Live from the Whisper( but it's really windy) Greenwich to New York

[spinnaker2]

Hopefully someone aboard can write about the Venetian party last evening.

While I heard the hallway bustling with excitement, 

I was in the suite in a sweatshirt and sweatpants with lots of soup. 

And lots of kleenex.

 

This morning was foggy and cloudy. 

Now the sun has broken through,  its crisp, windy and brrr, chilly. A large number of sea birds have been flying alongside us, making the crossing too!

 

From the looks of it, the enrichment and destination lectures are well attended.

 

This lunchtime is the first of a series of three "lunch and learns" by Chef David.  The event will be held in La Dame.

 

As for trivia, I must inquire whether the questions are the same for all Silversea vessels on each day. Are they standardized by the management?  And do the rules change from vessel to vessel?

 

The venue, that being the Bar,  leaves something to be desired. Chairs from the pool deck are imported to add to the capacity.

There has been a bit of kerfuffle as some teams have tried to "seize" the territory of other teams on subesquent days. 

 

               "The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting...If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles...Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 1, 2019 by spinnaker2

[ErwinSchrodinger]

I’m sure we will bump into each other. Just over a week to go.

Robert &Judy

[jollyjones]

Not much to say about the Venetian evening - the most memorable thing was the theory that it was held so early in the cruise because the Captain thinks that it’s going to get seriously rough in the days ahead. The sea is certainly making up this afternoon. 

There was much mention of Silversea being 25 years old. There are nearly half a million Venetians. There were the usual pax with hundreds and thousands of days. We toasted. Something operatic was sung. And we all went off to dinner. 

 

Today the the sun has appeared but IMO it’s far too cold for civilised humans beings out there so indoors I remain, eating to build up my body fat in hopes of surviving the frozen north. 

I went to David Horner’s talk today on Newfoundland - he’s quite a good lecturer - but there’s not much else enriching today (rather than commercial) until trivia. Not looking forward to that; I dislike The Bar at the best of times, it’s poky and claustrophobic, but with something like 17 teams it’s very unpleasantly crowded, noisy, and suffocating. Then there’s the questions.  Maybe I’ll go to afternoon tea, see if cucumber sandwiches give me inspiration rather than indigestion. 

 

Oh well, as a Venetian of stamina, I expect I can make it through to cocktail hour somehow. Never failed yet. 

[zqtchas]

Waves are status quo. 12 or 13 today &15 or 16 tomorrow. @700 no from hurricane.

Went to Chef David’s lunch today.

Edited October 1, 2019 by zqtchas
Add photo

[Stumblefoot]

Spins & Jolly, who is the CD on your voyage?

 

17 teams would be tough in Dolce Vita on the Muse.  Can’t even begin to fathom how they are stuffing that many teams in the bar of the Whisper.

[spinnaker2]

We have a new CD Stumble.

Her name is Sandra.

 

Off to trivia and the waves are immense outside.

 

 

[Lois R]

Hi Spins😁 thanks for posting. Enjoying going on the voyage with you.

[dusababy]

We were on the crossing from FLL to London late April -- on the Little Lady Wind.   Trying to outrun that current hurricane -- we spent 2+ days in our suite, one day with all meals delivered by staff.  That final awful night I was mentally deciding what important items to take when we abandoned ship -- Walter said "we won't stand a chance!".    Very encouraging.  His fantasy was the pounding seas were going to break loose one of our metal panels below the water line.  Pretty exciting, but I still say - if you don't experience an incident of some sort -- what's to talk about when you get home?

Hang in there sailors --

 

[jollyjones]

Latest from Cap’n Destefano is that we are running full steam ahead to make it to Canada a day (well, 14 hrs) early because the weather is going to get much worse. 

Not so much worse out here at sea (phew) but a storm will be brewing up near Newfoundland just at our originally scheduled arrival.

 

Just purchased another Transatlantic (am I mad?)  - this time on the Dawn - Nov 2nd, 2021. 13 days Lisbon to FLL. 

Cruise Consultant is a young guy called Daniel on his first contract with SS -  very pleasant, very efficient. From LA. Very LA. 

[spinnaker2]

34 minutes ago, dusababy said:

We were on the crossing from FLL to London late April -- on the Little Lady Wind.   Trying to outrun that current hurricane -- we spent 2+ days in our suite, one day with all meals delivered by staff.  That final awful night I was mentally deciding what important items to take when we abandoned ship -- Walter said "we won't stand a chance!".    Very encouraging.  His fantasy was the pounding seas were going to break loose one of our metal panels below the water line.  Pretty exciting, but I still say - if you don't experience an incident of some sort -- what's to talk about when you get home?

Hang in there sailors --

 

Dusa,

Thanks for your encouragement! The Captain just announced we shall be arriving in St. Johns about 14 hours early. The ship is seaworthy and rides well. We like sea days which is why we book crossings.

 

IMO, the sea and the weather isn't the biggest challenge. 

 

🙂

 

Hi Lois, 

Hope all well in the peninsula.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 1, 2019 by spinnaker2

[mrscrab]

I'm beginning to think we could be doing this crossing in a washing machine!! Deck 8 almost in the bow and I've been thrown every which way. Food very good, good company at the solo's meetings, ship very clean, hopefully the seas will calm down "SOON" 

[zqtchas]

Well we are out of (NZ) Tiki . AGAIN!!! This has happened on quite a few voyages!!

ship is still rocking. This is how I stopped our drawers from sliding out.

 

Edited October 2, 2019 by zqtchas
Photo correction

[zqtchas]

Also chef David & CD Sandra.

[jpalbny]

A brilliant piece of engineering work on those drawers, zqtchas! I will remember that in case our Drake crossing is rough in January.

 

Sorry about the Tiki. Hope there's a decent substitute?

Edited October 2, 2019 by jpalbny

[spinnaker2]

We are more than half way across. Its 50 degrees F outside and grey. Wind speed is 35 knots from the NE.

We are moving at 14 knots.

 

The temperature in St Johns is cold at 37 F.

 

Another sea day!

[jollyjones]

1 hour ago, spinnaker2 said:

 Its 50 degrees F outside and grey.

 

Yep, the brightest things outside are the whitecaps.

Probably a good 7 on the Beaufort scale.

Significant difficulty on the trying-to-type-accurately-as-we-bounce-around scale. 

Edited October 2, 2019 by jollyjones

[rosepark]

I think your voyage would be a tad on the rough side for me and I am sorry that trivia is not going as well as expected. Is it a problem with the sort of questions being asked, are they skewed towards one nationality rather then broad brush? Mind you , I recall one colonial gentleman chastising us for pronouncing Wodehouse - as in P.G.- as "Woodhouse". He was volubly insistent that it was pronounced "Woadhouse". Gentle readers, we keelhauled him.

I simply cannot imagine 17 teams in the bar, however, it must be bedlam.

Hope things improve but if not , keep taking medicinal spirits.

Rp

[Stumblefoot]

4 hours ago, jpalbny said:

A brilliant piece of engineering work on those drawers, zqtchas! I will remember that in case our Drake crossing is rough in January.

 

Adding bungee cords to the list now... 😀

[Stumblefoot]

5 hours ago, zqtchas said:

Well we are out of (NZ) Tiki . AGAIN!!! This has happened on quite a few voyages!!

 

How is the Zinfandel holding up?

[dusababy]

On 10/1/2019 at 7:43 AM, ErwinSchrodinger said:

I’m sure we will bump into each other. Just over a week to go.

Robert &Judy

We are Two Dames at Sea --

Mary Ann & Winnie

[zqtchas]

1 hour ago, Stumblefoot said:

 

How is the Zinfandel holding up?

There never is any Comp red zin. Have requested several times by the t/a. Rec’d one this time because previous h/s “mike blanc” found one from an old wine maker event. The h/s always say request it by the t/a, but it has never worked for me.

[Silver Spectre]

1 hour ago, zqtchas said:

There never is any Comp red zin. Have requested several times by the t/a. Rec’d one this time because previous h/s “mike blanc” found one from an old wine maker event. The h/s always say request it by the t/a, but it has never worked for me.

Is there any Zin at all?

[Colgal]

8 hours ago, jollyjones said:

 

Yep, the brightest things outside are the whitecaps.

Probably a good 7 on the Beaufort scale.

Significant difficulty on the trying-to-type-accurately-as-we-bounce-around scale. 

We have sailed some interesting ocean swells but it appears that you are in the midst of angry ones!

 

A silver lining- no one knows whether it’s the turbulent sea or the cocktails that keeps one from walking a straight line!😉

May you find smooth sailing very soon.

[Tothesunset]

On 10/1/2019 at 7:20 PM, dusababy said:

We were on the crossing from FLL to London late April -- on the Little Lady Wind.   Trying to outrun that current hurricane -- we spent 2+ days in our suite... 

 

We shared that crossing with you. The waves were 11 metres (that's about 36 feet in Fahrenheit!) and we felt a bit lonely at mealtimes. I don't know if you ventured up to the obs lounge on deck 9 (or is it 10, cant remember) but the waves were hitting the windows up there at times. Down on deck 4 through our window, one minute we seemed to be miles above the wave then the next way down below the crests.  One minute you're walking up the corridor as if scaling Everest then the bow sinks and you're speeding uncontrollably like a drunk going downhill. Happy days! 

[dusababy]

1 hour ago, Tothesunset said:

We shared that crossing with you. The waves were 11 metres (that's about 36 feet in Fahrenheit!) and we felt a bit lonely at mealtimes. I don't know if you ventured up to the obs lounge on deck 9 (or is it 10, cant remember) but the waves were hitting the windows up there at times. Down on deck 4 through our window, one minute we seemed to be miles above the wave then the next way down below the crests.  One minute you're walking up the corridor as if scaling Everest then the bow sinks and you're speeding uncontrollably like a drunk going downhill. Happy days! 

How well I remember.....and I do recall you were practically alone in the dining room.

It was a wild ride -- is this worse?   Poor little Lady Wind brought us through.