The departure day was not considered the first day of the cruise, according to all of the media references on the ship.

Before I went to bed that night, I noticed bright lights on Vancouver Island, which I could see from my window. I guessed it must be Campbell River, and the Captain’s Log destination checker confirmed it. The lights were beautiful and went on for quite a while as we steamed past.

Overnight we sailed up most of Vancouver Island and this morning before breakfast we passed the northern tip of the island. The skies were overcast, with some fog, but the Island was still easy to see as we slid past. The terrain was surprisingly low, almost as if the land was sinking into the sea.

The end of the Island was the last land we would see for the rest of the day. We were too far from the mainland to see much more than the shadow of mountains in the distance. As well the sun played peek-a-boo through the clouds for most of the day, though by late afternoon the sky was clear and bode well for the next few days. I played with some photos through my window of the sea and the clouds and the sun, but for most of the day being outside on deck wasn’t all that pleasant.

Sea days are a chance to explore the ship and enjoy the activities on board, of which there are lots, most of them related to selling products. There were a few interesting sounding talks (two I was interested in at the same time, of course), but over all it was a lazy day.