Today is the first of 4 days at sea as we sail south east along the Red Sea towards the Gulf of Aden - pirate territory. Although only one attempt has ever been made to capture a cruise ship, here, on board, security is being taken very seriously. Preparations have been in place for a few days now to ensure the ship and those on board are kept safe as we sail through the area renowned for hijacks by Somali pirates. The area in which they operate in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean is bigger than the whole of The UK and Europe. A Royal Navy officer from the MOD has been on board since Malta to liaise with the multinational task force which patrols these waters. in addition there are armed guards on board and 3 ex Marines who are also security experts.
We have already practised the safety drill which requires all passengers to go to their cabins in the event of an attack. Those who paid a shed load more for outside cabins and balconies have to sit in the corridors. Those of us who could only afford the cheap inside cabins should be able to enjoy a good night's sleep in the highly unlikely event of an attack. This arrangement appeals to the revolutionary socialists amongst us. Security is evident on the ship. Extra lookouts patrol the promenade deck, although they appear to have a low boredom threshold spending much time looking through the ship's windows rather than out to sea. We assume they will be manning the ship's fire hoses which have been unwound and are attached to the railings. Sophisticated sound equipment has been rigged up both sides of the deck which, on approach by an unknown vessel emits a very high pitched noise to deter boats coming closer to the ship. The ship's several musical groups will also play sounds of the 60s which might be more effective.
The use of hoses is a slightly more low key and British style of deterrent than that allegedly used by the Indian and Russian Navy a couple of years ago who proceeded to blow any suspicious looking vessels out of the water. For some reason Russian and Indian vessels are no longer hijacked. An unfortunate side effect of this strategy is that the Somali fishing fleet has been decimated.
Life on the ship has slowed to a very leisurely pace in proportion to increased sunshine and temperatures. The temperature is now in the mid to high 20s and the humidity is creeping up too. Be assured that your correspondents are maintaining their hydration levels.