Chief Officer
Chief Officer Priya Ramanathan
Mumbai, India
Runs the bridge like a chamber orchestra. Keeps a sunset spreadsheet.
Second in command and, by every measurable standard, the sharpest person on the ship. Formally trained at T.S. Chanakya, informally trained by two younger brothers she has never once lost an argument to. Sings opera in her cabin when she believes no one is listening. Someone is, occasionally, listening. She has been designated, without consultation, this passenger's adult supervisor. She is very good at it.
Portrait is a comic book invention. Under the conditions of my passage, no likeness of the working crew may appear here, names have been changed and faces drawn from memory.
Thursday, 15 October 2026A Detour for a Sailing Boat
A distress call, a change of course, a bridge full of quiet professionals, and the strange relief of being beaten to it.
Wednesday, 14 October 2026The Face on the Pillow
Container has stopped merely sleeping on my bed and started arranging herself so that the first thing I see each morning is her face.
Tuesday, 13 October 2026The Bridge Has a Biscuit Tin
Dawn drinks with Priya, an increasingly public biscuit collection, and a Pacific crossing measured in small familiar rituals.
Monday, 12 October 2026Engines We Will Never Fit
Tiny and I resume the imaginary engine swaps, with Big Kev providing engineering criticism nobody had requested.
Saturday, 10 October 2026Birthdays on the Back Deck
Elena takes the world menu outdoors, two birthdays are celebrated, and my policy on desserts undergoes public scrutiny again.
Friday, 9 October 2026Dawn and the Ginger Biscuits
Our early bridge visits are becoming a habit, and Priya has developed surprisingly precise views on biscuit selection.
Thursday, 8 October 2026The Hose and the Pacific
A supervised turn with the fire hose produces considerably more joy than is dignified for a man my age.
Wednesday, 7 October 2026Watching the Fire Drill
A bridge view of the fire drill reveals how much quiet preparation sits underneath an uneventful day at sea.
Sunday, 4 October 2026Busan Falls Astern
The cranes recede, the Pacific waits, and the biscuit collection acquires a regular appointment.
Saturday, 3 October 2026The Biscuit Inspection at Dawn
Coffee for Priya, tea for me, and a dawn assessment of a collection I had previously considered private.
Friday, 2 October 2026Busan and the Important Cargo
Busan supplies another impressive port, a short shopping expedition, and biscuits that immediately attract senior management.
Thursday, 1 October 2026A Cat, a Champion, and Korea Ahead
Container follows me to the bow, Priya retains the title, and Busan waits beyond the mist.
Wednesday, 30 September 2026The Championship Final
The last game of September goes to one point, one biscuit, and one merciless opponent.
Tuesday, 29 September 2026The Fog Comes Back
Grey weather closes in once more, but the sea remains calm and the ship carries on.
Monday, 28 September 2026Japan by Menu
Ramen, dumplings, and a dessert that prompts negotiations over the final portion.
Saturday, 26 September 2026The Water Turns Brown
The blue sea gives way to the broad silty water of the Yangtze approaches.
Friday, 25 September 2026Championship Pressure
I win one, Priya demands an immediate review, and Container interferes with the evidence.
Tuesday, 22 September 2026Hong Kong Lights
We anchor beneath a wall of lights and wait our turn for the cranes.
Sunday, 20 September 2026Sunday Words
Scrabble becomes a championship because Priya writes Championship on the score sheet.
Saturday, 19 September 2026Through the Luzon Strait
The traffic thins, the swell rises slightly, and Taiwan appears ahead.
Wednesday, 16 September 2026Restoring the Internet
A bucket, a brush, a safety harness, and the least glamorous repair of the voyage.
Tuesday, 15 September 2026The Starlink Incident
The seagulls strike the communications equipment and the internet loses.
Saturday, 12 September 2026A Serious Biscuit Port
Singapore provides tea, biscuits, and a shopping receipt of alarming length.
Friday, 11 September 2026Singapore Alongside
Cranes begin their precise work and the cabin fills with the sound of a port.
Wednesday, 9 September 2026Equatorial Scrabble
We cross the equator with a board game, pineapple biscuits, and disputed arithmetic.
Monday, 7 September 2026Traffic
The sea fills with ships, fishing boats, lights, and reasons to stay out of the way.
Saturday, 5 September 2026Jets Over the Andaman Sea
Two fast aircraft arrive without warning and leave the whole deck looking upward.
Wednesday, 2 September 2026The Board Returns
A close Scrabble game ends with Priya winning by one tile and behaving with restraint.
Monday, 31 August 2026Biscuits at Colombo
A short port call produces ginger biscuits, coconut biscuits, and unreasonable happiness.
Friday, 28 August 2026The First Grey Day
Cloud closes over the ship, the horizon disappears, and the sea stays oddly gentle.
Thursday, 27 August 2026Words at Sea
A rematch, a disputed word, and an appeal process with only one judge.
Wednesday, 26 August 2026Scrabble, Opening Moves
Priya produces a Scrabble board and an atmosphere usually associated with international competition.
Saturday, 22 August 2026Saturday Curry
Elena begins her menu around the world, starting with a curry that silences the mess.
Thursday, 20 August 2026The Gate to the Indian Ocean
The Red Sea narrows, the traffic thickens, and Container begins following me to breakfast.
19 August 2026The Pillow Has Fallen
Six weeks in, halfway down the Red Sea, and I woke at 07:00 with a cat's face two inches from mine, occupying territory that used to be mine.
18 August 2026Flying Fish and a Quiet Day
Fish that leave the water and stay out of it for longer than seems reasonable, a lost trivia rematch, and a debrief I did not enjoy.
16 August 2026The Canal Transit
A 400 metre ship moving through a ditch in the desert at walking pace, with sand on both sides and a pilot who talked continuously for six hours.
12 August 2026The Floating Container
A rusted box in the water off the port bow, a very short period of genuine alarm, and a lesson in how routinely the sea eats cargo.
11 August 2026From Russia with Love
Priya invited me to a film in the crew television room. I had no idea I was a Bond girl. I have decided that I like it.
3 August 2026A Kite, Plain Rice, and a Respectable Second
Priya taught me to fly a kite from the bridge deck. Elena moved me onto plain rice and plain toast. Container has claimed the foot of my bed. We came second at trivia.
27 July 2026The Cat, the Eggplant and a Trivia Team I Did Not Ask For
I woke up to find the ship's cat at the foot of my bed. I also discovered I do not like eggplant. Priya has rostered me onto her trivia team. The seagulls are judging all of us.
26 July 2026Gulls, Diesel and a Peach Cobbler: 22 to 26 July
Tiny fished off the stern, Kev finally opened the engine room, the sky went a ridiculous blue, and Elena produced a peach cobbler that has rearranged my priorities.
21 July 2026The Laundry, the Engine Room, and a Pie I Did Not Share
I found the laundry, lost the argument about outdoor drying, missed driving, and told Big Kev about my turbocharged Miata. He was unimpressed.
20 July 2026A Birthday that I did not mention
A key lime pie the size of one honest portion, a song I did not enjoy, and the discovery that this ship has Starlink and a library. My iPhone remains, on principle, switched off.
16 July 2026Warm Water and a Stash of Tea: 14, 15 and 16 July
I have found a swimming pool, lost a game of eye spy at 02:30, and accidentally befriended the cook with a hidden supply of hotel tea.
9 July 2026Aboard at Last: Berth 8, Garden City Terminal
I am on the ship. I have a cabin. I have met three of the crew. We sail tomorrow on the tide.