Day 161: A Rough 4-Day Crossing = No St Pierre & Miquelon for Us

Friday, 16 June 2017
At Sea — North Atlantic Ocean

Stats @ Ship’s Time 8:45p (PMDT) … UTC 10:45p (16 June)
Temp: 46.4F (8C)
Position: 46.52.78N / 57.24.50W

I don't know who named them swells.
There's nothing swell about them.
They should have named them awfuls.
~ Hugo Vihlen ~

We had a rough four-day crossing after leaving Cobh, Ireland on 11 June.  Even with the three hours we gained, there simply was no way to make up the time lost due to the rough conditions we encountered and still arrive on time in Montréal, Canada — the port of embarkation for the next segment.  Something had to give.  That something turned out to be the cancellation of today’s call on St Pierre … in the French collectivity of St Pierre and Miquelon.

We were off to a bumpy and cold start to our crossing right from the get go.  Our first northern crossing of the Atlantic was going to be nothing like the southern ones that have brought us to America from Europe.  Batten down the hatches was the rule to live by.  OK … so no hatches, but the doors to the public outdoor decks were pretty much barricaded for the duration.

By the second day of the crossing — 13 June — conditions were worse, with the North Atlantic throwing at us 25-40 knot winds and stronger gusts … wave heights at times reaching 30 feet (9m).  We’ve seen worse swells — and on smaller ships, too — so we took it in stride … no mal de mer medications were necessary.  Nonetheless, conditions were bad enough that our grooming appointments — which involved the use of sharp implements — were canceled.  So were our spa appointments as it wasn’t deemed smart to lie face down in a dark room when there was so much ‘motion of the ocean’ to contend with.

It was at this point that I started to suspect we might miss St P&M.  Indeed, Captain Lucca, who took over in Dublin when Captain B had to leave due to a family emergency, announced the cancellation on day 3.  Sure, conditions were better … but only in comparison to day 2.  By the official last day of the crossing, things were much improved.  The ocean was not flat by any means, but the ship wasn’t rockin' and rollin’ as much.  Regardless, one thing was a given … the time, speed, and distance equation to reach Montréal on time — which was non-negotiable — just wasn’t going to work without the port cancellation.

So what did we do during our rough crossing?  With the deck 5 promenade closed, and our veranda soaked from the sea spray and rain, I set myself up in the library on deck 10 each day.  This was a good time to write.  No hope of catching up on the blog, but I got my journal notes fleshed out through Cobh and wrote about the crossing.  Mui stayed in the cabin and edited his videos.  We also attended lectures to pass the time at sea.

We made a slight change to where we dined during the crossing.  We still took breakfast and lunch at the Terrace Café, but had dinner in the Grand Dining Room where it was more relaxing and service was easier because the ship was more stable on deck 5.  We enjoyed the company of Manolo, the Destination Services Manager, one night; shared tables with fellow-passengers on the other nights.

Our social activities continued with a private cocktail party for Oceania Club members and we attended the last of the RTW coffee get togethers yesterday.  It was at this event that the special quilt being assembled by the RTWers was unveiled.  This is a wonderful project … someone is going to walk away with a special keepsake and the receipts from the raffle for the quilt are going to add to the coffers of the Crew Fund.  We also learned of the plans for a White Elephant Auction … one man’s (or woman’s) trash is another’s treasure they say.  This will be an opportunity to get rid of things we don’t want to take home with us, have some fun, and do good … the receipts from the auction are to be donated to a worthy cause.  I put aside some donation items already … the pile will grow I’m sure.

This is going to be a special keepsake for whoever wins the quilt raffle.

Today — our extra day at sea — was a quiet one … figuratively as well as literally as the weather quieted down.  The sea looked — and felt — much calmer … sunshine and blue skies replaced the overcast that had been plaguing us.  As we came along the Newfoundland coastline, we gained even more protection from the ocean and wind.  It didn’t warm up much, though — the day’s high didn’t go above 46.4F (8C) … and it felt a lot colder with the windchill.  So much so that seeing an iceberg on the horizon shouldn’t have come as a surprise.  But it did … a nice one, too.  Captain L steered well clear of it ;-)

Yup, that’s an iceberg alright!

In his morning report, Captain L said that we had covered 1,941 NM since leaving Cobh and still had 390 NM to go to our next port.  What that boils down to is that even with skipping St P&M, we won’t arrive in Corner Brook until 10:00a … that’s an hour later than scheduled.  So be it, I say … we have no control over Mother Nature.  Not everyone feels that way apparently.  A ship-wide complimentary happy hour was held tonight to appease those passengers who have made known their displeasure at missing our port today.  I was getting a relaxing massage at the Canyon Ranch Spa, so I didn’t partake, but I did join friends for dinner in the Grand Dining Room later.

That’s it for the 5 days since Cobh.  I’ll report again after we explore Corner Brook tomorrow.

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