The judge lying on the lounger is happy to sip his drink and let the world go by. Judge Alexander Williams III from Los Angeles in California has sailed in on the Silver Wind cruise ship. He's reading Don't Sweat the Small Stuff. He closes his eyes and drops off.
Everyone else is rushing to attend a champagne reception in the luxury lounge on deck eight, celebrating the inaugural voyage from Dublin to Boston of the 19,000-tonne luxury cruise ship, which is moored at Alexander Quay, just beyond the East Link Bridge. They've dropped anchor in Dublin port for two nights, and it's an excuse to party. Michael Quinlin, president of the Boston Irish Tourism Association, has flown here, but is tempted to stow away on the ship for the return journey. He has come to meet Minister Jim McDaid TD, present him with a bust of John F. Kennedy, and shake hands with all the other dignitaries. "We're very excited because of the transatlantic corridor," he says. We share his excitement.
Leslie Jon, the ship's director of entertainment, is making sure everything runs smoothly. Tanned and suave, he has 296 passengers ("guests," he insists) to entertain, with the help of 209 other crew members. Another potential stowaway is Dun Laoghaire woman Jackie Dunphy, chairwoman of the Visit USA Committee, who has never travelled on a cruise ship but it's on her wish list. Finola Cunningham, from Castlebar in Co Mayo, who works in the US embassy, and Brendan Moran, representing the Irish Travel Agents' Association, are also on hand to applaud the ship's arrival in Dublin.
Captain Angelo Corsaro says they'll arrive in St John, Newfoundland on Wednesday, October 18th. And no, he doesn't expect to come across any icebergs. That's just in the spring, he says. The ship is heading off to Cork Harbour. After Boston, they'll travel "up to Canada, then the Caribbean, around the world to the Far East, Australia and so on". And so on. The Lord Mayor, Maurice Ahern, the Taoiseach's big brother, and his wife, Lady Mayoress Moira Murray-Ahern, arrive to enjoy the proceedings.
With no female officers on board, the sign on the bridge correctly says "men at work aloft, do not turn on radar". We women leave them to it.