-----We awoke at around 5:00 to a very bouncy ship. No storm was around us, but we’d entered choppier waters, unprotected by any islands to our west. We’d go up and down, squeaking on our mattresses as we went along, before things settled down a bit and we were able to continue to sleep.

-----After breakfast, we came back to the cabin and continued to sleep, catching up on much-needed rest, until the afternoon, when we assembled some of our luggage for the afternoon car deck call. The car deck, which exists on the deck below the cabins, is generally closed unless the Malaspina is in port, but on days where there is no port of call, they open it on occasion. Dogs, cooped up in kennels down there, get fifteen minutes of activity about three times a day, and otherwise seem as miserable as their owners given their condition. The Alaska Marine Highway is not designed for pets and I question why any pet owner would subject their creatures to such conditions.

-----An announcement came over the public address system informing all passengers of several humpback whales in the area, but by the time the interested passengers got to the observation deck towards the front of the ship, there was only driftwood and the occasional bird. The topsy-turvy ride earlier had slowed to smooth sailing as we got within the protection of Vancouver Island, of which British Columbia’s capital—Victoria—is at the southern end. We knew that the end of our oceanic journey was within reach.

-----Dinner was a surprisingly good corned beef, although a bit streaked with fat in places. With an early morning, we got to bed for the final time ready for terra firma.