Hoist the mizzenmast! Unfurl the yardarms! Throw a half-hitch round that feldspar! Reef the fantail! Lower the bilge!

Ah, this is sailing as it was meant to be: on a colossal luxury liner through seas as flat as glass.

Today the compass points north-northeast as we sail from Germany to Estonia. Mal de mer? Bah! Landlubbers! Now that I have me sea legs I can step lively around the ship, finally learning the locations of all the restaurants Danby has been guiding me to.

For the first time I saw the sun set over the ocean. I watched for the elusive green flash, and think I saw it. A patch of sky turned green at any rate.

Our cabin number is 10011, which is perfectly appropriate for a computer guy. (That’s 19 in binary.)

Tonight we danced a bit as the band played Glenn Miller tunes.

Tomorrow it’s up bright and early and we begin a five-day stretch of the remaining cities on our tour.