Stars lighting up the North Sea

They scrub up well, the Saganauts. Yesterday was a relaxing introduction to the Spring Time in Norway cruise on Saga Pearl II, a calm day spent threading our way through the oil and gas rigs of the North Sea en route to our first port of call, Stavanger.
Putting any concerns about the general election and the airport closures behind them, passengers had all the time in the world to explore the newly-refurbished ship; to select something to read from the extensive new library, or to listen to lectures about the destinations ahead, and an amusing talk on the quirks of Norway.
By 6.15 pm it was time for Captain David Warden Owen’s welcome cocktail party, and a line of dinner-suited and cocktail-frocked passengers waited patiently to shake his hand at the entrance to the Discovery Lounge.
Although he was involved in the later stages of the ship’s £25m re-fit in Swansea which was completed in March, this is his first time in command of Saga Pearl II, and I fear he may have been carried away by the moment when he described the day’s sailing as being almost like being in the Mediterranean.
Calm it may have been, but there had been a distinct northern chill in the air on the open decks.
After a glass or two of champagne, and a brief introduction to the senior members of crew – many of whom regular passengers would have met on Saga Ruby, Saga Rose or Spirit of Adventure – it was time for the gala dinner, with lobster tail and tournedos of beef almost inevitably featuring on the menu.
Shackleton’s Bar was almost empty after dinner. Unless they were watching the production show in the Discovery Lounge, passengers had retired early to their cabins. Even the huge selection of late-night snacks went largely untouched; here on Saga Pearl II, the midnight buffet opens at 10.45 pm.
I have been amusing myself picking out celebrity lookalikes on this voyage. In the cruise terminal at Southampton on Tuesday I was convinced that Michael Winner and the Rev Ian Paisley were among those waiting to board. In the restaurant last night I picked out Prince Charles and Camilla – on the same table, but not, I suspected, sharing a cabin. Who knows who else is on board? By the end of the week we could be joined by Gordon Brown and a prematurely-ageing David Cameron.
More mischief from me tomorrow, internet access permitting.