April 9
Throughout the day today we continued on our north westerly heading and will maintain the same course thru the night.
This morning we had a port talk on Dubai. We’ll be there for two days and have booked a tour for the first day, on day two we will wing it. There is another sea day before Bahrain, we are getting tired of sea days as there is not much to do. One between ports is welcome but three is a lot. Today at trivia a helicopter circled the ship for a while. We don’t know where it was from, could have been from Pakistan or maybe security watching for Somalia pirates. Whatever, it doesn’t take much to excite us these days. We had two Scholarships at Sea lectures, one with the astronomer and the last one with Leslie Iwerks, the documentary filmmaker. I enjoy her films but prefer to watch them on TV as the seats in the Cabaret Lounge are too uncomfortable. The evening show was Mel Mellers Magical Showtime, he was more of a comic than a magician and it was very entertaining.
April 10
At 2:00 a.m. this morning the ship entered the Gulf of Oman and at 5:00 we commenced setting various courses throughout the Straits of Hormus, this is the section of water separating Iran, United Arab Emirates and Oman. We will continue to transit the straits through the day. Our ship has increased security in the area, not the safest place to be sailing through. We sat on the balcony half the day watching for pirates. Actually we did have 3 armed Iranian boats charge the ship and harass us for awhile. I’m sure it was just to remind us we were in their territory. It is hot but not humid any longer. During lunch we had 5 unmarked boats speed around the boat, two of them headed towards a tanker sailing next to us but swerved to miss it. During afternoon trivia one boat with about 6 guys came along side, taking pictures. They were within 10 feet of the ship, we were hoping that they did not attach a bomb.
Iranian Patrol Boat
Today we had 2 Scholarship at Sea lectures, one by the astronomer and one by the documentary filmmaker. We of course returned to trivia, with high hopes, Betty ate fish for dinner as she thinks it is brain food. It didn’t work! Like Richard always says, it’s not us, it is just the wrong questions.
We watched the movie Mission Impossible-Ghost Protocol with Tom Cruise instead of going to the evening show. (A typical man's movie, I sure wouldn’t pay to see it.)
Tonight we will continue the same course until the early morning when we will alter onto a south westerly heading and start to make our way towards the buoyed channel. Around 5:00 a.m. we are expected to to enter the channel for our approach to Manama and we will follow the channel to our dock at Khalifa Bin Salman port. Hopefully we will make it without incident!
