We are Sailing!

Good Day Everyone,

Thank you for all your emails and messages asking what is going on???? It was very observant of you web camera watchers to notice that we had not departed our berth in Southampton......well here is the story - you know I am not short for words and to think I have only been on board 24 hours............'Once upon a time'.......................... We opened the gangways today from 0900 hours to 1500 hours and laid on a shuttle service into the City Centre which 550 of our passengers took advantage of - I think it was Gordon Brown's way of boosting the Southampton economy!

It was a disappointment to us all that we did not sail as scheduled yesterday at 1700 hours - we had everyone on board and all baggage and stores however due to a problem 'down below' Commodore Steve Burgoine announced that we could not sail. However after many interim broadcasts it was with great delight that today at 1500 the Commodore announced that the repairs to our electrical emergency backup system have bow been completed and we will be cruising for Palma at 1600 hours - in one hours time.

As a result of our later departure we have had to amend the itinerary with a view to providing as much of the original voyage as planned. As a result, the short half day call at Salalah, Oman, has been removed from the itinerary and all the other ports of call up to Mumbai have been put back by one day. Arrival into Mumbai will be at 7.00am on the 23 January as per the schedule. Most people are just delighted that we are on our way on this exciting itinerary. After signing off for departure on the Bridge I remained there until I could see that all our lines (ropes) were off and that we had actually left the berth. I then went for a walk around the decks to mingle. This took me 2.5 hours of very enjoyable conversation and it is also so rewarding for people that I have never met before to come up to me and say ' I have read your blog'! Even more rewarding when they say they have enjoyed it. I also met a lovely couple who shall remain nameless, and who have been invited to be featured in the blog ( as they are avid readers) who are in one of our new staterooms and wanted to be reassured that our welding was good! I am pleased to report that they are delighted with their stateroom but wish that they had gone for a mini suite! Never down size is my advice - what you have had you will miss..........!

My office was very busy all day taking calls from our Directors and Senior Management in Southampton, the Commodore and my own team, sorting out stores that were due to Salalah -passengers embarking, crew movements, entertainments programmes, contingency plans etc. Our containers for Salalah are now going to Port Kelang so we have submitted our shopping list for Palma and Piraeus. Can't afford to run out of bacon! I knew when we were going on this Grand Voyage it was going to be eventful but I was expecting this to be after departure Southampton!! This is what makes this job so exciting - the unexpected, the waiting and then the moment when we hear the word from the Commodore that we are going at 4! From 3.00pm the excitement mounts, the souls on board are accounted for, the last delivery of Cavendish chilled foods top up is loaded, the crew all accounted for and then 'clearance form the Purser's Office' over the VHF radio. On the bridge it is ship the brow, secure the doors, take engines, let go forward, let go aft and we are on our way....... confetti fountains, fireworks and Arcadia slips down the Solent on a beautiful winter wonderland evening with a pink sky as the sun sets and the waters like a mill pond, and so the voyage is under way. The Isle of Wight looked like Singapore in the twilight and to think that we will be there in four weeks in much warmer climes sipping a Singapore Sling or a cold Tiger Beer. Nothing can compare or match the excitement and joy in every one's face as the great white ship breaks free into the ocean on another once in a life time experience...................

To think that at Carl Luxford our Food and Beverage Manager came into my office at 1630 hours yesterday and our only worry was four tons of eggs were sat in a lorry 16 miles outside of Southampton caught up in a road traffic accident which eventually made the ship at 1655 hours.
Hotel would not wish to keep the Ship from sailing however Technical BEAT us to it!

Our thanks to all the hard work and dedication that our Technical Teams on board and ashore put in to resolving our delay and getting us underway. I think our Colleagues in the Southampton Office all breathed a sigh of relief as they waved 'Good Bye'.

Best wishes,
James.

' I must go down to the sea again to the call of the running tide. It is a wild call and a clear call and it cannot be denied.'