The Volendam did not leave the port of Naze until closer to 7am instead of 5am. It made little difference in our time to reach Nagasaki tomorrow we guess. We still maintained a speed of 12 to 14 knots even though the seas were rather rough.
We resumed our sea day routine of one of us walking the promenade deck and the other trying to catch up on reports. It seems impossible right now, but one day behind isn’t too bad. It is necessary to keep some notes because the days blend together, and some details are hard to remember.
We took a break for lemonade at the Seaview Pool where some serious sunbathers were still trying to maintain those tans. The sun was trying to peek out between the clouds, but there was no heat in it like there was just a week ago. Greg joined us and shared his exploits while in Naze and Amami yesterday. He and his buddies took a local bus that took them to many of the same sights as the HAL tours did. And we might add, for a lot less money. They saw the silk complex as well as the studio museum of the famous watercolor artist that lived and painted here. Smart move on their end. Later on, we also talked to friends who had done the same thing.
Captain Frank came on right after the noon whistle blew. He advised all of us that the seas will be getting rougher later this afternoon, and the winds will pick up a lot. He expected to close all outside decks. The current distance to reach Nagasaki was 200 nautical miles and the temperature was cooler at 70 degrees. The humidity was 73% with winds at 23.6mph. It was overcast with scattered clouds and sure felt like rain.
Chef Morimoto must have boarded the ship because he had a culinary trivia session at 1pm. George Sranko gave a talk on Japan – fire, springs and drama, while Gabe Baskin talked about the Japanese language. Then there was a port talk on Nagasaki at 2pm, which we will watch later tonight. There is always something happening to keep the natives busy.
The day went by with us making some progress with the internet. Lunch was light with a salad, a bowl of soup, and a shared plate of two mini sliders.
Dinner was light since we were not really all that hungry. One of us had the second bowl of soup for the day – fiesta chicken and the other had nothing for starters. Mains were the same of sweet and sour chicken with egg-fried rice and carrots. Desserts were even lighter – one glassful of jello, a bit on the rubbery side, and one sliced banana with a little fudge sauce.
Tonight an instrumentalist named Sueli Tang gave a piano performance with contemporary meets classics. A nice change of pace from the usual guest entertainers.
Looking forward to seeing Nagasaki once again.
Bill & Mary Ann
