Wednesday
Dear Elsie
Today was the day we entered the doldrums. First when we woke this morning, I went up to pick up coffee and as my cell phone connected to maps, I saw we were on the equator.
It was only this afternoon, I noticed we had got to the doldrums
I was at the gym when there was a downpour. Then I noticed how glassy the sea is.
Almost oily and very very flat
It makes sense that the saying of being ‘in the doldrums’ has come out of this part of the world. When you are in the doldrums, you may be struggling along, wading through treacle, not progressing well at all. The sailors of old must have moved painfully slowly through this section of the sea when they were dependent on prevailing winds. It was wind that never blew.
With us, there is no problem. Our big 95 ton ship that is close to 300m in length powers through the water at up to about 40km/hour. According to AI, “the MSC Magnifica utilizes a diesel-electric propulsion system, powered by five Wärtsilä 16V38B diesel engines. These engines generate electricity, which then drives the propellers via electric motors. The ship also has a fully automatic control system for the engine room.” It is very smooth. We regularly can hardly feel that we are on a ship. Our cabin is close to the front (about 30 or 40m from the door to the front balcony). We are on Deck 10 and so well insulated with other cabins above and below as well as either side of us. It is only our balcony that is open to the sea. It’s very quiet with no passing foot traffic, so no talking in the corridors is heard. We didn’t have a choice of balcony cabins. This was the only one left, so we took it. We have had very calm seas so far. The next stop is Dakar on Saturday. We have decided not to get off. We took a look at the excursions and there is not much to see. The cruise port is not in a great area, so walking off is not really suitable either. I will take pictures from the ship.
It’s really difficult for me to find something I don’t like about cruising. We have arrived at 23rd April, my dear Mom’s birthday. She would have loved cruising too. And tomorrow is Jess’s 30th birthday! Woohoo! Happy Birthday Jess!
The earth in our eyes is so enormous, but from outer space we are just a grain of dirt.
Psalm 33:7
He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deeps in storehouses.
It’s not about now – we are only passing through.
Keep the smile going.
God bless you.
In His Grip,
Gran xx 🙂