Tug of War.
We are crossing the Arafura Sea. It is a beautiful day and it is crew tug of war day. The guests came out in force to show their support for the teams from the Bar department, Spa, Restaurant, Engineers, Academy and galley. Compered by John Howell our Cruise Director and with Yours Truly officiating to ensure nobody got hurt and that there was FairPlay the Engineers won the day. After standing in the sun for only an hour I can feel the tingling of slight sunburn on my head. The sun is vicious! I have no idea how some people can lie in it all day with apparent impunity.
It is a restful day at sea. The mood around the ship is good, the sky is blue and the sea is calm. We are heading east towards Cape Wessel which marks the western extremity of the Gulf of Carpentaria on the northern coast of Australia. We should pass Cape Wessel around 23:00 this evening before striking out further east towards Cape York and the Prince of Wales Channel. This marks the entrance to the Torres Straits and the beginning of the Great Barrier Reef.
Most of my day has been spent walking the lower decks so that by the late afternoon I have been into most areas of the ship. It just leaves the engine room spaces to walk through and some time soon with our Chief Engineer Ned.
The day was rounded off in style with the Club Party to honour our loyal travellers and a 7 course dinner where Chef Kurt and his team pulled out all the stops.