At Sea
A man stood on the beach looking at the Zodiac coming towards him. He was holding a giant Taro leaf over his head to protect him from the rain. The leaf was bigger than the man. It looked unreal, and for a second it was like being in a Walt Disney cartoon. Only in these remote places of the world do you get to see these things that stay with you for a long time and make you realize what an amazing area we’re fortunate to visit. After a quick stop early in the morning on Kiriwina Island, we continued our journey.
The weather looked promising, and the seas were favourable as Sheila led a session of morning exercise for a group of early risers in the lounge. Our Naturalist, Steve, gave us great guidance to the biodiversity of the Pacific and its islands in the late morning. Others went to the bridge to make sure our officers had turned the ship in the right direction as we began our 375 nautical mile leg towards our next destination, Kennedy Island in the Solomons.
During the day, the wind picked up, and it started to rain but not enough to stop our excellent hotel and catering team from serving hotdogs on the aft deck. As the day went on, the birders added to their list: Tahiti Petrels, Black and Brown Noddies, Sooty Terns, and Frigate birds.
After the hot dog tea, it was time for the lecture many had waited for: Bob’s Pidgin session. Virtually everyone in the islands, from PNG through the Solomons and down through Vanuatu, uses some variety of Pidgin as a common tongue. A great opportunity to learn a little more about this remote world.
The memories of yesterday are still strong, and a day at sea is a good way to take it all in as it’s so overwhelming. Although with Bob’s enthusiasm we can’t wait until our next landing. It will definitely make our next meeting with the locals even more friendly and fun. Great laughter was heard from the lounge as Pidgin was pronounced in a completely new way...
In the galley, Michael our executive chef and his team is preparing the Wahoo he caught yesterday. We got to see the catch, an almost fully grown Wahoo. Reaching a good 1.5-2 meters, weighing close to 28 kilos. There is always a special taste from a freshly caught fish as we all got a feel of yesterday when we got served the delicious grilled Dogtooth Tuna caught by our fishing team. They are making sushi tonight! It’s very busy in the galley as usual, and for someone other than a Swede, it would most likely sound like something from the Muppet show.
The day is slowly turning into evening, and we’re all starting to look forward to tomorrow. It’s a great feeling of not knowing what the next day has in store for us. You just take it as it comes. Another great experience ashore, snorkeling in the turquoise water. The divers are hoping for another great underwater experience. Maybe this time we will see something big out there in the blue water.
World news, highways, stress, and city noise all seam a million miles away. It’s a great feeling to let go of it all for a while and just relax and enjoy and take the day as it comes.
A man stood on the beach looking at the Zodiac coming towards him. He was holding a giant Taro leaf over his head to protect him from the rain. The leaf was bigger than the man. It looked unreal, and for a second it was like being in a Walt Disney cartoon. Only in these remote places of the world do you get to see these things that stay with you for a long time and make you realize what an amazing area we’re fortunate to visit. After a quick stop early in the morning on Kiriwina Island, we continued our journey.
The weather looked promising, and the seas were favourable as Sheila led a session of morning exercise for a group of early risers in the lounge. Our Naturalist, Steve, gave us great guidance to the biodiversity of the Pacific and its islands in the late morning. Others went to the bridge to make sure our officers had turned the ship in the right direction as we began our 375 nautical mile leg towards our next destination, Kennedy Island in the Solomons.
During the day, the wind picked up, and it started to rain but not enough to stop our excellent hotel and catering team from serving hotdogs on the aft deck. As the day went on, the birders added to their list: Tahiti Petrels, Black and Brown Noddies, Sooty Terns, and Frigate birds.
After the hot dog tea, it was time for the lecture many had waited for: Bob’s Pidgin session. Virtually everyone in the islands, from PNG through the Solomons and down through Vanuatu, uses some variety of Pidgin as a common tongue. A great opportunity to learn a little more about this remote world.
The memories of yesterday are still strong, and a day at sea is a good way to take it all in as it’s so overwhelming. Although with Bob’s enthusiasm we can’t wait until our next landing. It will definitely make our next meeting with the locals even more friendly and fun. Great laughter was heard from the lounge as Pidgin was pronounced in a completely new way...
In the galley, Michael our executive chef and his team is preparing the Wahoo he caught yesterday. We got to see the catch, an almost fully grown Wahoo. Reaching a good 1.5-2 meters, weighing close to 28 kilos. There is always a special taste from a freshly caught fish as we all got a feel of yesterday when we got served the delicious grilled Dogtooth Tuna caught by our fishing team. They are making sushi tonight! It’s very busy in the galley as usual, and for someone other than a Swede, it would most likely sound like something from the Muppet show.
The day is slowly turning into evening, and we’re all starting to look forward to tomorrow. It’s a great feeling of not knowing what the next day has in store for us. You just take it as it comes. Another great experience ashore, snorkeling in the turquoise water. The divers are hoping for another great underwater experience. Maybe this time we will see something big out there in the blue water.
World news, highways, stress, and city noise all seam a million miles away. It’s a great feeling to let go of it all for a while and just relax and enjoy and take the day as it comes.
