Setting out

Leaving Southampton at night provides some different views such as the Isle of Wight Red Funnel ferry illuminated for all to see.

Having been on this journey previously many of you will have heard some of the things I might say in the next few days. Bearing that in mind I will endeavour to be radical and change things a bit, however there is always room for a picture of another ship finding conditions more choppy than we are in the Bay of Biscay.

One of the things about an older and heavier ship like Sapphire is that it rides the waves well, 650 passengers and 450 crew are probably more comfortable on this than on one with 3000+ passengers with a design more like a block of flats. In addition to Southampton, Sapphire is scheduled to visit 12 ports and experience 20 sea days. It is always a fascination to me and some others that amongst the 650 are some first timers who previously have never been further on a ship than a Dover – Calais booze collection run. Lets hope they enjoy it. Somewhat unusual on a Saga ship, the mix of 650 passengers is 300 female and 350 male.

On day 2 of our journey we were awakened by the dulcet tones of the Captain informing us that a helicopter would be arriving shortly to pick up an unwell passenger and requesting that we stay off the open decks during the period of this tricky evacuation. We have subsequently been informed that all went well and the injured party had a successful surgical operation in Spain.

It was a personal achievement to win an excellent bottle of champagne on the first night on board, I had a cunning plan and for once it worked. The challenge on an all-inclusive cruise is when is the right time to open the bottle. Should it be brought back home to a post-Brexit Britain, and what might be the implications of that? By day four we are due to be in Funchal, where flowers bloom and tunnels abound.