DAY 15 AT SEA. MORNING.
The Australis Star left Bora Bora in the late afternoon, and overnight the wind and sea rose again, and passengers woke to the giddying movement of the ship as it breasted waves that splashed across the decks. In the breakfast hall, waiters carried trays loaded with food and crockery with practised ease, but many tables with their jaunty triangular folded napkins and sparking glassware were empty. Suddenly an announcement boomed into all the public areas of the ship.
THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING FROM THE BRIDGE. WE ARE EXPERIENCING SOME UNEXPECTED TURBULENCE. IT’S NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT, BUT FOR THE SAFETY OF PASSENGERS AND CREW, I HAVE INSTRUCTED THAT ALL DOORS LEADING TO THE DECKS ARE TO BE LOCKED, AND ALL OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES ARE TO BE SUSPENDED. ALL PASSENGERS
