The Crossing...

There is something to be said for heading out to sea ~ just the ship and nothing else. A wee speck on the ocean. I have a friend who is an avid sailor and she and her husband talk about what it would be like to sail around the world. In speaking with other folks, she says the thought of sailing, just you and the ocean, once you get to the other side it is as though you have conquered something fantastic. While I am not sure if I could do it in a sailboat, I will settle for crossing with an ocean liner.

The days leading up to the crossing I was quite concerned about what type of weather it might bring. I have learned that at times one’s active imagination can start to act up when really there is no cause for alarm. On that fateful Monday night, we left St. Maarten at a blistering speed of 23 knots and I headed straight for Guest Relations and some anti-sickness tablets. You can imagine my surprise when I went to bed on Monday thinking ~ things are OK, waves seem to be under control… And in fact this was my sentiment for the entire 5 days we spent crossing the Atlantic. The crossing was so smooth that we had to slow the ship down to a measly 8 knots 3 days into the crossing as we were about to arrive in Funchal (on the Portugese island of Maderia just off the coast of Morocco) way ahead of schedule.

While there were rumours that the water appeared as so calm, it was like a sheet of glass, I had to settle for these 2 fantastic photos just before sunset where you are able to see that there isn’t a wave to be seen for miles. I know that I have been spoiled and surely this isn’t common for a crossing ~ but hey, I will take what I can get. And with 5 days cooped up on the ship, despite the beautiful view, folks were definitely looking to get out once we hit land again.



Crossing 1 



Crossing 2