Cruise W1017
on the Black Watch
to the Black Sea

(Please scroll down to see my photographs and report)


Date:	Port:	Escort:	Comment:
24/09/2010	Valetta Malta	-	EasyJet flight from Gatwick
26/09/2010	Piraeus Greece	-	Hot!
28/09/2010	Nessebar Bulgaria	Scenic & Folklore	Charming town & dancing
29/09/2010	Odessa Ukraine	-	Impressive
30/09/2010	Yalta Ukraine	Romanov's holidays	Austere palace & more dancing!
01/10/2010	Sevastopol Ukraine	Highlights	Spectacular Crimean panorama!
02/10/2010	Istanbul Turkey	Classical	Blue mosque & Hagia Sophia
04/10/2010	Canakkale Turkey	Troy & Assos	Disappointing Troy but beautiful Assos!
06/10/2010	Heraklion Crete	-	As good as Charnia
09/10/2010	Palma de Mallorca		Hot!
11/10/2010	Gibraltar	Panoramic & Flamenco	Yet more dancing!
15/10/2010	South- ampton		Home by 9:00 am!

Paul, Jan & Mike

Valletta, Malta

Palma de Mallorca

The Convent, Gibraltar

Here is my cruise report...

This was another cruise that started badly but ended well. Two days before being due to sail from Southampton I was struck down with a painful virus and had to cancel. However the following week Fred. Olsen wanted to fly me out to Malta! After 2 hours stuck on the runway at Gatwick waiting for the French air traffic controllers' strike to end, I had an easy flight out with EasyJet. A limo whisked me to the ship where I was eagerly greeted.

In Piraeus I walked into town in both the morning and afternoon to take pictures for a future port talk.

Nessebar in Bulgaria was a charming ancient town full of Orthodox churches in various states of disrepair. The scenic tour ended with a wine, cheese and salami salad whilst watching (and joining in) some folk dancing which (not surprisingly) was halfway bewteen Greek and Cossack dancing.

Again in Odessa I walked into the impressive town in both the morning and afternoon to take pictures for a future port talk. In the morning I climbed the famous "Battleship Potemkin" steps but in the afternoon I opted for the free funicular railway!

In Yalta we glimpsed the famous Swallow's Nest Castle before visiting the austere palace where Stalin met Roosevelt and Churchill. We were refreshed with Russian tea and cakes whilst watching (and joining in) more folk dancing.

In Sevastopol we were all blown away by the spectacular panorama of the Crimean war. The Classical tour in Istanbul included the Hippodrome, the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar. I spent the second day there taking photographs for a future port talk.

In Canakkale the all day tour was great but Troy was disappointing. Assos on the other hand had magnificent ruins on a fantastic site. The barbequed meat ball lunch on the sea's edge overlooking Lesbos was lovely.

No tours in Heraklion on Crete and Palma on Mallorca so more photography.

The tour in Gibraltar had only one sightseeing stop at Europa Point which was being re-developed. The border crossing into Spain was tedious both ways but worth it for the Flamenco show with extensive tapas and sangria. The sailaway from Gib involved more sangria too!

I was off the ship in Southampton by 7:45 am and home by 9:00 am!

For the record ...

Ship: Black Watch.
Captain: Terje Ulset (are FOCL Captains getting younger or am I getting older?)
Food: Good.
Tours: in six ports.
Weather: Lovely throughout except one rain shower in Sevastopol and strong winds in Yalta.
Sailaways: Two, Istanbul and Gibraltar.
Tea dance: Two.
Masonics: Hosted by me.
Dinner host: No.
Line dancing: All over before I joined. Mike and Jan did some Latin Line dancing.
Sequence dancing: Mike and Jan spent two whole classes on the Tango Serida and one on the Sally Ann Cha Cha.
Ballroom dancing: Lots.
Western night: All over before I arrived.
Tropical night: Yes, Mike & Jan ran this including "Shake it up" aka "Hold ya head".
British (Red, White & Blue) night: Yes.
Singles party: No, over before I embarked.
Singles lunch: No.
Formal nights: Three.
Cocktail parties: Two - I missed out on another three!
Cruise Director: Ronnie Finch.
Assistant Cruise Director: Simon Powell.
Host/ess: Simon 'Skippy' Vickers.
Cabin mate: Paul Hemmings from Bovington.
Dance couple: Mike Hallworth and Jan(et) Warren.
Other dance hosts: No.
Lecturer(s): Ian Sinclair (ports), Peter Dorling (BBC), Roger Cartwright (naval), Mansell Gray (art), Philip Goodband (wine) & Lee Reynolds (Tiller girl).
Comedian: Andy Rudge and Peter Antony.
Magician: Andre Payne.
Musician(s): Aviva (Sam & Louise), Timeline (Trevor & Theresa), Beverley Davison (violinist), Alan Shiels (pianist), Steve Lowdell (pianist) Alfonso Paclibar (pianist), Philip Lange (pianist) and David McArthur (painist).
Singer(s): Andrew Robley and Fe.
Cabin: 3080 - Outside twin
Passenger(s): Catherine & Jenny from Croydon, Christina, Barbara & Rosemary, Shirley & Vera, Betty (several), Margaret (several), Mary, Jill, Lesley, Margarita, Liz, Alan, Peter and others!
Good, free wi-fi: The quayside in Valletta, Piraeus and Gibraltar; McDonalds in Odessa and Sevastopol; the main square in Istanbul, Heraklion and Palma; the lunch hotel in Assos.