Location as of 12:01 9-Jan: 24deg 22min North, 115deg 47min West

Sorry for lack of updates. I’ve had some laptop issues, but it all seems to be working now. Consolidated notes below:

7-Jan: Two hours after passing thru the Golden Gate, there was a medical emergency onboard. So, we turned about and returned to San Francisco to transfer the unfortunate person to a Coast Guard vessel, then back out to the ocean we went. Combined with the refueling delay the evening before due to the storm, we’ve lost about a day of travel. They have not announced what that does to our itinerary, and we are running from the Pineapple Express series of storms coming from the North West.

8-Jan: You have not “seen” darkness until you look out of you cabin at night when your ship is no longer in view of land. I know I won’t get any pity from the many US Navy folks I know, but it’s one of the many things that remind you how small you are.

We are still running from the storms. Nine laps of the top deck “track” is a mile, and I’m slowly increasing my laps as I gain my sea legs. But this morning one side of the track I was heading into the wind so much I felt like a cartoon – there were several times I thought my glasses would blow off!

9-Jan: There was a strange, bright glob in the sky this morning. The sun has finely fought thru the clouds. There may not be anything darker than night at sea, but sunrise at sea is a reward to itself. So naturally it was too bright in my cabin and I rapidly re-closed the curtains.

Silversea has done a good job keeping people busy during this first week “At Sea”. There are twice-daily lectures on the upcoming island destination ports and the history Polynesian migration and European discovery. Cooking demonstrations with the food being offered at that night’s dinner. Last night I enjoyed the violin/fiddle music of E Sara Carter, who was a soloist during the “Lord of the Dance” tours. Tonight is piano music by Hyperion Knight. This afternoon I learned to Rumba – the joy of learning a dance on a ship is that you can always blame the waves for any stumble.