Hello United States – Hello FORT LAUDERDALE!!!!!!

English: Topographic map of Cape Verde. Français : Carte topographique du Cap-Vert. Suomi: Kap Verden topografinen kartta. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Boa Vista, Cape Verde Islands (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

SOON!

There is NO Wifi – none – zilch – nada – and if there is for a few precious moments in the day – you PAY!

IMAGINE!    HAVING TO DO RESEARCH WITH REAL BOOKS then, in the LIBRARY.  This is what it’s come to, it has, since we cannot research with the internet, google, wiki – etc.   SACRE BLEU!!

We’re at 28° 48 84  N  & 040° 05  24 W – latitude and longitude –  (at the time of this writing)

So, this is the story of  Latitude and Longitude on the open seas

Today we were on deck, soaking in the sun and ocean breezes at 31° 50.6’ N  023°59.0’W

At 30° 51.9’N  032°50.5’W N – David and I were dancing in the ballroom………

at 29° 33.5’N  045°28.5N – I was dancing with the officers &  was that ever fun!  I won the envelope!!!  *       So – anyway,  you get the picture.   Maps & oceans and geography and Latitude/longitude has been a source of interest for me for as long as I can remember.   Now it’s everywhere you go, it’s on your phone, it’s on your  GARMIN (or TOMTOM) –  it’s on the computer……and you can NOT be without it on your cruise.

CAPE VERDE ISLANDS –  Where most hurricanes begin to stir up and hit western United States

These Islands are off the coast of Africa and came into view just the other day and was delighted.     Happily I thought it meant  wifi might be near, for they had several airports on these islands, but alas, no such luck. 

When we’re near any islands, no matter how small, it’s a source of delight.  Running to the ship’s well stocked library the atlases are numerous and the biggest one slides off the shelf and onto the mahogany desk where searching for the magnification of the island(s) that are just south of us is a priority.   Here is the photo of those little Islands we  can see on the ships navigational map on TV screens throughout the ship and on our cabin TV.  The best ones are the drawn paper maps with the arrows of our position each day at noon.

charting the course – TV in room, in various venues on the ship. Very cool.

I’m sitting here on the bed re-reading and studying the maps and the photos of the ships’ globe that I took earlier.  This  ship is presently  rocking and rolling and I’m trying very hard to divert my attention to the study of the ship’s where-a-bouts.  It helps.

Right now, as I lie here we are at 29 33.86’ N  and 044 degree 10.40 West.

Yep in the middle of no-where.

Rock on little boat……………glide west

( * To win an envelope by your handsome officer, if that should happen means to win a nice surprise.  In my case, I was ready to go sit down after thanking him for the dance, and he pulled me back because – voila!  I had won “THE Envelope!! WHICH HE DEBONAIRLY TOOK OUT OF HIS INSIDE JACKET “  Surprise!     A lovely  bottle of champagne AND a cookbook of the PRINSENDAM CUSIINE  signed by the executive chef!   I couldn’t believe it !!  )

THIS IS DEDICATED TO MY COUSIN STUART WHO IS AN EXPERT MASTER SAILOR AND  to cousin Bob who refuses to go on an ocean cruise with us due to that little motion sickness deal.  BUT, have I got great french drugs for you to try!!!  

Notes:

Tags:   Cape Verde Islands – Oceanologists – – Hurricanes – – David Massey – – Atlantic storms  – – End of Summer Storms – – Trade winds – – Horse Latitudes – – Doldrums – –

Li-Po – poet,  701-762   “No one could whip the changing seasons along so fast; the 10,000 things rise and fall of themselves”   Li-Po, poet (701-762)  – – Equinox – – summer soltice – – – Atmosphere acting like a lense (mirages) – – Sirrius – brightest star over Tahiti –

Belt of Venus – – – God Rays – – Noctilicent clouds – – Serpent clouds – – High Sirius and cumulus clouds – – Katabatic winds – – Mammotic clouds — St Elmo’s fire

Quote by Shakespeare – – Now in the beak……………….