For nine months I’d been organising entertainment and refurbishment for the Silver Helm ship. Arabella and I had pored over carpet samples and fabric swatches, discussed which bars or public areas different entertainers would perform in and ordered hundreds of books for the library. For the last few weeks I’d been preparing detailed itineraries for ship visits, discussing which cabins on which decks we would be able to show prospective passengers even what we’d eat for lunch. During all this I had never actually seen the ship. Finally, on 21 May 2013 I was going to board her. Continue reading we are sailing, very nearly – first published 21 May 2013