June 12 - Turnaround Day

The Caribbean Princess arrived in Southampton this morning. By 10 am the old passengers had been disembarked. By noon all the cabins had been cleaned and the new passengers began boarding. Around 5,000 pieces of luggage were offloaded in the morning and 5,000 new pieces were brought on board. Hundreds of pallets of groceries and other supplies were forklifted into the hold after being inspected by bomb-sniffing dogs. Fuel was loaded. Entertainers and new crew members joined the ship. 

By 5:00 pm all the passengers had boarded. Some had flown into Heathrow today and then taken the 2 1/2 hour bus trip to Southampton. Many passengers had spent the night in Southampton to avoid the stress of last-minute travel. Some got cabs from their hotels. Some could be seen walking to the port, dragging their luggage behind them.

We got a nice surprise from Princess when we arrived at our cabin: flowers, champagne, and strawberries wearing chocolate tuxedos.

Southampton is a busy port. Ferries and fast ferries are coming and going. Some of them go to the Isle of Wight. A couple of cruise ships are in port. Some barges float by. A cargo ship called Lord Vishnu is docked next to us. Fishing boats, sailboats, tugboats. A ship with an enormous light mounted on the bow. 

It takes us an hour and a half to sail out of the estuary and reach the open water. The Wallenius Wilhelmsen, a car ship from somewhere Scandinavian, passes us. Fog is closing in. We pass a weird lighthouse on a round structure that says Solent Forts.com.

 I live maybe 3 miles from the ocean, but I don't think about it much. When you live a landlubber's life, you forget how much the sea figures in some people's lives and how much commerce is related to the sea.

We are now on our way to Norway.

Shabbat Shalom