Officer Krupke of the High Seas

Saturday, 16 February 2013 – 250 nautical miles south of Bali in the Indian Ocean

Today is the last of three sea days sailing northward from Fremantle, Western Australia. We had a lovely sunrise yesterday morning over Northwest Cape, oddly enough the most northwestern point of Australia. Since then we have been in the equatorial flat and also hot water of the Indian Ocean. Air and sea temperatures now at 13 degrees south latitude are both about 85 degrees, and the sky is clear. Most of our fellow guests are napping around the pool or snoring on their verandas.

Barbara and I just completed a few languid laps around the Observation Lounge on Deck 10, the bow area being the only place on the ship with a breeze. That is, unless you count sitting on our veranda where a carelessly left open sliding door provides a nice a/c breeze. We are very careless, I'm afraid.

As is often the case, I found reason to suspend today's languid but scenic laps upon encountering the uniformed apparently on duty security officer, a sad looking Filipina staring far off at a very small white fishing boat already 4 or 5 miles behind us on the starboard horizon. She seems very transfixed. So I asked her, "How are things?". Our conversation went like this:

SO: All is well, sir.

Me: Uh, what are you looking at?

SO: That boat out there.

Me: Why?

SO: It's my job. The Bridge asked me to watch it and report every half hour.

Me: Why do you think?

SO: Pirates.

Me: Are pirates a problem in these waters?

SO: No, no, sir.

Me: Don't the officers on the bridge see the boat on radar and can tell where it's going?

SO: Oh yes, sir, and there are the helmsmen and the lookouts as well.

Me: So, what happens if you saw the boat somehow approaching us?

SO: I'd advise the Bridge.

Me: And what would they do?

SO: They'll ask me to continue to watch it.

We will celebrate our anniversary in Bali tomorrow, technically the 16^th of February in the Western Hemisphere across the International Dateline. I've arranged a special dinner in the Terrazza, the Italian Restaurant on Silver Whisper. 

By the way, Barbara and I had dinner again last night with Lynne Truss, the best selling author of Eats, Shoots and Leaves. This remarkable book on punctuation was on the New York Times list for many months and sold over 3,000,000 copies. The three of us had a fantastic meal and a great conversation, trading stories of ship lecturing and travel experiences. Barbara and I learned learning a bit about playwriting and being a published author. I think we made a new friend. Tonight we'll be having dinner with a retired international corporate lawyer, a guest on the 110 day "World Cruise". It's hard to believe that we are now almost in the last week of this 50 day trip.