Corner of a Triangle

The view of New York Harbor from the pool deck of the Explorer

of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.  We were about to

embark on a six day cruise to Bermuda, leaving from Bayonne,

New Jersey.  Oil tankers, cargo ships, ferries, barges of every shape 

and size, tugboats, schooners, racing and cruising sailboats, and 

another cruise ship leaving the pier from the west side of 

Manhattan gave Lady Liberty something to look at this typically 

warm and windy Saturday afternoon.

I was amazed at how fast the Staten Island ferry was.  And how

relatively small it was compared to the floating city atop of 

which I was standing.   

For a time there I wasn't sure we would clear the Verrazano, but

we did and once past the ceremonial start of the cruise, everyone

cheered and ordered another drink.  The bartenders and wait staff 

were immediately at full speed and they barely slowed down

for the next six days.   

Having never been far enough offshore so there's no land in sight,

I was able to line up the horizon with the railing and really get a good

sense of the curvature of the earth.  Also, the color of the water out

there is a spectacular deep blue.  There was a nice stiff wind and 

the sea was relatively flat, perfect conditions I thought, for sailing

across the ocean.    

Not only did my girls refuse sherpas, but they went up without

bottled oxygen.  I told them if they ran into anyone in trouble

up there, give them your chocolate bar but keep pressing on.

Self-preservation is key - don't be a hero.  Plus, our sit-down

dinner time is 6:00 and they still need to shower and do their hair.

The dark and stormy proved to be my favorite cocktail.  Gosling's 

dark rum and ginger beer.  Ginger ale just wouldn't cut it.  At $5.75,

it was one of the bargain drinks on the ship.  Bermuda itself is quite

expensive on the other hand.  We played many hands of "bullshit", 

which my younger daughter enjoyed shouting out at any opportunity.

The sometimes result of shouting bullshit too many times.

The first morning we were in Bermuda, we arrived in Somerset 

too early for our boat rental.  So we sort of trespassed on this resort

 beach where kids under 16 are not welcome.  We kept telling

Olivia to shut up and quit acting her age.  Nobody seemed to

notice our Royal Caribbean towels on the beach chairs.  

We had lunch beachside at the cafe, where we were reminded

by the server that children under 16 are not supposed to be on

the grounds.  I'm not quite sure what came over me but I looked

that guy right square in the face and swore that my daughter

was 16.  And the other was 18 (which she is) and she'd like a 

banana daiquiri.  There were no more concerns; three

of us ordered $16 club sandwiches.  

It was hard to beat the view from our table.

Weeks before, I had reserved an O'Day daysailer for us to sail 

around the different beaches and lagoons and snorkel from.  Due

to the absence of wind, we decided to rent a small motorboat

instead.  That way, we could go far beyond our rental boundary

and get virtually lost in less than half the time.   

We finally found the elusive "World's smallest drawbridge" after

making a mildly concerned cell phone call back to the rental

office regarding the multitude of reefs we were dodging that weren't

mentioned in the pre-three hour tour pep talk. 

The bridge doesn't appear to actually draw open any more, but

they claim that sailboat masts can fit through the 18" gap when the 

board that fills it is removed.  Provided they don't have sidestays,

I guess.  Lasers and Sunfish maybe. 

The Royal Naval Dockyard at the west end of the island.  The

pier can accommodate 2 cruise ships so this area is always buzzing.

A cab ride east to Hamilton, the main city on the island, 

would probably cost $25-30 easily.  We chose to take the

ferry across the sound.  A fifteen minute ride with the wind

in your hair for 4 bucks a head.  

The Explorer of the Seas, left, is a massive ship with 3000 

passengers and 1200 crewmembers.  An impressive operation.

The second day on the island we chose to go to the famous pink

beaches.  They weren't necessarily pink but the sand did have 

some pink grains in it.  We brought a ziplock, of course.  My 

daughter bought a tubular bracelet that could be filled with that 

famous sand and my wife took the rest home and poured it

between a few patio slabs. 

Not just BBQ flavored

What we thought was more interesting than wading in the waves

was snorkeling and just plain floating around in this little lagoon

adjacent to the beach.  The water surged in and out making it

feel like you were in a washing machine sort of.  What I found

cool was that there were no barnacles, and you could hang out in

the water in the shade of the rock walls.

Near the ferry dock in Hamilton is the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.

Lunchtime for the junior sailors.  I assumed that a club launch

would drive them out and drop them at their Optis.

Now why would I think that?

There are 180 cooks on the ship, 3 eight hour shifts of 60, prepping

and cooking food 24 hours a day.  Very possibly the cleanest kitchen

I've ever been in.  After some pretty well-publicized health issues

aboard cruise ships in the past decade or two, no chances are taken

and the sanitary codes are some of the toughest in the world. 

I just thought this looked cool.

The Captain said he would be honored if I came and took the helm

for a few hours, and I would have if there wasn't karaoke in the

Maharaja lounge at 9.  I did ask if he could arrange for the entire

kitchen and service crew to come out in the dining room and take 

a bow.  He was quite a sport, and in a few minutes, there they were!

For being on the ship an average of seven months at a time, 

virtually every crewmember appeared happy and pleasant at any

given moment.  We were made to feel welcome and appreciated

and the whole trip was an experience we'll never forget.  

I heard that just for our particular cruise, the crew planned

a flash-singalong.  I was amazed at how in tune they all were.

Now, where's my dessert?

P.S. - On a serious note,  I would like to thank my

Mother and Father in law for taking us on this wonderful

cruise.  Their generosity is extraordinary and we 

love them with all of our hearts.