A big high is sat over the Bay of Biscay, so the crossing thus far has been very smooth. However the captain gave an announcement earlier to inform us that foot and mouth has stretched it's influence all the way to Spain. The Spanish, in their enthusiasm for keeping the disease out, are checking out most vehicles arriving on the ferry, and the usual 45 minutes unloading time could be up to four hours. I hope not, as it'll throw my master plan out of kilter.
I managed to catch the GP on tv, although it was on RTL so I had to learn some German sharpish. Here's some phrases that may be usefull; "in der box" = "in the pits", and "Schumi!" applies to both Michael and Ralph. It looked like a pretty boring race to me, although I was thrilled to see Montoya stall in his pitstop - twice! (Why, in the middle of the Bay of Biscay, can I get perfect RTL and Channel 5 reception? I can barely get Channel 5 back in Manchester!)
I went out onto the helicopter deck as well, and was pleased to note that the temperature is climbing steadily. I read the poster describing 20 types of whale and dolphins, which you could see from this vantage point, presumably if someone plucked the ferry out of the sea and plonked it down somewhere else, closer to actual whales. In reality you'll be lucky to see anything at all, although the UK Whale Watch Foundation optimistically provide sighting forms, should the ferry run into a lost pod. Also optimistic were the group of anorak-clad tourists, glued to tripod mounted telescopes. Using my Mk1 Eyeball, the only thing I could see in a 360 degree arc around the ferry was some clouds and a container ship. Certainly nothing resembling Moby Dick.