‘Scenic sailing’ in Milford Sound was on the menu today, and indeed we were treated to the sight of magnificent rock faces and waterfalls looming through the mist. Turning back into the open sea, however, the already bumpy weather conditions built dramatically and the captain informed us that the wind, which was gusting to 40 knots and predicted to drop, was by now gusting to 65 and 70 knots. There was some sense of rolling and everyone was staggering a little but activities continued as usual – I joined a Ladies Lunch at Compass Rose, where a lot of ginger ale was consumed, then retired to my suite. And then ended up not leaving for several hours while the wind continued to strengthen, doors banged, drawers flew open and loose objects tumbled off the surfaces. I managed to go to Art Director Christian Orland’s early-evening lecture about five grand masters in the Constellation Theatre, and it was unusual to say the least to see our lecturer standing braced at a strange angle and the screen flicking up and down with the ship’s movement. The storm grew to a Category II hurricane (wind 100 knots and more) and waves were up to 12 metres high – some passengers thoroughly enjoyed the drama put on by Mother Nature and the captain kept us all updated regularly. At 4am Wednesday morning a ‘Code Bravo’ was broadcast from the bridge, which I now know means there is a fire on board and crew are on standby. There was a small electrical fire on the aft of Deck 12, so the power was shut off to all aft decks while it was brought under control. At that point I got out of bed (memo to self, always bring a small flashlight), found my clothes with the help of my mobile phone light, and made my way to the reception area on Deck 5. A few people were milling about and our rather exhausted cruise director, Paul Reynolds, was on hand to inform and reassure guests. The electricity was out for maybe an hour but I must say everything was handled calmly and efficiently and by the next day, when conditions were calmer, most people were talking about it with a sense of excitement. And relief that it was over …