Day 9, 8 Nov.

Day 4 of Atlantic Crossing

Another morning deck walk then light breakfast in The Neptune along with more get-acquainted with new friends. A little business work accomplished via email, a lecture, updating this blog, pressing of clothes for tonight, catching the data for the noon report and the morning has passed. This is another beautiful day at sea with many whitecaps and low swells. The motion of the ship is gentle and we are all used to it by now.

This morning Jim S- and I met in the Neptune Lounge for a visit over our shared S.A.R. Bond. Another guest, Les U- in the lounge overheard our conversation and joined us announcing he is also S.A.R. So we have Minnesota, Texas and Virginia S.A.R. on the same deck.

Since I mention the Neptune Lounge often it should be explained. Lounge conjures images of a dark and seedy bar with a stuttering neon martini in the only window and with morose downtrodden tipsy men hunched over a damp cigarette burned bar. The Neptune Lounge on Holland America ships is a deluxe “living room” located on the Suites deck and for the exclusive use of guests on that deck. From 7 am to 7pm there are fresh breakfast, light lunch, tea or canapes served, coffees, teas, juices, computer, television, library and comfortable seating. Presiding over this is Queen, our Filipino Concierge. Anything we need from shore excursions to currency exchange can be done from her desk without having to stand in line at the main office or excursion desk.

Queen

Friends Jim and Charlene in Neptune

Neptune

Neptune serves food from Pinnacle

Lunch location today was the Lido, which is the buffet. At feeding time this becomes a madhouse with so many people in the food line, the isle and trying to find a place to sit. We went to the open air area midships and had to ask to join another at her table. Many people leave their cabin in the morning, stake out a chair in the library or a table in the lido or the open air lido area and stay there for the day. This makes it difficult at feeding time to find a table to eat at. I watched a couple doing needle-point work while the lunch crowd wandered about looking for a place to eat. At least a dozen tables were thus taken, several by people just sitting and reading their iPads oblivious of their fellow guests with plates of food and nowhere to sit.

Noon report: Position 25º 54.66'N and 035º 55.49'W Course 076. Speed 18k. Wind E 23k (force 6). Apparent wind off the bow at 42 knots. Depth 5,230 meters. Temp 24C/75F. Sunrise 0636. Sunset 1737. Noon to noon run 419 nm. Total voyage 2,692 nm.

At 2pm we had another time change. At this time I also spotted birds, the first life I have seen outside the ship in 3 days.

This evening we took our neighbors Joe and Patsy to dinner at the Pinnacle. This was Patsy's 94^th birthday and we had a great time hearing their story and getting acquainted. Joe is a retired nuclear physicist and served in the Army during WWII and has written a book.

The evening wound up with an hour long performance by a Flute and Piccolo virtuoso from Canada.