April 5, 2023 – Day 105 (Day two of five at sea.)
This has been a trip of firsts for Donna and I. Our first world cruise, first time visiting so many new countries, our first time being gone so long, away from our home, family and friends. For all the time we spent planning for this trip, we never expected this coming experience. We are currently sailing from Mumbai, India (#1 on the map), across the Arabian Sea, through the Gulf of Aden to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (#2 on the map). As we sail into the Gulf of Aden, on our port (left) side will be the country of Somalia. Yep, that Somalia! Complete with pirates made famous by the Tom Hanks film ‘Captain Phillips’.
While pirate attacks have been reduced over the years, they haven’t completely gone away. They have been reduced mainly due to ships increasing their level of protection. Still, we were a bit surprised to have received the following letter from our Captain telling us what our ship is doing to help us all stay safe.
So… over the next few days at sea, the ship will get prepared and hopefully, we’ll be well protected from pirates. But in case we get captured by pirates, know that we love you and value your friendship and support over the years. We promise to not call or email you to help with any ransom!
P.S. We are still processing our 5 days in India and will post our adventures soon, but thought we’d let you know what was going on here in real time!