DAY 26 FRIDAY APRIL 20 STARS

Nice sunny day. We watched the sunset from E deck balcony. There was no
moon so we saw the southern cross and the milky way. A small bird flew
y the ship today.  It looked like a dotterel but we are very long way from any
land.

WATCHING THE SUNSET

DAY 25 APRIL 18 THURSDAY CROCHET

We take regular walks aroud the main deck to keep fit. We see the little
flying fish by the hundred every day.  They have blue wings and can fly at the
same speed as the ship for up to thirty secoonds.
Lyn has spent a lot of time learning crochet and has produced a dozen little patterns.

DAY 24 WEDNESDAY APRIL 18 RAINBOWS

As we leaned over the side of the ship the spray from the wake produced
regular rainbows along the side of the ship. A comfortable day with a lovely sunset.

PAUL GAUGIN JIGSAW

 SPARE BRACE RODS FOR THE CONTAINERS

SECOND AND THIRD LEVEL CONTAINERS ARE BRACED TO STOP THEM TIPPING

SUNSET AFTER 3 MINUTES

DAY 23 TUESDAY APRIL 17 PACIFIC OCEAN

SAMPLE OF THE LOCKS THAT ARE USED TO HOLD CONTAINERS TOGETHER

The ocean was calm and blue so we spent time on the bow. The bridge prints
out an international news service each day and passes it on to us so we have
a morning paper. The ship is at full speed ENE.

MORE CALM SEAS

DAILY NEWS OF THE WORLD

DAY 22 MONDAY 16 APRIL THE ENGINE

Another day of smooth seas. The Second Engineer has the cabin next to us and
is very friendly. His name is Alin and he is Ukrainian.  He took four of us down to
the main deck and through a door into the engine room. The noise and the heat
were awful.  He handed us all gloves and earmuffs. We descended four stories
to reach the bottom of the engine which had eight huge cylinders and burns
seventy tonnes of fuel oil per day. The fuel tanks hold 1800 tonnes. We were
standing fifteen meters below sea level. We watched the drive shaft pass
through three main bearings before it exits to drive the propeller directly at
about eighty RPM. Alin said the motors down there provide everything on the
ship except food: drive for the rudder, desalinated water, elecricity at varying
voltages, power for the hundreds of refrigerated containers, hydraulic and air
pressure power for tools.In the afternoon the seas got rougher and it started to rain.

                               

                                                                                         SMOOTH SEAS

                                                                                        TOP OF THE ENGINE

                                                                                         CHIEF ENGINEER, SECOND ENGINEER, IAN AND CHRIS IN CONTROL ROOM

                                                                                        LATHE FOR THE FITTERS

                                                                                          STEERING CONTROLS

                                                                                       OILERS AT WORK

                                                                                        MAIN BEARINGS AND DRIVESHAFT FOR PROPELLOR

                                                                                        AIRCONDITIONING ROOM

DAY 21 APRIL 15 SUNDAY CREW BARBQ

Seas are calm again.  Watched a beautiful sunrise.  More flyng fish every day.  At 5pm the crew put on a massive barbecue on the poop deck.  They really deserved a party after all they went through.

During the day they were pumping out water from the bilge.

DAY 20 APRIL 14 SATURDAY - WET CABIN

At breakfast even the captain said to us: "rough night".  Our carpet was wet and the crew came in and tightened up the portholes to keep the rain out.  We now believe what our daughter Evelyn said to us while spinning the globe before we left: "There is a lot of weather out there".  We are enjoying the meals; here is a menu: