She Does Windows

  A certain amount of salty mist is inevitable. We take a squeegee with us rather than rely on the occasional attention given exterior glass surfaces by the stewards. It is also handy for getting the steam off the bathroom mirror after a hot shower.

  Today the temperature reached the mid-70's. It was cloudy all day making the noon lecture on using a sextant hypothetical. Enough sun got through the clouds to make my forehead a bit pink even though I had on an SPF 8. No pain, but a good reminder of the strength of the sun at these latitudes.

  After breakfast in our cabin I spent some time this morning getting cameras set for Hawaii (resetting time, charging batteries, etc.). I backed up and labeled the pictures taken so far. I walked three miles on the 9th deck. During the latter part of the afternoon I created a draft of my slideshow on San Diego. The rest of the day was spent eating too much and reading in a deck chair when not napping in said chair. I'm exhausted. Thankfully tonight we set our clocks back an hour.

I Can't Think of a Title (March 06)

  This morning the ship's log reported that water depth was 15,000 feet. At 0800 local time (-9 UTC) San Diego was 750 NM (nautical miles) astern of us. Our first port of call - Hilo, Hawaii - was 1430 NM ahead. The ship's speed over the bottom was 19.7 knots; our course WSW.

  Today the temperature on deck reached 70. The wind while still 20+ knots was NNE making the apparent wind much less than yesterday. [Question for our older grandchildren: why does the apparent wind feel much less than 20+ knots? (hint: the last sentence of the first paragraph)]

  Yesterday the cover over the pool area was completely closed. Today it is open a little way. By the time we get to Hawaii it should be warm enough that it can be opened all the way (except when it rains because people don't like to get wet when they are in the pool).

  It was formal wear at dinner this evening. We were seated next to a couple from California who own an Island Packet they sail to Catalina and the Channel Islands

Location:Pacific Ocean

Our First Day at Sea (March 05)

  We had a pleasant, relaxing day. The temperature was in the low 60's under partly cloudy skies. The wind on deck was about 30 miles per hour. The ship pitched slightly. Other than a few small porpoises swimming by and meeting an east-bound ship there was nothing to see but ocean.

  We had breakfast in our room, then spent the morning walking on deck, reading, etc. After lunch it was more of the same. In the evening we went to the early stage show, had a pleasant dinner chatting with a couple we met at the table. Leaving dinner, we enjoyed listening to a string quartet in one of the lounges before heading back to our stateroom for the night.

  The only damper on the day was a plumbing problem that disabled toilets in our section of the ship. It took most of the day to resolve the problem. Once it was resolved there was still a problem with the fill adjustment on our unit, so the plumber had to be called at 10:00 PM. By 10:30 all was well.  Going to bed, we set our clocks back one hour.

Location:about 600 nautical miles WSW of San Diego

March 04: Underway

After a relaxing morning at the hotel, we had an easy transfer to the ship. Our stateroom was ready, and our bags arrived quickly, so we wasted no time settling in.

We discovered some changes to the ship since our 2003 South America trip, but nothing that will impact us. Having seen the real thing last year in Xi'an, China, we were amused to find a display of Terracotta Warriors.

The lifeboat drill was longer than usual (thank you, COSTA CONCORDIA).  Once done, the bon voyage cookout began. Having had a late lunch and planning an early dinner, we limited ourselves to admiring the food sculptures.

  As the sun set, we pulled away from the pier. Escorted by a police boat and two USCG boats each having a machine gun mounted on the bow, we steamed down the channel.  Once past Point Loma, we were in open sea. The ship increased speed and set a SW course for the Hawaiian Islands.

Preferring open seating in the dining room, we were put at a table with three other couples. The company was cordial, and the food was good.  After dinner, we prowled the shops for a few minutes, then, admitting we were tired, we called it a night and headed to our stateroom.

Location:southwest of Point Loma, CA

March 03: A Good Day

After a good breakfast, as the temperature rapidly warmed on its way to a high of 77, we were off for our first adventure of the day - riding Segways through the Gaslight District. BTW, "Gaslight District" is a modern, tony name for what used to be a decidedly crumby section of the city, now gentrified about two decades ago.

   Our next stop was the famous San Diego Zoo, where we saw, among other things, an elephant getting a manicure.  Look at the size of the paws on the polar bear!  The slightly blurry picture of the hippopotamus is the result of taking the picture through glass and the hippo being underwater.

Returning to the Gaslight District, we went up to the 40th floor of the Hyatt to see the view.  It was worth it.

Walking along the waterfront, the 3+ miles back to our hotel was good exercise with some interesting sites, most notably the aircraft carrier MIDWAY. (In 2010, we went abroad and took the tour. It was well worth doing.)

We walked the half-mile to Hamms Lighthouse Restaurant, where we had a good dinner. The walk back worked off a tiny amount of the meal.

Location:L Dock Marina Cortez,San Diego,United States

March 03: Hello San Diego

We had bumpy Boston-to-Atlanta and Atlanta-to-San Diego flights yesterday, but the severe weather forecast for Atlanta (thunderstorms with high winds and heavy rain) did not affect our arrival or departure. All the bags made it.  The transfer to the hotel was uneventful. Once there, the agenda was dinner and bed.

Location:Airport Terminal Rd,San Diego,United States

March 02: We Go!

     We are in the car and on our way to Logan Airport in Boston.