Day 13 Not at Narvik

Today we should have been at Narvik looking at breathtaking nature. Instead, we are somewhere between Norway and Iceland, looking at a churning grey sea. The port we aren’t going to see was controlled by the Germans in 1940, as it enabled them to access Swedish iron ore. This strategically important location was the site of a sixty-two-day battle, the largest to take place on Norwegian soil. Allied British, French and Polish troops were victorious but there were 8500 casualties. We will get refunds for the cancelled excursion but those who opted to do their own thing will not. This is one advantage of going on the official trips, which are usually more expensive than making your own arrangements but the cruise-organised excursions have been quite reasonably priced on this cruise.

The weather overnight is truly awful, or possibly it feels worst because it is at night. I get very little sleep amongst the lurching, banging and crashing. I do take one of my emergency seasickness tablets ‘just in case’. People are ending up with porridge in their laps and Ambience’s crockery supply is rapidly diminishing. Chris retires to the cabin with a headache.

Today’s craft is frosted angels. There craft activities are very reasonably priced and great fun. I go back for more and I and another craft regular end up trying to help one of life’s moaners. We have already encountered this passenger on one of our excursions. She begins by reciting a long list of things that she is going to complain about. This craft is obviously going to be added to the list. She can’t see the beads properly but of course she doesn’t need glasses. It is making her headache, the whole thing is stressful. She’s intelligent she shouldn’t be so far behind but it seems that threading beads on to filament in a specific order is beyond her.

Although we are still encountering rough seas, things are calmer than they were last night, not that that is saying much. By this time most people have found their favourite positions in Borough Market, ours is near to the decaff coffee machine, as it is harder to get liquid safely from source to table than it is food. I consume vegetable curry.

Day 14 At Sea

After a much better night’s sleep, I am back for my 9.30am craft activity. Only the hardened crafters turn up for the early morning session, although afternoon sessions are usually full. Today, we are making bracelets to match the necklace that we made earlier in the cruise. After this, we listen to the retired detective, this time talking about his experiences as a hostage negotiator.

The captain is continually changing course to try to avoid the worst of the continuing storm but it is still pretty choppy. Whilst waiting at the reception desk, we encounter a passenger who is demanding that the captain be asked to stop the ship so that he can get off. He does look a bit rough but as he is dressed and out of his cabin and not in the medical facility, it doesn’t appear to be life threatening. We are currently somewhere between the Faeroes and Norway, I have no idea where he thinks the ship could stop.

Up in the casual dining at Borough Market, we have all become adept at catching crockery as it whizzes up and down tables, reminiscent of pints being flung along a bar in a Western. Today is something else, there’s an enormous lurch and heavy bar stools slide across the deck and tables crash over. A new on-board game of pick the cutlery off the floor multiple times is underway. A wheelchair user has tipped over and there’s an announcement for a stretcher party to attend the main restaurant. The weather is now worse than ever and Borough Market give up all attempts to safely provide meals and close early. The ship then has to slow right down an alter course slightly to allow two passengers to be helicoptered off. We are a long way from any coast, still equidistant between Norway, Iceland and the Faeroes, so this may be about the limit of a helicopter’s fuel capacity to get to us and then back to shore.