Out on the Ocean

5 January 2012

The open ocean at long last stretches all around us. The water has changed from café au lait to sea green with white topping. We are now reminded that we are on a small vessel that does not have stabilizer technology. It is a good day’s entertainment watching people attempting to find their sea legs. Both of us did a little swaying and staggering but on the whole are not as badly affected as many around us. We have also noticed the seasickness aids showing up – bracelets, patches, hypnosis and more. Thankfully, neither of us has ever suffered from seasickness and we have no intention of starting any time soon.

We are now off the coast of Brazil headed northwest toward Isle Royale and Devil’s Island off French Guyana.  Isle Royale was a notorious French penal colony that had prisoners in residence until 1952. Stories that emerged from surviving prisoners were terrible and disturbing. In fact, the penal colony boasted not one, but two lunatic asylums plus a children’s cemetery just to name some nasty features of the island.

Today was another day completely at sea with no sight of land. Rumours are starting to filter through that we will not be able to land at Isle Royale because of forecast weather that is supposed to drop in excess of 2 inches of rain on the region with accompanying winds. Isle Royale is what is called a “tender port” meaning there is no dock and the ship anchors offshore and smaller boats called tenders, transfer people between ship and land. The boats ride hide in the water and the ride is less than pleasant when the seas are high. But, we shall see what tomorrow brings when tomorrow comes.

We ended up spending the day on the aft (back) deck which is our favourite spot on a ship. This was the first day we were allowed out on that deck since leaving Manaus. It had been closed off because there were too many insects and movement of people in and out meant bugs in the buffet amongst other places. This far out from the Amazon there were still a fair collection of grasshopper and cricket-like insects in bright colours still in residence as stowaways but we were allowed out and spent a lovely day in the sun watching the ocean go by and solving world problems with our friends from the UK. It started as a comparative discussion on the actions of governments during the UK and Canadian BSE crises and then morphed into discussions on the state of the EU, what’s up with China, are corporations ruining the world and other such topics of note. It may all sound very dull but if you add in the range of British accents, the addition of beer, spirits and wine, demonstrations by a waiter on napkin folding and a lot of very funny jokes – all in the mid-Atlantic sunshine – well, you get the idea. We weren’t suffering.

There is also a conspiracy theory aboard the boat that the Captain is either not on the boat or has been carousing in his cabin and ignoring his duties. There is very little foundation for this theory beyond a non-appearance by said Captain at his own Captain’s Cocktail Party and an alleged CIA employee with an alleged story about the captain and a woman of low repute on a different voyage.

As you can see – we don’t just go on these holidays for the pure pleasure of the thing. There are things to be worked out and pursued and we gamely partake when we are not reading or lounging about or eating… it is a true hardship but we soldier on.

Real news tomorrow provided the rumours of a no-show at French Guyana are incorrect.

Oh – I did manage to paint a little portrait of a sloth…

And climb some stairs.

Now, perhaps a little nap before cocktails.