About 10.30 this morning, the Balmoral published a course for Bilbao... about 300 nm off the original course. It seems a very long way to avoid a storm and so it may be that the Balmoral is hoping for some assistance from a ship repair yard or considering the option of flights to... ? Robin Sharma is a Canadian writer, best known for his The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari book series. The meaning of this rough seas quote is obvious – it’s that adversity is character-building.

The only other cruise ship on the Balmoral's original course in that area is the Spirit of Discovery which is just off La Coruna. The Discovery is reporting experiencing a gale with 19.5 m/s winds (about 38 knots)and high seas with 7.5 m waves.He warned of potential disruption to ferry services across the Irish Sea, bridge closures, power cuts and "small amounts" of damage to buildings. The strait is named after James Cook, the first European commander to sail through it in 1770. It was the scene of two of New Zealand’s worst maritime catastrophes; the Penguin disaster in 1909 and the sinking of the ferry Wahine in 1968. Drake Passage, Southern tip of South America The Balmoral had windows/porthole(s) blown in late last year.That's now been repeated within the last day.. That's two instances of Balmoral windows/portholes being blow--in within a year.

There are several theories explaining the continuous storms. The high winds sweeping across the lake crash into the cool air spilling down from the Andes, forcing it upward as thunder clouds. Another factor could be the boggy marshes which release methane gas. Oil spill from Montara offshore oil platform in the Timor Sea – DLR, Wikimedia Commons) South China Sea The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean or the Austral Ocean, circles round Antarctica and comprises the southern-most parts of the world’s oceans. It is where cold, northward flowing waters from the Antarctic mix with warmer subantarctic waters. It is subject to frequent huge swells, many rough seas and the frequently occurring threat of icebergs at any time of year. Some may have drafts of several hundred meters, but even smaller ones, together with iceberg fragments and sea ice, also pose problems for ships. The fact that it is less well travelled and documented than any other ocean makes it even more hazardous and its remoteness makes sources of search and rescue scarce. We are likely to potentially see some damaging winds, the possibility of some brief power interruptions, particularly in Irish sea coastal areas," Mr Morgan said. According to Windfinder, the winds on the North coast of Spain are forecast to significantly subdue in the early hours of Sunday. Offshore speeds of about 25 - 30 knots seem to be more likely by midday on Sunday... but still these winds will be from the West.

This occurs when there's a rapid fall of pressure inside the centre of the low pressure and can lead to violent winds developing However there seems to have been a change of mind about 9.00 pm on the 1 November the Balmoral turned eastwards in parallel to the northern Spanish coast.. The Balmoral is currently doing about 12 knots but is being pushed along through mountainous 9m high seas by a 18.2 m/s gale. The undisputed fact is that the Balmoral sailed into a severe gale and sea state 8, although there is a question of whether or not weather of that severity had been forecast. Comments from one or two people who claim to have been on board have praised the Captain and crew but without giving much detail of the conditions, the event, the state of the ship or why they believe things were handled well.