April 20, 2012
You can tell a change is in the air. In only a couple of days we turn our ship around in NY Harbor for the last time and make the crossing to Europe. With the change of ‘seasons’ comes a change in seasons. No longer will we be in the endless summer of the Caribbean but we will enter Europe in late April. No guarantees of perpetual sunshine there at this time of year.
As a result you can watch our behavior patterns change as we seek to fill our solar collectors. During the last Caribbean ports there was a greater sense of urgency among crew to get off the ship at least for a couple hours. Part of that was the desire to go to stores to stock up on necessities before heading over to European ports with less familiar product choices and higher prices (yes, even higher than the Caribbean!). But mostly it appeared that people wanted to wear their shorts, t-shirts, and sandals for just a few times more. Even when I could not get off ship for any length of time, I would proceed to the gangway less than 100 feet from my office and head down to the dock for even a five minute stroll in the sun.
It also affected my ‘traffic patterns’ as I went end-to-end on the ship. If heading to a location on the lower six decks of the ship I would spend an extra couple of minutes en route by heading up the stairs near my office to Deck 5 so that I could walk the promenade deck the length of the ship before dropping back down to the lower decks or heading up to my cabin on Deck 6. If I was heading up to the Sky Conference Center I would head all the way aft to ascend to Deck 14 from there so that I could walk the length of the top decks to reach the conference center which was all the way forward. Such are the decisions you make when you realize that the natural Vitamin D allotment may become far more limited in the near future.
Deck 6 Forward is also becoming far more popular. This is the crew open deck area just in front of my cabin. It is very convenient for me as the hatchway is only steps from my front door. It is not an overly attractive area, essentially being a steel deck with limited views, but it does have many lounge chairs and a few hammocks that we recently purchased to allow for a bit of private sunbathing away from the guests. Because of its proximity to my stateroom I have made a point to go there to read or fall asleep in the sun at least a couple of times each voyage. Many days I am out there alone or with just one other person. However, as our time in the Caribbean grows short there is much more activity on 6 Forward. Since we are not sure what the weather will be like when we reach Europe, people seem to be making it a priority to work on their tans. I’m sure it is amusing to those working on the Bridge who have a great view of this deck to see the parade of crew members of various body types, degrees of skin tone, and various stages of dress who are now utilizing this space with greater frequency. Fortunately, God has been good and our weather as we return to Bayonne, NJ has been very conducive to these extra days of sun worship.
Yes, the seasons are changing. It soon will be time to say goodbye to the Caribbean for the year. But like all animals, we adapt our behaviors to the changing conditions. And we are ready.
And the adventure continues . . .
No comments:
Post a Comment