(Saturday, May 14th, 2016)
This morning we cruised up the English Channel and now we are in the North Sea. We were lucky – yesterday it rained, but today is partly cloudy, with good visibility. We came through the narrow part of the Channel and could see Calais off our starboard side and the white cliffs of Dover off our port side. Fun!
The North Sea water is a little more choppy, but not bad, and the air is cooler now.
It was busy in the Channel but not as busy as in Shanghai, for example. The difference was that ships were traveling in all directions, not just “in and out” of a harbor. Ferries were coming directly across our bow and stern. It felt busy.
We had another safety drill this afternoon. We passengers have it easy, with very few responsibilities, and it turns out that we are reasonably trainable. The only drills we need to know are the “Abandon Ship” drills, with minor variations depending on which lifeboat/raft we use. Our basic responsibilities are simple: Listen, and follow instructions!