I have not looked at forecasts, but from what has been mentioned there is another storm is on the way to western France and sounds like the whole ocean is going to be somewhat rough for a while to come. Mein Schiff 3 was just ahead of Balmoral (when she turned last night) and continued in the same direction, now off the Portuguese cost, just north of Lisbon. Bollette was there on (I think Monday), so missed the worst, though seas were rough in the bay then. A number of ships seem to have hit heavy weather returning to the UK late last week and seems ports are currently being skipped/changed in the Med as well. I have heard the planes from Jersey airport are currently parked up in Liverpool Airport. Whilst the tips of some tree branches (not all) are waving around gently, it is pretty calm up here. The main thing is that the ship, the passengers and the staff are safe... and for that we are grateful. Two yellow rain warnings will also be in place covering areas of Scotland between 3pm on Wednesday through to midnight - one in central Scotland, from the north of Glasgow across towards Aberdeen, and another in the far south-west of Scotland. Today the Balmoral had planned to be in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria but currently the ship is still on the quay at Getxo and is reporting 6.5 m/s winds from the West and rough seas. Oil spill from Montara offshore oil platform in the Timor Sea – DLR, Wikimedia Commons) South China Sea

This wonderful quote about stormy seas highlights the importance of family in keeping us afloat during the most difficult times. About 10.30 this morning, the Balmoral published a course for Bilbao... about 300 nm off the original course. It seems a very long way to avoid a storm and so it may be that the Balmoral is hoping for some assistance from a ship repair yard or considering the option of flights to... ? Borealis was to have headed to the Azores from Liverpool yesterday, prior to heading on to Madeira, but has had to abandon that plan. She is now in Belfast today and (I think tomorrow), before heading on to Cobh, Vigo and Madeira. While the origin of this quote about life’s roughest storms is not known, the meaning is clear. We often do not know just how strong we are until we are tested.HMS Endymion rounding the Horn – Drawing by Herbert Roxby, Wikimedia Commons) Irminger Sea, between southern Greenland & Iceland

Though bearing the name of the famous English seaman Sir Francis Drake, whose ship was blown far south after passing through the Strait of Magellan, the passage was first traversed in 1616 by a Flemish expedition led by Willem Schouten. Satellite picture of the South China Sea – Serglo – from NASA World Wind Globe, Wikimedia Commons) Southern Ocean Gilbert Keith Chesterton was an early 20th century English author. In this quote, the ‘stormy sea’ is a metaphor for the struggles that life presents to us. Just like a rough sea, challenges in life are neither predictable nor in our control.Some cruisers who were onboard seem to have questioned why the ship sailed right into a severe storm which was forecast which was before the ship left the last port of call. Others have praised how well the Captain and crew handled the Balmoral in such a challenging situation.