During the night the boat moved on to the island of Agua Verde.

Today turned out to be bird day.  Following breakfast we hung out until our appointed time for our skiff ride.  We joined 9 other passengers in one of the ship’s skiffs along with a guide (Mike on the mic) and a driver (whose name I forget but she’s the ship’s Bosun) for an exploration of the rocky shores around the bay were we were anchored. 

Over the course of the next 1 1/2 hours we identified 12 different species of birds and one species of crab. 

We also talked a bit about geology and enjoyed riding reasonable swells before returning to the ship for a nap and lunch.

After lunch we hung out until our appointed kayak time.  We again loaded into a skiff, but this time we were transported to the beach where we traded our bulky orange PFD’s for sleek yellow paddling versions and boarded our kayaks. 

These were the “sit on top” variety – not particularly suited for anything serious – but they got the job done. 

They were 2-man kayaks but we had an odd number of people so I offered to pilot one solo while Cheryl shared with our friend Lorelei. 

Again we were our for just over an hour and saw some of the same stuff we had seen in the morning – but from a much closer perspective.  We were able to sneak up on some birds for close-up shots and added a Kingfisher to our day’s list.

Then it was back to the ship for hot showers.  

Random question: How do you get a flotilla of kayaks to shore?

One of the marketing points of UnCruise is their “open bridge” policy.  Whenever things aren’t too busy on the bridge guests are welcome to drop by for a tour.  So we figured this would be a good time to take them up on their offer.  The problem was that there was nobody on the bridge at that point so we’ll have to try again later.  We did, however hang out on the upper deck enjoying the (finally) clement weather and chatting with friends until time for happy hour.

That time arriving we retired to the lounge for more conversation, convivial beverages, and sign-up for tomorrow’s activities.

Then it was off to dinner followed by a lecture on feeding strategies of various marine birds.  Then it was off to the cabin to update this, capture photos, and sleep.

One Additional note: Cheryl just announced that she has tried 7 different drinks at this point.  Which is probably a good time to tell you about Leigh – our bartender.  Leigh hales from Kent and has a lovely British accent.  She is also an experienced and creative mixologist. She does an excellent job of keeping us sufficiently lubricated, whether by adding a dash of cream d’cocoa to your hot chocolate or by convincing you to try some esoteric concoction that tastes as good as it looks.  I’m not ready to admit that this is a booze cruise (though the rate at which we are emptying the wine cellar’s supply of Pino Blanc might indicate otherwise) but experiencing new and different drinks.

That’s all for now.  We’ll see what tomorrow brings.

Nite all.

While we were paddling around in the kayaks a drone (from the ship) flew overhead (there is a film crew on board taking pictures to put in an upcoming brochure). Someone reported this on the “LIFE SIGHTINGS” board as a “North American Feral Drone”! Was impressed by all the bird life – the brown pelicans are so huge and front heavy they look like pterodactyls skimming just inches over the water. Also very large are the soaring frigate birds (with their divided tails – also known as pirate birds as they are fierce scavengers, biting onto the foot of any bird that has caught a fish and is trying to fly away with it!), a multitude of turkey vultures, and blue footed boobies (although you can’t see the blue when they are in flight).

After supper, since we were anchored for the night and the ship’s underwater lights were on, we were excited to see HUGE schools of needle nosed fish boiling and flipping out of the water by the lights. Lorelei also got a picture of a sea turtle swimming through the school. Later in the trip these huge schools also attracted brown pelicans who, flying by in the dark, looked like white ghosts flying past the dining room windows.