Tuesday, 30 July

Ellen and I both woke up at about 05:00.  The rumbling noises of the engine had stopped, and I guessed we were in Portsmouth, VA.  I was sort of right: we were entering the Hampton Roads harbor area at a very, very slow speed.  By about 06:30 we were pier side in Portsmouth.

I took a shower and then went to the exercise room for a stretch and light workout with the free weights before breakfast.

Breakfast had a range of options: bacon, eggs (to order), pancakes, oatmeal, and a few other things.  And coffee, of course. 

At this point we were in port and had T-Mobile connectivity, so we spent some time online.

At about 11:00 the ship got underway for Norfolk (just a few miles away).  We didn’t do any loading or unloading in Portsmouth that I could see, so I’m not sure why we were there.  We arrived pier side in Norfolk at 12:30...just when passengers’ lunch began.

Approaching Norfolk

Lunch was decent.  Again, a nice soup that I’ll describe as a chicken borscht.  By that I mean, there was chicken and chicken broth, but the rest of the ingredients were right out of the borscht playbook (minus the beets).  After soup we had a baked fish of some sort topped with sliced tomatoes and cheese, boiled potatoes, and a side of carrot/apple salad.  I skipped that potatoes but had a pear afterwards because pears are supposed to be high in fiber (and if ever a daily diet demanded lots of fiber, it is this one).  And I would add here that there was a nice selection of fresh fruits available at all the meals.

After lunch we took naps, and then I tested the treadmill in the exercise room. 

The air on the ship was very dry, and we were sucking down water.  The steward gave us a six-pack of big carbonated water bottles (carbonated water apparently being the drink of choice here). 

Meanwhile, the longshoremen spent the entire afternoon loading and unloading 40-foot containers and such.  It was really a sight to see from the inside of the ship.  These giant cranes were swinging boxes right outside our stateroom in an incredibly accurate and delicate manner.  And it was very cool to look out on the docks and see what I can only describe as the industrial ballet of getting the containers to and from the ship.

Part of the industrial ballet from the mess hall window

We got underway at about 19:00, and passed Norfolk Naval Base as we left.

Norfolk Naval Base

It was a long, slow transit from the Norfolk terminal out through the Hampton Roads channels and into the Atlantic Ocean.  It took about two hours, but it was a beautiful transit.  Ellen and I went out on deck and the air was an absolutely perfect temperature: not too hot, but not chilly.  The sun was glowing softly in the west as it set.  We leaned against a railing and felt good about life.  I was reminded of a scene in the movie, “The Last Detail,” in which the crusty old sailor (played by Jack Nicholson) is trying to pick up some hippy chick at a party in New York City and he’s describing the feeling of being at sea with the wind blowing on your face.  I think Ellen got a first taste of what’s so great about being at sea, and how cool this voyage was going to be.

Leaving Hampton Roads...and the U.S.