Ritz
Carlton Yacht Evrima; San Salvador Bahamas
We are still far from port
as we continue on our voyage through the Caribbean. Once again, for the
Christmas holidays, we can be found island-hopping and today, we will shortly
weigh anchor alongside San Salvador in the Bahamas. Long considered the exact
landing spot where Christopher Columbus first set foot in the Americas, this
island is just the tip of a very high ocean mountain.
We have journeyed far this year. Perhaps further than at any time in our married life. We have crossed the dateline and the equator. We have stood in Greenwich with longitude zero. Or 360 if you prefer. We have been moving our watches forward more times than we have at any time and our preferred mode of transportation has been ocean-going liners. There have been a number of airline hops but for the most part, we have simply been all at sea.
This time last year we were
doing a similar cruise through the islands of Eastern Caribbean. Bookended as
it were, for a family well-versed in the traditions of the Antipodes and
Eastern Europe, these islands don’t truly hold our fascination as after a
while, they are all pretty much the same. So similar in fact that we cannot
really name the many islands we have visited over the past two years.
What we can cover though is the peace that comes with being at sea. We have our routines, of course – wake up and shower followed by breakfast and a time to read that then leads to a brief afternoon nap before cocktails and dinner. Sleep and repeat. Perhaps it’s a running commentary on just how intense our daily lives have become back on land, but no matter, we always look forward to that time when we run away to sea.
Seabourn’s
celebrated Caviar and Champaign in the Surf
So, where have we been and
what was our vessel of choice? We sailed this island circuit last year onboard
Seabourn Sojourn. This was the tradition that started a few years earlier when
escaping the Colorado winter for warmer latitudes made a whole lot of sense.
Then again, with winter’s grip firmly holding us hostage in Colorado as March
came around, we headed to Hawaii on Princess as we have done for almost a
decade now. Call it my holiday escape, as that pretty much sums up the timing.
With summer and, as a first, we joined our neighbors and good friends the Fowlers for a journey into the midnight sun. This voyage took us out of Greenwich, down the Themes, up past Scotland and the Shetland Islands to where finally, we sighted the fjords of Norway. Did someone say summer? If your summer tastes are warm sunny beaches then sailing to the very top of Norway and indeed the top of Europe may not be in your best interests. Did someone also say it’s cold during summertime around these parts?
Viking
Venus about to leave Greenwich to sail into the midnight sun.
It seemed more than appropriate to be sailing up and down the Norwegian coastline in a Viking Ocean liner. For some, the similarity in service levels between Seabourn and Viking are clear, however the Viking is more than twice the size of the Seabourn and as such, doesn’t provide as intimate a setting. However, both offer similar levels of peacefulness that allow us to keep working in support of our clients and didn’t have us skipping a beat as we traversed the oceans.
The famous
home of Shetland’s TV detective Jimmy Perez
Opportunities to catch up with my Australian family gave us all the impetus we needed to sail on Princess once again, this time out of Long Beach on a journey of 26 days to Sydney. My daughter Lisa was turning forty and I just didn’t want to miss that birthday! Previously I had sailed west to east from Sydney to Acapulco, Mexico and so had an understanding of just how vast was the Pacific Ocean but for Margo, it was a journey of exploration. Add a stop in Samoa to our growing list of countries that we have collectively visited.
I will pass judgement on Princess Cruise Lines a little deeper into this post but all thoughts of Princess were quickly forgotten as we set out for out final cruise of the year. We may be in San Salvadore where the pristine aqua blue seas surrounding the island were proving too hard to ignore for those on board who liked to kick back with a leisurely snorkel glide over coral formations. For Margo and me, our voyage onboard the Ritz Carlton Yacht, Evrima, has lived up to every expectation we had after reading promotional materials.
What’s different? No dining
room as such and definitely no buffet. There are a number of restaurants
catering to a choice of different times of day and in support of different tastes.
Want to reserve a table so as to enjoy a true Michelin three-star meal with
wine pairings? Yes, you can but for an additional charge and one too rich for
us mere members of the still-working brigade. Then again, simply having the
option was an indication of the level of service and indeed menu selections
available.
The Evrima is a true motor yacht along the lines of those built to order by oligarchs, industry titans and select middle-east rulers. With less than 300 guests (more like 200 plus) there was never a situation where any public space looked crowded and yes, passengers are given a personal concierge. In our case, she went by the name of Happee which happened to be a true reflection of her persona. More champagne, perhaps? All restaurants require reservations and Happee made them for us. Forgetful in this regard? No matter, show up to the hostess of one where you didn’t have a reservation and nearly always a table can be found even as the hostess will then call your prior venue to cancel the booking.
The
artistic license pursued at every turn on the Evrima – one staircase!
Prior to stepping on board
the yacht we had spent a couple of days in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Having
only just returned from Sydney where we had spent a number of weeks, the
transition to Fort Lauderdale could be viewed as an almost seamless progression.
Surely, Manly Beach was a little to the south of us (and not Miami) as the vibe
was so similar. While we miss our time in Manly, we were able to slide
effortlessly into the city of Fort Lauderdale.
This reference is consistent with us being all at sea for as long as we have been this year. Put it down to the freedom that came post COVID. For a decade and a half we have worked remotely from a pair of offices in our Windsor, Colorado, home (and before that, in our former home in Niwot, Colorado). However, now we have come to appreciate that working remotely doesn’t require us to actually be at home at all. The ships’ internet connections are now fantastic (thank you Elon for your satellites!)
Not to be outdone but artistry of a different type;
looking
down through Princess sky walk
But here’s the deal; having
a home is now of secondary importance to Margo and me. Shortly we will be
closing on a deal for a small condo / townhouse acquired from a member of our
extended family and its purpose will be to provide us with a “hotel for the
night” experience whenever we need to visit our daughter, her husband and the
grandchildren. It will also play host to our artwork, glasses and the residual
wine collection we are rapidly reducing to next to nothing. But we cannot plan
on living in Colorado for any extended period of time.
Colorado, being at five thousand feet and Margo needing to be tethered to an oxygen compressor - as we discovered in January 2023 -clouds our future residency in this state. So, yes, this life aboard vessels plying routes at sea level has come as a blessing. Margo has never complained.
Whether it was an outcome following her second occurrence of COVID – the first being totally asymptomatic but the second knocked her down for an extended period – we cannot say for certainty although the timing was more than coincidental. One day we are flying to meetings when suddenly, she struggled to catch her breath. So yes, could it be a sailor’s life for Margo and me? After 80 days at sea together with 10 travel days and another 20 days ashore prior to departure of each of the ships we sailed, 2023 saw us spend almost a third of the year at sea level.
Christmas
Eve, Evrima – Havana Nights
(A possible reminder of Men without Hats singing We can Dance!)
No one can really prepare
you for what life might throw your way. That’s part of the deal, really. You
just never know what’s headed your way. What is important is how you deal with
it and Margo and I have faced numerous unexpected situations that have challenged
our abilities to cope. In the later times of our business life, coming to terms
with there being no career guarantees we ended up moving a lot – from Colorado
to Nebraska to California with stops in between. None of which was planned nor
was there ever any expectation that we would have to relearn our core
specialties and adapt to vastly different technology disciplines.
But here we are. In 2024 our lives will change yet again and this time in an even more dramatic fashion. Will we move to the coast? If so, which one? Will we spend all of our time in one location or will there be extended periods of time spent elsewhere? Sydney? London? Nice? The options will all be explored before final judgement is passed. That is, unless we find that in the twenty-first century gray nomads aren’t restricted to caravans and tents! Or better still, even to a single cruise ship.
How do we rate the cruise lines and the vessels we sailed on in 2023? Well, firmly at the bottom is Princess and that’s so sad for me as my first career move was to the commercial container services business group of P&O. My first cruise was a gift from the company way back in 1973. Given that, my allegiances have kept me returning to Princess for all the decades that have followed.. But no more. When you cannot find anything to eat that you would want to share with friends, then it makes Princess a difficult choice.
Out
to sea; sail on, sail on!
When it comes to Viking and
Seabourn, each has its plusses and minuses. But ultimately, it comes down to
the individual vessels you choose. Margo and I have had a preference for
Seabourn and have sailed on them for a couple of decades. We were only recently
introduced to Viking and the size difference is noticeable. But both fall down
when it comes to specialty restaurants as neither appeal to us. Seabourn is
changing up their specialty restaurant so we will just have to see and as for
Viking, their two restaurants often don’t give you as good a meal as you would
have had if you stayed in the dining room.
That leaves Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection on top. If you want fun and games and to be entertained each night then this isn’t for you. Just a simple jazz band for pre-dinner cocktails and then later in the night should you want to sip that final brandy of the day. Otherwise, it’s all up to you. As a true yacht that provide an array of water sports so yes, we see passengers taking advantage of jet skis even as some simply snorkel off the transom swim platform that is part of the yacht’s Marina Terrace.
A
midday departure by tender somewhere in the Bahamas
One yacht we didn’t take
this year was the true sailing yacht of Windstar which shares quite a lot with
Ritz Carlton, although the décor last time we sailed on a Windstar yacht was
nowhere near the level of quality dare I say over-the-top opulence you will
find on the Ritz Carlton yacht. On the other hand, there you have it. We have
sailed aboard Princess, Viking, Seabourn and Ritz Carlton and we cannot
overlook how good the Evrima has proved to be; exceptional, by every measure
and standard.
With 2024 about to kick off in earnest, we have so much to consider. Sale of our home in Windsor being top of the list. But there is one more item to cover for all those who follow our car exploits – yes, we turned down the delivery over Christmas of our new Corvette C8 Z06. The timing was just not right so for now, we gave it up to another anxious individual with the option to reconsider as a 2025 purchase. When all is said and done, we changed none of our cars in 2023 nor will we be changing any in 2024 and that will come as a surprise perhaps even as a shock for many.
But the seas do call us and the oceans of the world have become our home. Whether we take up residence where waves lap the shores or simply sail away for months at a time wherever there is an internet connection then you will likely find us bent over our keyboards. To everyone who continue to follow the story we tell, we wish you happy holidays and the very best for the new year and let the tides take you where they may and may that breeze you encounter be as gentle as the life you choose!
True reflections of a year spent at sea
Feel the stinging I've been given
Never ending, unrelenting
Heartbreak searing, always fearing
Never caring, persevering
Sail on, sail on, sailor
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