Ho! Ho! Ho! and a Bottle of Vicks®!

Sorry for the delay. We were sans internet for about 12 hours.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!

Oops! Wrong Canal!

Call me Pariah. Maybe it’s because I walk around the ship sneezing and coughing and carrying a box of Kleenex®. The only people who’ll have anything to do with me are my new bridge buddies — because they desperately need a fourth. They are Tony, retired Air Force Colonel who trained fighter pilots, and his wife Marti, who produced ads for radio and TV; and Louise, a PhD in Social Services Policy who is a hoot… and my partner. Since no one wants my germs, last evening I went to an actually-very-interesting talk on ‘Pirates and Treasure Hunters.’ According to the historian, piracy has been traced to the 12th century BCE, and the first pirates were known as ‘the sea people.’ Pirates infested the Caribe from 1650-1730, and Jamaica was Pirate HQ. Other words for ‘pirate’ • Corsairs • Buccaneers (from the French ‘buccan’ for meat smokers • Swashbucklers • Filibusters (!) • Jolly Rogers

‘Pirates’ Code of Conduct’ • No prey, no pay • No cards or dice • No booze or women • Lights out at 8 pm • Musicians rest on Sunday

‘X marks the spot’ (Treasure Island) There are still billions of gold doubloons and other currencies to be found on the ocean floor. Guess I’d better sign up for a diving excursion! Pirate Henry Morgan is said to have said: ‘If our numbers are small, our hearts are great.’ Just like the Cantemus motto: ‘Small Chorus. Grand Sound.’