[rec.travel] Caribbean Eclipse Cruise, 1973.

wats@scicom.AlphaCDC.COM (Bruce Watson) (06/18/91)

MONDAY, 2ND JULY, 1973.                                               At Sea.
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                            CARIBBEAN ECLIPSE CRUISE

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                               CUNARD ADVENTURER 

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                           MEAL TIMES
Breakfast                  7.00 a.m.             8.15 a.m.
Lunch                      Noon                  1.30 p.m.
Dinner                     6.30 p.m.             8.30 p.m.
---------------------------------------------------------------

                         TODAY'S EVENTS

6.30 a.m.       Birding session with Jim Thomas on the ship's
                fantail. This is your last morning to scan the
                ship's wake at some distance from land.

6.45 a.m.       MUSIC IN THE AIR: A popular program of spirited
                melodies.

7.00-8.00 a.m.  Early Bird Special - Coffee served on deck for
                early risers.                      POOL SIDE

9.30 a.m.       POOL BAR OPENS

9.30-10.30 a.m. TOUR TALK - Cruise Director, Brian Price, will
                discuss what to see and what to do in St. Thomas,
                transportation to the top of the mountain that
                night, and shipping in Charlotte Amalie during
                the day. At the request of many passengers he
                will also tell some "tales of the islands" we
                have visited during our voyage: MAYFLOWER ROOM

10.45-11.45 a.m.     Class Periods.

10.45-11.34 a.m.     PLANETARY PROBES
                     - Ronald Oines
                     Near future investigation systems:
                     Jupiter Fly-bys, Viking, Pioneer,
                     Venus-Mercury 1978.        MAYFLOWER ROOM

                     LIFE ON OCEANOGRAPHIC SHIPS
                     - Peter Vogt
                     In order for students to see and excellent
                     color film made aboard an oceanographic
                     expedition, this class will be extended to
                     noon.                       CINEMA

                     ASTRO-PHOTOGRAPHY
                     - Bill Swann & Dick Madigan
                     This will be a preparation session for those
                     planning to participate in the night trip
                     at St. Thomas to Etelman Observatory.
                                                 CASINO

                     DRAWING/ART
                     - Kerry O'Quinn
                     This final session will include figure
                     drawing from the model as well as a start
                     on decorations for the musical revue.
                     The class will last until noon.   POOL BAR

11.45 a.m.   LUNCHTIME COCKTAIL HOUR in the SKY ROOM and POOL BAR

11.45 a.m.   MUSIC IN THE AIR:  Part one of a programme featuring
             the romantic operetta music of the great Hungarian
             composer Emmerich Kalman.

2.45-5.00 p.m.   Class Periods.

2.45-3.45 p.m.       THE WILD WINDS IN THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE
                     GIANT PLANET JUPITER
                     - Norman Macdonald
                     MAYFLOWER ROOM

2.45-3.45 p.m.       CHANGING INTERPRETATIONS OF THE SKY - PART IV
                     - Von Del Chamberlain
                     CINEMA

                     CONTINENTAL DRIFT AND OTHER RIDDLES
                     - Peter Vogt
                     CASINO

4.00-5.00 p.m.       THE SPACE SCIENCE EDUCATION PROJECT
                     - Ronald Oines
                     The activities and services of this group,
                     with focus on what is provided for the
                     teaching profession.
                     MAYFLOWER ROOM

                     NEW FRONTIERS IN ASTRONOMY
                     - George Abell
                     This session will include a lengthy period
                     covering any questions on astronomy.
                     CASINO

                     ASTRONOMY THROUGH SCIENCE-FICTION
                     - Von Del Chamberlain
                     The conclusion in this program.
                     CINEMA

                     PRECOMPUTING TIME OF MERIDIAN PASSAGE
                     OF THE SUN
                     - Frances Wright
                     Use of Circle Position and finding time
                     and longitude from the moon.
                     SKY ROOM

5.15-6.15 p.m.       MODERN EXPLORATION
                     - Walter Shirra
                     A special lecture on man's search into
                     new frontiers.
                     The last decade in the Mercury, Gemini
                     and Apollo space programs.
                     MAYFLOWER ROOM

                     Today's schedule is the final presentation
                     of classes in our Science at Sea program.

5.30 p.m.    COCKTAIL RENDEZVOUS in the SKY ROOM and POOL BAR.

6.15 p.m.    MUSIC IN THE AIR: Part two of Emmerich Kalman
             selections.

****************************************************************

                       ******CINEMA ******

                 "THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL"
                               and
                  "BENEATH THE SEAS OF CEYLON"

               6.30 p.m., 8.45 p.m. and 11.00 p.m.

            (The short subject will be introduced by
         Arthur C Clarke, its producer and co-director.
           The Short will begin at 8.00 and 10.00 p.m.
     The 11.00 p.m. presentation will be the feature only.)

               **********************************
                        NO SMOKING PLEASE
---------------------------------------------------------------

8.00-9.00 p.m.     SKY INTERPRETATION
                   Von Del Chamberlain's last open-air session
                                            COMPASS DECK

NOTICE =           Deck lights in this area will be extinguished
                   for SKY INTERPRETATION sessions.  Passengers
                   are warned to be cautious on stairways.

****************************************************************
9.00 p.m.    SPORTSMAN 329 CASINO
             Opens for your gaming pleasure.
             (Persons under 18 years not admitted)
****************************************************************

9.30 p.m.          DANCING to the sound of the
                  AL WYNN BAND with JACKIE LYNN
                           followed by

                        REPRISE SHOWTIME

                           SCOTT MCKAY
                             EL PAYO
                          SHEILA WHITE
                         MANNY WILLIAMS
                            HEATHMORE
****************************************************************

11.00 p.m.               IN THE SKY ROOM
                      Dance away the night
                              with
                              MISTY
****************************************************************

MIDNIGHT - Buffet will be served in the Restaurant.



[I did not want to miss the PLANETARY PROBES class. The Apollo
lunar program was still a fresh memory. Skylab was going on. The
future promised bigger and better. But it would be 8 years before
Americans were back in space. Meanwhile, the focus would be the
automated exploration of the solar system. That year Pioneer 10 and
11 flew by Jupiter; the next year Mariner 10 would map Mercury
(What would it look like? The Moon!); in 1976 the two Vikings would
land on Mars (Was there life? No!); and in 1977 the Voyagers would
be launched on their "Grand Tours" of the outer solar system.

We were sailing between the islands of Guadeloupe and Montserrat
on the way to St. Thomas. (The track of totality of the eclipse of
1998 February 26, Thursday, passes here over the islands of
Antigua, Montserrat and Guadeloupe.) Dr. Wright seemed to be very
nervous. She was worried that the ship was sailing much too close
to some of smaller islands and said so.

A small group stood on the BOAT DECK on the starboard side as we
came back into the Caribbean sea. After five days of nothing but
open ocean, land held us fascinated. We steamed quite close to the
tiny island of Redonda. Dr. Williams, the geologist explained to
us: "This uninhabited rock was an ancient volcanic plug whose
volcano had eroded away." We could see that it had split; one half
sliding into the sea. Arthur Clarke was in this group. The late
afternoon sun shown through cumulus cloud with shafts of sunlight.
Clarke said something like, "It looks almost biblical". I was
disappointed that such a voluminous author could not come up with
something more imaginative. For the second time during the voyage,
and should have known better, I spoke up: "Those are called
crepuscular rays." I expected Dr. Clarke to agree and perhaps give
a physical explanation of their occurrence. He look back at me and
said, "Huh?". Maybe he didn't hear me. I repeated and he answered,
"Oh". Though it is too much to expect anyone to be poetic and/or
knowledgeable all the time, I thought that this fact to be well
within this prodigious author's storehouse of trivia. Maybe it is
now.

I missed Wally Schirra's MODERN EXPLORATION lecture. I don't
remember why. I'd been waiting the entire voyage to hear it. Others
told me it was very good. He delivered it with his uniquely
humorously style.

I passed Dr. Wright in a passageway. The competition from the other
classes was too great and I had skipped the last few of hers. But
she remembered me. I explained that I was interested, primarily,
in the use of the sextant since that was the one thing that
learning navigation inland I could not do and that I got to do it
earlier. She told me that if I needed anything or had any questions
to write her at Harvard. Repeatedly, in the years following, I
found that while engineers kept their proprietary knowledge pretty
much to themselves, scientists are willing to share readily what
they know.]

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