Friday 31st January

Now we are heading North, well a smidgen to the west as well, it’s getting cooler. It was 25°C through last night and today it’s also 25°C a much more sensible temperature. We are sailing up the coast of Mexico passing Acapulco and in waters that are 6,000 metres deep. If you are wondering why we are not stopping in any of the Mexican ports, well so were we. Our wonderings were answered today on the Captains midday broadcast. He said that all the ships used to call in at least one Mexican port, but they have now got so dangerous with shootings between rival drug cartels that it is not worth the risk of passengers getting caught up in the cross fire. So ships no longer call in at any Mexican port, choosing instead to make straight for the USA.

Went to listen to more of Bill Millers reminiscing on the great liners and then spent a lot time watching the turtles pass by. Some are quite big (about the size of tea trays) others are tiny. I’ve managed to get a few pictures and a couple of very short videos. We also watched the ambushing of flying fish. When the flying fish are chased by a predator under water they shoot up into the air just above the sea and glide, sometimes for several metres before diving back below the surface. Well the local bird life have cottoned on to this and fly around the bow waiting for them to be disturbed by the approaching ship and come out of the water to escape, then whoosh, down they go and catch them in mid-air. Now I know where the expression “Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea” comes from. Anyway must go and have a drink with the captain, bet he hasn’t got IPA.