Since we departed Mallorca harbor last Saturday, we haven't gotten very far. Actually only about two miles or so away, still in sight of Palma. The Captain decided to take advantage of the calm seas around
here to have 3 days of practical seamanship ship drills. These include damage control exercises, boat drills, equipment operation and man-overboard manouvers. We anchored for 2 of the nights, but otherwise
we've been just leisurely sailing around in circles at a very slow pace. The cadets love the fact that we are still in cell phone range and the decks have been full of them calling and texting home in their
spare time. Sometimes, when they are supposed to be working. We started moving west this morning toward our next destination which we think is Cadiz, Spain on the Atlantic coast. On the way, we are scheduled to stop for fuel at Gibraltar at the
mouth of the Mediterranean.
I'm looking forward to the cooler seas of the Atlantic. The ship's air conditioning is dependant on the water around us and the Med is too warm for the AC to work very well. Also, if we take on fuel, the tanks are directly below the library. The
thick oil has to be heated to 150 degrees to flow and much of that heat, despite an insulated floor, rises into the library. If the air conditioning is not working at its maximum, I suffer badly. On previous voyages, I've had to shut the library
for excessive temperatures.
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