Sailing

Loving it!!   We weren’t sure how we would like sailing but, here we are a couple of days into it and it is going well.  We are both taking the seasickness medication that was passed out.  Why risk being miserable.   We are in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean headed toward the Canary Islands.  We are about 90 miles off the coast of Africa. It was interesting watching people get use to walking on a moving ship, at times we zig-zag our way down the hall or across a room.  Someone said we should just dance instead of walking and no one would notice our awkward walking.  We have enjoyed watching dolphins a few times, flying fish often the first couple of days, and a few whales.  The whales haven’t been very close but watching the water stream from their blow holes is fun.  Sunday evening there was a time of worship on the bow.  Very cool!  When it ended a whale was spotted. Perfect way to end!   Watching stars at night is amazing. The sky and ocean are so immense. They seem to go on forever. Everything is at a more relaxed pace.  Everyone has a job to do but we all seem to be free of the usual stresses of work.  For those who had been working in the hospital they have been reassigned in many places: galley, dining room, crew services (cleaning), human resources, reception, etc.  There are many things to do during the sail;  movie night (Star Wars), scavenger hunt, Gotch Ya! (a sneaky elimination game), open mic night, and a few Bible Studies to choose from, and of course just sitting on the decks watching the ocean, listening to the waves and watching the sunset.  Easy to see God’s marvelous handiwork here.  Today is my kind of weather.  A light jacket or sweatshirt is preferred if planning on being outside in the wind for long.  Out of the wind and in the sun is perfect for sitting and reading.

Matt enjoyed his birthday at sea.  He slept off and on throughout the day because he has been working some partial overnight shifts.  Matt was happy  I was able to bake him his traditionally requested Boston Cream Pie even though we were at sea and we celebrated with our Gateway family.

One more thing, the ship is in a constant side to side motion that kind of feels like a slow rocking chair.  It is great for falling to sleep!

Enjoy some pictures!

Land rovers on deck 8

 

Sunset during worship

                                                             Dolphins-photo by Rueben