July 21, 2024

New rudder stocks being installed. Oh happy day!

Finally the tides have turned in our favor! The two rudder stocks have been signed off and approved by the inspection agency and are being installed on the ship. The hope is to be flooding the dry dock tomorrow and allowing us to finally float again. They will then move the ship out of dock area and get the all the in water testing done and signed off, so we can embark and set sail out of Belfast on our maiden voyage. The anticipated sail date and time is 20:00 ( or 8pm ) on Tuesday, July 30th. Below is the revised itinerary showing the departure of July 30th and the revisions needed to balance of segment & two to incorporate the delays. Canada and the East Coast of USA have been removed for now, for several reasons. I actually like revisions, in that it gives us back some of European ports I was looking forward to sooner than later and adds Portugal, the Azores and Bermuda sooner than later. By segment 3 we are caught back up to originally planned itinerary. So any guest want to join me in August , September or October? Just let me know!

Revised Itinerary
By Patricia Patrick February 23, 2026
I love a good architectural tour and even though I did this one last time I was here, the story is so interesting, I decided to do again. Plus they are always updates and changes in operations at the Sydney Opera House . This tour didn't disappoint - I saw new theater spaces and gained new insights to the story of it's construction from concept in 1958, to it's opening in 1973. The drama that played out for Danish architect Jorn Utzon , who won the commission out of 300 submissions and never got to seen the final building.He was fired by local politician, in election year, when project was grossly over budget and schedule. The building is an engineering marvel and I love so many of the details!
By Patricia Patrick February 23, 2026
I love to get to know an interesting neighborhood when visiting a big city. Newtown is a creative, fun and slightly edgy area in Sydney known for its' preserved Victorian architecture, street art and it's lively, friendly food and bar scene. There is lots of live music, quirky bars (they call hotels) and the population there is the largest LGBTQ community in Sydney. It's young and vibrant with the University of Sydney right there. Great if you want a place with personality over polish!
By Patricia Patrick February 21, 2026
Sailing into Sydney Harbor is one of those iconic moments that will stand out in my memories for this adventure! Sydney is one of a few natural harbors, worldwide, like San Francisco , known for its sparkling waters, landmark sights, spectacular events and hundreds of miles of shoreline.