17th March 2013

Captain’s Log
Stardate: 2014.16.3
Location: Alpha Quadrant – 18° 55′ 54″N, 24° 0′ 57″W (just past the Cape Verde system)

No sightings of Klingon (cloaked or uncloaked), Ferengi, Borg, or any other Federation vessels for five days now. We suspect the navigational computer may be malfunctioning, as we seem to be circling endlessly. Sue insists she has been seeing the same wave for several days, and curiously, the sun continues to rise and set on the same sides of the ship. Disturbing.

The predicted fruit shortage has materialised. Fruit salad is now rationed to once every two days. Morale among the principal officers is dipping, boredom is spreading, and questions remain: Will we ever see land again?

We slept late again, and breakfast wasn’t until 9:15 am. Apparently, those who rose at 7 am glimpsed the Cape Verde Islands, though I suspect the Captain wisely resisted the urge to wave to the locals. I did, however, spot a pod of dolphins pacing us for a while, and later, a large white container, no doubt shed from a cargo ship, raced past at a remarkable speed.

Afterwards, we played Scrabble in the library before enjoying coffee and some reading time.

At lunch, we were joined by Jonathan and his mum. He had managed to get onto the crew quarters tour, which I had tried (and failed) to book. From his description, it sounded fascinating. Afterwards, Sue collected our passports from Deck 5.

Gossip of the Day: One of the passengers had died earlier in the voyage and was disembarked in Fortaleza (Jonathan even showed us photos of the gurney and ambulance). The official explanation for not letting passengers disembark was “rough sea conditions.” In truth, the gangway ropes snapped during lowering, striking a crewman across the face and chest. He lost teeth, broke two ribs, and suffered a punctured lung. Luckily, the ambulance and doctor were already on standby for the deceased. Fortunate timing, if not fortunate circumstances.

I skipped my usual afternoon coffee and panini, opting for a rest instead, which left me feeling much better. Sue kept her vigil on the top deck, still scanning for whales and dolphins, alas, no luck.

Dinner was one of the best so far: four courses, each superb. A waiter even treated us to a couple of Michael Jackson numbers. He is genuinely talented, clearly loves performing, and worked the room brilliantly.

The evening entertainment was a “crew show.” Though less polished than the professional acts, it was lively, fun, and infectious. The atmosphere in the theatre was electric, with crew members off-duty cheering their friends from all sides. The applause and shouting were deafening; I’m fairly certain Sue lost a notch of hearing in the process!

The day’s weather was a comfortable 28°C, but tomorrow’s newspaper predicts a cool 21°C as we cross the Tropic of Cancer, complete with another ceremony. I may finally have an excuse to break out the cardigan.