Wednesday April 17^th

At Sea

The wind calmed down to a mere force 5 during the night, and although the sea is still rough, the barometer is rising. The ship is hardly rocking at all.

We, as always, have a busy day ahead. I want to get started on the craft project I bought from the crafty lady Mary so I would have something constructive to do on the crossing. It is a patchwork extravaganza and requires ironing little rectangular pieces of fabric before you attempt to patch them together. I had been very tempted to purchase a very cute little iron in John Lewis. It would be perfect for the job, but as they don’t allow you to bring irons on to the ship, I couldn’t think of a plausible way to smuggle it on board, so I am stuck with using the iron in the launderette.

This has not been possible so far, every time I go to the launderette the iron is in use. Tonight is another gala night, and everyone’s formal clothes seem to need a good pressing. All very frustrating. So here I am doing my best without those pesky little pieces of material being ironed.

The Celebrity Speaker on this crossing is Sir Jackie Stewart, and very popular he is too. Today he spoke on “The challenge of Sport and the Adjustment of Change”. There was also a talk by Susan Humphris on the sea floor (nice to know what’s happening below us as we sail along) and Captain David Henderson gave a talk on the mystery of the disappearance of Malaysian flight 370.

Now there are several plausible and implausible events that could have happened to the plane and its passengers and crew. None of which sound good. The talk further increased my reluctance to fly when you can go by ship. It seems to be all too easy for a nutty pilot to kill everyone off, or for someone to have an error in judgment during war games, and shoot down the wrong plane. And then there are aliens lurking out there just waiting for an unsuspecting plane to fly by so they can gobble it up.

I finally got around to reading the article on how to secure a seat at the captain’s table. Obviously I have been doing it all wrong. Here’s how to do it:

1. Cultivate the social host/hostess. Let them know that you will add color and interest to the table. Let them know how you rafted down the Amazon or walked the Camino Real Santiago (and back). OK, count us out on that. The captain really doesn’t need the sort of color and interest that we can add. His life is stressful enough already.
2. Come Highly Recommended. Alas I can’t think of anyone who actually knows us who would recommend us.
3. Look the Part. Sartorial elegance is a key factor when choosing a passenger for the top table. If walking around the ship wearing a long black dress and sparkly, but shedding, white jacket, waving a small plastic Union Jack, in the middle of the day hasn’t done it for us, I’m not sure what kind of sartorial elegance they are looking for
4. Loyalty Pays. No it doesn’t. I have been cruising with Cunard since 1962. If that doesn’t count as being loyal I don’t know what does. Although we did go on the very last trip on the Big Red Boat. The company went bankrupt when we were in the Bahamas and they ran out of food on the ship, but that should not count as being disloyal. It was just a mistake.
5. Don’t Hide Your Light. I do not have some special claim to fame; so discreet trumpet blowing will not secure me that much sought after seat. In fact I think I would have more chance if I remain anonymous.
6. Congratulations you have just opened the coveted invitation! No I haven’t. The envelope that came today was indeed an invitation from Captain Hashmi, but just like the one a few days ago it was not from him alone, but from the Senior Officers too. It was the invitation to the Senior Officers Cocktail party in the middle of the day on Friday.

So I am no nearer to the big table than I was before reading the article.

I cheered us up by going to the launch of the new 2019 QM2 Transatlantic merchandise. We ended up purchasing a baseball cap, a tea towel (you can never have too many), and a plastic lined tote bag. We have several lovely tote bags and do not really need another, but the opportunity of owning a plastic lined one, and the uses it could potentially have, was not something we could pass up.

Just as we thought it would be safe to go out on deck again, the winds started up, and we are now at a Force 7, and the outside decks are closed once more. We are also on a more southerly course, trying to avoid the low-pressure areas around us. I hope they are allowing the dogs out on deck, if not, they should get little treadmills for them to run on. The dogs can’t be happy. The cat is probably gloating though.

Tonight was another gala evening, and the World Club Cocktail party. Despite the number of confused looking newcomers, there were still 1000 of us World Club members on board. As usual the sparkling wine was flowing, and little canapés kept on appearing making it a pleasant party. I can’t remember the names of the 3 passengers on board who had the most days sailing with Cunard (the lady with the most had over 1000 days), but the dog with the most days on board was Cooper. I hope he is enjoying this, his 4^th, crossing.

At dinner our tablemates complimented Brian on how well he had tied his bow tie. He had to admit he has had a lot of practice over the years! We had yet another excellent meal with lively conversation. One of our tablemates, another Brian, used to work with the Sea Band company, one of those firms that makes the wristbands which are supposed to prevent seasickness. I told him about my suggestion several years ago that they should make black Bedazzled bands that can be worn on formal nights. He said I wasn’t the only person to suggest this, but that they never got around to it. I still think it is an excellent idea, and one that they need to pursue. Case in point, another of our tablemates, Jackie, usually wears one but as it didn’t coordinate with her very lovely cocktail dress she wasn’t wearing it tonight.

Our evening’s entertainment was Isabella Zebrowska, a violinist. Her dress was rather unusual, but wow, could she play the violin! From the Beatles to Vivaldi she danced around the stage producing the most perfect sounds, backed by the as ever very talented Royal Court Theatre orchestra. It was a magical evening,