n 39 21 44.6 W054 37 02.5 July12, 2003 821 M. - Newport, RI
This is so great! How can I tell you? The weather has been beautiful; the sea state has been great. Here in our own little private sanctuary, it seems as if we are not even moving, although the GPS says 17.7 MPH. We have the run of the ship from the bridge to the laundry. The meals are superb. When I go up 3 floors to the shower in the morning, I can smell the bread baking. When we go up 7 floors to the bridge for coffee with the Captain, we can smell lunch cooking. We can go out on the bow under the Tinkerbell & take our ease or sit in the air conditioned Rider's Bar & watch movies. In Grace, sitting stoutly on the deck, it looks like we are in 1 of the locks in the Panama Canal. She doesn't wiggle a halyard in her safe little cocoon as we rock & roll across the Atlantic. We still have the urge to check for other boats & debris; we forget we have a crew on our own huge barge to Europe.
Jerry is busily making a plan for when we arrive which I think will be sooner than the 11 days, although I imagine we will be slower when we leave the Gulf stream. We will pass close to the Azores & through the Straits of Gibraltar. We are taking lots of pictures because everything is so unbelievable.
As always, I cannot believe that this is my life. I should never complain, but, of course, old habits die hard.
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- July 12, 2003