Tag Archives: vacation

A Total Eclipse of the Sun

On Wednesday morning March 9, we witnessed one of nature’s great spectacles.  A total solar eclipse from the Sea Princess.  We were fortunate to have an astronomer on board who gave an interesting lecture yesterday on what to expect and was on the bridge today to give a commentary as the event occurred.

Having set ourselves up on the top deck at around 8.30am we saw the sun rising higher as the moon progressively covered the sun.  We were provided with special viewing glasses, and even then, were warned to only look through them for 10-15 seconds at a time to avoid permanent eye damage.  We were also advised to avoid using our cameras to as not to damage them, so we are relying on the ship’s photographers this time, as they had the correct filters.

Unfortunately, we had some cloud cover so we were not able to see the moon when it covered the sun, however we were able to observe other things that occurred during totality.  Where it had been humid, suddenly it felt very cool.  The light began to disappear like a fast forward sunset, and the ship’s emergency lighting came on.  We were opposite a small vessel and her lights came on also.  At that point, had we not had the cloud cover, for a few minutes it would have been safe to look up without our safety glasses to see the moon fully obscuring the sun.

After exactly 2 minutes 16 seconds, the sea changed colour as the sky became brighter, it suddenly felt quite humid again and things returned to normal.  The whole process took two hours from when the eclipse began.  The captain did a great job, doing his best moving the ship to get us into the best position and stopping for the duration of the eclipse.  However, he could not control the cloud cover!

Even though we did not get to see totality, it was still quite eerie and a once in a lifetime experience.  We were told that, on average, there is a total solar eclipse somewhere in the world around every 16 months.  If you simply stayed at home, on average you would wait between 360 and 410 years.  So we think ourselves very fortunate to be here, and being in the middle of the ocean was a great place to be part of the experience.

Eclipse viewing glasses

Darwin, NT

Darwin Skyline
Our Stateroom
Our dining room wait staff

Had an enjoyable day in Darwin, Sunday 5 March.  We went to Parap Markets – most interesting was the array of Asian cuisine available …. very multi-cultural!   To our disappointment, apart from a few locally handcrafted items, most were timber or clothing imports.  Anyway, it filled in the morning and then we returned to the city centre by shuttle bus where we made a leisurely stroll through the shopping mall.

The weather was in the mid-30’sC, which wasn’t too bad, but the killer was the high humidity which made our last stop at the Monsoon Hotel for a glass of beer a necessity!!!

We were just about to set sail at 5.00pm when a storm came from nowhere.  Nil visibility, so that delayed our departure for about an hour.  After some heavy rain, out came the sun and we left port just as we were eating dinner.

Food is fantastic, but we are managing to keep ourselves in check.  Alex is keeping himself busy with art lessons every day.  Not so much for me, but I am happy spending time reading in a deck chair out on deck or doing a bit of cross stitch if I feel like it.  Our stateroom is very comfortable and we are sleeping extremely well.  Must be the “motion of the ocean”!

Asian Cherry Blossom Adventure

 

Just able to get under the Harbour Bridge
Sydney Harbour

Well, we are into Day 5 already on our 42-day voyage to Asia and the Orient.  Leaving the Fisherman’s Grain Terminal, Port of Brisbane last Friday, we didn’t bother to stay on deck as we set sail and opted to eat instead!  For anyone who has not been there, let me just say that this is not the prettiest port in the world – so nothing to miss there.  Have heard rumours of a new Brisbane port to be built in a nicer location – bring it on!

Of more interest was arriving in Sydney last Sunday.  Unfortunately, we were unable to meet friends as we’d intended, but nevertheless stayed with our plan to take the 30-minute ferry across beautiful Sydney Harbour to Manly, one of the places close to my heart that I visited often when growing up in Sydney.

Manly

Manly Beach

 

Manly is one of Australia’s most loved, most frequently visited and most scenic sea-side tourist destinations.  Famous for its beach and harbour views.  Had a great day and managed to catch the Sunday market there as well.  The weather was sunny, not too hot – perfect for strolling up The Corso from the wharf to the beach.

Since then, we have been enjoying ourselves on board.  We have seen some very good shows and last night was our first formal.  Lots to do on sea days and the shops are busy.  Next stop – Darwin.