At sea again, Gulf of Aden
Trip Start
Oct 13, 2008
1
9
21
Trip End
Dec 19, 2008
Djibouti, Djibouti
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Yesterday DDG-72 met us at 12:55. We had a favorable wind and proudly met her with sails up, makikng 10 knots. She circled us twice and settled down about a mile behind us off Starboard.
Today the captain invited the commander to send some men aboard for a briefing. Maybe this afternoon, but with a fierce head wind and swelling seas, Peter, our cruise director doubts it will happen.
The night before I awoke about 2:30 to a flashing light outside. I went on deck to check it out and it was nearly constant lightening on shore. We had been told that near dawn we might get a cell signal. When I awoke at 5:30 I tried, then again at 6:30 and got "emergency only". By 9am I could send some text messages, but wonder what will happen to the reply if I'm out of range. Yemen cell phone service seems very efficient, and even offered to send a voice mail to a land line I accidentally sent a text message to.
We have passed through the Bab El Mandeb, Bay of Tears, and are in the Gulf of Aden heading for Salalah. With these headwinds, I'm afraid we will once again miss this port (not that I've missed it before, but apparently the Star Clipper has a history of missing it).
Shipboard routine is breakfast at 8 so we have time to linger before Tai Chi at 9. Then the Captain's stories at 9:45 and Peter's talk on history of the area going until nearly noon. Ed plays Pinochle with Ken and Barbara most of the afternoon, and I catch up on my notes, do my laundry, nails, read, whatever and while away the day. We have BBC back, not that great but better than nothing. They handed out an interesting discussion about the piracy here, though one person said a woman had reacted by sleeping in her clothes as she didn't want the pirates to catch her in her nightgown.
Well, we have food and liquor and books and games, but we can get an idea what life was like for early sailors who sailed with nothing but big blue for days.
I'm about to finish James Lee Burke's book, Last Car to Elysian Fields, a testimony to the peculiar combination of crminal psychosis, torment, and violence that supposedly inhabits Lousiana, and maybe the American soul (but not New England).
2008.11.2 Goodbye Warship
Today is our last day of escort by the USS Mahan, named after a Civil War Admiral. Their captain announced that at 5pm she would approach to take pictures. Our captain responded by hoisting all sails and launching a Zodiac manned by himself, Peter, Sergei the rigger, and the water sports team.
They bore gifts -- a case of white and a case of red. They did not know the US Navy is dry. No matter, they accepted it. In return they gave us a DDG-72 ball cap and a history of the ship.
So many people were on the starboard side of the clipper that it was literally listing. Hors led us in 'hip hip hooray' and then we broke out into Anchors Away. The frigate boomed the same performed probably by the navy chorus as they sailed into the sunset. Judy had written a thank you which she read to them over the radio. It ended with "God bless America, God bless the US Navy". It was a proud moment for the captain, and the Star Clipper looked magnificent.
This event consumed most of cocktail hour, so we retired to the Tropical Bar to make up for lost time.
The Zodiac team got some great pictures of the navy frigate, the Star Clipper, both together, each other, hoisting the wine aboard, etc. The captain asked for all photos of which he received 700, and some passengers and crew culled them down to about 1/2 hour's worth. We got a CD and will donate something for the crew.
