Cruise Report

Sept.25th

One of the biggest events on the 99th voyage, the onboard Sports Day, “Smile-lympics” has begun! The big day was blessed with beautiful weather, perfect for outdoor events. Everyone donned their team colors in red, blue, green, and yellow and the sports deck was a sea of bright colors. After the opening ceremony, the festivities were off to a start!

 

The Onboard Montessori School children kicked off the opening ceremony. Their adorable dance performance was awarded much applause by onlookers.

 

The first event was a game of true or false. Questions relating to Peace Boat were given, and participants answered the difficult questions with much deliberation.

 

The next event, titled “Cubes de SDGs” involved giant foam cubes emblazoned with each of the UNs 015 Sustainable Development Goals. Teams carried the cubes carefully towards the goal trying not to drop them along the way.

 

As part of the obstacle race, participants were challenged to carry ping pong balls in a spoon…but let’s not forget, we are in the middle of the ocean! The participants struggle to keep the balls from flying away in the ocean wind as they rush to the goal-line.

 

Lunch time followed after a successful and exciting first half of the day. A special Sports Day katsu-curry was one the menu. After lunch, everyone is ready to start the second half of the day, fully charged!

 

The afternoon section of Sports Day started with a cheering performance. Everyone practiced very hard for this day. From singing, to dancing, to soran-bushi, all teams put their best foot forward with their spirited, creative performances. After every performance, an endless wave of cheers burst forth from the crowd.

 

Next was a Japanese Sports Day staple, ball-toss. However, it’s been tweaked a little to be Peace Boat style! Named “dancing ball toss”, participants dance while the music is playing and can only start throwing balls into the basket when the music stops. The unique twist on a traditional game prompted much laughter.

 

The captains represented each of their teams in the “tablecloth pulling” event. All the team captains’ faces were that of utmost concentration. Members of each team also watched with baited breath. When someone succeeded in pulling the tablecloth off the table with the cup full of water still standing, cheers erupted from the crowd.

 

Last but not least, was tug-of-war. On “start!” the two teams immediately started pulling the rope in opposing directions. The sports deck was filled with shouts from the crowd cheering their teammates on, “Go, go!” “Pull!” The winner was announced after a sweat-inducing, neck-to-neck game and the crowd gave the competitors a warm round of applause.

 

And finally, it came down to announcing the results. The winner of the Onboard Sports Day “Smile-lympics” is…Team Yellow! Congratulations! Many of those who participated in the days’ festivities commented, “It was great, this is the most fun we’ve had at a sports day!”

 

The Smile-lympics succeeded in welcoming more than 900 participants. The Onboard Sports Day promoted exchange between passengers regardless of their nationality, language or age. This is a commemorative photo taken from that day, capturing the beautiful smiles of all the participants. We hope that this special day spent together onboard will last forever as a fond memory.