At sea headed to Hawaii

Day Two- At Sea

Two thirds of the Earth is covered with water, and I think we are well on our way to seeing as much of that water as possible. When the Rotterdam left San Pedro last evening, Captain van der Waard headed in a southwesterly direction towards the Hawaiian Islands. The seas had a gentle swell out of the west, but the ship did not rock or twist too badly that first night.

By midday we were some 360 miles southwest of San Pedro, already farther away from land (at sea level) than we had ever been before. We spent most of the day unpacking and putting things away, and exploring the Rotterdam. All of the Holland-America ships we have been on before (remember that we didn’t get to board the Prinsendam in 2007 because of my hospital stay in Rome) have been the big ships in their fleet, so the Rotterdam feels a bit different. The day was somewhat overcast as can be seen in the only picture I took on this day. In his noontime message, Captain van der Waard told us that the Rotterdam was headed toward and through a low pressure front; that was apparent from the grey sky. It also got a bit rockier as the day went on.

The daily itinerary sheet contained a note from the navigator telling that the ship was headed southwest in a rhumbline route (a straight line) from San Pedro to Hilo. This picture aft from the Lido Deck shows how straight was the line; Moss 2009-01-20-0522


By the end of the day Squeekie and I were both pretty tired as the excitement of leaving on our voyage of discovery had worn out. We have a table at the late seating (8pm) in the La Fontaine Dining Room, and have been fortunate to be given a wonderful table—number 22, right beside a window that gives us a panorama of the outside. After dinner I went to the Queen’s Lounge to listen to the comedian Rick Starr; Squeekie caught up with me after a detour into the Signature Shop to purchase a safari jacket, but she slept through Starr’s entire performance. So off to bed we went.

Oscar seating Squeekie at Table 22 in the La Fontaine Dining Room; Moss 2009-01-21-0529


Day Three- At Sea

The Pacific Ocean was not very pacific (peaceful) over night. The Rotterdam nosed up and down and rocked sideways as it was buffeted by swell coming from a weather front through which we had to pass. Over night the panelwork in our cabin (and I’m sure in other cabins as well) creaked and groaned occasionally as the ship twisted in contact with wind and wave. Still, thanks to the patch, I have not been queasy.

Sunrise on our second morning at sea; Moss 2009-01-21-0524

I awoke around 7:30 this morning to a view out over our verandah of a magnificent sunrise. Squeekie slept until 9am. I guess the decompression which makes vacations so wonderful is at last happening. However, decompression notwithstanding, Squeekie did some Edison work today. I find it amazing that modern technology allows us to remain in contact with any place on the globe no matter how far away despite the fact that we are nearly 1,000 miles from the nearest land.

Squeekie hard at her Edison work up in the Crows Nest; Moss 2009-01-23-0559

Moss at his laptop concentrating on the blog; Moss 2009-01-22-0548

Yesterday, as I was typing blog text on my computer on Deck Five, a lady came by and asked if I would be interested in joining her team for the trivia contest just about to begin. So off I went, computer and all. Our team came in third on this day. Today the team reconvened but we did much less well, getting correct just eight out of fifteen questions. I did not know that 8 furlongs comprise one mile, nor that “The Cuckoo Song” was the theme song for Laurel and Hardy. Oh, well.

Squeekie took this picture of “The Outcasts” trivial pursuit group hard at work; Squeek 2009-01-23-1610

After the trivia contest, Squeekie and I went up to the Lido to have a salad for lunch. As we were eating, Captain van der Waard walked by; when he saw we were there he came over to say hello—and to give Squeek a big European kiss. She grinned like a schoolgirl, and he seemed very pleased to see us, too.

Although it is not as cloudy today as it was yesterday, the sea is a bit rougher and the air temperature is barely above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. We are slowly getting into the shipboard routines that will define our existence for the next few months. We crashed early tonight. . . .

Day Four- At Sea

I want to insert a notice to those of you who have taken the time to read my blog, such as it is so far. I will include pictures in the blog when I learn how to do it. I had a nice Word document file all set up, describing the day we left and including over a dozen pictures, but the file was way too large for the internet access bandwidth available here on the Rotterdam. So, until I learn how to make these pictures into smaller files, you will just have to wait and be patient. Squeekie and I have already taken nearly 100 pictures, and we have not yet reached our first port of call. So there are images, just not yet in a condition to send to you all.
Anyway, I want all of you to know that Lynn and I are really enjoying our first leg at sea, even though I have had some difficulty getting my sea legs—I think the medicines I take for my blood pressure and cholesterol make me a bit dizzier than I would like to be. Please be patient dear friends and family, pictures will follow in