T - 38 minutes. 3:48 am. Collectively, we are 6 coffees in. Pacing back and forth to a Sonny Rollins set list in our cruise cabin, we periodically go out on the deck to look at the white-out cloud cover, in the direction of the eclipse. We’ve had several analytic days of discussing weather patterns, wind and wave heights, and the best location for eclipse viewing. IF we can see it, this eclipse is short. 93 seconds. We took extreme measures and booked a nine-day cruise so we would be in optimal viewing location, just off Antarctica. We’ve had several practice runs. We KNOW the ship is angled into the swells and we are to look 30 degrees aft stern (whoa, a few days on board, and lookie how Nautical we are…). To mitigate the crowds and maximize safe viewing, half of the passengers (port side) are told to stay in our rooms to watch the show. The other half are on Deck 6. T - 13 OMG! All of a sudden, the clouds are in a pattern, covering blue skies. COULD it be? Just 5 minutes ago, I called out to Anne Marie, our friend who just passed and was gifted at shifting weather (or so we thought, as she could usually find the sunset, despite the odds). “Anne Marie, please help to create a situation where we can see the Eclipse!” Kara came portside, dressed in ski pants and full parka, to watch from our cabin. Telling her about the opening clouds and Anne Marie (coincidence, or not?) I heard her say, “Anne Marie. Come on. Dad, Come on!”. Over the PA system, “Ladies & Gentlemen. 10 minutes to totality.” Totality. The clouds returned for a thick cover. The eclipse happened. We saw the sky go from day into night and back again. We just didn’t see any details. Part of the thrill is the chase. In this case, the multi-day chase was quite a commitment. We chase. Sometimes we catch. |
Travel is our passion. That, and dancing. Eclipses are pretty cool too.
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