Spirit of Discovery blog

It's Sunday morning and at 0645 we embark the local pilot for the 7 mile run into our berth. It’s a fresh morning with winds around 20-25 knots. Once we get in to the inner harbour the wind drops down to 15-20 knots and with such a great ship I am able to dock the ship without a tug. At 0815 we are all clear and our Guests are free to proceed ashore.

Unsurprisingly no-one other than those on tour are rushing ashore as with great entertainment last night a “leisurely” start is the order of the day. The first of our Tours head off to Cap de la Hague, closely followed by a trip to the Bayeux Tapestry Museum & Cathedral. There are also great tours to “Utah Beach” and the Airborne Troops Museum”. “D-Day Landing Beaches” and “Scenic Barfleur”.

I had originally planned to go off on my bike but with the winds freshening during the afternoon it was prudent to stay on board. Instead I headed to our superb gym which is high up in the ship and with great views out to sea or in this case across the harbour!! The gym has the latest “Technogym” equipment and there is even a dedicated aerobics studio to host the many classes our fitness director arranges.

I take lunch with some of our guests and its sunny enough to dine alfresco on the lido deck. I like to regularly join different guests in the grill for breakfast and lunch as it gives me the opportunity to meet more people and find out what’s happening around the ship from the guest perspective.

It’s a windy departure but as soon as we let go the lines the ship drifts off the berth, so then it’s a case of getting headway quickly before we end up on the other side of the harbour. We are clear of the harbour by 1800 and we then set course for our return to Dover.

Captain Julian Burgess