Since we left Italy for this Trans-Atlantic cruise all eyes have been on the North Atlantic weather. Although the hurricane season is tapering off, it is by no means over and if one of those big boys starts coming over, even reduced to a tropical depression, it could affect us. We have to go to Ft. Lauderdale and that means once we are south of Bermuda we could be in the track of one of them. But even during our time on the mid North Atlantic while we are well south of any storm track, the swell produced by the strong winds can easily roll down our way and cause a bumpy ride. Thus the weather reports which we receive nearly constantly, as our ships are connected to a simulation program through which a weather bureau continuously provides updates, are intensely scrutinized. We even have two of those programs that the company subscribes to, just to make sure that we can interpret the opinions and projections of two independent groups of meteorologists.

If there is going to be bad weather then we might have to face it, as very simply, we  have to go to Florida. But if we can avoid it to a certain extent then we will certainly do so. And that means the captain has to make a major decision. Follow the shortest route which will save him time and or fuel but it will bring the ship closer to the bad weather areas, or take the longer route and sail more south, but have to cover more miles. This is all caused by the fact that the earth is a globe (there are those who disagree see: https://www.tfes.org/) which results in a straight line on a globe, when putting it on a flat piece of paper (a sea chart), being shorter than when a straight line drawn on a flat piece of paper and then projected on a globe.

Each stretch of the voyage is reviewed and approved by the Captain. Then one of the officers will conduct the departure briefing before the ship sails. This is 3rd officer Max, one of several  7 feet tall navigations officers we have in the company, conducting the pre departure briefing in Cadiz for the whole team.

In nautical speak, such a “globe line” is called a Great Circle Line and a straight line on a chart is called a Rhumb Line. Over our 8 day crossing it makes a difference of about 42 Nautical Miles about 2.5 hours of sailing. This is a lot for a short cruise between to two ports, but not that much on 8 day crossing. Going on Rhumb Line looks on the chart as if we are sailing directly for the Bahamas and by doing that we stay about a 100 miles more to the south than otherwise would be the case. We are also staying about a 100 miles south of the average storm track.  And that is the big plus point. And that is what the captain decided upon, the least wobbly route we can sail on, based on the current predictions which are fairly reliable for about 5 days in advance.  The Great Circle Line would have taken us north of the Azores, and very close to Bermuda, where they know everything about hurricanes and other bad weather.

Welcome to the Dinngroom on Halloween night. Note the guy with the mask behind the tombstone. The first devil I have seen wearing a name tag.  Maybe something for the “Living Dead” to take over.

Inside the ship everything is about Halloween today, I do not know what the craze is about, as it really an American tradition but the crew is getting into it as well. All Nationalities. Maybe it is the chance to deviate from the uniform rules or to just make a mess of the working area, I do not know. But all sorts of things are going on, culminating in a long and big party this evening. How wild the guests will be I do not know but the crew will have a party on the top deck, well away from all the guests so they can make plenty of noise and dance to their hearts content. Some guests got into the spirit of the whole happening as well: I saw some somebody coming by in a wheelchair decorated (better said rebuilt) as a tombstone. ….why do I always forget my camera………… as it was a real good one.

We have a 50 feet long serving counter in the hot section of the galley and here at 18.20 hrs. it is one long line of stewards coming in to pick up their orders. The Training And Development team is in the background watching it all with a certain disbelief. 

I took the class this evening to the Main Galley to see Controlled Mayhem executed at a very high level of professionalism. Around 18.15 hrs. first sitting plus the start of As You Wish Dining have all advanced to their main course and then in 30 minutes the Executive Chef and his team has to churn out about 500 main courses, that is 17 servings of a hot dish per minute.  All perfectly presented and all arriving hot at the table. It is something you have to have seen once to believe and none of my previous students will now dream of calling the kitchen around that time for something trivial.

The weather is supposed to hold for at least two more days, thus we will have overcast skies little wind and a low swell running from various directions which lets the ship move just a little.