Bob: We continue to have very good sea conditions. One of the presenters shows a wind map. Green indicates lower wind speed, red indicates high wind speed. Hawaii, where we were two days ago, is near the red. The stronger the wind, the larger the waves. We are comfortably in a yellow region. Not looking forward to orange, red, or purple winds, but they will happen at some point.

Cheryl: Have you read stories or heard accounts of rites of passage ceremonies for sailors crossing the equator for the first time? Turns out, Viking does the same thing for first-time passengers (aka slimy “pollywogs”) to transition them to trusty “shellbacks”, although it is much more fun on a luxury cruise ship and involves music, Aquavit shots, and is totally voluntary. The essence of the ritual on Viking is that passengers “kiss” a real (but dead) fish and then swim across the main deck pool to symbolize crossing hemispheres and entering the Kingdom of Neptune. Cornelia, the Cruise Director, also held a King Neptune ceremony in which several staff members were “tried and convicted” of high crimes (such as eating too much chocolate and short-sheeting beds) and “forced” to jump into the pool in full uniform! Good time by all, well, except maybe not the staff.

Bob: I attended a presentation on deep-sea mining. The lecturer started the talk by making a strong case for why the oceans are being mined. Primarily, the human need for the mining result. He then proceeded to make the case that harvesting the ocean should not be done for environmental reasons. I really wish he had shared how to fulfill the need he so well documented in the early part of the presentation without mining the ocean. While the environment must be considered, the alternative means to fulfill the need and its cost must also be considered. There are always tradeoffs. Not one of my favorite sessions.

Cheryl: We attended the presentation on “Spacewalking 101” by Captain Mike Foreman and gained a deeper understanding of the training and equipment needed for spacewalking and exterior repairs on the space station. He shared lots of photos and videos, mainly from NASA cameras, that gave us a realistic sense of what it was like being in space. The space suits (aka Extra-Vehicular Activities or EVAs – we learn a lot of acronyms in his lectures) weigh 350 lbs and were challenging to put on and take off.

Bob: Mike discussed the significant preparation it takes to plan and execute a space walk mission. They train in the biggest indoor pool in the world and get a tremendous amount of help from instructors and support staff.
Mike also noted the return of the four NASA astronauts the previous day (click). He knew and had received a phone call from one of the returning flyers right before they started the trip home.

Cheryl: Another interesting lecture was on life of Henri Matisse and the impact his time in the Polynesian Islands had on his art. (The lectures always tie back to where we are or where we are going). During last the 30 years of his life, he was not able to stand and paint, so he switched to painting paper and cutting it into shapes and created large, graphic pieces. Some of his most famous works are the Blue Nudes, bold, blue silhouette-like works. See borrowed photo from the internet.

Bob: As Cheryl noted, there are ties to French Polynesia. The speaker gave a complete overview of Matisse’s life. Another excellent session with a great presenter.

Cheryl: One more class before dinner – The Kon-Tiki Expedition in 1947 by Thor Heyerdahl – “an epic voyage sailing a handmade raft from South America to Polynesia”. This guy was a scientist and adventurer, and his five friends were crazy – setting sail on a primitive wooden craft with very little modern navigation and safety equipment. It took them 101 days to cross the Pacific Ocean, catching the currents of the ocean to propel them on this 5,000-mile journey. He wanted to prove that it was possible that South American people could have sailed to Polynesia, although it was a widely discredited theory at the time. There are books and movies on this topic in case you have an interest in learning more (click and click).

Bob: The more you learn about what they did, the more you realize how much could have gone very wrong during the voyage. They could not steer the craft very well. The hope was that an island would “catch” them. Yikes. Ultimately, this is what actually happened, and they impacted an island reef. Not sure I would start on such a long journey with such uncertainty. Sue Stockdale gave the talk, and she is an excellent presenter.

Bob: I tried a new blogging location today. I went to the second level of the Explorers’ lounge. The spot is on the bow (front) of the ship. One can look out the windows and see exactly where we are going. For now, we see water (a lot of water).