We began a very nice and quiet sea day with the Pinnacle Grill breakfast as always. We were almost “late” this morning because one of us finally got a full night of sleep. The “breakfast club” has grown as we tend to linger beyond the closing time of 9:30am. We have the best time sharing info (not gossip), well maybe a little ship gossip. We did find out that the special fishing boat tour went really well for our friends. They had excellent luck seeing the rafts of sea otters, as well as all of the birds that nest on the small outer islands. Learning about the fishing industry was a plus since the groups on these special boats were small. The nice thing about this excursion was that no buses were involved.
The rest of our morning was working with yesterday’s report and downloading the photos from Kodiak. One of us bundled up and took a promenade deck walk. It remained very cold, but at least there was no rain.
Captain Frank came on with the daily news which included the temperature of 41 degrees, overcast skies, some deep swells, and a speed of 15 knots. He hoped we were all doing well, especially since we had no time change. We have another 280 nautical miles to reach Sitka tomorrow where he predicts fog and a drizzle of rain. His one disappointment was that we would miss seeing the Hubbard Glacier, which is fabulous. Guess there was not enough time to squeeze a viewing in there. The Volendam will be docked portside by 8am, where there will be shuttles to take us to town.
There were some lectures today that included info on salmon by Christine Sandvik and a hero’s journey by Gregory Burns referring to Anzac Day, which was celebrated today. There was also a port talk about Sitka and Ketchikan which we hope to catch later this evening.
And we were invited to another President’s Club cocktail party held in the Crow’s Nest at 6:45pm. One of our group mentioned that there was no end time, which would have been 7:30pm, but it was omitted. That could be very dangerous for some that like to indulge. We asked Captain Frank the reason for tendering to shore yesterday, and he said it was because the NOAA vessel was docked there and would not move. And if we docked, then shuttles would have been required. With all of the tours, most all of the buses would have been utilized, which the majority of the time, are school buses. Made for young kids, not adults like the guests on the Volendam.
In addition, this evening there was a Barn Dance held in the World Stage with line dancing beginning at 8pm. We would miss it, since we just made it to dinner right before 8pm. There were a few folks dressed for the occasion, but the best was one of our buddies that wore the cutest little cowboy hat we have ever seen. Now with Erin, our cruise director, she came dressed for the dance and looking pretty sharp. All she was missing were the cowboy boots, which we all agreed were best left at home.
Our dinners were served piping hot tonight. Sure makes a difference we think. Starters were chef salads, rarely seen on the menu, and one serving of breaded chicken tenders….nice and hot and very crispy . Mains were one meatloaf plate and one BBQ rib dinner. Both were good….more like comfort food. Desserts were one pannacotta and one plate of watermelon.
Since the lounge was occupied with the line dance band or a DJ, the Grand World Voyage Band played in the Ocean Bhar, where we listened to their music for a while. They really are a talented group of musicians.
Looking forward to Sitka as it has been a few years since we were there last.
Bill & Mary Ann
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