Day 2: Sunday 19th February: the North Sea
We had received our ticket to go and see Jools Holland on Monday evening.
Our breakfast in was in the Grill on Deck 12. This cruise up the North Sea was scheduled to be a relaxed journey. On other cruises we would have only taken one day at sea to reach Norway. This cruise Spirit of Discovery we were scheduled to take two days.
After breakfast, we joined other passengers on Deck 14 forward, the Observation Deck, looking for wildlife. On board the ship were a small group of naturalist from ORCA. They were out on deck noting the wildlife that had been seen so far that day and helping passengers see for themselves.
I watched groups of gannets flying alongside the ship or sitting on the water.
Lunch was again back in the Grill, accompanied by the wine of the day.
Afternoon on the North Sea
We attended a talk in the theatre to listen to a talk from a retired ship’s captain, Captain Philip Rendall. His talk was titled ‘Master Mariner’. He described his life in the Merchant Navy, through to being a captain, and finally a captain of Saga ships.
His talk was followed by a presentation from the leader of the ORCA naturalists. Their presentation was a briefing on the wildlife that we could hope to see over the next few weeks, including birds and even whales.
We took a break from being outside and I tried the IPA that I had been drinking draught in a bottle – just as good!
Formal evening
The evening was our first formal evening, and for us, it began in the Britannia lounge with the ship Captain’s cocktail party. We were sat at the very back of the lounge and after the first speeches we left for dinner in the Grand Dining Room. In the theatre Jools Holland was performing. To avoid any issues half the passengers would see him this evening and the other half the next day. Our evening for the Jools Holland performance was the next day.
The Searcher’s Story
After dinner, at 10 pm, we were in the Britannia lounge watching the ‘Searcher’s Story’. This was performed by Spencer James and The 60s Explosion. Our seats were not great as we were sat behind the band.
The Britannia Lounge’s ceiling produced interesti9ng reflections as well the lights interesting patterns.
For the final numbers we did join in and moved out onto the dance floor…
Outside the rain was lashing down – definitely a portent of what was to come.
Then it was time for the house band to perform.
Overnight the clocks were advanced by one hour to be on Norwegian time.