After quite a bit of rocking and rolling last night due to the unusually high seas we awoke to news of the 7.5 earthquake just 90 miles outside of Christchurch. Because of the isolation factor news wise, we don't have too much details but the Captain is keeping us informed as best as he can. As I lay in bed last night the waves were so high they were hitting the windows on the 4th floor and I could hear the unmistakable ding as they crashed against the hull. They were quick to put out the bags for the travelers who’s sea legs have yet to get accustomed to the roll of the ship.

It’s Monday, November 14th and we’re heading southeast at 14.3 kts in 61 deg F sunny but overcast skies and about 212 nm away from our arrival in Burnie. We just passed the 7000 nm mark on our trip so that means that we’ve traveled some 8,112 miles or 13,056 kilometers in the past twenty-six days. Based on these stats, it seems that we travel an average of just over 506 kilometers per day.

Again, a little history for those who might be interested. Burnie (pop. 21,000) is a port city on the north-east coast of Tasmania. It was founded in 1827 and today’s major industrial influence is based on forestry, farming and pulp and paper.