Day 28, 27 Nov. At Sea.

My early morning watch (portside 0630-coffee time of 0700) revealed what looked like a WWII era aircraft carrier about to cross our wake a few ship lengths away. Coffee and a bit more light in the sky revealed a container ship stacked level with containers for and aft. From way out here we sent a Happy Birthday greeting to Jesse.

This much needed respite will be packed with activity and non-activity alike. Well, maybe more non-activity than activity. This sampling of the world is hectic and leads to confusion as to where-when-what has been seen, tasted, experienced, photographed and logged. When meeting people late in the day, known or new acquaintances, the common opening is “What did you do today” which usually brings forth a gush of detail as if one is eager to disgorge the many places seen, the historical details absorbed and any significant matters such as food, pickpockets or the ability of the guide. Such discourse clears the memory banks for tomorrow. Asked the following day “What did you do yesterday?” usually brings a blank look followed by a far-away stare at the ceiling and after a pause the light goes on and a very abbreviated version of transpired may follow until the spouse steps in and says “no, that was the day before yesterday.” Memory dump. I have found the use of crib notes written on my hand useful, as well as this “Cliffs Notes of Travel” you are reading. The final question will be “What are you doing today (or tomorrow)?” That's easy. Take a look at your tour card: right there in large print is “SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF ________________ 4 hours......meet in the lounge at 7 a.m. And depart at 7:30 a.m.” Fortunately these large heavy paper cards are collected when you depart so when asked the big question you do not have to fumble through a stack of cards while pondering what day it is. That brings up the day of the week question. That is a closely kept secret which causes a hunt for an empty elevator; a rarity on this ship from 7 a.m. Until 10:15 p.m. There are 8 elevators (lifts) and they are kept packed all day so going up and down is best accomplished by a novelty called “stairs.” I am convinced some passengers live on the elevators, much like my sister did when crossing the Atlantic in '57 after discovering the elevator was run by a cute Dutch boy. Anyway, each elevator has a rug for the day. “Today is TUE[feet]. One cannot read the day of the week unless there is an empty elevator. Another method is to wait until lunch in the main dining room and ask the day-of-the-week question of your new table- mates-of-the-day. That conversation can take up at least 10 minutes, followed by someones dash to the elevator. I'll have their desert; they'll be gone awhile.

Noon report: 38º 14.69'N , 004º Speed 13.2k. Course 261º. Depth 2,730m. Temp 19c/66f. Wind SE 20k (6) Apparent wind off port stern quarter (behind from the left) 1t 10k. Sunrise 0737. Sunset 1724. Noon-noon run 247 nm. Total distance 6,774 nm.

The Frequent Floaters were treated by Uncle Hal (Holland America Lines) to a Pinnacle lunch. The temperature outside has risen due to 75f and some weather is expected. The dining room crew decorated for Thanksgiving and 80 turkeys had been roasted. The kitchens turned out an excellent traditional turkey dinner.