Day 7 Friday 20th September 2019: Atlantic Ocean
There was little or no ship’s movement overnight. The sea looked very smooth with only a pattern caused by the slight wind.
Our breakfast was in the buffet as we were too late for the International Dining room. The buffet was very busy and it took us a while to find somewhere to sit. I missed out on the omelettes and instead had scrambled egg plus mushrooms and American bacon.
At the windows everyone leapt up and were shouting and pointing outside. Off on the port side of Sapphire we could see a large pod of dolphins. Then as we watched others came to join the main group and were leaping out of the water as they did.
Sightings from the Promenade Deck
After breakfast while we were getting ready for our walk, I looked out of our window and there was yet another pod of dolphins. Two pods in 30 minutes and no camera – bad planning!
Out on Deck 7 I was now on high alert for both dolphins and whales.
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Afternoon
In his noon talk the Captain explained the route that the ship would be taking to Sydney. This would not be the most direct route but would be staying close to Newfoundland for shelter. This was because there was a hurricane offshore to the south of the ship. This was on a north-east heading but its winds might impact the ship.
We did manage a seat in the Atrium to have a sit and a rest before we went for a pizza in Alfredos.
Before we went out on Deck 7 for a second walk I realised that my hat must’ve fallen from my coat pocket. A quick check in the Atrium and then Alfredos didn’t turn it up.
Afternoon sightings and wine tasting
On Deck 7 for another walk we again spotted whales and dolphins.
The wine tasting at 3 pm was not great as I didn’t like any of the wine on offer. The two reds were particularly disappointing especially the Pinot Noir. I am pleased to say that our fellow passengers on our table were of the same opinion about the wines.
Later, we watched the recording of the presentation about immigration in New York. It all sounded straight forward but the presenter must have been worried about his listeners, as the key information was repeated six or seven times.
Evening and Suzi Madin in the theatre
We were now regulars in the Half Moon restaurant and as we were sharing we skipped the long queue for the couples only tables. I started with prawn cocktail, then chicken satay and finally steak Diane. I should really have sent it back as it was hard to cut, was full of fat and on the whole was inedible. I rewarded myself with apple pie à la mode for desert.
The singer in the theatre was Suzi Madin who sang songs from the carpenters she was very good and we really enjoyed the show.
The clock change overnight was for only half an hour.
From the Cruise Log
At Sea — Friday 20th September 2019
Overnight, Sapphire Princess altered her course to the west and navigated parallel to the southern coast of Newfoundland, passing Cape Race lighthouse (famous for receiving the distress signal broadcast by RMS Titanic in 1912) at the tip of the Avalon peninsula, which was 18 nautical miles distant on the starboard side.
The clocks were set another 30 minutes back in order to bring Sapphire Princess in line with UTC-3, for her upcoming calls to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Sapphire Princess proceeded along her westerly heading throughout the morning, before altering her course to the North West just before noon, sailing closer to the coast of Miquelon Island in order to avoid the adverse conditions generated by Hurricane Humberto, which was making its way north eastwards approximately 250NM south of Sapphire Princess’ noon position.
Throughout the day, she achieved an average speed of 11.5 knots, which is 13.5 mph. Later in the evening, she traversed the Cabot Strait, which is the largest outlet for the Gulf of St Lawrence.
Noon Position: Latitude: 46° 43.7′ N • Longitude: 056° 44.6’W
Wind: Gentle breeze, variable direction, Force 3
Sky: Partly cloudy (5/8 cloud cover)
Seas: Slight Seas + Short Low SE’ly Swell
Pressure: 1010 hPa
Air Temperature: 14°C / 57°F
This is our next day in Sydney, Nova Scotia.