Sailing Away with sunny skies

Monday, August 10, 2015
Juneau, Alaska, Alaska, United States
Good morning from just south of Icy Strait Point in Alaska.

What a relief, all 12 of us arrived on board. We managed to navigate the hour and a half processing line up, found our staterooms, and each other on the back deck of the restaurant.

Jean and Bert and Gary and I arrived about 12:30 to begin the process and with great relief saw the only people we knew in the mass. of people in front of us in the check-in line were Gill, Paige and Charlie. Wayne, Sandra and Brenda must have arrived after we did by a bit. Sandra found the line up frustrating. We will see by the end of the cruise if her threat to never endure another embarkation line again is mellowed by the scenery and the SPA. Garth and Lisa took one look at the line and Garth promptly whipped out his white cane and asked for help. They were then whisked through and on board faster than any of us. ]

Sunday was a spectacular day for a sail away from Vancouver. The harbour was busy with Harbour Air planes coming and going, a few freighters being escorted out and loads of people out on their boats for a sunny August afternoon. It seemed to take many blasts to clear the way ahead of the Celebrity Infinity as we made our way under the Lions Gate Bridge and past West Vancouver. We were all up on deck snapping our photos, taking our selfies and waving to Jim, Juanita, Dan and Barb on the pier in West Vancouver. I have checked out my telephoto picture of the pier and can spot Dan in his yellow shirt. It was marvellous.
 
We have a table for 12 for dinner each night and indeed the first night we all turned up to raise a toast to our week on board. Everyone is off doing their thing during the day and then turning up sometimes for lunch in one particular area and later for dinner.

Charlie is loving the kids program where they seem to be having lots of fun with scavenger hunts, Paige has made new friends in the teen program and is preparing a song for the talent show Saturday afternoon which we are all attending. Gill is loving being able to sleep in, not cook and not have Reggie needing her attention all day long...a real holiday. Brenda, who has terrific binoculars and knowledge of whales is our dolphin and whale spotter. We sailed through waters seemingly teaming with them yesterday.

Garth and Lisa are spending some of their time working. They both have pieces to be written before they return to Vancouver on Sunday. They also are taking time out for the gym and at the moment Gary and Garth are walking around the track out on deck 11. It is overcast but not raining.

I'll have to ask Wayne what he has been doing...I would bet doing his 50 laps at the pool. I know Sandra has been catching up on sleep after a 6 month slog at work where she seemed to work night and day and every weekend. Hopefully after a week at sea she will come back home much more rested and her batteries re-charged.
  
I have been doing my usual...thinking about but not going to the gym, reading, taking photos and having time to visit with everyone. It is quite a lovely way to spend time with your extended family.

This software claims to never have heard of Icy Strait Point...so I have named our location as Juneau.

 
Cheers Doreen

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2025-02-08

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