Today was a true day at sea as we crossed the Lancaster Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. After a leisurely breakfast, we meant to don our Arctic gear, go out on deck, and bird watch, but all the doors to the exterior were locked to prevent unnecessary man-over-boards. And then, of course, there was a full crew man-overboard drill, the long one. We were told that services would be halted and that we should be patient as they locked doors, handed out life jackets, pretended to lower life boats, and make the sign of the cross. If this boat went down and we were not dressed in our Arctic gear, we would not survive. But that aside, it was nice to see (or hear) that a thorough drill was going on. 

Even though there were no excursions at sea, we were busy all day. I took John to the shipboard shop and bought him an awesome Nordic sweater, which he wore all day and even to dinner. It’s just the right weight of warmth and coziness for onboard and for occasions at home as well— plus it’s a great color of blue for him. Then later, I snuck back down to the shop and bought another one, for me! We had an appointment with the shipboard travel consultant, who said he would pay for John’s sweater if we booked with him. We were simultaneously texting the kids to assess their availability and interest in joining us on a European river cruise next year. Stay tuned. It might happen!

We also took the bridge tour, which was fabulous. The Octantis bridge is spacious and wide with lots of windows that are completely unnecessary because there are so many autopilots and sensors all over the ship—it practically runs itself. I can see why everyone is so comfortable here. And they seem to live on coffee for the warmth and caffeine!

In the early evening, we had the grand farewell from the captain and crew. The captain actually sang for us with his impressive voice, and the whole crew came out in shifts to take a bow. It was a nice show. The captain also played Nuuk Golfklub, so we’ll have to have a golf chat before the last day.

The pool was closed, so I went to the gym instead (a daily stop— so easy. I’ve made a few gym friends, actually) and then prepped for dinner at Manfredi’s, the upscale Italian restaurant aboard. We got a table for four and invited Thea and Pam, a mother and daughter, to join us. They were delightful. A lovely evening… now what’s going to happen tomorrow?