We have two sea days before we reach Busselton and Margaret River, and we have already travelled 1000 km since we left Melbourne! The weather rather turned against us last night and a lengthy message from the Italian captain came over the tannoy around 6pm. This was quite unusual as the maritime tradition if that the captain always gives his daily report at midday exactly. This extra announcement was clearly needed ! He told us that when we left the shelter of the bay at Port Lincoln we would be going into the Great Australian Bight which, as far as can ascertain, is very similar to the Bay of Biscay or rounding Cape Horn !
As the evening approached and we sailed out of the harbour it became obvious that the captain’s tip of ‘ now is the moment for taking your seasick pills’ (in an Italian accent !) which I obediently did, was the correct advice ! The seas were officially ‘ very rough’ with waves of 16-18 feet with a large swell ! The ship moved up and down like a funfair ride and trying to walk became comically impossible ! I felt no queasiness at all due to taking my ubiquitously names ‘ Joyrides’ - I think some advertising guru was having a laugh.
Cabin service was ceased, due I imagine, to not wanting passengers bedecked with chicken curry and strawberry cheesecake and cream all over their clothes and cabin ! The shows were cancelled and the pools drained. No risks were being taken, so basically if you had some disaster it was probably due to one’s own lunacy ! It was also very hot and sitting on the balcony it looked as if the horizon had had a dram too many and was unsure of its home ! I did enjoy the enforced sitting - actually I do quite a bit of sitting, enforced and voluntarily, and watching the large swell from deck 12 was fun - I imagine watching the swell, burst and crash of waves on the ship body if you were in a balcony on deck 7 would have been like having an extra salty shower every 3 minutes ! My $4 / £2.50 sunhat proved its worth on the balcony in the sun. I am generally not a hat woman, but it was a strawy blessing in disguise for the white skin of the Pom !
I didn’t sleep a great deal through the night but on awakening it seemed to have settled a little. Still some swell but not as dramatic as it had been.
It is that ‘next day’ now, and the sea has roughened up as the day has progressed so now we are back in the ‘ very rough’ of the Bight. The captain did say that this part of the Southern Ocean was renowned for bad sea conditions and weather, and he did alter course slightly to make it a little more comfortable for the punters. This means we could only sail at 15 knots and not the 19 needed to get us to Busselton by tomorrow morning, thus we will be delayed in docking. I am eternally grateful that Captain Lavadera opted for less swell, safer seas and a few hours less in Busselton !
I went to watch the Art Auction today, something I had not been to in a number of years. I had forgotten how much dreadful art is out there, especially for multiple thousands of dollars ! Some folk must have more cash than discernment. Things get very excited and the punters practise holding up auction cards and shouting ‘me! me !’........I did not bother with the all important green card I need to tell you, so thankfully, was not in the running for golden faces with shining hair combined with magical running horses and unicorns, or thatched cottages with smoking chimneys and improbably flowery gardens, or perhaps one of the ‘specials’ that is ‘a one off limited edition but with real hand embellishments, wow the real thing ! I reckon that today alone, at least $20,000 changed hands 😲! That was in one hour.
The art auction in the explorers bar, what strange fun !
Also found the Ice Cream bar today, and they have sugar free ice cream.......my life is complete !
Ah.......strawberries and cream ice cream and not a sin in sight !
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