Above was the view from our balcony, a very welcome return to the Northern Hemisphere, with blue skies and smooth seas. This evening, at the start of “Dancing Under the Stars”, we were enjoying the amazing display of stars, commenting that during our entire time in the Southern Hemisphere, we couldn’t recall seeing an evening of stars.

Temperature: 28C/82F

Wind/Weather: Clear and calm, becoming partly cloudy and light/moderate winds

Sunrise/Sunset: 06:19/18:36

Clox: No change (Z+6)

Navigation

We maintained NW’ly courses across the Indian Ocean, bound for Colombo. Since departure Bali, we have steamed 1,972 miles at an average speed of 17.1 kts. At Noon, we still have another 444 miles to the Colombo Pilot Station, requiring an average speed of 15.2 kts.

Note – all distances are Nautical Miles, which are 6,080 feet, while statute miles are 5,280 feet. A knot, is 1 nautical mile, per hour, so 1 knot is faster than 1 mph. To convert knots to mph, multiply by 1.15. Therefore, 20 kts = 23 mph.

Weather

The day started with the most amazing sight from our balcony, as shown above. Not a cloud in the sky and a sea that was as close to glass as we have seen, since departing L/A. Alas, it didn’t last all day, with the wind freshening to N’ly 12 to 15 kts by Noon.

Meals

Yet another amazing day, with the galley producing the following special meals:

• Aquavit Bar (07:00 to 10:00) – Organic Muesli Bar
• Aquavit Terrace (12:00 to 14:00) – Caesar Salad Station
• World Cafe (18:00 to 20:30) – Indian Night

Activities

Here is a summary of today’s activities, aboard this magnificent ship:

• 09:30 – Crew Sports aka Crew Emergency Drills – lots of announcements, but no reduction in pax services
• 10:00 – Viking Cooking School
• 10:00 – Beginner’s Bridge, then intermediate & advanced
• 10:00 – Knitting
• 11:00 – Baggo
• 11:00 – Lecture, Marine Conservation part 2
• 11:45 – Latin Dance with Rosanna
• 12:00 – Trivia
• 13:30 – Film, American Hustle (2013)
• 14:00 – Wildlife Watch
• 14:30 – Art, water colours
• 16:00 – An introduction to the arts of SE Asia
• 17:15 – Lecture, The Spanish American War 1898
• 20:00 – Film, Metropolitan Opera
• 20:45 – Dancing Under the Stars

In addition, they also make available rooms for un-hosted games and gatherings throughout the day.

We had another fairly quiet day today, although I did attend the afternoon lectures. As usual, the Colonel was brilliant at 17:15, but the new resident historian at 16:00 was rather dry, with many of us nodding off.

This evening, we were invited to a birthday party in Manfredi’s private room, where we enjoyed a great meal, with great company.