11-13 Sailing the Pacific

 

This post is based primarily on Don's notes, occasionally supplemented with MT's notes from our cruise in November-December 2023. When information from other sources is added—for further explanation to readers or to satisfy our own curiosity—that is set off in a text box (as this one).
Most of the photos that accompany this post are from Don’s camera (with a caption indicating the time it was taken); those from MT’s iPhone are indicated by “MT” placed at the beginning of the photo caption. Photos from any other source (such as the public domain Wikimedia Commons), occasionally used for clarification, indicate that source in the caption.

The Viking Daily newsletter showed today's weather forecast as "Cloudy 69° F" and "Sunrise: 5:24 AM."

We woke at 5:45 am.

At 7:20, we went to the World Café (Deck 7) for the buffet breakfast.

At 8:30-9:45, we walked on the track of the Promenade Deck on Deck 2.

At 11:00, Don went to the Star Theater (Deck 2) for the Guest Lecture  "Seven Miles Back--A Return to Challenger Deep."

Guest Lecturer Kelly Drennan Walsh recalled his dive to the Pacific Ocean’s deepest point 60 years after his father’s first historic dive.

The Challenger Deep is the deepest known point of the seabed of the Earth, at a depth of 35,827 ± 33 ft. It is located at the southern end of the Mariana Trench. The depression is named after the British Royal Navy survey ships HMS Challenger, whose expedition of 1872-76 first located it, and HMS Challenger II, whose expedition on 1950-52 established its record-setting depth. The first descent in any vehicle was made in 1960 by the bathyscaphe Trieste, piloted by Jacques Piccard, who co-designed the submersible along with his father Auguste Piccard and US Navy Lt. Don Walsh. In 2020, Victor Vescovo and Kelly Walsh (son of Don Walsh) descended to the Western Pool of the Challenger Deep on the Deep-Submergence Vehicle Limiting Factor, going seven miles down and seven miles back (hence the first part of the title of Kelly Walsh’s book and this lecture).

At 12:30, we went to the Pool Grill (Deck 7) for our regular Seared Ahi Tuna lunch.

Then we went to Mamsen's restaurant (Deck 7) for the split pea soup.

At 2:00, we went to the Star Theater (Deck 2) for the movie "Champions."

At 4:15, we stayed in the Star Theater for the Port Talk--Honolulu (although we would not get there until November 18).

At 6:45, we went to The Restaurant (Deck 2) for our pre-ordered dinners.

At 9:00, we went to the Star Theater (Deck 2) for "Duets" by the Viking Star Vocalists.

Before retiring, we set the time back one hour on Don's watch and camera, as directed in the Viking Star newsletter and a reminder card that accompanied it.