last day at sea

correction: when I posted last we were 1000 miles from NY. Now we're just22 hours away. Calm seas again.

Queen Mary 2

On the Queen Mary 2, about half way across the Atlantic (1500 miles traveled, 1700 to go). Have a few QV friends sharing this crossing, and we’ve already managed to get together. Some things about the QM2 are great - like the teak decks, and some things suffer in comparison to the QV - like the Spa. Believe it or not, I prefer the QV spa to the Canyon Ranch Spa here. The gym and trainers aren’t as good as the QV and the beauty spa is outrageously expensive. More later.

Meanwhile, we were enjoying a sunny, reasonably calm trip until last night when the waves picked up to “rough.” Still relatively smooth trip. Before we got past Cornwall, England, they had to evacuate an ill passenger and did so via helicopter. Aside from that the trip has been uneventful. I did win a golf tournament (70 yard shot on the golf simulator), which bodes well for my summer fun. Warm enough to sit out on my deck for a while yesterday. I’m traveling POSH - an expression that comes from long ago trips from England to India, when the desired cabin assignments (for shade) were “port side out, starboard home.” I think that would apply for a transatlantic trip from England to America because the port side is the sunny side on the way west and starboard has the sun on the way back.

Seems like a very short trip - only Monday evening to Sunday morning - hardly time to get to know the ship, but I’m doing my best and walking miles! Will be ready to dig in to politics and marketing Dear Coach on Monday morning.

Cairns, Great Barrier Reef

43rd day! This world cruise is one of constant motion - pause in ports and then on to the next - seems like we just left Hawaii. Now anchored near Cairns, Australia, then northward tonight to WW II places like Rabaul, Saipan, and Nagasaki. Temperature will go from hot summer to winter. Today a rainforest for me - I can’t snorkel because of the Meuniere’s problem in my ears but I’ve learned a lot about the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef.

Still working out in the gym, by the way. “Gym” doesn’t do justice to the place, which is on deck 9 facing out over the bow of the ship. If you won’t work out here, you won’t work out anywhere! Helps to have a personal trainer, too, and Ariel (from South Africa) is the best! Have been gone so long I had to have a haircut too (Ivan from Serbia) - a really international crew taking good care of us.

Be posting new photos from Sydney and here tomorrow...

Held another political forum yesterday. With the influx of Australians joining us for the leg from Sydney to Singapore we had a lively discussion.

Guatamala

For those following in detail [that's you Bill] - here's what you asked for. We are at 13degrees 55.42 N latitude and 90degrees 47.56W longitude. Docked at Puerto Quetzal.