It has rained during the night, the decks are wet, the skies heaviliy overcast with an occasional shower. The forecast is for clearing skies as the day progresses. the temperatures are in the low 70's.
Lunch is the special roast beef sandwich at 360 Cafe.
At about 2:00 PM the captain interupts the afternnoon with an unexpected announcement. We are changing course and heading to Hamilton or St George's, Bermuda to disembark a crew member that needs immediate hospital care. He will be accompanied by medical staff to the hospital. There are no helicopters available to make the transfer so this is the only option.
The captain expects to stop the ship outside the harbor, to be met by local officials to complete the transfer. We will then wait for the ships medical staff to be returned to the ship.
Our arrival in Bermuda is expected about 7:00 PM and the whole process should take about three hours resulting in us being on our way by about 10 PM. So far we have been fortunate, and there have been no other medical emergencies that we are aware of.
Today was the top tier event, split into two sessions as there were too many participants to fit in the theater. There are 176 Pinnacles, 595 diamond plus, and 860 diamond passengers. About 10 passengers are becoming Pinnacle on this voyage, the most I have ever seen at one time. The top cruiser has nearly 4000 points.
Dinner is excellent, Jamaican Chicken, rice, beans and plantains. Our table mates join us for the first time, Roxanne and Kent from Houston. They dined at Chops and Giovanni's the first nights.
The headliner entertainer is a repeat from last week. Tony Tillman does an excellent show played to a packed house. Immediately following his show it is off to the other end of the ship to listen to the Symphony Orchestra. A virtual orchestra I must add, but good none the less.
Our stop in St George's is shorter than anticipated, and we were back on our way about 9:00 pm, again headed to the Azores.
With a change in wind direction, the seas have grown to 10 or 12 feet, and there is a gentle roll to the ship. The skies are almost clear and the near full moon is bright, reflecting over the ocean. The captain says he will have no difficulty making up for the lost time.