My goodness, there don’t seem to be enough hours in the day, port after port, paperwork, social functions and soon, packing those suitcases. I do apologise for not posting as frequently as I should, or used to; however Gerd, my Staff Captain, is having some R&R today while ‘parked’ in Roseau, Dominica and as one of us has to remain on board, I can catch-up with the blog and then later, the final touches to my reports. Gerd is going diving, (scuba) with some other officers, something I used to do, however I have trouble ‘equalising’, so have not done any for several years. It was nice to have dry land under one’s feet after so many days at sea; they passed quite quickly though and Bridgetown, Barbados beckoned us. It was windy on arrival, gusting up to 26 knots, however the harbour was devoid of other cruise ships and thus had plenty of room. Having turned in the north end of the harbour, I backed in, my thought being that it could be worse by departure time, (which it was) and getting it out-of-the-way was more prudent. Karen and I took a stroll ashore and wandered the streets, meandering through the markets and along the boardwalk which runs through the town. 
From the boardwalk, the pirate ship awaits its crew
The colourful side-streets
Admiral Lord Nelson statue
Then onto Castries, St. Lucia; the entrance into the natural harbour is though a narrow ‘neck’ and then onto a short berth on which lies the cruise terminal shops. The ship has to be cleared by the local airport Traffic control, as we block the approach to the runway as we pass by, fortunately we did not have to wait this time. Karen and I decided that rather than do the ‘strolling’, we would find a nice hotel which offered a day-pass. A quick search on the internet promised one nearby and so, without reservations, we headed for the “Rendezvous”. Fortunately, they welcomed us in and for $65 each, offered us ‘all-inclusive’ use of the facilities, including lunch and drinks. At any other time, I would have taken advantage of the latter 🙂 however, as ‘designated driver’ for at least 4-more days, I refrained. We had a wonderful, relaxing few hours before returning to the ‘Amsterdam’.
Castries entrance from seaward.
The hotel accommodation.
And the beach
Enjoying a walk in the sand.
More of the beach.
And so I write from Roseau. The steel-drum band music can be heard in the distance, the market stalls line the street adjacent to the pier and most of the guests (and Karen) are ashore, pillaging the town 🙂
Dominica in the early morning
Roseau beckons
A lovely view from the window!
Market stalls line the main road
Looking over the town
We leave here for St. Maarten, our last call before Port Everglades and then my packing begins. We are due at the pilot station off Lauderdale at 5 a.m. on the 28th and docking by 6 a.m., another Grand World Voyage almost over, it seems like only yesterday that we departed. What an adventure though, almost 33,000 miles and over $6m in fuel, isolated islands and glistening cities later, we are returning home. I will try to post while we’re heading northward, I have received some lovely photos of Vi and an equally lovely video of Emily, so I will share them here soon. It isn’t long before I can give them a big cuddle :-). Until then!
Ditto to everything said above. Look forward to WC 2015 with you at the helm. We will also be interested in your next book??!! Enjoyed the first one.
Dear Captain Mercer,
I just want to say “Thank you so much” for all the work you have done on your Blog of the 2014 Grand World Voyage. The entries have been interesting, informative, entertaining – – and an absolute delight to read!
And with all the wonderful photographs added by you and Karen, I truly feel like I have been along for the ride!
Enjoy your vacation time at home (and those adorable grandchildren), and I look forward to reading your Blog again when you return to “your” Amsterdam during the Alaska season. And of course next year’s World Voyage!
With thanks and good wishes,
Sincerely,
Marj Gordon
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this blog. I have greatly looked forward to reading it each day since you left Fort Lauderdale in January. It has been my daily escape from the cold North American winter. I look forward to your future adventures!
Good Day Captain
A quick note to let you know how much my wife and myself enjoy your blog. It is so informative and colourful, at times one feels as if they are right there on the bridge with you. Although this is only the second cruise we have followed you we believe you are the best, you are so committed to both your passengers and crew. I must admit we are a bit biased when it comes to your crew as our daughter Emily is one of the librarians on board and it makes us feel much more relaxed when she is miles away in exotic places that she is in good hands and safe.
Al & Jenn
Good evening,
I’ve loved reading your blog! Will you be back on the Amsterdam for some of the Alaska season? We sailed with you 2 years ago on the 14-day itinerary and you so impressed me. One reason is that you are the only Captain who has attended a Cruise Critic Meet and Greet that I organized or participated in. The other was, the next day, you remembered my name when we met in the Lido (it might help that it’s the same as your wife’s!). Thank you for doing the blog!
Karen
Captain Jonathan: Thank you for taking us along on the world cruise through your wonderful postings from day one to the end in Ft. Laud. I have learned a lot from what happens on the bridge, problems that arise that you have to attend to, and countries that I probably will never see. Being on the Amsterdam for two Grand Voyages it is fun to see some of the crew which are friends in some of your pictures. We are on the 2015 World cruise so hopefully you will be the Captain again and we will meet you there. I hope to meet you again outside the terminal at Ft. Lauderdale like I did last year to thank you personally as we are coming to get some passengers again this year. Have a great vacation on your return home.
I love your stories … thank you for lots of work to share the cruise with us.