Right at the stroke of 7 p.m., the lines came off, the rotating screws (explanation in a later post) gave a pull, and we eased away from the dock at Valparaiso. Being an old tar, I had to supervise, of course.
It boggles the mind, but this ship is about the same size as the two carriers I served on back in 1969 – the Kitty Hawk and the Constellation. Roughly a thousand feet, and roughly 93,000 tons. But the modern cruise ships are much more maneuverable, with 360o rotating screw capsules and side thrusters to assist in getting away from the dock. Parallel parking (and unparking) made easy. In no time, it seemed, we had pulled sideways and back and left an empty berth. It was easy to spot Loni in our Paris pics because of the red coat she always wore; this trip, it will be her red “bling” hat. There’s the Parliament building again in the lower right photo.
Behind us was moored probably the entire Chilean navy. It looked like some of the ships had been anchored there for quite some time. When I took this shot, a fog bank was moving in, which accounts for the difference in colors on the left and right sides of the photo. As we pulled out, there was a swarm of local tour boats zipping by, and the pilot craft took off after we cleared the inner harbor area.
Also tied up behind us was the gem of the Chilean navy, its “tall ship” cadet training craft. This beauty has visited the States a number of times for tall ships celebrations in New York and San Francisco. It’s a honey.
We smoothly picked up speed and soon had quite a wake behind us. Loni is giving it a go without chemical seasickness aids, using only the wrist pressure bands. So far, so good, but we’re not out in open sea just yet. Adios, Valparaiso.
Now we can get down to the real reason for taking a cruise.
For the record: Me: Crab Louie appetizer, mushroom soup, grilled haddock, and chocolate profiteroles; Loni: roasted beet salad, mushroom soup, lamb shank in filo dough, and crème brulee. The haddock was a bit overdone, but we were ravenous. We took no prisoners. We have opted for “open” dining instead of a fixed time and table each evening. A little riskier as you might have to wait for a vacant table, but you get to sit with a different cast of characters each night. So far, so good. L>R: Robyn and Suzy from London, and Bob and Mary from Pittsburg. Very congenial all, and we had lively conversation for two hours. We hated to turn in right after finishing a big meal, but we were still jet-lag-groggy, so no late floorshow or casino for us. Besides, the seas were getting a bit bumpy and the ship was challenging Loni’s determination to avoid medication. Will she make it through the night? Urp. Stay tuned.
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