The Crossing Begins!

April 23, 2012

Last evening was different in two significant aspects. First, when we left NY Harbor at 5pm we did not begin to sail in a southerly direction as we have done for the past several months. Instead, our course was almost a true 90 degrees east. The second major distinction was the weather. As I have commented before we have been blessed throughout this season on virtually all of our turnarounds out of Bayonne. But the northeast decided this time to give us a parting gift.

As we steamed out to the North Atlantic a true nor’easter began to blow! We knew that a storm might be coming as we had been forewarned that weather was coming in but we thought we would get ahead of it. During the day we had clouds and intermittent rain showers. The thought was that the storm should fully arrive at the mouth of the harbor by 7pm. Given that we are normally clear of that point before 6pm we thought we’d get in front of it and if necessary outrun it heading south before heading back east. Sadly that wasn’t the case. The storm showed up just a little bit early and by the time we reached the open sea the storm was in full force with rain lashing our ship and the winds howling.

Despite the full blown storm the seas seemed a little more cooperative than they had been on many sailings out of Bayonne. Maybe it was just the angle of the winds but while we picked up a noticeable roll it wasn’t the bronco ride we had experienced before. Now, that was still not very comforting to those who do not handle the rougher seas well. The more susceptible of the crew and guests were already starting to feel the effects of the rolling ship. For me, who is not easily affected by the storm tossed waters, the bigger frustration was not being able to go up on decks to take in the night air. Most of the doors to the outside were marked with Caution – Do Not Open – High Winds signs. Finding the doors that are more protected I still discovered that as soon as I turned onto an open deck that I immediately regretted my choice. The winds were recorded as between 50 and 60 mph, so this was a full blown gale. When we questioned the bridge on how long this would last, they told us that the hope was by cutting directly across the storm we should be out of it by the next afternoon. The original plan to outrun to the south was scuttled by the storms early arrival. Heading south, it appeared, would only keep us in the storm longer.

Part of this just seems a little unfair. Our sister ship the Eclipse had left for Europe the day before. True they were heading out of Florida, but we heard that they had absolutely perfect conditions and were expecting the same for the entirety of their crossing. We originally thought we would have similar weather with just a minor rough patch near the end of our third day. If this storm stays with us for a full day it looks like we will have more bad days than good when we cross this time. Not that I’m truly complaining, though. Those who were on when we crossed from Europe to NY last fall spoke of one of the worst weather crossings that they had experienced with heavy seas throughout the duration of the trip. Hopefully, that will not be our fate this time.

Regardless of the weather we are on our way to new ports of call. Those who have been to the Mediterranean before told me that I will fall in love with the itinerary. Given that I mostly enjoyed our Caribbean run, I’m hoping it is at least as good. Whether I enjoy it or not, the beginning of this crossing is reminding me that change is in the wind.

And the adventure continues . . .