| It was raining heavily in the morning. It was a little strange first experience to have rain in the midst of the ocean among the 360 degree horizon. The ship continued to cruise south west in the west side of Madagascar. We were to call a port of Madagascar yesterday, but the political turmoil there alerted the cruise company and the call was cancelled. As a result, 4.5 days of cruise were to continue from Seychelles to South Africa, and today was the 3rd day.
A relatively calmer cruise continued since yesterday's noon until noon today, but then the swell came again and the ship began to pitch quite violently in the afternoon. In fact, we met the most violent pitch in this cruise. But we two were all right fortunately.
The ship continued to sail towards south west, and the swell came from south south west. Remembering the south east swell yesterday morning, we reasoned that this south south west swell was a refracted swell at the southern tip of Madagascar, and that the ship would be shaked more violently by the direct south east swell when the ship would leave Madagascar.
Shig stood at different points on the ship and studied pitching. It seemed that the rotation moment center of the ship was around the point one floor above the sea level and 1/3 from the stern. When Shig stood at the restaurant near that center point, the floor indeed tilted but no up-down movement was felt. When Shig stood at exactly above the center on the deck, 6 floors above, small pitching was felt, but up-down movement was stronger towards the bow or the stern, in proportion to the distance from the center. Our room was located 1/4 from the bow on the deck level, and was found near the point of the most violent pitching. Shig was afraid that the whisky bottles on the bar shelf above the desk might fall down and fixed them by stuffing something.
The lunch was prepared by the main restaurant as Easter buffet with many Easter decorations. We got together with Ambassador & Mrs. Alan Nazareth at a table, who were on board for a lecture series. They were quite interested in Japan and we in India, and we talked and talked until everyone was gone and the buffet was closed.
In this "Casual" day, we dined with Joe & June again, and Ron & Vi again. Both Shig and Sue took sculop and glass noodle.
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朝激しく雨が降っていた。360度の水平線の大洋の真ん中で雨とは、やや不思議な初めての経験だった。船はMadagascarの西側を南西に航海を続けていた。本当は昨日Madagascarに寄港するはずだったが、現地の政情不安が報道され、トラブルを恐れた船会社が寄港を取りやめたため、Seychellesから南アフリカまで4.5日間の連続航海となり、今日はその3日目だ。我が船会社は安全第一主義だ。残念だが良いことだ。それにしてもMadagascarの不穏な政情不安は間が悪かった。
昨日午後から比較的穏やかな航海が午前中まで続いたが、午後またうねりが生じて船は前後に激しくPitchingするようになった。今までで最も揺れが激しかったが、二人とも幸い元気だった。しかしこの機会に船の揺れに関して少々観測することが出来た。
態々デッキに出て観測した所によれば、南西に航海し続ける船に対して、うねりは南南西から来るようになった。昨日午前中に南東からのうねりに揉まれたことを想起すれば、この南南西のうねりはMadagascar南端から回折して北に向かったうねりと思われ、Madagascar島を船が離れた時にはまた南東のうねりを直接受けてもっと揺れるのではないかと心配された。
船の色々な場所に立って前後の揺れ、つまりPitchingの揺れ方を研究した。船のエンジンルームは当然後方にあって重心が後にあるらしく、船の長手方向の回転モーメントの中心は中央より後方の1対2の辺りで、水面より1階ほど上にあると見た。その位置にあるレストランや近くの図書室に行ってみると、確かに前後には若干傾くものの上下に揺れることはない。それより6階分上にあたるデッキに立つと、中心の真上では揺れが小さいのに対して、中心から離れるに従って上下運動が激しくなり、正負の"g"を感じる。我々の部屋はデッキレベルで舳先から1/4ほどの位置なので、船の中では最も揺れの激しい位置に近い。机の頭上にあるバーの棚に置いてあるだけで手付かずのウイスキーの瓶が転げ落ちそうで、棚に詰め物をして固定した。
昼食は主レストランがEaster buffetを用意した。Easterの飾りつけをふんだんに置いたバイキングだ。食卓では一連の講演のために乗船しているAmbassador & Mrs. Alan Nazarethと一緒になった。新婚旅行が日本だったという先方は日本の政治経済に興味があり、こちらはインドに興味があって話しがはずみ、誰もいなくなってBuffetの片付けが始まるまで話し込んだ。
”Casual"の日だった。一緒になったのは再びJoe & June、再びRon & Viだった。重悳もスミヱも貝柱とハルサメを食べた。
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When Shig asked the night-duty receptionist Caroline what it was, she said it was Easter today. Later everyone said "Happy Easter !" each other. After the maid cleaned our room in the morning, there was on the table an egg-shaped chocolate rabit elaborately worked.
