Reykjavik, Iceland to Halifax, Canada

Our second sea day between Reykjavik and Halifax, and it is starting to get warmer, but very slowly. I think a number of passengers are still recovering from the late night in Reykjavik, as it is still a very quiet ship, especially early in the morning. During the Noon announcement the Captain advised we are steering further off-shore due to reports of large ice floes in the vicinity of our closer to shore intended track. The Open Championship final round is today, and being held at St Andrews, I will be ensconced in the cabin most of the afternoon watching the last few hours.

Temperature: High 15C/59F, Low 11C/52F

Wind/Weather: Initially flat calm, increasing to 20 kts later in the day. Overcast

Sunrise/Sunset: 04:58/22:01

Clox: Z-1 (no change)

Navigation

Throughout the day Sea Princess maintained SW’ly courses at a speed of 20 knots across the North Atlantic Ocean towards our next port of call in Halifax.

Activities

Arriving on the Promenade Deck at 05:45, other than the seamen working on washdown, I was the only person until shortly after 06:00, when some of the regular exercise buffs arrived on deck. I completed 21 laps or 7 miles, before heading back to the cabin to work on photographs until Judi awoke, well after 09:00. We missed breakfast in the dining room, so headed up to the Horizon Court, where it was actually edible this morning.

After breakfast, I headed to the Princess Theatre for the daily lecture from David Russell, entitled, “A Destroyer at War – The Story of HMS Express”. HMS Express was a destroyer commissioned into the Royal Navy in the 1930’s during peacetime. It was of particular interest to the presenter, as his grandfather served aboard with distinction, being awarded a Distinguished Service Medal after the ship hit a mine in the English Channel. It was also of interest to me, as the vessel was gifted to Canada, eventually operating on the West Coast, and is presently submerged as a breakwater close to Comox, British Columbia.

Immediately after the lecture, I met Judi outside the dining room for the Cruise Critic luncheon. Over 100 attended and we sat at a table with a couple we have met frequently on board. An excellent lunch and conversation. The afternoon schedule had nothing of interest, so we headed back to the cabin to watch the last few hours of The Open Championship. Having lived in St Andrews for a few years I enjoy seeing shots of the town from the golf course. I also played the “Old Course” in St Andrews many times while growing up, especially after the starter quit at 17:00. Shortly after arriving in the cabin, we got a knock on the door and it was Bill and Jo, a couple for Freemantle. Bill was brought up in Govan, Glasgow within sight of Ibrox Stadium, the home of my team Rangers F.C. However, Bill supports that other team from the East end of Glasgow, but his brother supports Rangers and he asked us to pick up a Rangers book when we visited Ibrox. They joined us for a few drinks while we watched the golf.

A play-off was required, so by the end, we had no time to change before heading to the Princess Theatre for the Elton John tribute show by Jeffrey Allen. He played all the usual hits, but he was continuously trying to get the audience participating in the show. Overall, we enjoyed the show and will return for his repeat performance.

On completion of the show, we beat a hasty exit to return to the cabin, changed for dinner, then down to the restaurant. This evening we joined a group of 4 others dining with the Cynthia the Customer Service Manager and Ewa the Shore Excursion Manager. Dinner tonight was Italian Night, which isn’t my favourite, being unable to eat cheese. However, the meal was good and included a special desert. An excellent night with some excellent company and conversation.

Being last out of the dining room we literally ran to the Vista Lounge, arriving just before the show started. The room was full, so fortunately our table mates arrived earlier and saved us a couple of seats. The show was an Irish Comedian, who is now based in the United States – George Casey. Previous experiences with comedians is negative, so we weren’t overly hopeful, but this chap was brilliant. He had the room rolling with laughter.

Truly an excellent evening of dining and entertainment.

As another day closes, we bid you farewell, till tomorrow and hope for fair skies and following seas.