Captain's Blog

 As we approached the Chinese coast the seas became calmer and at 11.30am I welcomed the pilot on board. I had been on the Bridge most of the night and throughout this morning as we pushed through the rough seas. Neil kindly offered to take the Church Service on my behalf which began our Sunday morning. This was followed by Stuart Usher concluding our lecture programme with the appropriately titled, ‘Breakout in Hong Kong’ describing the way the Royal Navy managed to escape with their ships before the Japanese takeover of Hong Kong in World War II.

The Farewell Cocktail Party was postponed yesterday and so took place before lunch today. My Second Officer, Matthew Nabb, attended on my behalf as I was with the pilot on the Bridge bringing the ship into Hong Kong harbour. By 1pm we were tied up in Victoria Harbour with a perfect view across the water of Hong Kong Island. The famous Star Ferries are busily chugging back and forth just in front of our bow in what is a timeless Hong Kong scene.

After lunch the passengers all headed ashore, some quite relieved to do so after yesterday, and enjoyed one of three shore excursions including Kowloon Tour, Living Traditions of Hong Kong, or Hong Kong Highlights. The show tonight featured Flautist Bettine Clemen with “On Wings of Music” accompanied by Alexey Sidorov of the Romanov Trio, as the Spirit Quartet have changed over today. It has been a challenging and enjoyable first cruise for me as Captain. It is wonderful to be overnight here in Hong Kong so that everyone can be rested ahead of our turnaround day tomorrow. I would also like to say thank you to Cruise Director Neil and Hotel Director Dawn who are going on leave tomorrow. Neil will return for the last two ‘Spirit of Adventure’ cruises whilst Dawn is going to join the ‘Saga Pearl II’ and prepare her for the change to ‘Quest for Adventure’.

I know the saying goes that “a Captain is always right”, but on this occasion I sincerely wish I hadn’t been. As per my forecast last night the sea did indeed turn against us during the night and we woke this morning to rough seas and gale forces winds. Top wind speeds of 48 knots were recorded on the Bridge apparatus and I had no option but to close off the outside decks as the sea spray would have caused problems to anyone out there. However, the Spirit of Adventure passengers are a hardly group of souls and the crew rallied round offering a full complimentary room service to anyone who understandably decided to stay in their cabins. You will not be surprised to learn that we had to postpone the line dancing session!

The lectures continued with Professor Victor King discussing, ‘UNESCO World Heritage Sites in South-East Asia: The Case for the Philippines’. This was followed by Cassie Edmondson looking ahead to our final destination, Hong Kong. Dr David Parkin looked back over his month sailing with us by covering all aspects of ornithology in, ‘Birds from the Spirit of Adventure’, and then Adrian Thorpe concluded today’s lecture programme with, ‘The Dutch and the British’. Not too much was going on elsewhere due to the nature of the sea, but the atmosphere remained positive onboard. I decided to postpone the Farewell Cocktail Party until tomorrow evening when we are guaranteed smooth seas alongside the berth in Hong Kong. The show with Bettine Clemen was also postponed and instead Neil held court in the Yacht Club with the ‘Encyclopaedia Quiz’ followed by a Late Night Cabaret with Clive.

We are due into Hong Kong at 1pm tomorrow, and I know it cannot come soon enough! I am hopeful that as we get closer to China the winds and sea conditions will ease. In any case, the sail into Hong Kong is always a special occasion and it will now feel even more special given today’s conditions!

Subic Bay is a bay forming part of the Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 60 miles northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Naval Base and it is now the location of an industrial and commercial area known as the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

We arrived at Alava Pier at 7am to again be greeting by colourful dancers and, on this occasion, a wind band complete with saxophones and trombones! The military nature of the base was still in evidence as when we arrived a destroyer was preparing to depart. The ship was INS Ranjit (D53), one of five Rajput class destroyers built by the then Soviet Union for the Indian Navy and commissioned on 24th November 1983. This particular ship was built at Mykolaiv in what is now the Ukraine.

Three different shore excursions were on offer today, including Camayan Beach Stay, Pamulaklakin Forest Trails, and Subic Surroundings & Jungle Introduction. Unlike Manila and Cebu, Subic Bay had free-flowing traffic and the housing left behind by the US Navy had been taken over and cared for by the locals to give a neat and tidy impression of the area. The rather impressive Subic Bay Yacht Club was located a short drive away and their complimentary shuttle offered passengers the chance to inspect and enjoy their spacious facilities.

The major highlight of the day turned out to be the trip into the jungle where local pygmies demonstrated skills that went back generations. An 82-year-old local man, half the size of your average British male, effortlessly climbed up a tree whilst another used traditional methods to light a fire without the use of any matches. These folk had helped to train American soldiers who were bound for Vietnam and it is good to see their skills are very much still in evidence.

All aboard was at 4.30pm and we finally said goodbye to the Philippines for the last time. A couple of late afternoon lectures were delivered by Stuart Usher and Dr David Parkin. Stuart focussed on ‘Surviving for the Emperor’, looking at the Japanese soldiers who were found still fighting World War II up to thirty years after hostilities had ended. David discussed, ‘Diclofenac and Vultures on the Indian Sub-Continent’.

I have issued a rough weather warning this evening as the forecast looks bad, and then getting worse, for our trip over to Hong Kong. However, tonight was relatively calm and so we were able to proceed with our scheduled Deck Party. A fun night was had by all but I’m not looking to tomorrow…

We passed the garrison island of Corregidor around 5am which marked our entrance into Manila Bay. By 7.30am we were moored alongside the PPIC Pier No.15 and an array of dancers and musicians were enthusiastically welcoming us to the capital city of the Philippines. The name ‘Manila’ is through to come from the ‘Nila’ which is a flowering mangrove plant that grew on the marshy shores of the bay. ‘May Nila’ translates from Tagalog as ‘There is Nila’, so I guess that would make sense.

Plenty of seats had been provided in the terminal building and you could hear excited children eagerly anticipating seeing their mother or father for the first time in a few months. The shore excursions were going to and fro throughout the day, attempting to dodge the torrential showers that passed by. Tours included Old & Modern Manila City Sights, Old Manila by Jeepney, and Corregidor Island. However, one of the main highlights, and something that many passengers had come on the cruise for, was to be on board and see the reaction as the crew welcomed their friends and families on to the ship. It had taken a lot of organising, by those onboard and those working for the Filipino crewing agency who supply our staff, but it came to fruition with everybody savouring a splendid day. Wherever you went around the ship there were flashbulbs going off as everyone wanted a photo of themselves in every part of the ship. It is great to see how much pride the crew take in their home and workplace.

We were staying in Manila until 11pm and many of the crew went out for dinner with their visitors before returning to the ship. The Sirocco Lounge was completely full for the evening show which saw the famous Bayanihan Performing Arts Group present traditional music, songs, dances and costumes of the Philippines. It was one of the most professional productions I can remember seeing and a credit to the nation. With the show complete we let go of the lines and started to head back out into the bay. As you would have expected with us being in Manila, there was a sizeable crew turnaround today as well. Some we will next see on the Quest for Adventure, whilst others were heading off to join Saga Ruby or Saga Sapphire. It was certainly an emotional day for many but very much a morale boost for all on board.

Our day at sea allowed us to focus again on our lecture programme. Adrian Thorpe began with, ‘The Philippines – Three Times Independent’. Cassie followed with her Port Briefing about Manila and Subic Bay, and then the afternoon lecture was delivered by Dr David Parkin and discussed, ‘The Struggle to save the Spoon-Billed Sandpiper’. The matinee lecture was hosted by Flautist Bettine Clemen and showed more of her famous films featuring her flute playing in Costa Rica, Jordan, New Zealand, Vietnam and many more exotic places.

Elsewhere it was business as usual with the deck sports, Bridge visits, digital camera demonstrations, watercolour workshops, table tennis challenge and more. The first session of the Book Club took place in the Yacht Club with passengers Graeme and Kellie Pike discussing, ‘The Spare Room’ by Helen Garner.

The sun set at 5.54pm over one of the many islands that we were passing, and then the evening entertainment featured the Romanov Trio performing works by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. Up in the Yacht Club, Neil presented his Improvised Quiz and around the ship the sense of anticipation ahead of our visit to Manila tomorrow was palpable. It is going to be a long but very enjoyable day tomorrow!

We arrived into Cebu early this morning to be greeted by dancers and musicians on the quayside of the Container Port welcoming our passengers and also our crew to their homeland. Cebu is known as the ‘second city’ of the Philippines and the port city is located on the eastern shore of the island of the same name. A large marquee had been set up on the quayside to act as a mess facility for the numerous families and friends visiting our Filipino crew members today.

The passengers set off on their tours to visit the neighbouring island of Bohol, or Cebu Arts & Crafts or Cebu Sights. For those going ashore independently there was a shuttlebus service to the huge SM City Mall in downtown Cebu. In taking the shuttlebus to the Mall one could see the inequality of Filipino life laid bare. The Mall was sparkling and immaculate with designer shops offering the latest brands, whereas just a stone’s throw outside were the corrugated iron shacks built on stilts over rivers. All aboard was set for 7.30pm and we then left Cebu and headed back out to sea. Our route to our next port of call, Manila, will see us weaving between various islands so it should be a sheltered voyage.

With today being Valentine’s Day there was an appropriate quiz in the Yacht Club before Internationally Renowned Flautist Bettine Clemen presented her show, ‘Love Songs for the Planet’ with the Spirit Quartet and her impressive array of films. That reminds me, I ought to sign off this blog as I should call my wife before I forget!

Our first full sea day of the cruise was a relatively calm affair as we crossed the Sulu Sea from Palawan to Cebu. The lecture series featured three talks today, with Cassie’s Port Briefing on Cebu sandwiched in the middle. Dr David Parkin started things off with, ‘The Chatham Island Black Robin: Saving the World’s Rarest Birds’. The afternoon lectures were ‘The Philippines: The Spanish-American Legacy’ by Professor Victor King, and ‘Japan and its Neighbours’ by Adrian Thorpe. There were also visits to the Bridge, beauty seminars, a deck sports triathlon, an ice cream parlour and more. The only thing that was missing from the day was me. Rather annoyingly I have managed to lose my voice, so Second Officer Matthew and Cruise Director Neil are taking it turns to speak on my behalf at the moment. As a result of this I was not in attendance at the Free Spirited Cocktail Party but Neil held the fort and expressed our gratitude to the ever-increasing number of passengers who choose to sail with us frequently.

The show tonight saw Neil present his Bumper Quiz with questions about the destinations this cruise, a music round and also pictures of ports we’ve visited on previous cruises. Tonight we have already reached land again and have turned northeasterly to sail up towards Cebu, where we are due to berth at 7am tomorrow.

“Mabuhay!” That was the greeting from the locals this morning, which means “Welcome” in Tagalog, the language of the Philippines. Although we are indeed in the Philippines, this is one part of the Philippines that the vast majority of our crew have never visited before. We are on the western island of the Philippines called Palawan, which is quite remote from the main archipelago. 306 nautical miles separate Manila and Puerto Princesa.

The port only receives one or maybe two cruise ships per year so it was quite an event for the locals. We had warned the passengers that the efficient shore excursion programme they are used to might not be quite so efficient here, and that proved to be the case. However, I must give the locals their due as we did arrive an hour behind schedule because of the overnight sea conditions.

With clearance complete the passengers headed out to the Underground River, which has recently been listed as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Alternative excursions included snorkelling at Honda Bay or the Puerto Princesa City Tour. A short walk from the pier was the local church which offered a Sunday Service every hour on the hour from 5am until 3pm, with the children going along in the best outfits. All aboard was set for 5.30pm, but there were few passengers on board at that time as the Underground River excursion had been delayed due to our later arrival. As it’s my first cruise as Captain I thought best not to upset the passengers and decided it would be a good idea to wait for them! An hour later all were on board and we let go of the lines and headed out of the sheltered bay on our easterly course towards our next destination, Cebu. A pre-dinner lecture was delivered by Stuart Usher titled, ‘Corregidor – Manila’s Guardian’. One of our shore excursions from Manila will be visiting this fortress island which has played a key part in so many battles through the years.

The evening entertainment saw the Romanov Trio perform ‘Popular Classical Melodies’ by Strauss, Piazzola and Elgar, while Neil held court in the Yacht Club with his amusing Scattergories Quiz. The night then belonged to the Spirit Quartet as they transformed the Yacht Club into a Jazz Bar and performed superbly. This is this current Spirit Quartet’s last ever cruise on the Spirit of Adventure and it will be sad to say goodbye to them in Hong Kong. Tomorrow is our first full day at sea of the cruise, and we are already half way through it!

We had remained overnight here in Sandakan and this morning the passengers headed off to the Sepilok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre. The centre prides itself on not having any fenced enclosures. The idea is that they help maintain and preserve a reserve of rainforest and then the orang-utans are free to roam. However, in case they do not feel like searching for their own food, they know that the feeding is offered once in the morning and once in the afternoon. So it was that this morning, at 10am, three mother and baby pairings swung down from the trees and came to eat the fruits that were provided for them. The guides joked that the orang-utans all had their babies with them because it was a Saturday and the school was closed. The passengers were delighted to see the interaction between them, and once the orang-utans had finished their meal some monkeys came by to enjoy the leftovers.

With the feeding complete the passengers headed along the wooden raised walkway to the exit but stopped where there was a tree overhanging the path. Contained in this tree was a python coiled round a branch and some baby monkeys were poking it for fun. Fortunately the python seemed rather relaxed and didn’t react! On the way back to the ship a brief stop was made at a Chinese Temple and then, with everyone back onboard, it was time to sail. The other tour on offer today saw passengers take a Heritage Trail around Sandakan.

At 1pm we let go of the lines and then the moment many of the crew had been waiting for happened… we set sail for the Philippines! This afternoon was the first real “sea time” that we’ve had this cruise, and therefore Neil took the opportunity to offer a few talks for our passengers. The first one was delivered by one of our dining room waiters, Jefrey Gultiano, and titled, ‘The Philippines: A Crew Perspective’. It was marvellous to see one of the crew being willing to deliver a powerpoint presentation about his homeland. This was followed by Cassie giving a Port Briefing about Puerto Princesa, and then Military Historian Stuart Usher discussed ‘The Cable Cutters’ and their daring mission. Elsewhere Sandy Hillyer began her series of Watercolour Workshops and Executive Chef George opened the doors to the galley.

Once we passed the northern tip of Borneo the sea conditions increased to moderate but the ‘Spirit of Adventure’ is made of strong stuff and was pushed through with relative ease. The show tonight saw a packed Sirocco Lounge welcome West End Vocalist Phillip Browne onto the stage for his second show. He ended with a stunning rendition of “Old Man River” before the audience demanded an encore. Normally these things are planned, but in this case it wasn’t, so Phillip sat at the piano and accompanied himself in a beautiful rendition of Gershwin’s “Summertime”. Tomorrow promises to be a very exciting day as we reach the Philippines for the first time in over two years.

It was only five days ago that the ship was last in Sandakan in the Sabah part of Malaysian Borneo. As I was not here then, my Bridge Officers tell me that we're berthed just around the corner from where we were on that occasion. Rather than just visiting for the day, we are going to remain in port overnight and leave tomorrow lunchtime. This way we can offer a much more varied shore excursion programme for our passengers.

The ship was cleared quite swiftly and the gangway lowered on main deck aft, behind the Sirocco Lounge. A morning tour, escorted by military historian Stuart Usher, took passengers to the Sandakan Memorial Park which pays homage to the awful plight of the mainly Australian and British POW’s towards the end of World War II. The afternoon tour took passengers on an Abai Wildlife Cruise which featured an incredibly rare appearance of a truly wild orang-utan swinging in the trees – much to the passengers delight. A complimentary shuttlebus ran back and forth late into the evening but all passengers were on the ship to enjoy the show tonight. With us having an overnight stay in the port, Neil had arranged for the Sandakan Performing Arts Group to come on board and perform a series of local traditional dances for our guests. They were a superb group with fascinating instruments, props and colourful costumes to go with their energetic dancing. As I write this blog it is quite late now and only a few crew members are ashore sampling the Sandakan nightlife. Tomorrow is an early start for most of the passengers as they aim to reach the orang-utan sanctuary in time to witness the morning feeding.

We anchored in the bay near the town of Kudat early this morning. This is our only tender port of the cruise and the ship was cleared swiftly so that both tenders were soon ready to begin our shore excursion programme. The town of Kudat was founded by the British North Borneo Company on 7th December 1881 and declared the first capital of British North Borneo due to its strategic location. However, after being repeatedly raided by Bajau, Sulu and Illanun pirates, the capital was moved to Sandakan a couple of years later. Fortunately the pirates are now a thing of the past and I was very happy with the sheltered anchorage we were offered today.

The tour on offer was a journey to the ‘Tip of Borneo’ to look out over the South China Sea to the west and the Sulu Sea to the east. The tour also included a look around Kudat and was enjoyed by all. The weather was typically tropical with glorious sunshine being interrupted by torrential downpours. The tenders ran continually back and forth with the last one leaving the jetty at 4.30pm. During the afternoon we had three talks, the first from Adrian Thorpe titled, ‘The Brookes of Sarawak and the British North Borneo Company’. Cassie then followed with a Port Briefing about Sandakan, and then Professor Victor King returned to the lectern with, ‘Southeast Asia and the Making of the Region’.

The evening turned out to be a dry moonlit night and the perfect time to hold one of our popular deck parties. Neil showed his DJ skills while Dawn glided across the dancefloor and all the passengers had a great evening. Tomorrow we will arrive in Sandakan for an overnight stop and hopefully the chance to see an Orang-utan.

We arrived into the deep-water port of Muara at 8 o’clock this morning. It is Brunei’s only deep-water port and we found the flooding tide quite awkward, but with assistance from a local tugboat we were soon alongside and the ship was cleared in good time. Brunei is about the same size as Wales, but there the similarity ends. Everyone is aware of the oil wealth of Brunei, as evidenced by the numerous rigs we passed in the early hours of this morning. Under the rule of His Majesty the late Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin, Muara was developed into a deepwater port to assist in the development of his country. Various oil companies and the Royal Brunei Navy are now based here, and a modern Cruise Terminal has been built to accommodate visiting ships.

The passengers had a choice of two different excursions today. They could either partake in the Temburong Cultural Experience, or follow in the Footsteps of the Sultan. The passengers returned to the ship almost in a state of shock having borne witness to the incredible wealth of this former British colony. The statistics are staggering, but the one most passengers seemed to remember was being told that the Sultan has a collection of 7,000 cars! A shuttlebus operated into Bandar Seri Begawan, but with it being a 45 minutes transfer each way it was not over-utilised. The crew did however take advantage of the Cruise Terminal building which was equipped with free Wi-Fi, souvenir stalls and a post office.

The passengers were all aboard by 4.30pm, many of them still wearing “I Love Brunei” badges which were being distributed by a musical and colourful welcoming committee on the gangway this morning. Shortly before 5pm the afternoon lecture took place with Professor Victor King discussing, ‘Brunei Darussalam: A Sultanate Regenerated’. Before dinner I had to take the next major step forward in becoming a Captain, and the one they never mentioned at the Naval Academy – I had to host my Welcome Cocktail Party. Haji gave me a few tips on how to stand for the photographs and then Neil assisted me to ensure I could be heard on the microphone as I introduced my team of Senior and Junior Officers to the passengers. It was quite nerve-wracking to be stood in front of all the passengers with them hanging on to your every word, and I will admit I was relieved when I had finished. Captain Spekman advised me that it becomes easier each cruise, and I hope that is the case!

After the cocktail party I could relax and enjoy hosting my table in the dining room. The show tonight saw a debut performance on the ‘Spirit of Adventure’ by West End Vocalist Phillip Browne. It was an energetic show with a great selection of songs and he left the crowd calling out for more, an excellent first formal night of the cruise.

The passengers were up early this morning, but after a night of guaranteed smooth seas they did not seem to mind. Mount Kinabalu Park was the destination of the first tour, with the other option being a Kota Kinabalu City Tour. The city, formerly known as Jesselton, is now a thriving metropolis. We were docked quite close to the bustling waterfront with the complimentary shuttlebus taking only ten minutes to transfer between there and the ship.

All aboard was set for 5.30pm and once the passengers had finished browsing the souvenir stalls on the quayside it was time to depart on our voyage to Hong Kong. Before departure I held the mandatory lifeboat drill for all passengers and, with that complete, invited everyone on to the Verandah to witness the sail away with a complimentary cocktail. Once we were clear of the harbour, Cassie presented a Port Briefing in the Sirocco Lounge about Brunei and Kudat. After dinner the passengers could enjoy a team trivia quiz in the Yacht Club, a film night at the Top of the Yacht cinema, or a Classical Concert with the Romanov Trio, a wonderfully gentile way to begin our cruise.

Good Evening everyone, my name is Krzysztof Majdzinski and I am delighted to be back onboard ‘Spirit of Adventure’. I was last on here as Staff Captain to Captain Frank Allica back in December 2010 when I disembarked in Dubai. Throughout last year I have been working on the ‘Saga Ruby’ and ‘Saga Pearl II’ as Staff Captain and was delighted to be asked to step up to Captain from now until we reach Mumbai on 1st April. I first sailed with ‘Spirit of Adventure’ when she had just been bought by the present company and helped oversee her transition into the fine ship that she is today. It is therefore with great pride that I now take command of this vessel and her highly able crew.

Today was also the passengers’ turnaround day and there was a steady flow back and forth of people leaving and people joining throughout the day. I was concerned that there might be some delay due to the weather conditions in the UK, but fortunately none of our passengers were affected and embarkation was complete in time for everyone to have lunch onboard. Around 40 passengers have stayed on from the last cruise to this one, and they enjoyed a morning shore excursion covering the highlights of Kota Kinabalu. I should also mention that two people staying on from the last cruise include my colleague, Captain Kees Spekman, and his wife Tina. It is customary for new Captains to have a few days handover to ensure the continuing smooth operation of the ship. Therefore Captain Spekman is kindly staying onboard until Sandakan in a supporting role.

The first talk of the cruise took place at 5.15pm and was a Port Briefing on Kota Kinabalu delivered by Tours & Travel Manager Cassie Edmondson. Cruise Director Neil Horrocks then presented his introductory talk and mentioned the lecturers who are joining us for this voyage. They are Stuart Usher (Military History), Professor Victor King (History and Anthropology), Adrian Thorpe (History & Culture), Dr David Parkin (Ornithology) and Sandy Hillyer (Watercolours).
 I was the only Senior Officer to change today, so therefore my team on this cruise is Staff Captain Dmytro Ryapolov, Chief Engineer Kostyantyn Rybnikov, Hotel Director Dawn Cartwright and Cruise Director Neil Horrocks.

After dinner with Captain Spekman and Tina, I decided to have an early night after all the travelling to reach Borneo from Poland. We are berthed overnight here in Kota Kinabalu so that the newly-embarked passengers will tomorrow have the chance to explore this fascinating area.

Our penultimate port for this cruise saw us visit Sandakan in Sabah on the Malaysian part of the island of Borneo. Sandakan was notorious in World War II for the scene of the Sandakan Death Marches when approximately 2,400 Australian and British POWs were marched 160 miles inland, with only the six that escaped surviving. These days it is thankfully much better known for being the port that gives access to the wonderful orang-utans.

We were docked nice and early in a somewhat remote commercial port, but the organisation was very good and all the coaches and guides were ready for the off. Two tours operated this morning. The first, and not surprisingly most popular, was the Wildman of Borneo excursion to the orang-utan sanctuary. These incredible creatures are so human-like in their actions that I would strongly recommend everyone to visit if they ever have the chance. Sadly, I did not have the chance to go myself, Tina went instead. I was required on the ship as we conducted our weekly crew drill.

All aboard was set for 1.30pm and almost immediately after that, we slipped the lines and headed out of the berth. We are sailing round the top of Borneo tonight as we head for Kota Kinabalu tomorrow. News reports had been reaching us during the day of poor weather back home in the UK, and most alarmingly at London’s Heathrow Airport. The beauty of the internet meant we were able to check live departure notices and it appears that the flight which the passengers are using to join us tomorrow has taken off. Great news!
 
With an afternoon at sea, the lecture series was concluded with Sir Roger Carrick talking about ‘Singapore and South-East Asia: Diplomacy for Change’. I conducted the church service after afternoon tea, with nurse Mitzi kindly offering a solo.

Before dinner I was invited to mingle with those passengers who are staying on for the next cruise. I will be staying on for a few days in a ‘civilian’ capacity before leaving the ship. My relief is former Staff Captain Krzysztof Majdzinski. He is making the step up for a couple of months and then I will return for the farewell season.

As it is Captain Majdzinski’s first appointment as Master on Spirit of Adventure, I will be staying in a consultancy role for a few days to ensure a smooth handover.
 
The show tonight featured the Romanov Trio performing works by Mozart and Vivaldi whilst Hannelore presented a ‘True or False’ quiz up in the Yacht Club.

Our last full day at sea of the cruise saw various activities taking place around the ship. Speaking of around the ship, we spent a good part of the middle of the day sailing through areas where every now and then people on high-powered small boats would come almost alongside us! They were fishermen who use the small boats to lay their nets. They came close to us to ensure we were not sailing through their nets, and also to wave at the passengers on the deck. Not too many cruise ships sail from Bitung to Sandakan, so we must have been quite a rare sight for them!
 
Cassie began the talks with a port briefing on Sandakan, followed by Sue MacGregor CBE hosting our Book Club. Sue presented ‘A Good Read’ on BBC Radio 4 for many years and so she was in her element with looking after our Book Club. The titles discussed were ‘Mr Pip’ by Lloyd Jones, and ‘The Dig’ by John Preston.

Elsewhere there was line dancing, snorkelling, deck sports, exercise class and more to fill the morning.
 
After lunch Ian Stevenson concluded his watercolour workshops, before Dr Peter Cattermole presented the antidote to Al Gore’s award-winning documentary with his talk, ‘Climate Change: The Convenient Untruth’.

Ahead of our visit to Sandakan tomorrow, Dr David Parkin discussed, ‘Conservation and Genetics of Orang-utans’.

Before dinner I welcomed passengers into the Farewell Cocktail Party and then hosted my table with Tina in the dining room. The show tonight featured the fab-u-lous (said in a Welsh accent) singer Maria Lyn. It was great fun for all, and I’m sure she will be back!

The last of our four consecutive Indonesian ports saw us visit Bitung in northern Sulawesi. As you will have come to expect from reading these blogs, I was called down from the Bridge to be welcomed with a ceremony performed by beautifully dressed locals. One of the main reasons for visiting Bitung is so that the passengers can head ashore and hope to catch a glimpse of the world’s smallest primate, the Tarsier Monkey.

With the ship cleared, the passengers went off on one of three shore excursions. Minahasa Highlands, Amazing Bitung and Ancient & Modern Sulawesi were on offer, and they did indeed succeed in seeing the Tarsier Monkey at close quarters.

A nearby resort was offering transportation from the quayside and quite a few passengers and crew took advantage of their offer to enjoy their hospitality. Tina told me it was a charming location and the perfect way to while away the afternoon. All aboard was set for 4.30pm and all the passengers were out on deck to witness a spectacular send-off from the Indonesian people. Dragons, drums, the full works roamed the quayside building up to a deafening crescendo. A superb way to conclude our four days in this most fascinating country.

Tonight we are heading round the point of Sulawesi and will then turn towards Malaysia. The evening entertainment saw another busy Deck Party with DJ Neil and Cruise Staff David & Nicky keeping the passengers dancing. Meanwhile, Hannelore was hosting the ballroom dancing in the Sirocco Lounge. Tomorrow we’re at sea and the weather is set for a good day crossing over to Malaysia.

Ternate is an island, like Ambon, in the Maluku Islands of Eastern Indonesia. It is located off the west coast of the larger island of Halmahera, the centre of the powerful former Sultanate of Ternate. Ternate is a visually dramatic cone-shaped island with a long history of bitter rivalry against the nearby islands. The island is dominated by the volcanic Mount Gamalama, which erupted as recently as last year. Before we reached Ternate we had a morning at sea to enjoy.

 At 8 o’clock I came up to the Bridge and announced the exact moment that we crossed the Equator. Some passengers felt the slight bump as we went over the line on the globe and continued into the northern hemisphere. Cassie presented a Port Briefing on tomorrow’s port, Bitung, before Dr Piers Brendon delivered an interesting talk titled, ‘Rulers and Rebels’ looking at the political history of the region.

 In the Yacht Club, Neil interviewed our cabaret act for this evening, Australian Tenor Jonathon Welch. Jonathon is well known throughout Australia for his inspiring work with the ‘Choir of Hard Knocks’ which involved him forming a choir from the homeless and disadvantaged people of Melbourne, leading them to eventually recording a gold album and performing a sold-out concert at the Sydney Opera House.

During lunch we arrived in Ternate. Originally the call was scheduled to be at anchor, but after the success of berthing in Banda Naira we repeated this feat and came alongside their pier. As with yesterday, I was soon being beckoned onto the quayside to receive a traditional welcome from the beautiful local dancers and being showered with garlands of flowers and some gifts. It is certainly a boost to one’s self-esteem to have such charming and delightful people being so happy to see you!

The passengers headed off on their tours having taken an early lunch and could choose from Ternate Orientation or Ternate Highlights. The terminal had a few facilities open and a sign was hung from the balcony welcoming our passengers ashore.

All aboard was set for 5.30pm and just as a passing tropical squall came over we sailed away, heading towards Bitung, Sulawesi.

The evening entertainment saw Jonathon Welch perform his second excellent show with the Spirit Quartet, with quite a number of passengers also enjoying the open-air cinema to watch ‘The King’s Speech’. Tomorrow is our last Indonesian port of call and it will be with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to this most welcoming of countries.

Ambon Island is part of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. The island has an area of 299 square miles and is mountainous and fertile. It lies on the north side of the Banda Sea and is part of the volcanic islands that form a circle around it. We arrived quite early and we were greeted with the friendly welcoming ceremony that is such a charm of these areas. I wish the ship was ending its time in Worcestershire as I am having so many kind gifts bestowed upon me that I’ll never be able to fly them all home!

With the formalities completed we were ready for our passengers to head ashore. Two tours operated, but with very differing modes of transport. The ‘Legacy of Ambon’ trip took place using small coaches, while the ‘Ambon City Tour’ made use of dozens of Pedicabs. These are tricycles with two wheels at the front one at the back. The back wheel is powered by the cyclist, and a wide seat is located between to the two front wheels. It is definitely a very environmentally friendly way to get around the town! The tour was charmingly chaotic but the enthusiasm and dedication of the Pedicab drivers made it all worthwhile. The terminal building had clearly been polished before our arrival and the sub post office which had been set up did a roaring trade in postcards and stamps. Souvenir stalls lined the walls of the terminal and the locals were very friendly, no hassle or hard sell, just genuine enthusiasm for what they had to offer.

All aboard was at 1.30pm as we prepared to sail for Ternate. At 2pm we let the lines go and slipped away from the berth with many people waving goodbye from the quayside. Our next port of call, Ternate, is north of the Equator, whilst we are currently south of the Equator. This meant that I had to contact His Royal Highness King Neptune for permission to cross his line. We are not scheduled to cross until 8 o’clock tomorrow morning, but he is busy with another ship at that time so asked if we’d mind holding the ceremony this afternoon. Of course I, as a humble Captain, acquiesced to his request.

So it was that at 3.30pm, the passengers were summoned to the Verandah Pool area and HRH King Neptune arose from the deep to hold sway over his subjects. The passengers and crew were dealt with accordingly, after Dawn (Hotel Director), Kosta (Chief Engineer) and I had bowed before the King and kissed the fish. The fish, on this occasion, had been bought at the local market this morning by Chef George and was a very colourful Coral Trout. Neil had been counting and worked out that this was the 14th occasion that the ‘Spirit of Adventure’ had crossed the Equator and also the last occasion it will happen. I won’t go into any more detail, as it is always good to surprise those who’ve never done it before, but suffice to say I wouldn’t have recommended snorkelling in the pool after the ceremony was complete!

Sanity resumed at 5pm as Cassie delivered her Port Briefing on Ternate and then after dinner the Romanov Trio performed their fourth recital, titled, ‘Romantic Evening’ featuring works by Mozart, Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky. Upstairs in the Yacht Club, Neil hosted the second of his Scattergories Quizzes and this was followed by Neil & Clive presenting a Late Night Cabaret including a memorable version of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Boxer” performed by watercolour artist Ian Stevenson with enthusiastic backing by Clive on piano and Neil on drums. Those who were there will never forget it!