Gym's Ramblings: Atlantic Odyssey 2025: Transatlantic Crossing

Gym's roommate in the Dining Room on Vista

May 6, 2025

After sailing to some great ports in closer proximity to Miami, the MS Vista was ready to return to the Old World. On April 30, 2025, she returned to Miami and swapped out a bunch of landlubbers for more seasoned, seafaring types. The new people all signed on for the transatlantic crossing which would see the ship return to Europe, where in was launched in 2023. The route would have them make brief stops at Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas and Bermuda (again) before crossing to the Azores and then on to Lisbon, Portugal.

After leaving Miami at dinner on May 1, the Vista sailed all night and anchored just off Great Stirrup Cay. This island is owned by Norwegian Cruise Lines and is part of the Berry Islands that lie between Freeport on Grand Bahama Island and Nassau on New Providence Island. The north shore of the cay has some nice beaches and there was a decent steel drum band there to greet the day-trippers. Mr. G and his sidekick explored the entire cay and then walked down the nice sandy beach to wade into the warm surf.

A few hours later, Vista hauled up the anchor and headed east for Bermuda, some 1450 kilometres away. It would take 48 hours to get there and they arrived at the Royal Naval Dockyards on the morning of May 4. Our adventurers woke up that morning and decided to take a ferry into Hamilton and walk around a bit. They ended up thoroughly traipsing around the capital in the heat and humidity and after about a 10-k stroll they had a pretty good feeling for the place. Later, they returned to the Dockyards on the ferry, beating the 'All-Aboard' call by about an hour or so. Before nightfall, the ship would begin the 3328-kilometre sea voyage to Horta in the Azores.

This morning, the MS Vista is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, almost halfway between Bermuda and the Azores. The bottom of the ocean lies 5550 meters below the hull. She is cruising along at 17 nmph and is expected to reach the Azores on May 9, 2025. The seas are calm and there hasn't been any choppy water since the ship left Miami. Gym and his fetching bride are blessed with all these mostly sunny days and flat water. Each day, after taking a bath in 60 spf sunscreen, our hero is allowed to go out onto the decks and enjoy the limitless horizons and the fine weather.

So far we still have plenty of fruit, so Gym is not worried about scurvy. In addition, everyone is getting along just fine, so no one has had to walk the plank.

Stay tuned!

more pics to follow