7) has accompanied us down the Bay and along the coast of Spain and Portugal.  The Captain maintains that it is a small front of an Atlantic Depression that is giving you bad weather back home at present that has misguidedly decided to track south on a parallel course to us.  This morning as I write (11.00am) there are scattered clouds and some sunshine but still a heavy sea running but things should improve as we near the Canaries where we arrive on Tuesday.

We left Southampton in the company of the Queen Mary II and the Rotterdam (Holland America Line).  At an average of 25 knots the QMII very quickly disappeared over the horizon but the Rotterdam has shadowed us all the way so far.  Both ships by the way are on World Cruises!!

So where does Side-saddle come in, well it partly has to do with the swell hitting the ship beam on (Sideways on the bow to you non-nautical types) and causing the ship to roll and crash through the waves creating great plumes of spray with much noise and buffeting – so not much sleep for the first couple of nights and a moment of nostalgia for me that I will share with you if I may.  The entertainer on the first evening was “Colin Fingers Henry” – a talented piano player.  He had a little competition to identify by their style of playing a variety of pianists such as Winifred Atwell and Joe Henderson – if you are not of an age you will recognise neither of these artists!!  For the initiated you will have course now realised that the connection with Side-saddle is reference to Russ Conway’s hit of the 1950’s.  As a not so budding piano student at that time I longed to be able to paly this snazzy piece but the moment of nostalgia was sharing a magical Thames River Cruise with my dear Dad from Tower Bridge to Southend and requesting this tune be played on the return journey.

Well ‘that’s all folks’ for the present.  We have so many days at sea on this first leg of the voyage down to Cape Town that I thought I had better let you know we are still upright and sailing on!