Day 6 - April 15th, 2012 - Sunday - The Day After TITANIC

"I imagine for so many on CARPATHIA it would have been a surreal, dreamlike state, unable to fathom what they just survived. The previous hours must have seemed like some sort of waking nightmare."

Literally this day has been a fog.  Besides getting very little sleep, the emotional exhaustion of last night has taken a toll.  The general mood around the ship has been somber. Lots of reflection. Much of the conversation among the guests has been sharing of what each person experienced. The reflections of what those souls endured a century ago. 

I spent a good chunk of Sunday writing down my thoughts and account of last night. My mind would wander off to a moment here or there, the sounds of the Marconi Signal recreated, the blast of the ship horns.. the sound of the water lapping the sides of our ship in the dark..the haunting music. I found it very difficult to concentrate.  


That evening the cruise staff entertainers, led by the wonderful vocal talents of our Cruise Director Tony Markey, presented a truly sensational mini Broadway/West End musical review. Featured numbers included LES MIS, RENT, CHICAGO, HAIRSPRAY and more.  The quality of the performances was truly professional and not the usual watered down cruise ship fare. Every performer dazzled, included a show stopping finale with our Cruise Director coming out in drag as Edna Turnblad to YOU CAN’T STOP THE BEAT.  Some may think this sort of presentation would have seemed inappropriate during a memorial voyage of this nature, but in all honesty I think everyone on board needed this mush appreciated infusion of life and joy to bring us back to present day.


But there was no way to forget why we are all here. Reflecting on this day 100 years ago, the survivors of TITANIC would be on CARPATHIA following the same New York bound track as we are on now. They would have almos four full days at sea, not arriving in New York in the pouring rain until late on April 18th, the same date we will arrived back at the West Side Pier. 




We had a much warmer day today with clear blue skies, in stark contrast to the freezing night before. I believe the CARPATHIA also experienced better weather and I could not help but look out at the  frothy wake behind us, feeling the warmth of the sun beaming across the dark blue waves and wonder what these survivors must have been thinking. The photos are faded black and white, but the sea and sky would be just as blue and the sun just as warm in 1912. 

I imagine for so many on CARPATHIA it would have been a surreal, dreamlike state, unable to fathom what they just survived. The previous hours must have seemed like some sort of waking nightmare. Even though so many knew they had lost husbands, children, wives, could they have still held on to the belief that maybe their loved one’s were still somehow on another lifeboat somewhere that was missed? Could their beloved family members be clinging somewhere to a piece of wood yet unfound? Maybe stranded on the ice floes? Without instant electronic data beaming through cyberspace, there was no way to be certain as of yet. How much hope did these people hold on to?  And they would have several days to contemplate these events. 


Coming soon, the remarkable presentations by Ken Marschall with his very personal and unique look at TITANIC during our last days at Sea before arriving back in New York.