Timor Sea

12^th March 2012 

Following a hot day in Darwin yesterday (~32C), we awoke to a cooler and cloudier day today. The outside temperature is 26C, and the water temperature is now 30C.

It was misty, with light rain when we went for our morning walk and it looks set in for the day.

After breakfast , we went to a destination lecture, where an excellent presentation on our next port of call, Bali, was given. The talks have been very informative, and provide lots of options to signing up for the tours organized by Princess, which hardly represent good value.

It is a bit damp and misty

At noon our location is in the Timor Sea, approx. 105nm SW of Timor. We are averaging 18.5 knots and expect to arrive in Bali at 7am on the 14^th.

We apparently changed Captains in Darwin, and our previous Italian Captain, has, on good authority, been replaced by a Scotsman.

I have finally found some statistics on the Sea Princess, which provided some basis of comparison with the much larger Star Princess we sailed on in South America.

Key Stats are:

Gross Weight                         77,499 tons                         Total passenger capacity               2,272

Length                                    261.2 metres                      Crew                                                   922

Beam                                        32.2 metres                       

Height above waterline            48.8 metres

Draft                                           8.1 metres

It is quite a comfortable sized ship, with a similar layout, but a few less dining options and bars because of the reduced size compared with the Star Princess.

Carole has a busy afternoon, with mahjong at 1 pm, followed by an appointment at the spa at 2.30pm. The wet weather has killed the outdoor activities a bit, but the cooler temperature is a pleasant change, and we can sit on the balcony without getting wet. Looks like a good day to catch up on some reading.

The rain stopped around lunch time, and whilst it remained overcast, it was a very pleasant afternoon with the temp around the mid 20’s C.

The breeze has freshened and the seas are up a bit, but it is a long, gentle swell, so very comfortable, although there is enough movement to turn the swimming pools into wave pools.

This afternoon we spotted a small boat off our starboard side. I managed to photograph it with a telephoto lens and blow it up so we could see what it was, although the image is a bit blurry. It turned out to be an Indonesian fishing boat. Not sure if they were fishing or taking another load of boat people to Australia. Most people on board thought the latter.

We haven’t seen our dining companions since Darwin, so are not sure if they missed the boat or just decided to do their own thing. We joined up with the couple on the table next to us, who have been sitting on their own for the entire trip so far, waiting for those assigned to their table to turn up. They were good company and it was good to get a bit of variety who you dine with.

The bed animals continue and here is the latest offering.