Ship’s Position:

38°0′52″ N 17°30′40″ W

Total distance travelled so far: 3275 nautical miles. We are now about halfway between the Azores & Lisbon.

Last night I went to the Princess Theatre to see solo singer Ms Ngo Ngofa. She is a petite woman from England with a very big voice. She was wonderful & sang a variety of songs from broadway musical theatre & the big band era. I really liked her rendition of Etta James’ songs. Be sure to go to see her if you ever get the chance.

Today is a very grey day, only 16 degrees C, with scattered showers & strong gusty winds. The apparent winds, i.e. the oncoming wind plus the speed of the boat, have been constantly over 40 knots & frequently peaking at over 50 knots!

Fortunately the waves are relatively small & the ship is progressing without a lot of discomfort to the passengers. However, the winds are so strong that the Promenade Deck has been closed for safety. I’ve been brushing up on the ship’s safety procedures – just in case……

With no access to the Promenade Deck my outside walking routine has been interrupted so I’ve come up with an alternate routine – circling the two buffet restaurants on the Lido Deck. It’s actually worked out pretty well, ’cause I can stop to “graze” any time I feel my energy levels dropping. Only disadvantage is that there’s a lot more traffic around the buffets!

The inclement weather has actually done me another favor. With the ship pitching about It’s not safe to be walking around too much. It’s Match Day for the English Premier League so I decided that the wisest thing for me to do is stay seated in a comfortable chair and watch the back to back football games that are being broadcast on satellite TV.

Gotta go for now – kickoff is coming up soon for the match between Manchester United & Chelsea. Should be a good one!