Sabin’s at Sea - Day 34- Sea Day #18
by Nina Sabin - Travel Blog
Today we relived Saturday, October 29; however, now we are seven hours behind Eastern Standard Time.
The good news is it really didn’t feel like groundhog day. Besides the date, the day was not exactly the same.
The great part is I woke up with no sea sickness from yesterday. I kept the nausea bands on all day and the patches behind my ears just to keep from getting sick again.
The boat is still rocking the same as yesterday. In fact, most people walk like are drunk from the movement of the ship. If you have been drinking it would be hard to tell if your wobbling was from the alcohol or movement of the ship.
Today the captain announced the winds are at 30 knots. That means they are 34.6 miles per hour.
In both meteorology, sea, and air navigation, a knot is a unit typically used to indicate wind speed. Mathematically, one knot is equal to about 1.15 statute miles. The abbreviation for a knot is "kt" or "kts," if plural.
I was also curious to know if the wind affects the rocking.
Rocking is caused by the waves, not the wind. The waves are caused by the wind, but there are a lot of variables, including how long the wind has been at some speed, as well as the fetch - the distance the wind has impacted the surface. You can have calm winds and high waves, if the waves had been generated over previous days. You can also have high winds and low waves, if there has not been enough time or distance for the waves to build.
The steepness of the waves also makes a big difference. It can often be windier the further out to sea you go, which makes for higher waves, meaning that the ships will rock more.
This is what we have been experiencing since we left Tonga.
Even though we have been on the ship for 32 days, I still get turned around when we leave our cabin. John often reminds me which way forward is (the front of the ship). The dining room is aft (the back) and the theater forward but I seem to forget directions when leaving our cabin.
For those who never cruised before, I thought I would describe our cabin for today’s blog. When you enter the cabin you enter a hallway with the three-door closet on the left and the bathroom on the right. There was plenty of room in the closet for our clothes; it includes shelves to make it easier to organize.
The bathroom has a sink, medicine cabinet, toilet (that has a suction flush - like airplanes), and a shower with a full-sized tub. Shampoo, conditioner, and soap dispensers are provided. We get our towels changed twice a day as they clean in the morning and evening.
There is a desk, a mini refrigerator, a couch that pulls out (if more than two guests) a bunk bed that can be unlocked if needed, and a king size bed in front of the full size window. The linens are changed every fee days, the bed is made daily. In the evening, the room stewards straighten up the room and turn the bed down for us. They also leave tomorrow’s daily program, a towel animal, and some chocolates. We also have ice delivered twice a day to the cabin.
Today, we also received a certificate for crossing the dateline twice.
The sea day flowed like most of the sea days; sleeping in, breakfast today in the dining room, watching a program about our next ports, dance class for Thriller and other line dances, Bridge and Euchre with our friends, drinks and dinner with some passengers on the cruise.
The night finished with a comedian as our entertainment.
Tomorrow we are supposed to be arriving at Avatiu, Rarotonga, Cook Islands. However, we have to tender to the port and if the winds and the waves remain the same as today we may not be able to visit. Praying for good weather so we can, but right now it doesn’t look promising.
It is not common with some of these smaller islands to be unable to tender. This is why when traveling, especially on a cruise ship, you have to be flexible and have a good perspective.