Nov 13 - At sea

 Nov 13 - At sea

Our last sea day before we reach Darwin.

We have started the time changes - forward now!  So our bodies thought it was earlier than the clock read this morning!  The first presentation was at 9:30 AM which meant we had to be up, have breakfast and be there in time to get our preferred seats!  ( we like the back row in the balcony so I have room to leave the walker and not have to do too many steps up and down!) 

One of the officers was giving an overview of the workings of the ship.  He talked about navigation including planning of routes, manouvering the ship, steering components, the generators, and even what the flags mean in communicating with other ships.

Following that, we went up to the Lido early to get a table and wait for the buffet to open. We can’t quite figure out when it will be busy!  We are still under the health advisory so crew are handing out plates and cutlery, asking people to sanitize their hands when entering the food area, serving the food and thoroughly cleaning the tables and chairs when people leave.

We got a notice advising of an extra cleaning that will take place tomorrow when many people will be off the ship.  They are really trying to keep whatever illness this is under control. We have no idea how many people are affected, but it sounds quite extensive judging by the precautions they are taking.

This afternoon we attended another talk - this one about the conflicts in the Pacific in 1941 and 1942.  How does the speaker keep all the information straight?  I guess I was a poor student of history, but I had no idea of all these conflicts to take control in the Pacific, and the attacks on Australia! But then, our history classes did not include this in the curriculum.

After dinner tonight we’ll go to the show; it’s Jarred Fell again. Then, before we go to bed it’s clocks forward another half hour!

We haven’t had much excitement lately it seems!  And maybe that is a good thing!  Life onboard becomes more routine on the sea days!  Hopefully tomorrow we’ll have something more interesting to post when we go on our boat tour on the Adelaide River - Jumping Crocodiles Tour!

Stay tuned!

The two travellers

Nov 11 -12 Scenic Cruising

 Nov 11- Remembrance Day

A Remembrance Day Service was held in the theatre this morning. It was standing room only for a very respectful crowd.  

 

Precautions are in place as there appears to be a gastro-intestinal (not Covid) outbreak onboard;  service in the buffet is by crew only,  no salt and pepper shakers or cutlery on the tables etc.  Tables and chairs are being sanitized as each guest leaves.  We will need to be vigilant!

Today and tomorrow will be spent in the  Yampi Sound - Kimberley Coast region as we round the northwest coast of Australia.

Yampi Sound has a collection of islands, part of the Buccaneer Archipelago.  It is rich in iron ore, giving an orange tinge to some of the cliffs. (Hard to see in the photos because of the haze and how the sun is shining on them  as we pass by)

So overall a leisurely day.

Last night’s show was a repeat of the Soul Music show.  Tonight is the Rock n Roll Retrospective. 

Below is a map of our travels over these three days ( click to enlarge). I will post tomorrow’s update here, so come back if you are interested! 

Nov 11-13

Until tomorrow…

Nov 12 -Scenic Cruising

This morning we reached the Kimberley Coast.  The sailing  was quite scenic - similar to other places we have been in the world.The day is warm 31° C, humid and hazy, too hot to be outside for very long!  We had a great view from our Starboard side balcony.

At one point the captain explain that he would be turning the ship to reset the navigational compass.  It is called a Gyro compass - 

The gyro compass is the prime navigational device used on ships and submarines. Its principle of operation is based on the use of the properties of the gyroscope and the daily rotation of the Earth. 

 

Over the past few hours we had been sailing with the magnetic compass and he needed to reset the ship to match the two!  

To "reset" a ship's compass using a magnetic compass, you need to first understand that you can't truly reset the compass itself, but rather you need to calibrate it by taking readings at different headings using a reference point like the sun or a known landmark, then adjusting the compass deviation to correct for any magnetic interference from the ship's structure; this process is called "compass swinging" and should be performed by a qualified mariner or compass adjuster. 

 

Interesting!

I guess we are all reset/ adjusted now as we continue along the Kimberley Coast towards Darwin. We will be sailing for the rest of today, and a sea day tomorrow to reach our destination.

We just finished lunch in the Horizon Court.  It isn’t very crowded; either a lot of people are under the weather, or maybe they are staying away because of the health advisory??   We continue to sit at a table for two.

This afternoon Russell Twomey’s presentation is on Mapping the Australian Coast.  I might need a wee nap before going to that!  

The show tonight is a guy who plays several instruments…Jim Hodson.  I hope he is as good as Dan Elliott from the last cruise!  We start to reset our clocks again tonight…  this time moving them forward as we prepare for our return to Sydney!

That’s all for today!  We’ll check in again tomorrow as we make our way towards Darwin.

🍷Cheers!🍷

Nov 10 - Broome

 Nov 10 - Broome

HOT! HOT! HOT!

Today we are in Broome, once renowned as the pearl fishing capital of the world. the temperature was 34°C, and with the humidity it felt like 45°C!  It is an industrial port requiring us to cross the long jetty by bus.  The difference between low tide and high tide can be 6 to 11 feet!  Broome is actually closer to Singapore than to Melbourne!

 

Our tour took us first to Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park which houses rogue estuarine crocodiles, captured after tormenting fisherman or frequenting public waterways.  Rather than shoot them, they are taken to this park.  They are very aggressive creatures and are fenced in their habitats.

From there we went to the Pearl Luggers Museum to hear about the history of pearling on the Kimberly Coast.

Divers were mainly  Japanese  and we learned about the dangers these divers faced in the early days and saw how they were outfitted in very rudimentary gear for dives.  Pearling came to a halt when World War II started and Broome was the target of Japanese bombings.

In 1956 the  cultured pearl industry took off.  In the shop we saw a pearl estimated to be worth $100,000!!!

We stopped for a photo opportunity at the world-famous Cable Beach, where pristine waters meet pure white sand and red soil. The beach was named after the cable laid in 1889 which was used to send telegraphs between Java and Broome.

Our last stop was at Gantheaume Point to see red sandstone cliffs standing in contrast to the azure waters of the Indian Ocean.

Unfortunately, due to the sand paths,  I was not able to push my walker to the viewing spots!  So the tour was a bit of a disappointment. 😢

We are back in the theatre for tonight’s show, a Rock ‘n Roll Retrospective.  I think it is a repeat of one we saw a week or so ago, but we’ll enjoy it anyway!!

Tomorrow is scenic cruising on the Kimberly Coast and hopefully some good photo ops!

Until then…..

The Two Sailors

Nov 9 - At sea

 Nov 9 - At sea

Another day at sea! We are looking forward to being in Broome tomorrow - even with the weather forecast….. 33° and very humid!!!  Thank goodness our tour is on an air conditioned coach!

It was a lazy day.  Today we kept our routine - the AM destination presentation by Hutch on Darwin and the PM speaker, Russell Twomey on the Australian and New Zealand convoy from Albany to fight with the British half a world away!  His talks are always interesting.

It seems the new couple we met last night are not going to be our permanent dinner neighbours; tonight we had a couple from New Zealand who are on their very first cruise. 

Tonight’s show featured Lisa Woodbrook another Australian vocalist.  She was OK, but her webpage made us think we were going to really like her!  But she was another performer who has her own arrangements of songs that I don’t recognize until about halfway through!! I am completely out of touch with today’s music!

We have an early start tomorrow so will say good night! Hopefully a more interesting update tomorrow!

The Lazy Ladies

🍷🍷

Nov 8 - Exmouth

 Nov 8 - Exmouth

Another unexpected sea day, making our way to the next port, Broome.  We are getting closer to Indonesia and New Guinea!

As happened in Busselton, the ship was not able to anchor at Exmouth and use the water shuttles to get us safely ashore due to very high winds (40+ kph).  So we have another sea day.

As the entertainment department beefed up the activity offerings due to the change in plans, they asked the speaker, Russell Twomey, to step up at the last minute with one his presentations.  It was very interesting  - about the changes in ship travel over the last two centuries. He will be the guest lecturer for the remainder of our voyage with many different topics related to maritime history.

We have noticed a big change in the amount of traffic in the buffet area!  If we go up at certain times there is hardly a table available!  Sometimes we have had to go all the way aft in the ‘overflow’ area!  This is especially noticeable on sea days.  Today, because there were so many people I could not negotiate the narrow space between the food stations with my walker so opted for a bowl of soup, available right at the entrance!  Pepper pot soup and Chardonnay seemed to be a winning combination!! 😁

It is very warm and humid out on the public decks! 33°, bright sunshine!  Our balcony is not in direct sun and it’s nice to have a bit of a breeze sailing along.  Ho hum!  Another perfect day!!

We have two new Australians from Sydney at the next table at dinner - a father and daughter.  on the other side it is another Australian couple. And  behind us is yet another couple (maybe American?); I am having a lot more appreciation for our waiter!  The husband is in Mary’s words, ‘unique’!   I’ll let you interpret that however you like!  LOL

Tonight’s show is another comedian/ magician, Jarred Fell.  We’ll see how that goes!

Then tomorrow, another sea day!  Poor Mary!

Not much to report on a lovely, lazy day on the Indian Ocean!

Cheers from the two sailors!

D & M

Nov 7 - At sea

 Nov 7 - At Sea

 Another sea day!

After yesterday’s excitement it was nice to kick back and enjoy an unscheduled day.  We did attend the presentation on Broome with Hutch this morning, and Mary went to a talk on Shipwrecks of the Pacific this afternoon while Dorothy caught up with yesterday’s blog!

At noon today, in his daily update, Captain Lye said we may not be able to stop in Exmouth tomorrow for the same reasons we missed Margret River.  Apparently his weather data is suggesting it would not be safe for the tenders to operate.  So we’ll see what happens.

It’s always disappointing to not be able to get into a port.  Exmouth was one that replaced Geraldton on our original itinerary.  It’s a smallish port with not a lot to do, but we had booked an excursion to Tantabiddi Reef on a glass bottom boat!  EEK!  If we do end up getting in I must make a note to myself to go armed with ginger capsules!  😁

The entertainer tonight is Steve Larkins, with another tribute to Freddie Mercury! it promises to be - loud! LOL.  It seems the entertainers are mainly from Australia and New Zealand so we have never heard of them.

Keeping our fingers crossed for tomorrow!!

🤞🤞

 

Nov 6 - Perth

 Nov 6 - Perth 

We were excited to arrive in Fremantle, the port for Perth.  We had a full day tour planned with four other Cruise Critic members; Sergio was our guide.  It was a very long drive, but well worth it!

We drove north from Fremantle, passing by Perth on the freeway. We began to notice a stark change of scenery driving through farmland and native bushland  following the coastline of the Indian ocean.  Suddenly we appreciated the warning signs as a kangaroo hopped across the highway, causing Sergio to have to brake very suddenly!  It was gone as quickly as it had appeared!

As we continued north we began to spot the White Dunes off in the distance.The Heritage Council of Western Australia describes them as follows;

The Lancelin sand dunes were formed over 4000 years ago along with other dunes in the Quindalup system when water levels rose following the end of the last ice age. The dunes are visible from many kilometres away and have provided a useful landmark for travellers, mariners and even Aboriginals who used to regularly pass through the area. In more recent times, tourists have flocked from all over the world to experience the majestic beauty of the dunes pure white sand.

We continued to see them for miles as we travelled from Lancelin to Cervantes.  Our lunch stop was in Cervantes at the Lobster Shack, a restaurant situated on the edge of the Indian Ocean! Cervantes is a sleepy fishing town with a thriving business on the coast 

After lunch we made a brief stop at Hangover Bay, named because it was a favourite beach for families to go to on New Years Day, after a night of welcoming in the new year!  The white sand was incredible and the view spectacular.

Finally we reached the highlight destination of our tour, the Pinnacles Desert!   Click this for more information about these incredible pillars that rise up out of the ground!  Sergio drove us along the four-kilometre desert dirt track, stopping for photos and to wander among the endless pillars of limestone.  It was kind of a surreal experience - like standing on the moon or another planet!  

We retraced our path back to the port with a short detour to Pinnaroo Valley Memorial Park, the most environmentally responsible cemetery in Australia.  The Australian Government websites says, 

The park, which received its first burial in 1978, has been developed and maintained as a natural bushland cemetery planted only with native species. No monuments are permitted but each grave is marked by a flat bronze plaque.

The natural environment of Pinnaroo provides a haven for many native animals including kangaroos. 

Although this was an opportunity to walk among wild kangaroos, it almost proved to be disastrous!  This photo stop almost caused us to miss the ship!!!!  We were due back onboard at 4:30 PM and it became obvious that we were going to be late!  We were the very last people to reboard as we hurried through the eerily quiet terminal to security and the gangway!!  As we approached the gangway, a medical person was wheeling another passenger down the gangway in a wheelchair, with her suitcases in tow!  We were only 15 minutes late stepping back onboard but thankfully for us, that medical situation was an additional delay that worked in our favour.

There is always a risk taking private excursions, but in over 15 years of taking them this is the only time I have ever been in this situation.  The tour guide should not have opted for the Cemetery stop as it wasn’t even on our itinerary!  This was a tour not offered by the ship, which was why we decided to do it in the first place and it was a unique experience!!  

Dinner was different without our Aussie Mates and the show was ho hum!  Oh well, tomorrow is a new day!

The Travellers