Water World

Yet another few days at sea as we make our way southward to Montevideo, Uruguay.

One thing that continues to amaze me is just how much water surrounds us. We can look in every direction for two to three days on end and see nothing but ocean! Incredible amounts of water. According to NOAA (National Ocean and Atmospheric Association), the ocean covers more than 70 percent of the surface of our planet.

It's hard to imagine, but about 97 percent of the Earth's water can be found in our ocean. Of the tiny percentage that's not in the ocean, about two percent is frozen in glaciers and ice caps. Less than one percent of all the water on Earth is fresh. A tiny fraction of water exists as water vapor in our atmosphere.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there are over 1,386,000,000 cubic kilometers (332,519,000 cubic miles) of water on the planet. A cubic mile is the volume of a cube measuring one mile on each side. Of this vast volume of water, NOAA's Data Center estimates that 1,335,000,000 cubic kilometers (321,003,271 cubic miles) is in the ocean.That's enough water to fill about 352,670,000,000,000,000,000 gallon-sized milk containers!

The Atlantic Ocean alone contains approximately 310,410,900 cubic kilometers of water, which is about 23.3% of the total volume of the world's oceans. It is the second largest, with the Pacific being the largest, and followed by the Indian and the Southern Oceans. Eventually, we will travel them all. Occasionally we see another ship, usually carrying cargo and sometimes, off in the distance, an oil rig in the middle of nowhere.

It's been a smooth and enjoyable sailing and at times I feel as though we're being rocked to sleep by the gentle sway of the ship. Yesterday, was a change of pace, however, when the winds kicked up to hurricane force. Mother nature just wanted to show off some of her fury. Modern cruise ships are equipped to handle winds of anywhere from 57 to 80 miles per hour. This storm was reported to have winds at 60 mph. Our skilled captain employed the ship's stabilizers and altered the course slightly, so we survived with minimal amounts of water flooding the 11th deck - apparently the water splashing on the sliding glass door sensors kept opening them and allowing the water to pour into the ship. Next time, if there is one, they'll be sure to adjust the sensors!

One of my blog followers inquired: "Do you have a daily routine or just approach each day as it comes?" Well, Nancy it's a little of both. We're early risers so I always walk at least a mile or two early in the morning on Deck 12 (unless it's raining - then Deck 5). I listen to an audible book while I get some exercise. Then, it's off to the Windjammer restaurant for breakfast. That's about it for the routine. After that it's -

The ship has a mutitude of activities to choose from daily. For instance, during the storm we were in the centrum watching fellow passengers drop fresh eggs in carefully crafted "carriages" from Deck 9 to Deck 4. They used all sorts of creative structures, hoping to hit the target on the protected floor below and have their egg survive the flight in tact. The winner actually had created a mini landing gear for his craft. 39 entries in all so it was great entertainment.

Our evening typically falls back to a routine with cocktails at 5 and dinner at 5:30, followed by a variety of headliner shows at 6:30 or 7PM. I personally love watching the female trombone player who is part of the Serenade of the Seas orchestra. Jeff enjoyed the acrobats who demonstrated amazing strength and agility. Hopefully, we can adjust our habits to fit back into our daily, less entertaining routine by the time we return to Wyoming in September!