Coming Into Cork

Early morning on the sea — from another voyage

There’s an Irishman in me that I can’t deny. I tried taking our coming into Cork, Ireland as just another port stop, casual-like, and was desirous of a full night’s sleep, to make up for the previous day’s choppy sleep pattern.

I did manage to sleep a good 5 hours, to 4 a.m., before nature called and I was talking myself into going back to catch another 2–3 hours of shuteye, but laying there, my inner Irishman was like, “No way, mate — get yer arse up and go watch the ship sail in to your homeland, fer Blarney’s sake!”

A Cork scene, taken from an online stock photo

Yeah, it was way early for even that, but who was I to argue with a headstrong Irishman? I got up, threw on a windbreaker and jeans, fixed some strong coffee, and went up topside to see what I could see. Pretty much pitch black still, just me and the deck-workers, a very familiar scene. I am often up bright and early, hours before the sun, on these cruises, especially when steaming into a new port.

I just get so excited about a new adventure, I couldn’t sleep more if I tried. I did what I usually do, when on the Disney Magic (or Wonder) — I made my way to the basketball court on the upper deck, screened-in but wide open to the sea-breeze, or winds, as they were whipping across the deck this morning, and channel my inner Pistol Pete Maravich with a go at the hoops for a half hour or so.

More Cork stock scenes — might be the Blarney Castle on the left? Hoping to kiss that stone at some point, either today or next stop here in a week.

This is one of the things I truly love about the Disney ships (the original two) — the always accessible topside basketball court. It’s almost like meditation for me, shooting hoops alone. I totally go into my own world, and reconnect with a part of my youth that I always loved — just me, the ball, a court and a hoop, to create with what I will.

I ran out of steam before land appeared, and sat for a bit, playing words with friends on my phone, until the inner heat of adrenaline had subsided, and I realized it was freaking cold up there! I headed back down to the cabin for a refill. In a few minutes, me and the Irish dude inside will drag our Irish arses back up to see if we can see Cork, yet. Just another day at sea! Blimey!

The Story Hall

A gathering place for stories to be told, read and appreciated.

Hawkeye Pete Egan B.

Written by

Connecting the dots. Storytelling helps me to make sense of this world, and of my life. I love writing and reading. Writing is like breathing, for me.

The Story Hall

A gathering place for stories to be told, read and appreciated.

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