July 28, 2023 Sea Day #3

   Sea Day #3 saw Zuiderdam cruising, still enveloped in fog, in the Labrador Sea on the way to Paamiut, Greenland. Visibility was about 300 meters. The fog horn continues to sound every two minutes. The temperatures was cooler, just 8° C. It was also raining. The ship’s speed is a steady 17 knots. The BBC weather map showed a huge cloud area over Greenland, Iceland and northern Britain.

    Early this morning we were about half way through the Labrador Sea.  We lingered over breakfast with Ellen and David. We all had something to attend at 10 a.m. We went to the World Stage theatre for the Exc. Talk about “Epic Solutions” given by Cruise and Travel Director Tjalling Riedstra. It showed the 15 mile highway tunnel in Norway and its technology to keep drivers from falling asleep at the wheel. Since its opening over 10 years ago there has been only one crash and that was caused by a drunk driver!  The other innovation was to create computer controlled mirrors on the top of a mountain to redirect light into a mountain town deep in a valley during the winter when there was 24 hours with no natural sunshine. Next was Mile West’s presentation about ships funnels, flags and funny colours. Then it was up to the Crow’s Nest for cappuccinos. Climbing the seven flights of stairs was tricky since the ship rolled and pitched in swells and was jostled by the east wind most of the day.  It was nothing that we had not experienced on past cruises. The exits to the Promenade Deck were barred due to the conditions. The water in the pools was sloshing over the sides.

   At noon the Captain explained that the fog was supposed to clear in a few hours, the wind would weaken and the ship’s speed would reduce as there would be icebergs more frequently during the night as we approach Paamiut. There was still more than 250 nautical miles to go. He explained that there were 2.6 meter swells and 2.7 meter waves. Looking out our window which is three levels above the waterline, an occasional wave would splash against the window.

  In the afternoon, we started in Deck 2’s Billboard Onboard for the third Tech for Travellers presentation titled Digital Safety which talked about secure passwords, anti-virus software, cookies, privacy settings and Virtual Private Networks (VPN). Next, Tjalling Riedstra hosted a questions and answer event in the Rolling Stone Lounge discussing the ports of Paamiut and Nanortalik. We were told that both ports are small 1300 to 1500 people each. There is only room for one tender at their piers. For Nanortalik, passengers can watch the approach from the ship’s bow since the anchoring for the port is planned for noon.  Then we found seats in the Explorers Lounge to listen the Classic Duo, Ashley on Cello and Manual on Piano, give a concert as we and about half the guests read books. Returning to the stateroom we noticed that the fog was thinner and visibility was about two kilometres.

  By dinner, we could see the overcast sky, no more fog. Cee Kaye and Brad joined us for dinner and told us about their day. Most of us ordered a tropical fruit cheesecake and were disappointed to get 1/3 cup of a dense mousse on a vanilla 5 cm diameter cookie with 5 ml of finely diced fruit scattered on top. 

   The World Stage show this evening was pianist, Elliot Finkel, with the Third Avenue West band. Elliot gives a great show.

    The temperature held steady at 8° C all day. After dinner the ship’s speed was reduced to 12 knots. On the Japanese cruise in April, passengers were encouraged to note the port agent at each port, but there was no one listed on tomorrow’s program. Since it is only a community of 1,300, finding assistance should be easy.

    With the Promenade Deck closed and walking in the corridors was unsteady as the ship rolled we did not walk a lot.    Total steps 6,123.  

     We cruised south of the area of the Greenland waters where the eastern end of the Northwest Passage begins, south of the Arctic Circle. As the Arctic Ocean waters warm the Northwest Passage will become more navigable. There are adventure companies that offer cruises in the Northwest Passage.