This morning we all enjoyed a nice, extended sleep while being gentle rocked by the Banda Sea. Some of us took in the early morning breeze on the outer decks, while others chose a more active start by joining Kat for her morning yoga class.
Breakfast was slightly later today, as during the night we all had to advance our clocks by 1 hour to follow the time going east. After breakfast we had a nice line-up of presentations by our naturalists.
Tom Richie kicked things off with his entertaining presentation, “Spice of Life,” about the famous spice trade between historical civilizations in Asia, Northeast Africa and Europe. Spices such as cinnamon, cassia, cardamom, ginger, pepper and turmeric were used for commerce. At 11:00 a.m. Mike Greenfelder gave a talk about the marine mammals and birds we can expect to see from the bow of the ship.
During our sumptuous lunch, again provided by the very skilled galley team, there was an exciting announcement. A pod of around 50 pilot whales were spotted around the vessel, which was a funny coincidence just after Mike’s presentation! It was a fantastic sight, especially after Captain Luybo maneuvered the ship for a very close and intimate look at these members of the dolphin family. The pilot whales seemed very comfortable with our presence as they hung around the ship for a long time. It was certainly the highlight of the day!
After lunch, we had a chance to relax, read a book or enjoy a nap. At 3:00 p.m., Steve Egan invited us to the lounge for his presentation, “Botanical Amphibians,” about the unique and very important mangrove ecosystem. And during afternoon tea, our National Geographic photographer Jeff Mauritzen gave a talk on how to use light creatively within our photography.
At 6:15 p.m. we were all invited back into the lounge for our usual recap and briefing, followed by a beautiful dinner. Afterwards, our Global Perspectives guest speaker Lawrence Blair screen his fascinating movie, “Spice Island Saga.” A great way to finish off another action-packed day at sea.
