"Sea-Fever"
I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.
I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.
I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.
By John Masefield (1878-1967)
All on board an expedition know the luxury of a day spent at sea. Today the National Geographic Explorer sets her course east, crossing the Davis Strait for the west coast of Greenland. Time itself is the luxury.
For many on board the time allows the opportunity to review and edit images of the voyage. For others, time to put their thoughts to paper and catch up on their journals. Others update their charts, following our ship’s route. Still others use the moments to catch up with old friends and new shipmates. Some visit the gym and some enjoy a spa treatment or a relaxing sauna. It is a more leisurely pace at sea.
On offer throughout the day are presentations by highly interesting and passionate staff speakers on topics ranging from photography, history, anthropology, and economics, all pertaining to this region of the world. Scrumptious meals and tasty Swedish pancakes for tea punctuate our day’s activities. One can participate physically and intellectually at whatever level they choose, or simply relax and recharge in anticipation of our upcoming activities in Greenland.
After dinner, long-time Lindblad naturalist extraordinaire, Tom Ritchie, regaled us with humorous and delightful stories from almost forty years of expedition travel literally all over the world. Tom really appreciates a story well told, and of course this is why he tells so many of them.
May there always be more stories to tell and more days at sea.
