It was quite noticeable that we have traveled further north, because the temperature dropped to 34 degrees and lower with the wind chill from 45 mph winds. For the first time since we left Antarctica back in late January, the word SNOW was on the ship's weather screen. And during the day, we did see some flurries. We suspect that this crossing will continue to be challenging the further we travel eastbound.
Project Linus was first and foremost on the agenda with a showcase of handmade blankets created by the talented ladies (and a few fellows) on this cruise. The Lido Poolside was filled with colorful knit or crocheted creations that will be donated to children facing serious illness. Thank you Marty and Gayle for your hard work for such a good cause. Some of the blankets will be auctioned to raise funds for future yarn purchases.
There are a few ports from Alaska to San Diego that will be having excursions. The team gave a talk promoting these tours. Then there was a talk on the Philippines, a country that we have not visited for some time now. Many of our crew members came from there, and they shared their culture with the guests today. Maybe it is time to put these ports back on a world cruise itinerary.
Captain Frank came on at his usual time to give us the latest nautical information which included the weather report. No doubt we were all feeling the motion of the ocean with gale force winds and sea swells over 11 feet. Needless to say, the outside decks were closed. Captain Frank predicted increased winds and 14 foot swells tomorrow with limited visibility and some rain. We have another 2125 nautical miles to reach Kodiak on April 24th. He also said we were seeing some of the mountains of the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia. Gosh, we can see Russia from our veranda....how cool is that. Actually we visited this peninsula back in 2002 while on this very same ship and experienced one of the most vigorous tours we ever took.
We kept busy as usual with the photos to process and the adventures composed until dinnertime. Our starters were the wedge salads, smaller than the Pinnacle Grill salads, but almost as good. Lasagne and a pork slab were the entrees ending with desserts of banana pudding and a sliced banana.
The entertainment was two lady instrumentalists with Cello 2 Cello with classical tunes sure to please the crowd. So much for day 2 at sea.
Bill & Mary Ann
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