Cruise Report

A day on the ocean -Cruise Life-

There are many ways you can spend your time at sea – chat with new friends you have made onboard, journal about your travel adventures, or trying a new hobby. Still, one of the most luxurious ways to spend the day is to simply relax and gaze out into the blue ocean and sky. Surrounded in all directions by the vast and endless seascape, you can enjoy a feeling of freedom and relaxation. Enjoying the oceans and skies of all kind of places around the world is a special pleasure of traveling by sea.

Charmed by the Daiy Changing Face of the Ocean

Depending on the place and the weather, the ocean will reveal many different shades of blue. In the waters around Easter Island, also known as the most remote island in the world, the sea takes on a deep navy color, while in the Indian Ocean near Singapore and Male, the blue is almost even green. These different colors arise through the nature of the light. Depending on its intensity and the depth of the sea, the colors reflected will change. On the ship’s Panorama Deck, you can even enjoy a good meal while basking in the sun and gazing at the sea. Passengers love eating breakfast overlooking the ocean, and many come back everyday. Coming together around the table with your fellow travellers, you can enjoy these special moments every day, all while in the middle of the ocean.

Feeling the Dynamism of the Earth

When sailing in the waters between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, you may encounter the unique phenomenon of disappearing shadows. This can only happen in tropical regions, when the position of the sun is directly above us and the shadows of upright objects and people do not appear. Many people gather in the deck to experience this rare phenomena that can’t be seen at home. Some people bring their drink bottles and put them on the floor, excited to confirm that they really have no shadows! You can also enjoy onboard lectures on the relation between ocean currents and the climate, as well as information about the areas we travel through. Learning about the different natural phenomena we encounter during the voyage adds an extra layer of depth to the scenery from the deck.

The Sea at Sunset, with its Changing Colours

Everyday as dusk falls, many people gather on to the upper deck. As the sun sets over the ocean, it is almost absorbed by the sea, displaying many shades of colour. Mysteriously, the soft and gentle colored sunset starts to change into a fiery red, melting into the horizon. Watching this, you will hear people murmuring how luxurious this sunset-watching time is. We say farewell to the sun, as it slowly but surely disappears into the horizon.

The exact moment the sun sinks into the horizon, the surface of the sea can briefly glow green. This phenomena is called the “Green Flash,” a very rare natural phenomena that might only occur once even in a 100-day voyage. Because of its rarity, it is said in Hawai’i and Guam that seeing the Green Flash will bring happiness. This is a moment of spectacular natural beauty, that lasts only as long as the blink of an eye. During the “magic hour,” the five to ten minutes following the sunset, the sky is decorated with pink, purple, and orange colors blending together into a natural masterpiece. The colors then fade, and the night arrives.

A Starry Sky in the Middle of the Ocean

Like the sunset, the starry sky also shows a different appearance each day. On a clear night, you can look into the sky and see countless stars. As your eyes become used to the darkness, you can even see the Milky Way. There are no city street lights, and with the darkness of the ocean, the boat is the perfect place for stargazing. Lying down in a recliner chair and looking up is like a natural planetarium. One of the pleasures charms of traveling around the world by boat is to watch the Milky Way in the southern hemisphere during summer. In Japan, and other parts of the northern hemisphere, the most star-dense part of the Milky Way is barely visible, however, on a southern voyage you can see the spectacular Milky Way in its full splendor.

Stargazing events are held on the ship, turning off the lights of the upper decks to enjoy the total darkness. Mr Ito Shoichi, former Special Researcher at Japan’s National Astronomical Observatory, explains the appeal of watching the stars from onboard, and how “people don’t have many opportunities to watch the sky anymore.” After the ship’s lights are turned off and your eyes adjust to the darkness, the sky becomes brighter and brighter, filling the entire sky with stars, even those that would not normally be visible. You can even distingish that each is different in brightness, size and color.

PHOTO: PEACEBOAT, Isogai Miki, Kajiura Takashi, Mizumoto Shunya, Suzuki Shoichi, Yuruki Shiho