the singing sailor

The Gulf of Lion

An area notorious for angry seas in the spring and fall, and we got a rare taste of that now during mid-summer!  In all my days on the Mediterranean Sea, this was the worst I’ve ever experienced (although my Atlantic crossing far exceeded this day in rough seas!)   So as we sailed our way to Barcelona, we experienced Gale Force 8 and 12 foot seas as we crossed the mouth of the Gulf of Lions, setting up an interesting day.  I love this shot because the covers to all the portholes were allowed to remain open, allowing the infamous “washing machine” effect to be seen (on the crossing, when the weather was bad, we were ordered to close all the porthole covers on my deck).  Because we were rockin’ and rollin’ a bit, the ship was so quiet which was nice – however…I was scheduled to perform my show that night!  I altered some of the tap dancing, and went full steam with the vocals, but sadly, it was still a light crowd.  I think everyone else was probably sleeping off their sea-sickness pills and shots.

I really don’t mind rough seas during the day,  but for some reason at night it really bothers me – not only can I not fall asleep, I can’t see the sea!  I find myself chatting to my Grandfathers, both had served in the Navy and I’m sure they’ve been through seas and weather far worse than I!  So I just hope that they are looking down on us and helping us safely make our way!

One of the things I love most about working on a ship is seeing the sun set in the evening.  When we have a late sail from a port where we are anchored it can be especially beautiful.  With warm colors of oranges and pinks just touching the tops of the ripples on the water, it really is so peaceful.  This picture was taken when the Legend was in the French Riviera last summer, but no matter what part of the world these moments really are my favorite.