DAY-11: At Sea in the South Atlantic

DAY-11: At Sea in the South Atlantic

Day – 11: Friday, February 28, 2020

Starting Location: At Sea Aboard the M.S. Marina
Ending Location: At Sea Aboard the M.S. Marina

Today is our second "sea day" as we continue deeper into the Southern Hemisphere.

We lightened up the breakfast today, fruit and cereal. Well there was a side of bacon.

Being there are no land tours we focused on shipboard activities beginning with the "Enrichment Lecture Series". Our person of knowledge is Dr. Professor James Kus:

• Emeritus Professor at California State Fresno (41 years)
• Registered Professional Archaeologist
• B.A. History Case Western Reserve University
• M.A. Geography Michigan State University
• Ph.D Geography & Peruvian Archaeology UCLA
• Professor at La Catolica University in Lima, Peru
• Published in many journals and books including the Encyclopedia Britannica
• Member of the Archaeological Institute of America

Dr. Kus' first lecture and slide show was entitled "The 1982 Falklands War". 

The over-simplified version goes something like this. Due to economic & political trouble in Argentina the military junta leaders devised a plan to invade the Falklands to build national pride and commitment. They scheduled the operation to begin in the spring 1982 (Sep-Oct in the Falklands). Apparently the Argentine leadership made several grave mistakes:

1. They changed their plan beginning the invasion of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia Island in April 1982, five months ahead of the plan (= less preparation and training).
2. The invading force was comprised of conscripts many having begun their one-year commitment just two months earlier, hardly out of boot camp.
3. Argentine army officers tended to lead the invasion from safe positions behind the advancing conscripts.
4. Underestimated the will of British PM Margaret Thatcher and the nation to protect the "British Empire".

This was one of the craziest excuses for a war in the 20th century and for those decisions nearly 900 British and Argentine soldiers, marines and sailors as well as civilians died.

For the afternoon we had scheduled a wine tasting event "Old World To New World". 

The tasting included five wines, two from California, one from Austria, one from France and a port from where else, Portugal.

Sea conditions had deteriorated to the point that the walking/jogging deck had been closed. With winds at 40+ kts. from the SW and temperatures dropping we continued our progress southward to ever increasing latitude numbers. In case you're wondering should you be on a cruise ship how to judge when the sea is rough, here are a couple of clues. 

• Salt spray on your 11th deck stateroom balcony
• Water sloshing out of the swimming pool
• And stationed by the elevators a collection of little white bags similar to those found in airline seat back pockets.

Never mind, let's go eat some more.

We had signed up for a special dinner for tonight. A multi-course meal in the La Reserve dining area. The setting is limited to 18 people, three tables of six. After introductions of the wait and serving staff the ships senior chef made his appearance and delivered a presentation of what we would be served and the whole spiel about how dinner would go down. I'll leave it to the menu for the descriptions as much of it is in French and something would surely be lost in translation.

Dessert!

So, after much wine and a huge dinner we retired for a night of shipboard rocking and rolling, and I don't mean the music kind. The seas have continued to grow and the winds are getting stronger, roll, pitch and yaw, the order of the night.