The London Marathon, Deon Du Preez and the British Sailors’ Society!

When Deon Du Preez left Ocean Village on the 18th of March for a well deserved vacation after a full contract as Finance Officer he should have been resting but this wasn’t to be! It was full on training up to readiness for the London Marathon on the 25th of April.

His fitness training regime started back on board Ocean Village in November of 2009 and, by the time March came around he’d completed over 300 miles albeit on the ship’s treadmills. Just before Deon was due to leave in March he developed an injury known as “runners’ knee” caused by over training and this injury left him little time to do any of his planned road training. He tried running again three weeks before the race and only managed five kilometers before his knee went again, therefore he subsequently went into the race not knowing if he would even be able to finish!

Sunday the 25th of April came and it was a very apprehensive Deon who made his way out of his hotel in London, where he had to leave his girlfriend Kerry behind on her birthday, and on to his assigned starting point, red, section 9, right at the back. There are three starting points around London, red is the main body of runners, blue is for the elite and green is categorised for wheelchairs and ‘fast for the age’. Between the three categories the total number of runners for the London Marathon 2010 was approximately 56,000!

The starting gun sounded at 09.30 and the runners were off. Fortunately however, although the starting gun sounds, the individual runners’ times does not start to be recorded until the individual crosses the actual starting line. This is just as well because with 56,000 runners all starting on a line, the line and indeed the streets of London would have to be about sixty kilometers wide!

So, the gun had been sounded and the first contestants started over the starting line. It was no reflection on Deon’s prowess as a runner but he eventually crossed the starting line at 10.15 (45 minutes after the start of the race!) and this is testimony to the bottleneck effect of moving such an enormous amount of people at one time.

The race was on and Deon was off and running, trying to do his best for his chosen charity, The British Sailors’ Society, for whom he successfully raised £1,400 through his efforts.
Winding his way through runners dressed as Camels, Beer Bottles, Storm Troopers and Firemen, Deon crossed the finishing line just in front of a Fullers Beer Bottle!

How did he do? Congratulations Deon, an extremely respectable time of four hours, fifteen minutes and fourteen seconds! Out of the 56,000 runners he finished as the 14,822nd and his half way time was a very good time of one hour, fifty-nine minutes and forty-four seconds! Well done from all of us at Ocean Village and, by the way, “welcome back on board”. Yes, Deon is back on board as Financial Controller.

So how was it Deon? “I was very apprehensive to start due to my knee but I had tears in my eyes as I ran up the last stretch to the finish line, very emotional, I couldn’t believe I had finished and in a reasonable time!”

Michael Lobban, Hotel Director

Alternative Kusadasi Tour

A lovely warm early morning arrival with not a breath of wind to flutter our flags, heralded our arrival into Kusadasi and another mini highlight of the cruise as passengers opted for the wondrous sights of the ancient city of Ephesus.

Passing Pelican Island on our approach, the sea looked so inviting although, being still May, the word “looked” was probably the operative word!

Ephesus is truly an amazing place where you can drink in the culture of days of yore as you pass the Library of Celsus and the Temple of Hadrian or check-out the huge Grand Theatre where St Paul preached and walk along the Arcadian Way following in the footsteps of Anthony and Cleopatra.

However there is an, insiders’ tip, an “alternative tour”! When the morning rounds have been completed, meetings have been put to rest and the paperwork has been caught up on, a general feel-good factor creeps in and this feeling needs to be fed further and what better way than a quick run ashore for a proper Turkish shave in a traditional father and son barber’s shop.

We gents look at ourselves in the mirror every morning and shaving becomes a chore that needs to be completed as part of our morning ablutions. It doesn’t have to be a chore however and, to anybody who hasn’t experienced it yet, I can thoroughly recommend the experience of lying back in the barber’s chair and letting a true professional deftly wield a cut-throat razor over your chin. Not once but twice does he perform this task in order to ensure a skin as soft, smooth and supple as a freshly born baby’s bum!

Then of course there’s the “ear waxing”! Ow ……..! This process rids your outer ears of all the tiny hairs that you’d never be able to reach yourself. Some barbers do this with a small burning cotton pad on a wooden stick and, with a flick of the wrist, burn the same hairs! The “stingy” bit is still to come though and, with fresh, lemon cologne, a face, head, shoulder and arm massage ensues before you head off into the clean fresh air outside feeling like a million pounds.

A quick cursory glance at the watch tells us that, yes, we have time for a light fresh fish and salad lunch after all!

Michael Lobban, Hotel Director

Jumping for Joy at the Pyramids

Port Said (gateway to Cairo) - Saturday the 22nd of May saw the same tired group of blue-shirted travelers clutching their pillows and heading off in their mini bus for Cairo. The travelers were our beloved photography team and the early morning start turned out to be well worth it. Passengers were well informed as to who to look out for at the pyramids and were delighted that the photographers were able to capture their cultural experience. The Ocean Village Photography Team were literally jumping for joy and the day was acclaimed as being a great success for all!

Michael Lobban, Hotel Director