Saturday 10th November 2012 From the deck at the stern I watch the horizon. It's a 180 degree turn to take it all in. As wide as I have ever seen, a vast expanse of deepest blue, a completely uninterrupted line. No ships, no land, just a few specs of white on the wave crests. Trailing the ship is a band of turquoise, crested with foam, stretching back to the horizon, charting our path through the water as it is churned and oxygenated. The calmest day so far, I ...

Sunday 11th November 2012 There was a remembrance service on the sun deck this morning. The ship's officers took the front row, and the captain led, from a proper wooden lecturn brought on to deck for the purpose. We sang along to some very traditional hymn tunes which were played at slow speed over the speaker system, a passage from John 15 was read, a very warbly, off key bugle tune was relayed while the ship's standard was lowered. A very simple prayer of rem...