Grand Caymen. We rise early again as its a short port today, and get a quick breakfast on our balcony. Today is the only tender for this half of the cruise, so we go down seven decks to the tender platform on deck three - a segment of the ship's hull opens out into a loading-bay type affair where the tenders (aka lifeboats) are brought alongside. Around 70 people at a time are carried in these - roughly half the distress capacity, but they always seem full, so let's hope we never need to test them properly!
In is a short drive right into the centre of Georgtown, one of the benefits of tendering. We do a quick walk around the 'sites and sights' of the town, visiting the old fort, the 500 anniversary monument erected in 2003, and the George V clock tower. From the latter you might correctly guess that this island is one of ours, they drive and the proper side of the road here, and sell fuel in Imperial gallons, it's all very quaint. And strangers still say 'good morning' as we pass, it's like being back in our village, apart from the 30 degrees and blistering sunshine!
Then we set out walking North towards Seven Mile Beach. No prizes for working out why, we stick to the road, which is lined first with banks, then shops and other trades, before it opens out into hotel and apartment complexes, with a few scattered private estates and country clubs. After five miles we hang a left, and walk the 100 yards to the beach and set off back along the waters edge, remembering to remove footwear first!
It's great to watch a pelican lazily feasting just feet away from us, diving right next to the odd swimmer. Before long I get the urge to get wet, but here there's little to see, apart from the white fish the pelican loves, and thousands of tiny ones just inches from the waters edge. Further on I go in again, and this time find some denser vegetation and in there are more of the expected fish of many colours, not as much as I saw last week in Mexico. Fabulously an Eagle Ray lazily glides under me like a mini Vulcan bomber, without a care in the world, which makes my day - they are quite timid in the Maldives, but this one was just inches away.
We continue our walk back along the beach until it turns to rock, and we head back to the road for the last mile or so. Regulars will know that we have some quirky rules - like fish and chips on the V&A in Cape Town, Oysters in Walvis Bai, and Mars bars at the co-op in the Falklands. In Grand Caymen it is turtle burgers - sadly today there isn't time because we have to sail at lunch time and ten miles has consumed all the little time we had. It was a difficult decision but on balance we thought that more time on the beach was preferred to a (too) early burger.
We catch the penultimate tender back to the ship, stagger up seven floors, quickly shower and then head up on deck (happily only up one more) to watch the tenders get winched back onboard, and for the sailaway. A cheeky Chardonnay with lunch helps the process along. Later we add a couple more miles to the spreadsheet and catch up with some of our regular Aussie groupies. The sun is on our balcony so canapés are taken with the remains of the Chardonnay before we don Dinner Jackets for the last time this cruise.
The evening is upside down so we go the the show at 1900 which is a repeat of the Encore performance from the last cruise, husband and wife singers are very good and it's a great show to take humming into dinner. We've gone off-piste and ordered lobster Thermidor for a change, and it is excellent. As we have no time constraints we sneak in a cheese course and are the last to be thrown out of the Pinnacle.
It's been a long day and an early night is required, although the cost to me is I'm now writing this at 0400 because my mind will not switch off, it's just like being back at work!
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