Good Day everyone and its a great day  up in New Caledonia – fantastic weather.

I am delighted to be back on board the Pacific Dawn and sampling once again  the interesting variety of cruises out of Sydney, with the wit and good cheer of our Australian passengers. Recent visits to charming Wala and the magnificent Champagne Bay, way up in Vanuatu,  have been enjoyed by us all. Summer is well on its way and I am pleased to see that the Australian weather is finally living up to its promise, after the winter winds and spring dust storms.

We are just back from our “Spring Racing Bliss” cruise down to Victoria, a first for me. Along with some of our off-duty crew members, my wife Janette and I took the efficient transfer bus service up to the Flemington Race course  for a day at the races, meeting many of our enthusiastic and well dressed passengers on route. I have to hand it once again to Australia, you certainly  know how to do these events in style. Lovely weather through until the end of the racing, a great atmosphere and we had a lot of fun watching the hats, outfits, smart people and of course meeting up with both our passengers and fellow crew members. Our glamorous and very visible Cruise Director Zoltina-J featured in the press with her outfit and self-created hat wowing the media. I placed a few bets and was delighted to end up the day ahead on my earnings. Rumour has it that our Hotel Director Simon, a wealthier individual, was even more ahead but he had been studying form throughout the first part of the cruise.

It was a privilege to take the Pacific Dawn  “Spring Racing Bliss” cruise down south and like many I enjoyed visiting Melbourne, dining out on the impressive Yarra Southbank on a balmy evening, catching up with friends, viewing the ever expanding skyline of this gracious city  and rediscovering the excellent shopping and tours. We expect many return visits to the Melbourne Cup series by the P&O Cruises fleet in the years to come and I look forward to doing it all over again, but will be paying more attention to studying form next time, in an effort to match the expertise and winnings of our Hotel Director. However as a racing novice I found it was a great way to do the Cup, one of the premier Australian sporting events.

We look forward to seeing you aboard next time.

David Box
Captain

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