Second sea day ( approaching Iceland).

There has not really been much change in the sea state since yesterday. It’s not rough but there is a swell running which makes us resemble staggering drunks just walking around the ship. Never have hand rails been more essential, or if you want to try taking a shower using one hand while holding onto the rail for dear life with the other while ship rocks and rolls you might get an appreciation of the challenges everyone faces. But hey, we should all have grown our sea legs before too much longer.

Being a sea day, the Exploration team have a full day of activities and lectures lined up. This is how today looks:

0830- wildlife watch on deck 

0930- smartphone photography tips lecture 

1030- knitters and natters (yes really)

1030- Art workshop 

1130- introduction to cloud observations (data is provided directly to NASA)

1400- interactive session with microscopes

1500- lecture on the whales and dolphins of Iceland

1600- discover Ebird, a citizen science tool for exploring and logging birds around the world

1700- wildlife watch on deck

2015- an explanation of tomorrow’s plans as we reach Heimay, Iceland 

2030- a short talk about the story of the last Great Auks.

….so, you can’t say that these exploration trips are not educational and hands on.  No gaining extra pounds eating on this voyage, there’s hardly enough time to fit in meals. And just to emphasise our green credentials, our cruise card lanyards are made out of old fishing nets. I’m sure that offsets a ton or so of carbon emissions, but it’s the thought that counts. (I don’t take credit for that joke btw.)

The expedition team also has a sightings board up….mostly seabirds ticked off so far, but also one whale species. So, attached to today’s blog is our wildlife picture of the day….two dunlin hitching a ride on the lifeboat just outside our cabin window.



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