Update and FYI

I neglected to include in my Perth description an item of interest to our daughters. While in Perth we visited a beautiful beach on the Indian Ocean called Cotteloe Beach. This was the site of Heath Ledger’s wake and where his ashes were scattered in the ocean. According to our guide, he loved to come here when he lived in Perth. We took lots of pictures. It was a gorgeous beach so I can understand why he liked it so much.
Now for the update – we’re on day 3 of the 3 sea days it takes to get from Perth, Australia to Bali, Indonesia. Shortly after we left Perth, we were informed that a cyclone named Nicholas was now directly in our path. The Captain advised that he was monitoring its position and would take preventive measures as needed. Yesterday the Captain announced that the storm was still headed for us so we would have to alter our course. Instead of sailing due north, we would have to head west north west to avoid the worst part of the storm. We were told to expect rough seas around 3PM that day for that was the time we would be closest to the storm, but still 200 nautical miles from its eye. We did have some rough seas but nothing like we’d experienced on the Tasman Sea and after a few hours the waters calmed. So just in case you were watching the Weather Channel and were concerned – we are safe! The seas are moderate today. It’s about 80 degrees and sunny and we are looking forward to seeing the Indonesian crew reunited with their families tomorrow.
Another point of interest we learned today is that the ship has now installed large round disks on the outside decks called L.R.A.D, long range acoustic devices. There are now security guards manning these devices 24/7. The water hoses have been removed from their containers and are spread out on the deck also. We were told these are security measures to deter pirates or other bad guys from trying to board the ship. The veteran world cruisers say this is standard operating procedure for this part of the world. For us, it represents an interesting and sad commentary on the state of world affairs. Do not be alarmed. The ship is merely doing what it is supposed to do to look out for our safety at all times.