Underway on board the National Geographic Endeavour in the English Channel
I was at home on vacation in La Paz and Michelle was just about to get off of the Sea Lion when my good friend Dwayne Stevens gave me a call. He asked if I was interested in joining him on the National Geographic Endeavour to help him with a safety audit. The ship was just about to leave dry dock and head for Europe on a repositioning voyage with guests on board. I talked to Michelle when she got off for vacation a few days later and she was gracious enough to insist that I go with Dwayne and not miss this opportunity. It was going to be a good chance to spend some time with a good friend, observe another ship from our fleet in action and cruise the western coast of Portugal, Spain, France and then to Great Britain. Not a bad work week for a sailor.
On May 4th I boarded a plane in La Paz for Lisboa, Portugal via Mexico City. The flights went very well and my bag actually arrived on time as well. Due to a delay Dwayne and I had a night in Lisbon together before Endeavour arrived. There was a nice waterfront strip across from the hotel so we were able to take in some local cuisine before we dropped in our tracks due to the time change. The next day we boarded the ship in Lisboa and started our ship inspection while the guests were in town on tour. Later in the day the Endeavour got underway for Oporto, Portugal. That night we were able to catch up with Isaac Klinger and Beth Anne Robertson both are co workers with Lindblad, former crew and good friends. There were also many of the natural history staff on board that I have worked with on the Sea Lion so lots of familiar faces on the ship. There's a young guest named Lisa from Alberta (possible Lindblad recruit) and Kay (repeat guest and almost staff member) that were part of our troup.
We arrived in Oporto, Portugal late in the morning and the guests were ashore for a tour of the town and a local distillery. Dwayne and I continued with our safety audit in order to make it into town later in the day. The skies were cloudy with some rain in the morning but the skies opened up to sunny and warmer in the afternoon. Our time in Oporto late that afternoon and evening was delightful. It is a beautiful city built on two steep shores overlooking the river. It was a great dinner with some exceptional seafood. We basically had the place to ourselves. As the gang exited the restaurant (Isaac Klinger, Jason Alexander, Beth Anne Robertson and a guest Lisa Laurenson joined us) the sun set and the light on the far side of the river was great. Upon arrival back at the ship they pulled the gangway and we were headed for Spain.
On Thursday, May 8th the ship anchored off of Finesterra, Spain and the guests were tendered via zodiacs to shore. They departed for Santiago de Compostella for the day but we stayed aboard to continue the audit. It was a nice ride up the coast of Spain and the ship was very quiet which made for some productive interviews. In the evening the ship docked at La Coruna, Spain the guests came back aboard and we departed for France. For the next day and a half we were underway crossing the Bay of Biscay in route to Sta. Malo, France. Dwayne and I finished up the safety audit and a few other items in order to take advantage of the next port call.
Last night we arrived in St. Malo and got to watch the ship pull into a small lock chamber that guards the tiny and very old harbor basin. It was fun to watch and the night lights on the local fortifications were great. After the ship came alongside Dwayne and I went ashore and ventured inside the fort's walls. It's really a small section of St. Malo that is the original sight of the city center that had been protected by the walls. We found a local cafe, had a glass of wine and then turned in for the night.
Today we joined the guests for a trip to Mont Saint Michel. This is a local abbey or cathedral located on the north shore of France that could not be anymore picturesque. It's built on a small island serviced only by a narrow causeway and then surrounded by tidal mudflats and pasture land. Over the centuries many have made religious pilgrimages to this site and this still continues today. For our visit it was a local holiday so there were many visiors to just see the site and take in the great views. It was sunny and warm and you could see quite a ways from the top. It's hard to believe what they were able to construct on a rocky islet back in this day. For the afternoon we opted to have lunch off the ship in St. Malo and it was delicious. French food by no means comes fast nor is it light but man is is delicious! Cheese, cream crepes and a dry white wine. Over two hours later we arose from the table and wandered the streets for some shopping. The ship had to depart the harbor due to some low tide levels so we made it back to the ship via zodiac. We were second to the last boat back and everything was stowed quickly, the anchor aweigh and we are now off for Portsmouth. As we departed the harbor the number of sailboats returning to the harbor was impressive.
We are now heading across the English Channel for Portsmouth, England and the end of our journey. I'll be heading back to La Paz via London and Mexico City while Dwayne, Isaac and Beth Anne all return to Seattle. It has been a lot of fun as well as very educational and it was nice to ride under another Captain's command. I truly enjoyed getting to catch up with everyone especially Dwayne.
It's time to get back to Cheers, grab Michelle and get out in the Sea of Cortez for a week. A day on the water is always a great day in my book.
Cheers, Mark
