Sailing North. Feb 20

Rocky day at sea.  Tom spent morning and early afternoon in bed.  Team trivia went well and we extended our lead.  Let’s hope we can keep it up.  Q&A with captain and crew about running the ship.  Dinner with Paul from kayak/expedition group.  Thanked him for a great experience and very interesting to hear about his experiences.  So different from the way we live.

·        We’d had an invite to an Expedition team member dinner. Turned out it was one of the 3 who were with us for the whale and kayak adventure!  He’d radioed back to Collin to tell him to send up the drone and Collin apparently replied, “look up”

·        As a prelude to dinner I try to find a beer I like. Doppelbock is perfectly fine but the Maibock is better.  At our table 2x Cosmin (sommelier) wants to get me a second beer

·        Other couple at table. Wife is senile.  Married 48 years. What was your undergrad major = I don’t recall.  Have you been on Seabourn before = I don’t know, I’ll have to ask my husband who has one eye that wanders. Biggest eyebrows on trip  Both were retired pharmacists in the Chip & Julie model.  But somehow this guy has Dr. title.  Sad seeing the wife’s condition.

·        We’d been told the waves/roll wouldn’t start until 9 but i swear it was going at 4:20.

·        MJP finished off 2013 Rapture from Roland with dinner tonight

·        No exercise today.  Long day of not being able to read or watch tv.  Sat in obs lounge 2 hours and listened to playlists

·        I skip lunch in favor of sandwich and soda and sorbet at 3pm in Seabourn Square.  Was the first thing in my stomach all day  Mediocre. Too much mayo.  Elena, the severe Russian who works there tells me she can make chocolate shakes!  Wish I'd known earlier!

·        MJP had spent lunch with Bernard & wife who were with us on plane ride to Torres del Paine.  He’s one of those people who laugh at my jokes.  He was nice to me on the plane -- conscious that I don’t enjoy the flying.

·        Run into Nic Botha and I thank him for $500 pp credit that he’d given us for inconveniences… Wow.  He’s a bit startled that the mail had already reached our room.

·        After that I go up to obs lounge with ear buds in to ignore the world.  I turn down a drink but accept a jar of nuts.  MJP takes nap

·        Afternoon is Q&A with captain, chief engineer, ice pilot, Stefan the hotel director, and Chris from expeditions.  Interesting questions.  Although one person does try to get captain to say Chilean pilots are a waste…  If captain is that stupid, he shouldn’t be captain -- all jobs that involve managing 400 people have a political component.

·        After dinner obs bar and the Dr/family are drunk and rowdy playing cards.