It's quite possible that we are still sailing in the doldrums, a specific area where the seas and winds can be problematic in that things seem to stand still. In the olden days of sailing ships, to be stuck in the dreaded doldrums meant there was no wind to move the ship. You were stranded until the winds picked up. Definitely not a very scientific explanation, but basically understandable.
Today's weather was far from the doldrums with temperatures in the low 80's and 77% humidity. There was a 6.7 mph wind with scattered clouds, some rain showers and a swell of 3 feet. The Zaandam has traveled 570 nautical miles from Kona and has an additional 1563 nautical miles to reach Rangiroa.
It was a good day to make some progress with the blog, as well as take some walks during the course of the day. Lunch was a room service salad and mini burger sliders - one each. And a bowl of soup. We kept it light because we were dining in the Pinnacle Grill tonight.
The late afternoon perked up when one of us spotted some dolphins in the front of the ship. Grabbing the camera, he was able to snap a lot of pictures, testing the repeating frames as they dove over and over. There were so many in this pod, it was hard to count them all. They put on quite a show as they raced in front of the ship. That is a sighting we never expected to see out in the middle of this massive ocean.
Then some boobies showed up and circled the ship diving for flying fish. There wasn't a fabulous sunset tonight, actually it was more like a fizzle. The dolphin and bird sightings made up for it.
Dinner was really good in the Pinnacle Grill. Our table was ready and waiting for us as well. It surprised us to see how many people were still arriving to eat this late. We ordered our wedge salads on larger plates with 2 strips of candied bacon on the side. One of us had the tasty and tender lamb chops, while the other had the small filet mignon cooked medium rare. One serving of skinny fries was shared by both of us. Desserts were the special Hawaiian pinacolada trifle in a jar, and one chocolate souffle. One of the chefs was visiting around the tables of the guests, and when he stopped at our table, we let him know the meals were excellent. We did have a question for him regarding the pastry tray served at breakfast. We wanted to know why the blueberry muffins are the color green. He thought about it then said it was due to the insides of the blueberries that are really tinted green. When over-mixed, the berries get crushed and the green color invades the muffins. The bakers do not have the time to fold in the fruit like we would do at home. The chef was pleased that we asked the question and he had an answer. He promised to visit us when we return for another meal in there.
The entertainment for tonight was a team of performers (husband and wife) with modern instrumentalist and unique visual art. It promised to be a high energy electrifying must-see show. We missed it because we were still eating our dinners when the show began. However, they have been on previous cruises and we saw it then.
And so ends day two at sea.
Bill & Mary Ann
