Two smiley faces to brighten your day. Clint and Vanja, part of our Human Resources team.
Since my last posting we have visited the port of Ashdod in Israel and passed through the Suez canal. It was a windy stay at the Port Said anchorage but in the Gulf of Suez conditions were rather pleasant.
A room with a view. And a smokey tug boat. Oh and quite possibly the largest flag this side of Suez.
Today we docked in Aqaba, Jordan. It is the port for Petra. By 10:30 the ship had emptied as both guests and some crew went on tour to visit the ancient site.
I on the other hand remained onboard to test some of our safety systems which included our emergency generators and a full closing of all our fire doors. A ship as complex as this needs constant checking although it has to be said she does a lot of self checking herself.
It was also a chance to take a wander along the quay side to check out the ship side where already we are getting black smudges on our beautiful paint from dock wall fenders. If someone could only invent white rubber dock fenders our troubles would be over!
Despite the blue skies and location a stiff wind coming from the desert made for a chilly start. It never really got that warm.
The anchorage at Aqaba port with Israel in the background.
The guests are starting to interact with the ship now. Favourite spots are being found or sought out. I can see already the same people in the same locations. A great sign.
As I write we have sailed for Muscat. The stiff winds of last night have dropped and we have 2551 nautical miles to go travelling the full length of the Red Sea. We are due to arrive next Sunday morning. The weather forecast looks good. With these sea days ahead we will really get to see how the ship performs now and how the guests enjoy her.
I will leave you with a final photo of the ship docked in Aqaba.
Docked stbd side too on number 6 berth, Aqaba, Jordan.