Seas the moment

NIGEL PICKOVER FOUND HOLIDAY HAPPINESS - AND LOTS OF WINTER SUNSHINE - ONBOARD A SHIP FROM GREECE TO TURKEY, MALTA AND SPAIN

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THE good ship Balmoral is more than halfway through an epic 52-day cruise and at anchor under the ancient walls of Rhodes Old Town in the eastern Mediterranean. Yet I'd caught up with it thanks to a flight of just four hours.

The Fred Olsen favourite - with a capacity of 1,250 guests - had left Britain, crossed the Bay of Biscay, and visited myriad locations as it headed towards Greece.

It's here I step aboard, following the ever-growing trend of time-saving fly-cruising taking a plane to reach a ship at a faraway location, rather than setting sail from British soil.

It means I'm able to join a short, but fascinating, segment of Balmoral's autumn itinerary - somewhere along its yearlong journey.

Now 70, I chose to join the adventure on Rhodes, an island I last visited almost five decades ago.

What was to become a special trip saw the Balmoral and its master, Captain Victor Stoica, guide passengers through calm, aquamarine, seas on an east to west Mediterranean leg.

Arrival in Rhodes is on a charter flight from Stansted, and the stop in Greece is followed by three destinations in Turkey, one in Malta and lastly one in Malaga, Spain a total 2,427 nautical miles.

My balcony cabin provides spectacular views and I watch intently as the ship leaves one port and arrives at the next.

With two heated swimming pools, a gym and spotless lounges, bars and deck areas where seats or loungers could always be found, Balmoral is a delight.