5-7/11/12 - Lord Nelson

Days 18 &19 5th & 6th Nov
Here we still are sitting in Las Palmas awaiting a part for the main radar, hopefully it is winging its way from Holland to us as I write so that it may be installed and away we will go on the next leg. The last few days have seen the Voyage crew enjoying an excursion into the interior of the island and locating local beaches and cafés. The days start with 'Happy hour’ (for those readers not acquainted with the ships routine, doesn’t mean a happy hour stood socialising around the bar with cocktails but cleaning all the ship from stem to stern) then after the ship is 'happy’ shore leave and the voyage crew disappear into Las Palmas. This evening (Tuesday) we entertained the permanent crew of the Christian Radich, a Norwegian Tall ship berthed next to us with a BBQ, engineers punch was served as sun downers and a very sociable evening was had by all.
Steve Medical Purser.

Day 20 7th Nov
It is hard to wait and it is harder to wait on something as small as a single component that is needed to ensure a safe continuation of our journey along the trade routes of the old days, but it is, we are reliably informed, arriving at last and all of the traipsing back and forth between our ship and the town to change our somewhat boring vista of the comings and goings of the big cruise liners that have been an ever present and watchful big brother to our smaller shipboard events. I have, over the last few days, seen shipmates reading the most unlikely romantic material, to try and throw back the cabin fever that we all, to a greater or lesser extent are suffering from. As I said at the start of this log entry, the part is arriving shortly, and there is that same restrained excitement, shipmates going about allotted tasks with a new vigour as we all wait to set sail into a new horizon.

Noel Parker, A proud member of "aft Starboard" watch.