Monday 20th January

We are currently about 200nm due East of Jacksonville and by 20:00 will be abeam of Cape Canaveral. The weather continues to get warmer sun is now a more permanent fixture with only a few cotton wool puffs of cloud. The upper deck is now littered with people all laid out to dry. Went to the first of four talks on Canals, today’s was on the first 200 years. The final one just before we transit Panama will be on the current upgrade to the existing Panama canal. Then as a sucker for these talks I dragged Carol to a talk on Captain Cook and his three great voyages, much of which we will be tracing on this voyage. Carol rested her eyelids for a lot of it. We lose one of the couples on our dinner table at Fort Lauderdale as they depart heading for Naples. That’s Naples Florida, not Naples Italy. Carol saw her first flying fish today, but didn’t know what was until after she saw it. I was having a shower so couldn’t be sure, but from the description and the fact there have been a few more sightings it seems certain that was what it was. Now she knows what to look for, she is prepared.

Sunday 19th January

Only 300 miles further south and the temperature is slowly climbing from around zero to 15/20 degrees the sun is showing it’s face and the mood on board is markedly brighter, though that could also be the result of having a greater percentage of Americans on board. Their open and friendly nature gradually breaking down the reserve of the Brits and a party spirit slowly taking hold. We are passing the New Jersey coastline heading for Delaware Bay. We had the Port presentation for Fort Lauderdale and after went to a lecture on The Great Atlantic Liners over the last century, race for speed etc. SS America took the Blue Ribbon by completing the journey in under three days at an average speed of 39 knots. Makes our 8 day voyage look positively pedestrian.