This third day at sea the fog had cleared and we had patchy spots of sunshine throughout the day. The seas were still slightly rough with the ship rolling over the swells and white caps causing you to have to watch your step as you move about the ship.

Mark attended the morning watercolor class painting a small Alaskan landscape scene while Kent read the morning newspaper in the library. Next up was a brief talk by Ian about Alaska’s Iditarod race where we learned that the race was started as a medical necessity to transport medical vaccines for diphtheria to inaccessible areas. Today the race is watched around the world.

The afternoon included a lecture by Michael Hick on Captain Cook and the near mutiny at Dutch Harbor. Cook very accurately mapped all of the Alaskan territory in the late 1800’s while at the same time on a secret mission to find another shorter trade route to Europe.

At 4:30 we attended the Captain’s Welcome Aboard Reception where the captain introduced the ship’s officers in charge of the different departments onboard the ship. Free drinks and appetizers were plentiful.

The evening was a gala celebration with a black and gold theme. The dining room chairs were covered in gold and black and the dining room staff all wore captains’ hats. The popular surf and turf or steak and lobster were served along with escargot and white chocolate soufflés.

The entertainment for the night was an all woman’s group called Voce comprised of four female vocalists from Europe and Australia. They sang songs from opera to pop and everything in between.

When we returned to our cabin we found yet another small gift had been left for us. This night we received a lanyard with a leather case to carry your ship’s cabin card.