SOME CLOSING STATISTICS/NOTES/THOUGHTS

We had an interesting experience as we left Eurodam and headed for the San Diego airport.  Another passenger had taken one of my bags and left his behind.  We knew this because it was just me and his bag left in the cavernous building where everyone goes to claim their bags.  My bag was on the wrong bus going to the wrong place at the airport.  It all worked out in the end and Holland America reunited me with my bag at the airport and I was able to check it in and it even made it back here to Las Vegas with all the others.  Other than that our departure was orderly and well organized.  Our flight was on time and Jim was there to pick us up.  He even had dinner ready to go after we got back here to the house.

So, this brings the journal of our trip to an end but I thought I would share a few statistics with you to close.

• Our average speed for the entire trip was 14.8 knots.
• We traveled 8562 nautical miles which = roughly 9,850 statute miles.
• The ship used 699,000 gallons of fuel.
• (That works out to 70.9 gallons per mile. GPM vs MPG)
• Eurodam's crew of 834 was made up of 44 nationalities.
• Eggs consumed = 144,000
• Arlyene and I are now members of the ORDER OF THE PURPLE PORPOISE and GOLDEN SHELLBACKs.

This was a wonderful trip and everything we had hoped it would be.  Definitely a bucket list thing for me.  I highly recommend Holland America Lines, they did a superb job.

As I have said in the past, I journal these things on our blog largely for my own enjoyment and for the joy I get reliving some of our trips by going back and reading previous postings and looking at the photos.  I have also enjoyed sharing these postings with you and hope you found them interesting.

Viva La Verve !  

FRIDAY - LAST SEA DAY

Today, Friday,  is our last sea day.  By around 10 am tomorrow we will be off the ship and on our way to the airport.  Eurodam and her crew will be taking on a new set of passengers almost as we leave then heading for Hawaii.  "Been there, done that, got the t-shirt".

Our photos are of a pod of purposes that were feeding on the surface not too far from the ship.  Later we passed Guadalupe Island, off the coast of Baja.  It is a volcanic island with some sea elephants, some goats and a few fisher people.  Hey, it was something to look at other than water.

Since breakfast we have been packing and coughing so now you know why I was excited to get on deck and take some pictures of a barren island.

Tonight is the farewell dinner.  Once we get our packing finished and our bags out in the passage way we will probably not see each other until we all get back to Las Vegas.  Mike, Kimberly, Sandy and Ken all get off in the first wave and they are taking their own bags off after which they will get their car and drive back.  Arlyene and I are flying but our plane does not leave until late afternoon so the others are likely to get home before we do.

It has been a great trip and we all had a great time and we are all still getting along - actually having fun.  But it had to end sometime, we all have places to be and things to do so we better just get on with it.

CLOSING ON SAN DIEGO

We are enjoying probably the smoothest ride of the entire trip.  The seas are very flat, about as close to glass like as the Pacific probably ever gets.  There is almost no perceptible roll or pitch.  Last night I woke up wondering if the ship had stopped.  The temperatures and humidity have moderated as well.

Tonight is our last dress up night and the photographers will be out in force.  Hopefully we can get a nice group photo we all like.  Tomorrow is our last full day at sea.  We arrive early Saturday morning in San Diego and  should be off the ship by 9:30 or 10:00.  The amazing thing is that they will refuel, re-provision, take on a whole new group of passengers, and leave again about 5 pm headed for another round trip to Hawaii before going north to do Alaska cruises.

POSITION REPORT

We continue to chug along on a heading of 28 degrees and a speed of 19 knots headed for San Diego in a straight line.  I was able to find our actual Latitude and Longitude and plot our location on this Google Map.

Looks like we are just a little closer than Hawaii which agrees with the number of days we have left.  In the process of finding our location - which is not provided to us here on the ship with any great detail, I also ran across a service that tracks all kinds of ships.  The map above looks kind of lonely but when you see what else is out here that changes.

You should be able to click on this to enlarge it.  Eurodam is the small blue ship bottom center.  On this entire voyage we have only seen one other ship when we are out on these sea days.  Day after day with nothing on the horizon.  Clearly there is more going on out there then we can see and we are not nearly as close together as this screen shot would suggest.

SEA DAY ONE OF SIX

We saw our last of Nuka Hiva as we sailed (well, motored) out of the bay and started our six day trek back to San Diego.  We found Nuka Hiva to be a pleasant surprise.  The Captain announced that we had 2,815 nautical miles to cover before reaching the San Diego pilot station.  One nautical mile is just over 1.15 statute miles - what your speedometer records.  I am missing a little over a day of mileage but I know we had covered over 5544 nm after Fakarava atoll so combining  that with the 2,815 to go and factoring in for statute miles we will have covered something over 9,613 miles by the time we reach San Diego.  I hope to get the exact figure before the cruise is over just for my own recording.  Our current speed is an impressive but comfortable 19 knots, the fastest speed I have noted so far.

Today is Sea Day 1 of 6.  Tomorrow we cross the equator again.  Don't know what there will  be of any interest to pass along the next few days but I will find SOMETHING.

THE MARQUISES - NUKA HIVA

We had been warned that the hospitality here at Nuka Hiva was subject to some big variations in the degree of the welcome offered to cruise ship passengers.  In fact we found ourselves questioning whether or now we would go ashore here or not.  Eventually we decided we would go and we are glad we did as the welcome was as good if not better then several of the other islands or atolls we have visited - as you can see below.

We found a number of vendors offering their goods and some nicely developed areas to walk and enjoy the view.  Although still very warm and humid it was a nice way to end or adventure in the south pacific.

Arlyene noted in lower right.

Always good to know where the Gendarmerie and Hospital are.

Now it is on to San Diego over the next six days.  Don't know how much there will be to add tot he blog unless someone wins big in the casino or some such thing.  We will be crossing the Equator again but I doubt it will be the event it was coming down here to the southern ocean.  I guess time will tell.  Meanwhile here is some perspective of where we are and how far we have to go.  By the time we reach San Diego we will have done something in excess of 8k miles at an average speed of around 15 to 17 knots.

THE TUAMOTUs, FAKARAVA ATOLL

Our next to last stop before heading home to San Diego.  We are told there are two villages here, one with 12 people and the other with 750, which I presume is where we landed - or at least close.  we found a beach within walking distance and were all able to spend some time in the water cooling off in the 94 degree heat.

Entering the atoll

Our anchoring location.

Not much wind for these folks.

Closed- what the ????.  Oh well, must be for locals only.

The main drag - standing in the middle of the road.

The other direction.

Part of our group after swimming.

An actual phone booth and a French one at that!

The last tender will leave shore at 4:30 or whenever everyone is back aboard.  We are scheduled to leave here at 5 pm and will be at sea all day tomorrow on our way to Nuku Hiva, our last stop.

PAPEETE

We were securely tied up to the pier by about 8:30 last night.   Had dinner ashore at the famous food truck court.  A different experience.  Today is mostly about shopping.  Ship departs at 4:30 this afternoon.  This is a busy place with a highway to cross that is crowded and busy all day long.  It must be the main street through town.

The morning tours getting ready.

Our position in the harbor - 8 is actually our 7th stop since leaving San Diego.

Rich guy yacht pulling in next to us.

Shopping at 98 degrees and 98 % humidity.

Closest thing to a Walgreen's here.

These photos were taken as we departed Papeete

There were kids surfing here.

Moorea as we exit Papette.

Just two stops after leaving here before we head back to San Diego.