Ahoy from the Geek Cruise!

I’m currently on a cruise ship docked in Tortola, British Virgin Islands. A bunch of us geeks spent the morning diving the wreck of the Rhone, a British mail ship that went down in a hurricane in 1867. The Rhone was one of the first prop-driven ships (most other ships of that day were paddle-wheelers), but it was still steam-driven. The hull cracked open during the hurricane and the ship exploded when seawater hit the boilers. The boiler that didn’t explode is still sitting on the bottom of the ocean in about 40 feet of water. We swam through the ship’s hull and encountered a variety of sea life ranging from angel fish to lobsters.

As a write this, the ship is pulling away from the dock. Our next (and last) stop is Half Moon Cay, a small privately owned island in the Bahamas. Tomorrow we have a full day of classes on the agenda. Peter Norton (of Norton Utilities fame) in on the boat and says he’s going to stop by and check us out.

I haven’t kept a running blog of the Geek Cruise because Internet access is expensive and not wholly reliable. When I get home, I’ll write up a full account of the cruise and include several pictures, too. Until then, stay warm!