Today started out like most every day with me waking up around 6am and eventually heading to breakfast. But did that ever change!
After breakfast I was walking through the pool (Lido) area when I spotted a large rectangular object floating in the distance off the starboard side. When I returned my gaze after looking away I couldn't find it and thought no more of it. It wasn't more than 5 minutes later that the Captain came on the PA system and said we would be making a starboard (right) turn to check out a floating object.
So I hustled up to Deck 12 above the Lido and could observe the ship executing a sharp right turn and there was an object in the distance. Gradually our speed slowed from 13 knots to 5 knots and then to 1-2 knots as we approached what appeared to be a raft about 12 feet wide and 24 feet long made of bamboo. It had a stick superstructure and was flying a tattered flag. We couldn't see any signs of life on the raft but the Captain came back in the PA system and announced that a tender would be sent out to inspect the raft. At this point we were still in the water about 300 feet away from the raft. Tender #9 was launched and it circled the raft twice before returning to the ship.
The Captain then came on the PA system and said there was no signs of life onboard it and that it would be reported to the Sri Lankan Coast Guard. He thanked the crew for their professionalism in responding to the event, and I would concur. The tender was retrieved and we resumed our course. All of this took about an hour. Of course we don't know the source of the raft or how it came to be in the middle of the Bay of Bengal; and we'll likely never know.
Then I went to the first meeting of the Voyager club down in the atrium. There KK announced that we would be permitted to go out on the bow and see the Zodiacs up close. This was the first time passengers have been allowed there since the Zodiacs were loaded and while the ship is under way. It was really cool to see and touch them. I'll do a specific Zodiac post in a few days as this post is getting long.
Afterwards I attended an EXC lecture on Mangal Communities (Mangroves) by Kristy King. It was very detailed and went way overtime. Angela went to a coffee chat with the Jersey Boys where she learned another group is rejoining the ship on the next segment.
Following a quick Lido lunch, I walked 1/3 of the 5k In Deck For a Cause cancer walk. Paul Hill presented his first lecture on photography, but I found it not as good as Ben Brain's on the first segment backbin September. Ashok Ferry presented part 2 of Sri Lankan Architecture, but for me it didn't connect with me. Finally Terry Greenberg did a good presentation on religious cooperation in Sri Lanka.
Since we had a 7pm dinner reservation in the Pinnacle Grill, I used most of the time to walk the deck to finish my miles for the 5k Cancer walk.
The guest chef dinner tonight was prepared by Singaporean chef, Deming Chung. Not only was it excellent, our table mates Jim & Rose were a delight to chat with.
Tomorrow we arrive in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka and it is a docking port which is a change from what was previously announced. We have an all day independent excursion.
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