We then spent the better part of the morning lounging about on the cabin’s balcony while Emerson played on beach tools that we placed down for her. The weather was “perfect” for us: overcast and slightly cool with the breeze. We grabbed some pizza for lunch and awaited our afternoon arrival in the Turks and Caicos (#72).

Our docking in Grand Turk was delayed as Regent’s Seven Seas Navigator was in our berth unexpectedly for a medical evacuation. I’ve never personally seen this before (a ship diverted to another port to offload a sick or injured passenger), though we’ve witnessed countless passengers getting carted off in ambulances at planned stops. After the Regent ship departed, we docked a few minutes later than our scheduled arrival time.

Knowing this would be a short duration call and an afternoon arrival (a recipe for everyone trying to leave at once), we waited a bit for the masses of humanity to depart the ship before heading out. Grand Turk is a small and uninteresting island for sightseeing. Knowing this, we planned to just stroll around the port area, replace a favorite Margaritaville t-shirt of mine that met an untimely demise in a washing machine mishap, look at the beaches (surf was too high to take Emerson swimming), and enjoy a couple of drinks with fruit slices and cute little umbrellas. And, that’s pretty much exactly what we did.

On returning to the ship, I noticed that HAL’s Nieuw Amsterdam was stopped in the channel a few ship lengths behind our stern on the starboard side. Shortly after, she steamed away. I have to imagine that she too was here for a medical evacuation, which is not surprising given HAL’s manifest of ancient mariners… but still… two unplanned stops in Grand Turk in one day? WTF?

Here’s a photo of sunset (and the HAL ship):

Tonight we (aside from Libby’s parents, who are now both in norovirus purgatory) had dinner at the Crown Grill, Princess’s steakhouse at sea. It was excellent. Libby and Pop had huge veal chops. Mom and I ate beef tenderloin. As usual, I asked to make mine ‘surf and turf.’ But, our waiter produced five lobster tails for the entire table! As not everyone wanted lobster, let’s just say I ate well more than my fair share, lest I completely embarrass my gluttonous self. The ‘Black and Blue Onion Soup’–basically French Onion soup made with Jack Daniel’s and blue cheese added to the gruyere–was also a highlight and better than I’d remember. The only disappointment was the smoked scallop appetizer. While the scallops were fine, I thought the dish generally lacked flavor and the potato plank was undercooked (unless you’re eating fries, potatoes shouldn’t be al dente).

Emerson was very good at dinner (as she’s been all trip), but she grew tired before dessert. So, I finished up with Mom and Pop and then returned to the cabin with a molten lava cake and double chocolate ice cream for Libby. She ate it while we chatted on the balcony, Emerson sleeping peacefully inside the cabin.

What a good day!

Today’s box score: +1 country (Turks and Caicos)

7 Day Eastern Caribbean on Ruby Princess

We’ll be aboard the Ruby Princess, adding at least three new “countries” to the total (St. Martin, St. Maarten, and the Turks and Carcos). If I can pull it off, Libby and I might also try to make a run for Anguilla from St. Martin / St.Maarten as well, which would give us one more. Emerson, on the other hand, will bag at least five: she’s not been to the Bahamas nor the US Virgin Islands yet.

More to follow… I’ll try to write most days from the ship.