Day 77 Hong Kong

Wednesday, overcast and hazy. The sun almost broke through once. Last night: Finished reading Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns. The first 90 percent was all pain. The last 10 percent was ok.

The water taxi arrived on time to pick us up. The agent's assistant kept us cooling our heels on the dock for half an hour, before he delivered our passports from Immigration. The assistant did help us change money at a good rate, and suggested where one of the passengers could reload his cell phone minutes. Observed at least 6 street missionaries. Forgot to mention that we saw a young monk in orange in Thailand. Took the funicular up to Victoria Peak. Nice view, but hazy. We could see the ship at anchor on the back side of Hong Kong Island. We ate at the McDonalds on Victoria Peak. There is also a BK up there. So far, every place I have gone ashore has had the big yellow arches. Took the Star Ferry across to Kowloon. Walked to the Kowloon Park and visited the HK Heritage Discovery Center. Walked to the HK Museum of Art. The Chinese Antiquities collections were good. The special exhibition of a current artist, well, ahh, I'm not going to comment.

Ate supper at an Outback Steakhouse. Had a shrimp caesar salad and a good glass of wine. Found a grocery store and got 2 bottles of wine. The slop chest will be closed for almost 3 weeks until the new captain takes over. Took the ferry back to Hong Kong and managed to connect with the agent, clear Immigration, and get a ride back to the ship. Hong Kong has geared up for a big party. Many streets and docks are closed to vehicles. Many skyscrapers on both Hong Kong and Kowloon have animated Christmas and New Years images. Fireworks start soon. Not sure if we will be able to see it from the ship. Happy New Years! We are scheduled to weigh anchor at 02:00.

Day 76 Hong Kong

Tuesday, hazy, rainy, foggy, colder. Temperature was 17 degrees C at 13:00. I wore on a long sleeve shirt for the first time in a month. Last night: Gave myself a haircut. With a single mirror, the back is the hardest, but most of my flip is gone now. Looks ok from the front, and I can't see the back.

Had moderate roll. This morning, the maximum roll indicator showed 10 degrees. Saw more small ships and boats as we neared Hong Kong. 13:15 The ship is going in circles. Either the rudder is broken, or we are waiting for the pilot to arrive. 15:45 Dropped anchor. We are between Hong Kong Island and Lamma Island, closer to the northwest corner of Lamma Island. The ship will not be at dock here. Barges are used for loading and unloading cargo. 17:15 Spoke with the local agent. This was the only agent so far who would admit his identity and actually give us his card. The water taxi will cost us 130 USD, each way. We will split that between us. The taxi will pick us up at 09:00 Wednesday morning. Liberty expires at 22:00. There are supposed to be fireworks tomorrow night.

Day 75 South China Sea

Monday, hazy and overcast. There were intermittent patches of blue sky, and sometimes, the sun lined up with the holes in the clouds. Swells have been minor. The headwind is less than yesterday.

On the way to the focsl today, I climbed up and walked on the hatches part way, because of corrosion control work or dunnage along the way. Saw no birds or fish today. Noticed a small ship going by in the opposite direction. Learned where we will anchor in Hong Kong tomorrow. I have been discussing and reading about possible activities there.

Day 74 South China Sea

Sunday, overcast, changing to partly sunny, then rain and fog when we reach the intersection of warm water and cooler wind. Last night: Enjoyed the last one fourth of the last bottle of merlot, which I had been hoarding since last month. Departed Ho Chi Minh City at 0500 with the outgoing tide.

The channel is through mangrove swamps. Got to the coastal waters about 0800. The chief officer patiently corrects my pronunciation of my 6 Chinese words. At 1100 I see an oil platform. The headwind is strong. Coming in from the pilot deck, I use one hand to keep my sun glasses from blowing away, and have difficulty pulling the door open with my other hand. Midday, during a break in the rain, I walked to the focsl. The air temperature is still comfortable for Bermuda shorts, but is cooler each day we move north. A sea eagle soars beside the front of the ship for a long time, diving into the water when it eyes food. Its recovery is fast and it is back in the air quickly after each catch. It is black with a white underside, and its body is sleek and streamlined.

At 1430, I saw the Gerd Maersk, probably still the largest container ship in the world, at 367 m long, 42 m wide, 25 knots. That is about the length of an aircraft carrier, but not as fast. My first ballpoint pen ran dry today. This evening, we are in the open ocean and experiencing a little more roll. There is another time zone change tonight. We will be 14 hours ahead of cst again, for the next 3 weeks, until we leave China.

Day 73 Ho Chi Minh City

Saturday, overcast and sprinkles, with a brief period of sun during midday. Last night, we watched the dock activity and the surroundings from the pilot deck. Here, as in some other Asian ports, the outboard motor from the man-overboard boat is removed and stored inside. Safety rules vary widely by port for dock workers. Life vests and hard hats are not required here, and sandals are common. The latest plan is to sail at 0500 Sunday, so we are no longer a day ahead of schedule, and we could have spent the day in the city.

The passenger lounge is open to us most of the time now. It contains 2 wall shelves for books, a floor cabinet with 2 shelves of books, and two other closed cabinets with magazines, puzzles, and limited tourist information. About a month ago, I neatened up the books. I have not sorted them by author, but that could happen on the Pacific crossing. Today, I sorted the contents of the closed cabinets, tossing some newspapers from 2007, and dividing the magazines from the puzzles and the tourist information. I found and read several freighter industry magazines, and 4 NewYorkers. Also took several pictures of ship and port activities. One of the things I learned today is that Babylonian astronomers determined that there are 235 lunar months in 19 years. Time for a movie!

Day 72 South China Sea

Friday, overcast turning to rain. The temperature is cooler now. Last night: I watched a documentary on Van Cliburn. There were many fishing boats in the area with bright light arrays, to attract fish. We had one short period of moderate roll, but the night was mostly smooth. Over the last several weeks, sometimes the ship's movement is like a continuous earthquake, sometimes it is like a galloping horse, and sometimes it is like a cradle or a hammock.

We left the South China Sea this afternoon, at 1400, moving through narrow tidal channels for 3 hours, arriving at the dock in Ho Chi Minh City at 1730. There are many old wooden fishing boats, many tied up near the shore. We saw 2 high speed transports, which pass close in front of the ship. They appear to be hovercraft. The local pilot blew the ship's horn many times because of boats too close or blind turns. I'm glad I was back from the focsl when the honking started, because the horn is up there, and it is LOUD. The ship is tied up near a new suspension bridge, which is under construction, and about half complete. It is dark already, but I see many large logs on the dock.

Three of us needed visas, at 75 USD each. The schedule is being advanced, and liberty will expire at 0930 tomorrow morning. All three of us decide not to get a visa for $75 on a rainy night. At home, we use some Kashi brand products, toaster waffles, cereals, snack bars. I'm trying to learn a few Chinese words and also am looking at my Japanese guide. I learned that kashi is a Japanese word that means 'little confection'. This is another passenger's blog: gklucsarits.blogspot.com Correction: Yesterday, we were in the Gulf of Thailand.

Day 71 South China Sea

Christmas Day Thursday, overcast. Last evening, we gathered in another passenger's cabin and enjoyed traditional German Christmas cake-cookies with hot tea and good conversation. At 9 am, I called home and talked with family and friends. It was 8 pm Chistmas Eve at home, and the party was in full swing.

Watched a Michael Palin DVD on freighter travel. BBC 1988. He reenacted Around the World in 80 Days. While the ship was a container ship, the physical movement of the ship at sea was representative. At noon, we had a Christmas feast in the crew's mess. Chef Roger did a magnificent job, serving up roast turkey and piglet, to name just a few of the items. Of course, there were liquid refreshments, followed by karaoke. Watched until 4:30 pm. I'm too full to think about supper. There are many small fishing boats around with bright lights, perhaps to attract fish.

Day 70 Laem Chabang, Thailand

Christmas Eve. Wednesday, sunny and pleasant most of the day, with clouds later. This has been a quiet day on the ship for me. The planned schedule is to weigh anchor at 2100. Still don't have an updated schedule after that. My Nikon chewed up and spit out its second set of batteries. Replaced the batteries, and uploaded the pictures today. Tomorrow, after the crew has recovered from the intense activities of unloading and loading, the holiday activities begin.

At the shopping mall last night, I bought 400 grams of unsalted cashews and a bottle of cabernet. Both are quite good. The grapes came from South Africa, but the wine was bottled in Thailand. By careful daily portion management, I got Ann's phenominal trail mix to last this long. I dumped the remains on my desk and sorted it into 2 piles, old cashew crumbs, and almonds and dried cherry pieces. I ate the few old cashew crumbs and put the remaining almonds and dried cherries in with the new cashews. Should last until I get home. Alecia, I have a picture of that store you like from Singapore.

Summary: Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand all have driving on the OTHER side of the road. Comfort level and cleanliness were very high in Singapore. Thailand has made good improvements. Thailand has kind and peaceful people. The crew tells me that Indonesia gets very high marks in other areas. Another tropical sunset. Well, we couldn't actually see the sun, but the bottom of the cloud ceiling was a striking orange and pink. The attached picture is of myself (on the left) and the other passengers; George, Hubert (with the beard), and Dieter in an ancient Siam park. Merry Christmas, everyone!

Day 69 Laem Chabang, Thailand

Tuesday, sunny and nice. Tied up at 6 am this morning. Met with the local agent after breakfast. We had to sign a lot of documents here. The agent drove us into Bangkok, about an 80 mile trip each way, and stayed with us the whole day. We visited the Ancient Siam heritage park, full of many old shrines and pagodas. The park is laid out like the country, with 116 points of interest. Later, we saw the gold reclining Buddha. It is very large. Seems like a block long. Thailand is 95% Buddhist, so there are many temples and shrines throughout the country. We got a quick look at the old cannon museum, in front of the Ministry of Defense building. Drove by it twice. If you have seen the James Bond movie, The Man with the Golden Gun, you know about the klong boats, shaped like a large canoe. The propulsion is provided by a truck engine on a swivel, attached to a 12 foot shaft, with a weed-wacker propeller on the end. Yes, of course, we had a ride through the klongs. I didn't get to steer, though. Oh well, they won't let us steer the ship either. A klong vendor even tried to sell us a carved elephant, or a variety of other things. Was offered a Thai kick-boxing demo, but we declined.

Dinner was provided by the beautiful and generous Ai. Some of us had Singha beer and we all shared shabu-shabu, a Japanese communal meal. Ate with chop sticks! Stopped at a shopping center on the way back to the ship to spend our last baht. Ended up with 3 Thai coins. We were back to the ship by 2130. Text on signs is often written in beautiful script with small holes in the end of strokes, which makes the words look like the copper traces on pc boards. I saw birds today, for the first time in days. Saw one when I first looked out my window. Later, I saw white birds that looked like egrets. Saw a few dogs around. Saw one cat.

Day 68 Gulf of Thailand

Monday, some clouds early, but mostly sunny. As we travel north, the temperature has dropped a little, but is still tee-shirt and sun screen weather. Last night was clear when I phoned home. Saw Orion and many others. Saw the big dipper in the early morning hours, but Polaris was obscured by low clouds. We had drill mid-morning, to the muster station, and then to the escape pod.

On the focsl after lunch, I saw some flying fish. Still no birds. Sometimes there is floating refuse in the water. At 1400, I saw a rain squall approaching, and barely made it back to the accommodation structure without getting wet. The squall was over and the sun was back in 20 minutes. There are small fishing boats out here. At supper, the Christmas trees have been put up and decorated in the dinning rooms. The ship has crossed the South China Sea and has entered the Gulf of Thailand. Expected arrival in Thailand is early morning.

Day 67 Singapore Strait to Gulf of Thailand

Sunday, early light haze, sunny all day, another perfect tropical day at sea. Cargo loading continued into the early morning hours. The cranes are secured and locked for sea. We depart Singapore and are underway at 0800. We pass the original area of Singapore, now filled with tall, modern buildings. Except for the haze, it is a postcard picture. Later we pass a large anchorage of ships waiting for clearance to enter the port. There are many small fishing boats in the ship channel, with one or two people, and oars or a sail. For the first half of the day, while the water is shallow, the water color is that beautiful light blue. It changes to darker blue later in the day as the water gets deeper and the sun gets lower in the sky. It is nice to be back on the focsl after lunch.

I listen to Stephen Lynch and laugh out loud. Learned a few new songs to sing at the next neighborhood party. I still notice no birds or fish here. A white 5 gallon pail floats past. I am reading my China book and considering options. Tonight, the time retards an hour, so we will be back to only 13 hours ahead of CST for a week, before it starts advancing again. The itinerary has some more tentative changes. South America and Galveston are out. Freeport, TX is in. ETA in Houston is now 2/18/09.

Day 66 Singapore

Saturday, comfortably hot, humid, and mostly sunny. It has been a quiet day in port. Met the new American passenger at breakfast. He is the youngest passenger, at 47. He does SAP related work in Singapore, is doing the whole trip, and is fluent in German. Three of us walked around the dock area this morning, watching heavy objects being loaded and unloaded. Liberty expired at 1600. Cargo is still being loaded. The ship may leave tonight. Have been reading my new China book and also reviewing kanji characters.

Day 65 Singapore

Friday, hazy early, hot, humid, sunny midhalf, showers at 1600. Last night: It is clear at 2100, before the moon rise. Stars are great! Faithful Orion and many others are visible for the first time in days. Still smooth.

Hot to trot, we cool our heels from 0900 to 1000, waiting for the clearance process. We walk to the gate, walk out to Julon Buroh street, and flag down a taxi. This is about a 1 mile walk. The driver accepts USD without a problem. We go to the shopping area on Orchard Road, about 12USD by taxi. Singapore is clean and safe and comfortable, so different from some other places in Asia. There is a strong emphasis here on education and tolerance. We find a book store, with perhaps the largest English book selection in Asia. LARGE. I buy a Lonely Planet book on China, probably the first purchase that I will bring home. Used plastic. We have lunch at a place called Coffee Club. I have a Caesar Salad and a Java Arabica coffee. I think I am the only person on the ship who drinks coffee black, without sugar. After that, we walk toward the older part of Singapore. Walked until we were tired and hot, and almost by coincidence arrived at one of the 2 museums on my list, Singapore National Museum, a historical museum. It was very good. We get in for the senior rate, 5 SD, which includes an audio device. This is the first museum in my life where such a device was free. Afterwards, we take the outside escalator up the hill to the old fort, and walked around the reservoir to the Raffles wharf area, where we catch a taxi back to the ship. After the taxi, we have 1.50 SD left between us. Security is tight. Our taxi driver has never been allowed inside the port area before.

A side note: One of my traveling companions traveled across the Sahara in a VW bus, carrying 200 liters of gas, 200 liters of water, and 6 pieces of plywood for the sand. We hear that the 4th passenger, an American, is aboard, but we have not met him yet. My Volkswagen-and-ski-crash hip is sore from all the walking, and I will self-medicate tonight.

Day 64 Java Sea Northbound

Thursday, low haze early, sunny and blue sky all day. Last night, I saw lightning, but the roll and vibration was minor and the sailing was relatively smooth. Finished a Ludlum novel. It was another great day in the tropics. The waters we are crossing are shallow. There is only 15 meters clearance in some areas. If the ship were sitting on the bottom, my deck would still be above the water. Because the water is relatively shallow, the color is that wonderful aqua-green of tropical island resorts, with a few darker patches.

There is some headwind. I spent an hour on the focsl, but no time on the Pilot Deck, because of the wind. Finished listening to Ron White. Started reading a book on kanji characters, and A Thousand Splendid Suns. We will be back in the Northern Hemisphere early in the morning, when we reach Singapore. FLASH! This just in: Hong Kong is back in the schedule. Korea is out. There are still 2 ports in Japan, but now they are Nagoya and Nagasaki.

Day 63 Jakarta

Wednesday, overcast early, hot and sunny midday, 1600 dark with thunder and showers. Last night I got a picture of another great tropical sunset. Sleeping in port seems kind of boring now. The steward had to get a tooth pulled. The exchange rate here is about 11,000 Rupiah to 1 USD. We went into the city midmorning, with one of the 3 cadets. He wanted to buy some work clothing. Instead of a taxi, we rode as passengers on motorcycles. I have few pictures here, because I was concentrating on hanging on, and making sure my knees didn't collide with truck body parts. Like many local transportation providers, mine tried to renegotiate the agreed on price, when we returned to the port gate, unsuccessfully.

Saw 2 McDonalds and a KFC. I had hoped to acquire local coffee beans and local dark chocolate. Milk chocolate is apparently more popular here. Had to settle for Tablerone Swiss dark chocolate. It was just in time, because I had the last square of Belgian chocolate tonight.

The air was ripe with allergens before the late afternoon rain washed them out. The rain brought a total stop to the cement loading on the next ship, which is painted pink on its lower surfaces. At sunset, while the sun was obscured by clouds, the bottom of the cloud ceiling looked like it was on fire for a long time. Our stay here is brief. We depart shortly after 7 pm, to the north through the Java Sea, between Sumatra and Borneo, enroute to Singapore. Going out past the breakwater is going to be a traffic jamb. I'm not even going to look. Amazingly, our time advances another hour tonight, so we will be 14 hours ahead of CST. The number of hours will keep increasing until we cross the international dateline in early February 2009, when it will be 18 ahead of CST, and then flip to 6 hours behind CST.

Day 62 Jakarta, Indonesia!

Tuesday, overcast with the sun peeking through. Smooth sailing last night and today. We are more than halfway in terms of longitude and clock hour, but a little less than halfway in terms of calendar days. Last night I finished watching Castaway. With a few exceptions, I am only up to C on the movies, so I think the movies will last. I did watch all 5 of the James Bond movies on the ipod, regardless of their position in the alphabet, and maybe a few others.

LAND HO! Saw the first land in days at 0830. It was the remains of Krakatoa. A few parts of the crater still stick through the water. A smaller island in the center still vents steam, and is growing. Our passage was obviously on the south side of Sumatra, not through the more dangerous Straight of Malacca. Saw the first ships in days. I had planned to spend only a half hour on the focsl today, so I didn't put on sun screen. Probably should have. Still am not seeing birds or fish. At 1000, we enter the channel between Sumatra and Java. A fishing boat follows us for an hour. In the afternoon, there are many small islands, and many small fishing boats. I see vegetable material floating in the water, plant leaves and pieces of wood. After passing an island with a lighthouse, we circle and wait among many interesting ships, until a local pilot boards. Saw a dredge go by with a large garden on the aft deck. Tall buildings and harbor cranes from Jakarta are visible in the haze. The pilot guides us through the local traffic and the breakwater to our berth. It reminds me of the trip from the Boston airport through the old tunnel into Boston. If you looked to either side, you lost.

Late afternoon, Immigration boards, and I am invited to pay $25 for a visa. A vendor of the local agent offers us a city tour tomorrow for $50 per person. We decline. We will take a taxi for $10 total, each way, to downtown Jakarta. The crew begins to unload cargo here, but will load very little or none. There is a large cement plant here, and the next ship is being loaded with pallet loads of bags of cement. There is a cattle ship futher down the dock, with 4 decks of live cattle. Made me think of a cruise ship. Really! I will keep my window closed tonight. I wonder if they recover the methane to propel the ship.

With the present schedule, including Houston, I count 17 ports for the trip. We are scheduled to leave Japan to begin our crossing of the Pacific near the end of January. Almost a month later, we arrive back at Houston, my starting point.

For my niece LW, Ta Ta for now!

Day 61 Indian Ocean South of Sumatra

Monday, another overcast day. Started with a little sun and blue sky. Mild roll and headwind at noon. Last night I actually saw 2 stars peeking through the thinning clouds. The roll has been mild. Started watching Castaway last night, another good movie to enjoy at sea. Listened to comedian Ron White on the focsl today.

Still no birds and no fish. We are ahead of schedule and expect to reach Jakarta in another 24 hours or so. I have a list prepared to resupply my snack drawer. Ate the last mini salted nut roll today. I need to eat more often when I take malaria pills.

Day 60 Indian Ocean Southern Hemisphere

Sunday, overcast, foggy, and rainy. At noon, I stood for a few minutes on the Pilot Deck, under the overhand, watching the rain water slosh back and forth on the deck as the ship rolled. I have full rain gear, but decided not to make the trip to the focsl today. Some of the crew was apprehensive about crossing the Indian Ocean, based on their previous rough crossing in late summer. While we aren't across yet, the water has been fairly the smooth, and much easier than the North Atlantic and the North Sea.

My communication link has been behaving. I had originally shortened the two cables to keep then neat, with a bread bag twister on one and a rubber band on the other. I think one was being crimped. I dont even stow them now, just leave them out straight. I also dont try to transmit from 4 pm until dark. Have only had one problem with a large file.

On my trips to Japan, I had accumulated many complimentary tissue packs. When my cabin tissue box ran out, I decided to use them up, so I won't be hauling them home. We have another time zone change tonight, so tomorrow we will be on Jakarta time, 13 hours ahead of CST. I have included a picture of Chef Roger carving the roast piglet from our feast last night.

Day 59 Indian Ocean - Southern Hemisphere

Saturday, overcast, light rain early, mild roll today. Overnight we crossed the Equator. Had an easy night, with only mild roll. This morning, we had drills. For passengers, that meant 3 decks down to the muster station, then 2 decks back up and get strapped into the escape pod-life boat. Here in warmer waters, I only bring my hard hat and life vest, not the immersion suit.

The sun peeked out once today, that I noticed. I was on the focsl at the time, and got to see that magnificent blue water color again. Saw no birds and no fish today. Heard a new noise. The water was turned on in the anchor chain tubes, to flush out the mud. I have not applied sunscreen to my legs, and they are not red, but they feel like they are burned sometimes The night skies have not been clear for a while, but I don't think it is possible to see Polaris, the North Star, anymore. As we have traveled farther south, I discovered that my star guide is only for the northern hemisphere Doesn't matter much, because our time south of the Equator is less than a week. It is time to start taking malaria medication. We had roast piglet at the barbeque party tonight, in the Blue Bar on the Pilot Deck I had more than 1900 calories today. There was karaoke, but I had to leave. I notice the pool has been refilled, possibly for Equator rites later tonight?

Day 58 Indian Ocean

Friday, rain and foggy early, overcast all day. Rain at 6 pm, with increasing roll. Last night: Roll was mild. Even though it was cloudy, we are closs to full moon. I took pictures in the early morning hours when the moon peeked through, reflecting on the ocean. Because of the subdued light and roll of the ship, I got 'blur' warnings from my camera. We are south of India, and east of the Maldives. I have not seen another ship today. I am surprised to see all the small island groups on the navigation chart for the Indian Ocean. We continue southeast, crossing another time zone every 2 or 3 days. We cross another tonight. Tomorrow, we will be 12 hours ahead of home time, CST.

There are few flying fish today. Perhaps, like humans, they prefer sunny days, or perhaps they have already advanced up the food chain. It is warm on the focsl today, even with the overcast. The cooling breeze is very light. I listen to my play list, singing and dancing to a few songs, like "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Born to be Wild", until another passenger appears.

Another passenger revised his meal portion instructions today: half size at breakfast, half size at lunch, and half size at supper, but full size for ice cream. My diet is not too different, except I skip many deserts and often a course from each meal, but I add another 100 or 200 calories of red wine most days. I estimate my total is around 1900 calories per day. I still need my belt. Life on a freighter is a vertical experience. The laundry is down 1 deck. The bridge is up 2 flights. At meal time, 3 times a day we go down 3 flights. To travel to the focsl, counting two trips to the bridge to check out and check back in, the total is 10 flights down and up. I think everyone on the ship develops 'calves of steel'.

Day 57 Indian Ocean

Thursday, foggy early, mostly blue sky through most of the day. Water temp is warm. It is hot in the sun at midday. Very little wind. Cold at home, but -63C in Siberia. Last night was smooth and uneventful. We had another time zone change, and are now 11 hours ahead of home. Wrote another short story this morning.

One of the crewman asked why anyone would pay this much money to live on a freighter. I explained, "Its just another day in paradise." I guess it makes a big difference if you don't have to do it. Scored a triple this afternoon. Probably won't be able to do this in the North Pacific, in February. Spent nearly 2 hours on the focsl, all on the raised platform. The pool was refilled this morning, so I used it when I came back from the focsl. After I showered, I dragged out a deck chair on the Pilot Deck.

Saw a rainbow and distant showers to the port side. I like the focsl because it is close to the water, and right out in front. Saw no birds today. For the first time this voyage, I saw or noticed flying fish. They looked like dragon flies. They were so small I didn't recognize them as flying fish at first. Finally saw one 4 inches long. What I remember from the Navy were fish the size that lake perch used to be when I was a kid. Back then, a misguided fish would occasionally fling itself onto the hangar deck. That's hangar deck, not flight deck.

Today the water in front of me was a rare cobalt blue, with lighter streaks from the penetrating sunlight. Perhaps it is because of the higher angle of the sun. I came back from the focsl on the port side, passing through the base of two of the cranes. One structure was being cleaned and prepared for painting. Had to wait for a break in the falling paint chips and soapy degreaser dripping down. Later, I stopped for falling sparks from welding. I'm going to start wearing my hard hat on deck, like I'm probably supposed to. Thankfully, this is way different from a cruise ship. There are 3000 less people, and no lines! Between the focsl and the Pilot Deck, I finished listening to "The Man Who Loved China", interesting non-fiction about a British scholar, Joseph Needham. The ipod is recharging now. I want to watch the last half of "Calendar Girls" tonight. We should pass through the Maldives early tomorrow.

Day 56 Indian Ocean

Wednesday, another beautiful day on tropical waters. Had salt spray on both windows this morning. Early visibility was down to about 5 miles due to low fog. Clear higher up, changing to towering cumulo-nimbus with sun peeking through later. Last night: Moderate roll.

My communication link to this BLOG failed yesterday. After a phone call to the satellite phone support number, I was able to temporarily resolve the problem. If the link fails again, there may be gaps, and postings may become shorter. Plan B involves voice mail and more work for my support team. Testing today went well, and perhaps the hardware will behave. Also had some other unplanned events last evening.

Stowed the winter blanket from my bed this morning. Sea water temp is 28C here. The pool is empty. I hear it will be refilled before the upcoming 'Equator Crossing Event'. Our course crosses the Maldives. We get these extraordinary pastries some days. Got my daily fix of the focsl today after lunch. Almost always have it to myself. I put on plenty of sun screen, even though there was little direct sun. There was moderate roll, but no whitecaps. Saw no fish or birds today. Yesterday, there were small black sea birds. If I did this again, I would bring a sea bird guide. Only have 2 days left of the book on ipod. A crewman related an experience on another ship. A stowaway was detected. Any crew is usually able to detect a stowaway within a day, and the method is interesting.

Day 55 Indian Ocean

Tuesday, sunny and smooth morning, rougher and overcast afternoon. Last night: Supper was Chicken Cordon Bleu. The sun setting through the haze was a striking red. Finished watching Caddy Shack. Had mild roll overnight. There was another time zone change, so we are 10 hours ahead of home now.

We are clear of Somalia, so the security protochol is back to normal today. I spent 2 hours on the focsl after lunch, listening to the book on ipod. If the raised platform I favor is too windy, I sit on a hatch counterweight just behind the raised part. Wore only a tee shirt and Bermudas, so I slathered on the sunscreen. Corrosion maintenance continues. Sounded like a dentist's office this morning. On my walk to the focsl on the dry starboard side, I see a lot of paint chips on the deck. By now, the decks will be swept clean and the bare spots will be primed. I returned on the wet port side, where waves occasionally splash onto upper main deck. There is no grinding or painting there today.

Need to start my shopping list for Jakarta: more sun screen, more cabin snacks. Also need to start studying another phrase book. I received the latest schedule by email. I'm told it can be found on the Rickmers website. It is subject to revision weekly. The schedule on my main website is quite incorrect now. The end date is almost a month off, and we will not visit Kuwait or Hong Kong. The new schedule includes a stop in Venezuela on 2/18/09, with arrival in Houston 2/27/09. Might not be home until 3/5/09. Late this afternoon as we get further into the Indian Ocean, we are starting to get a little more roll. Might be putting everything away tonight.

Day 54 Indian Ocean

Monday, sunny and smooth. Pizza and fried noodles last night for Sunday night supper! Saw another Navy vessel this morning. Additional security protochols remain in effect. No visit to the focsl today, maybe tomorrow afternoon. We stay close to the Yemen side, but are too far out to see anything. This route is 26 miles longer than a straight line course, but I notice several other ships take it also. Over the next 9 days we travel east and south. Our travel south will be another 18 degrees of latitude, taking us across the equator to 6 degrees south latitude at Jakarta.

I washed and stowed my winter clothes this morning. Won't need long sleeves for a month, until we reach northern China which, by the way, gets its name from the Chin Dynasty. I loaned my noise cancellation headphones to the doctor for his visit to the engine room this morning. After lunch, I swim. The pool has been newly refilled. I like the salt water pool. It is deep, but not a lap pool. To swim each side is a scissor kick and one stroke. It is pleasant drying in the midday sun and breeze. I am stretched out in a plastic chair with my feet resting on my heels and my toes pointed up. I notice my toes are vibrating. Also the surface of the pool has an interesting and unusual stationary wave pattern of points. After a few weeks on the ship, the background noises and movements hardly register. It occurs to me that one could jump into the pool from 1, 2, 3, or 4 decks up, but Im not in college anymore, and I dont want to be confined to my cabin for the duration. The afternoon would not be complete without some time in a deck chair on the Pilot Deck.

Day 53 Indian Ocean

Sunday, same hazy, sunny, hazy. Moderate head wind today. Rougher seas and white caps. 0845 Small rocky islands, both sides. Saw a few ships. 1230 More small rocky islands. I can see land on both sides as we cross from the Red Sea into the Indian Ocean. On the raised platform at the foremost part of the focsl, the wind is whipping my jacket. The combination of the air the ship is passing through and the headwind feels like 40 mph or more. I raise my arms and stand on one foot in the karate crane position. Have to lean forward into the wind. Even with the wind, it is not difficult. The rolling of the sea has strengthened my ankles. Sea legs, I guess.

Going to finish reading Plum Wine by Davis-Gardner today. My traveling companions to southern Japan might appreciate this novel. Special additional security protocols are now in effect. I would like to thank the US Navy for their presence in the area. I guess my tax dollars are working for me!

Hello back to Monte.

Day 52 Red Sea

Saturday, hazy turning to sunny, then back to hazy. Decks were wet this morning, either from a shower or condensation. It is more humid now. I keep the side curtain closed during the hot part of the day now, to help keep my cabin from heating up. When I woke this morning, my mouth was watering for a slider and a senior coffee at Blake Rd & Hwy 7. Had my weekend breakfast this birthday morning. Almost made it through the day without anyone finding out. I think another person has their birthday today also. There was some minor celebration. Free soft drinks and beer at supper.

Early afternoon on the focsl, it was quite warm. Very smooth sailing today. It was another great day at sea. The swells appear to be less than 4 ft, but are complex, coming from more than 1 direction. Listened to the book on ipod some more. When I came back to the accomodation structure, I dragged out the deck chair on the Pilot Deck and listened some more. Yesterday and today on the focsl, I noticed that the wind and air moving through the railing has a sound much like the wind through the branches 'up north' at home.

At supper time, the pool is almost full. Crew members are very happy and waiting. I will take a dip tomorrow, before or after breakfast. As I thought, it is salt water. Finished reading 'Wreck of the Medusa'. According to French doctor Alain Bombard, if you are shipwrecked in tropical waters, it is ok to drink up to 1-1/2 pints of sea water the first 5 days, if you catch and eat fish after that. Fishes' bodies contain fresh water. The limited amount of sea water helps maintain electrolytes.

Day 51 Red Sea

Friday, blue sky and sunny until near sunset, then hazy. Winds and roll midday. This was another perfect freighter day, and no more sand! Stars were good last night. I only noticed 3 other ships all day. This morning, a ship was aft, but gradually fell behind. Early afternoon we met a ship traveling in the opposite direction. Late afternoon, we passed a ship moving in the same direction. This ship moves right along. Course is SSE through the Red Sea. Over today and the next 2 days, we will move south 18 degrees of latitude. That means longer and warmer days. During that time, the vast deserts of Saudi Arabia are on the port side. On the starboard side, it is Egypt today, the Sudan tomorrow, and Somalia the next day. The sea is wide enough here that we only see water.

This afternoon, I wore Bermuda shorts and a tee shirt. On my trek to the focsl, I also wore a wind shell. I think the focsl is my favorite place on the ship. The 'Suez spotlight' has been removed. The 2nd mate told us sharks were plentiful in these waters, because of the temperature. A disturbance in the water on the port side ahead caught my eye. I watched more closely. It happened again, closer. As I watched, a group of sharks swam across in front of the ship from port to starboard. Then another. These were not large sharks, less than 4 feet. I think I would not swim here because of the number.

One of my German friends came up behind me on the focsl. I did not notice. I thought I heard a song bird. I was listening to a book on the ipod at the time. I looked to the starboard. Heard it again and looked to port. The third time, I turned all the way around and saw him. He had been whistling bird sounds. He was laughing. He learns more English each day, and I learn more Deutsch. Today, I paid my November slop chest charge of $70.

The pool awning has been removed. There was cleaning, scraping, grinding and priming work going on all day. That suggests we will have water in the pool soon. I'm guessing salt water, but fresh water seems to be plentiful. I brought my suit! My dark chocolate inventory is down to 12 squares or 12 days. Should be enough to last until Jakarta. I think the rest of the goodies from home will be gone by then, so one of my objectives in Jakarta is to get some cabin snacks. We will have another time zone change tonight, and will be 9 hours ahead of home.

Day 50 Suez Canal

Thursday, clear and sunny, hazy in the distance. I think I am finished with long sleeve shirts until we reach China. Had corn flakes today. Walked to the focsl after breakfast. Mid-afternoon, I hauled out a deck chair for a while. There is a real lot of sand here, with mountains in the background. Here's what happens: At the designated time, ships head in from both ends and meet in the middle, in Bitter Lake. A lottery determines a ship's position in line. For the most part, the canal is only wide enough for one ship. Ships travel at 12 knots, about 1 mile apart, to allow space to stop. There are no locks. Our ship weighed anchor in Poat Said at 0100 this morning, and passed through the first half of the canal. Stopped at 0800 and waited until 1500. Passed through the second half, arriving in the Suez Gulf at 1900. On the second part, our position was 20 of 23. The passage requires 3 pilots. The Egyptian flag is flown during the passage. This is referred to as Marlboro Country, because the pilots ask for Marlboros.

Day 49 Port Said, Egypt

Wednesday, today was a fine day, sunny, clear, and warmer. The sky is still clear and starry this evening. This was our last day on the Mediterranean Sea. We arrived in Port Said after 1800. Because of timing, we will not dock or go ashore here. Later, we will join a convoy and begin the passage through the Suez Canal. There is a lake part way through the canal. A super bright spotlight has been mounted where I like to stand on the focsl. This is required for canal passage, so the bridge can see the ship in front, or anything else. The inner bulb consumes some incredible amount of watts, and requires a compressed air line for cooling.

I spent an hour and a half on the focsl today after lunch, listening to a 'book on ipod', The Man Who Loved China, non-fiction about Needham. I washed my windows this morning. The ship's limited supply of merlot is gone. I tried the Crane Lake cabernet, a California wine. It is harsh, but worked fine for cleaning glass. My opinion. I'm sure the same could be said about 2 buck chuck.

Day 48 Mediterranean Sea

Tuesday, overcast, sunny midday, turning to haze. We are still north of Libya at the 0800 position fixing. Will be above Egypt soon. ETA at Port Said is tomorrow. Arrival time is assigned, and speed is adjusted to arrive at the assigned time.

I did 2 loads of laundry this morning, and have clean socks and tee-shirts for another 10 days. After lunch, I walked to the focsl and read for an hour. The sounds of the wind and the waves are relaxing and comforting to me. I enjoy sitting at the very front of the ship, especially when the sun is shinning. The wind is still strong from the starboard fore quarter, but the seas are not very rough, and there are few whitecaps. I see only one other ship, far ahead. There are more dry spots on the deck today, and the battle against rust has resumed with chipping and grinding and painting.

I am reading The Wreck of the Medusa, an unflattering true story of the 1816 French Navy. I can only read a page or two of this book before I have to put it down for a while. It was one of a collection of books left to me by the previous Electrician. I started a novel last night, the first fiction I have read in a while.

Day 47 Mediterranean Sea

Monday, Slop Chest day. Overcast, partly cloudy in the afternoon. The early evening moon is just a sliver. The 2 evening stars are planets, Venus and Jupiter. Sometimes you can see 1-4 of Jupiter's largest moons with only binoculars. Woke at 0100. Lights to the south. Moderate roll. It was another starry night. I could tell the approximate time by the position of the stars.

Had my first daytime nap of the voyage this morning. I was drowsy and lay down on the couch, watching the reflection of the sea going by on the overhead light panel. Next thing I knew, a half hour had disappeared. Felt great, and it was time to eat again! It is warmer. I walked to the focsl after lunch and read for an hour. I was comfortable with a tee shirt and windshell. Walked on the port side to and from because the starboard side was quite wet. The swells are coming from the starboard fore quarter and splashing on deck.

We steamed through the Malta straight earlier. The sea bottom rises to 92 meters there. We are north of Libya now. Finished reading COLLAPSE, How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, by Jared Diamond. Finished watching The Bucket List last night. Working on the new list for next year. It is 1830 and dark. Outside lights are out, so no other ships are nearby.