Finding our way through the Reef to PNG

December 23, 2018

A sea day, which means lots of lectures, games, and general silliness. Morning lecture concerned Papua New Guinea, one of the poorest countries in Asia. But, it was the afternoon lecture that really got our attention. We had not spent much time considering how the ship was navigating the reefs of the Great Barrier Reef. Not to worry, we have had a reef pilot on board since Sydney. Captain Roderick Maharaj was our speaker this afternoon. With 27 years of experience he insured the Mariner was safely taken through the entire length of the Reef and that the Reef was protected from shipping accidents.He will leave the ship in Darwin on the 28th. His last piloting hurdle will be the Torres Strait connecting the Coral Sea to the Indian Ocean,

We have always wondered how ships are provisioned for cruises where few major ports are visited. It turns out the ship’s comptroller is responsible for supplying the ship. Dmytro Luziamin from Odessa was our dinner companion this evening. Currently, he is planning for April 2019 cruises while insuring all goes smoothly on ours. What we learned: about 6,000 different items ordered/cruise; raspberries most perishable; 7,000 bottles of wine/month; most breakage Riedel stemmed red wine glasses. Containers are staged around the world for pickup. Two are waiting for us in Darwin, one refrigerated, so need to insure it is plugged in for cooling. On ship all supply boxes are stacked interlocked like a brick wall to maintain stability during rough seas. Customs’ myriad details. Seals on containers must be intact or duty will be charged.

Provisoning a ship has another fun, I think, responsibility—local shopping with the Executive Chef. In Cairns Dmytro and the Chef went to the local fish market. Dmytro brought the money and the Chef bought fresh sea bass, coastal trout, and red snapper. All delicious!

Whew! We will sleep well tonight knowing we are safe from running aground and plenty of food, wine, champagne, limoncello, etc., are onboard for our adventure.


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