Cruising to the End

The lack of fast and free wifi makes blogging a challenge, so this report is for several days in a row and not as well done as I would like!

After sailing away from Saguenay Harbor, we headed toward Prince Edward Island.  The seas became rough--high seas indeed with huge swells and tremendous wind buffeting.  The gale winds were at 90 mph (!) with waves at 30-45 feet.  The Captain forewarned us that night about the ship listing as they moved ballast to counter the winds/high seas, and it did list but all was safe aboard.  Well, except for wrenching my good knee so badly that it was painful the next day --a planned day at sea.  Despite that rest, by the next night I was in trouble due to the pain as my left leg would collapse.   Liz rented a wheel chair for me, which I used for dinner that night.  It was after dinner that we learned that our next port of call, Charlottetown, was to be bypassed as too unsafe to dock.


The next morning I was still confined to a wheelchair so missing the port was ok with me.   By the afternoon after lots of Advil, I was feeling a bit better.  The seas were still rocking-and-rolling.   That night, we learned that we would have to also skip the Nova Scotia port of Sydney, giving my knee another day's rest.  However, the seas were calming and Halifax was definitely on.  By now  I could use the wheelchair well but my arms were getting sore and I had blisters starting on my thumbs!

We cancelled my portion of the excursion for Halifax, due to my onboard injury, and I got a refund.  Helen and Liz headed out to the famed lighthouse at Peggy's Cove and sent me a picture .(above),  They reported a good time and I was envious. I now used the wheelchair only as a walker and not much then.  I could walk slowly and stiffly but I could walk.  I did not plan to cancel any more excursions.

After Halifax, we were heading to Bar Harbor Maine--we were tendered ashore (I easily managed it; knee improving slowly), and took a tour that included Acadia National Park--lovely fall colors, great history spiels, and wonderful horse drawn carriage ride through the park (above).


At Portland Maine we went ashore for a great bus tour --including an historic mansion tour and other sights and history then walked along the parkways to shop and dine out.  We passed Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's birthplace and residence, and several other historical sights.
Boston was next up and we had arranged to meet Liz' sister Pat for a duck boat tour of the city.  Liz' niece Michelle joined us.  The tour from both land and water was great--the Charles River, once nastily polluted, is now of excellent water quality with many native fish species thriving.  The improved water quality work is due to public-private partnerships that worked to restore habitat.
As we passed under bridges on the river, the detail of carvings on bridge supports was lovely. We also saw historical landmarks like the freedom trail. The historic Boston commons, and the burial ground for Paul revere and other revolutionary war figures.  The historic government house, with its famed carved unicorn and lion (in which a time capsule is concealed), was impressive. Finally we finished by dining at the oldest continuously operated restaurant in the US where I had a great local lobster lunch.

We left Boston by sailing under jet planes as the sun set.

Two more days at sea followed, and on Tuesday we dock at Port Canaveral.  The next day we disembark and fly back to California.