Thanks for the link, Michele. What a story! Is there further news of McCoy's recovery? Sends shivers down my spine.

Another piece of non-cruise news floated in yesterday - my best friend's second granddaughter was born. Congrats to all, and how wonderful to have a new little one in the family.

We had nonstop rain, category 10 winds and category 8 seas served up for our first sea day. This ship rides incredibly well for the sea conditions. I asked the hotel director, who said they had taken on full ballast and adjusted the cruising speed. It sure seems to be working - no rolling from side to side when trying to walk down the corridors.

The creaks in our cabin, however, were immune to ballast. Our butler stopped by, and we asked her to summon engineering to see what could be done. An hour later, a guy comes in with a handful of foam rubber like shims. He proceeded to pound them into the gaps in the room walls. That really helped .. very little creaking for the rest of the day.

We skipped Doubtful & Thomson Sound sail-ins, and proceeded apace in the sea of fog. When it came time for Milford sound, we turned in. I'd forgotten there was an overnight option offered from Dunedin to Milford Sound. Ten passengers needed to be retrieved for our onward voyage. The sound is quite narrow at the opening, and fortunately the fog was not as pervasive once inside. Thanks to the rain, the waterfalls were gushing down the steep hillsides. It is impressive, indeed.

We reclaimed the trivia title yesterday, with our lead opposition taking last place. They *finally* had the bar open for the trivia game (level 5 bar outside the show room). Let's hope that continues.

Today, we've got Australian immigration pre-clearing the ship's company at 10 am this morning. We must appear in person. Question is, where did we get the Aussie immigration officials? We're in the middle of the Tasman Sea and not due to arrive in Hobart until sometime tomorrow.

I spied an old colleague yesterday just as we were heading into dinner. Small world to see him and his wife onboard. We've settled into Charley's section for dinner and Bhatar's for breakfast. Bhatar has Gary's breakfast beverage concoction (decaf mochaccino) down to a science, and Charley has a running commentary on what not to order. He also keeps the steamed vegetables at the ready, in case one forgets to order them. Both of them are delightful.

Looks like another very lazy day today. Gary said the Aussie singer was terrific last night. I could not summon the energy to try 'wheel of fortunate' following the concert. Prize points .. there is a limit to what I'll do for them.

Cheers, Anne