Days at sea are always busy. Recently, National Geographic Explorer underwent an extensive time in drydock. The ship is serviced while drydocked, but the work is ongoing due to the ocean’s environment, especially its saltiness. The captain and crew are constantly making sure that this wonderful expedition vessel is always shipshape.
New headlines are taken out of storage and prepared in the bow area, painting jobs completed, Zodiacs checked, decks washed, and teak handrails carefully tended. The galley team is always busy, and the engine department, down in the depths, is constantly monitoring the thousands of moving parts. Electrical engineers and the IT officer make sure all the electronics are doing what they are supposed to do.
Today, all that work could be carried out in almost ideal conditions. We had incredibly calm seas and lovely sunshine.
For us, today offered a chance to recharge our batteries after the intense day we all enjoyed in Gdansk. Breakfast was a little later. As always, it was great to begin the day with fresh juice, a cup of coffee, a chat with newfound friends, and some delicious food. Life is good.
Throughout the day, we had opportunities to head up to the main lounge and listen to various presentations throughout the morning and afternoon.
And just in case anyone was concerned about lack of sustenance, our wonderful hotel department organized a special tea on the sun deck – a sausage barbecue with beer!
By recap time, we were sailing into Riga. By the time dinner came around, we were safely tied up alongside in the capital city of Latvia.
However, the day was not yet over. After dinner, we were treated to a wonderful performance from an extraordinary Latvian dance group called Raksti. The beautiful evening light lit up the gorgeous traditional costumes, bringing even more vibrancy to the lovely dances that delighted us. There were even opportunities for us to join. What a wonderful way to end this very busy day.
