The Postscript: The cookie situation

“People have been asking about the squeaking of the ship,” our captain reported, somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic, “but I must tell you, this is nothing to worry about.”

He then proceeded to explain how a ship needed to give in heavy swells, just as an airplane had to flex during flight. “Otherwise,” he explained cheerfully, “the ship would snap in two!”

I’m not sure this was the reassurance worried passengers were looking for.

My husband, Peter, and I are on the second week of our trip across the ocean. The final stop at port has been cancelled due to storms...