In the North Pacific Ocean
Off the west coast of Baja California
On the way to San Diego
Another day and we lose another hour. Two days in a row is almost as bad as five or six hours in a single day. There is one thing that is clear, we haven’t really changed time zones, at least not physically. The ship will enter the new time zone sometime today. It simply won’t be at a convenient time of day. So the ship changes time at 2 AM, which is probably a lot easier to deal with, than 14:00.
Baja California Sur is on mountain time. Baja California is on pacific coast time. It is just about noon and we are approximately opposite Guerrero Negro where it changes from Baja California Sur to just Baja California. It is here that the time changes.
So when my fitbit watch said it was 4:50 this morning, it was really 3:50, but my mind still said it was 5, rounding up. Even though I knew that there was a time change, and I knew that my watch wouldn’t update, I still got out of bed. I was down in the coffee connection at 6, knowing that there wouldn’t be anything except machine coffee for another hour. There was a blog to update anyway, so just get to work.
Rommel arrived just before it had gone 6. By 6:15 he had made my first real cappuccino of the day, and I got up and got a brioche. My watch said it was about to go 8, meaning 7, which meant the laundry was about to open. Up the stair, grabbed my things and headed to the laundry. The damn door was locked. I waited until it had gone 7 by at least ten minutes before I returned to the room and called to ask them to unlock the door as the laundry was supposed to open at 7. They were apologetic and said they would send someone from housekeeping to unlock the door. The housekeeper and I arrived at the door at the same time.
No sooner than I had gotten my wash started than people started to show up to do their laundry. But I had already filled and started the three washers. An hour later they were in the dryer and Mary’s things were in the washer. At 9:45 there was a lecture by Martin P. Lee, the guy that can put anyone to sleep, entitled Elton John: Rocket Man. Martin wasn’t as bad this time as it hard been in the past. Maybe the subject interested him?
It had been getting cooler and cooler ever since we have crossed the Tropic of Cancer. Just in case you have forgotten, the Tropic of Cancer, which is sometimes referred to as the Norther Tropic, in the northerly circle of latitude on the earth at which the Sun can be directly overhead. This occurs on the June solstice. That is the point at which the Northern Hemisphere is titled toward the Sun to its maximum extent. We experience this as the days are the longest. Probably the warmest. The opposite is true on the December Soilstice when the days are the shortest in the Northern Hemisphere.
Lunch on the pool deck where it was a brisk 63 degrees. The wind was fairly strong but not a constant 14 miles per hour. It was cloudy and therefore not much sun. The sea had swells of six to eight feet, making the motion of the ship, especially when combined with the wind, fairly rocky. This is a big change in temperature from the last ten days or so. It even looks like there might be some rain in the next few days.
Upon returning to the suite, we went through our possessions decided what can be taken back to Sonoma and what needs to stay. We will be taking one suitcase back to San Carlos full of the “extra” things we won’t be needing in the next four months. Hopefully the weather will continue in the high 70’s to low 80’s for the next couple months. Although I am keeping my jogging outfit on board.
I tried to take a nap, but it just did’t work out. Then I remembered it was the day to book our shore excursions for the Rio to Santiago cruise next January. So, it was down to the computer/internet center to log on the ships computer and book the excursions. After about an hour and a half of attempts there was nothing to do except fait and wait until morning. The internet is spotty at times, but even the internet manager was having trouble getting it work.
Mary was going to spend the afternoon and evening watching football. She ordered beer and chips from the butler so she could watch the game in comfort. It was off to the Connisseur Lounge for me. She just gets too excited watching the games. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to do the in lounge. The internet wasn’t working, so there were no games to play on my phone. There wasn’t anyone to talk to, apparently they were all watching the game. No email to respond to, since the internet was down. Ugh. So there I sat watching the waves and smoking my cigars.
An inquiry was made as to the height of the swells. Apparently, they are about 8 to 10 feet. The wind was at 14 knots, about 16 mph, so fairly strong. The ship was rocking a bit. They even announced they had put out the stabilizers to help control the rocking. It is supposed to be rough all the way to San Diego.
The 49ers won their game tonight. Which means there will be another game, hopeful two. Tomorrow, we get off in San Diego and fly to San Francisco. The ship will make its way up the coast and arrive on the 23rd. We will reboard the ship about lunch time on the 24th. We have been to San Diego several times. Santa Barbara, now that Anderson’s Split Pea soup restaurant is closed, is nothing we want to and haven’t see before. As for a tour of San Francisco, we would probably do a better job of conducting them than the hired tour guides.
Going to Sonoma to sort a few things out and drop off what we don’t need. Going to the office to pickup the medications we will need. A few errands, book club for Mary, Rony’s for me to pick up some more cigars and the like will occupy Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday we have arranged to have lunch with Richard and ships wife aboard ship.
Not offing the routine that Regent has selected is becoming a bit of a problem. They just don’t seem to know how to handle it. It will be interesting when we get to New Zealand and jump ship to go see the Whakarewarewa Redwood Forest which the Judge had some hand in getting the seedings there to start. Hopefully it will work out. India will be another one. I am sure it will.
That’s all folks! Buonanotte e ciao, Enrico
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