South America, the third post

Tuesday, January 12, 2010, 8:00

At sea,

We are nearly 250 miles off the coast of southern Brazil, in calm seas, traveling south-west at 18 knots. The skies are full of broken layered clouds… now more blue than the grey of an hour ago… at dawn the colors were much more muted… steel grey for the seas lighter blue grey for the sky, with streaks of very light grey, almost white…

The ship is slowly waking up… without a port call few passengers feel a sense of urgency to rise, and many are still complaining of fatigue from the journey to Rio from where ever home is.

The sea is gentle… a few white caps showing…

Last night at midnight we were awakened by to find a light on the horizon… a ship of course, but too far away to be seen… then there was lighting… sheet lighting illuminating the skies for a brief moment… The storm was fleeting rather than dramatic… the thunder a very soft growl lost within the sounds of a ship underway…
Now, mid morning, the storm continues, but the lighting is invisible… the passengers are stirring… generally towards breakfast or the pool… A few sit at tables at the stern, with coffee, pastry and a book and sit…

It is about 1,000 miles from Rio to Buenos Aires… by noon we had gone a little over 300, with 700 miles left… We are now closer to the coast of South America, just under 100 miles away.

Sea days are strangely relaxing… It’s a self imposed exile on a ship, 100 feet wide, 800 feet long… I get up, and go upstairs for coffee while Tina sleeps in… then after she gets up we go to breakfast, then walk about… we watched a cooking demonstration, then think about lunch… we had our meet and greet with the other cruisers from Cruise Critic, (a discussion website, www.cruisecritic.com) then went to a talk on Antarctic wild life, then went looking for a snack, now I am sitting with Tina and the sisters, they talking, I working on my Marketing plan for work, and now updating the blog… Soon we will start preparing for dinner, it’s a formal night, so we need to clean up and get dressed.

Now after 11:00... Dinner is over... the Internet cafe is quiet... I don't have to shore the slow connection which makes using the internet tolerable..

Tomorrow we are at sea again... I might finish my marketing plan...