Saturday | July 9
September 14, 2011 by admin
Filed under InnerSea Discoveries
“If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children, I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a SENSE OF WONDER so indestructible that it would last throughout life, as an unfailing antidote against boredom and disenchantments of later years, the sterile preoccupation with things that are artificial, the alienation from the sources of our strength.” --Rachel Carson
All of the M/V Wilderness Discoverer crew forms a line off of the ship on the dock and we shake hands, hug and express our fond farewells to passenger-guests. Folks are very thankful for the natural history interpretive talks I gave over the week. My favorite compliment was one that spread over the ship about a search engine like Google called “Greg-gle”. A guest explained: “Instead of finding an answer by Googling, we think the best way to get an answer is to Greg-gle a query. You were so full of amazing answers on a multitude of subjects.”
One passenger said I would make an amazing minister with my views on Nature. Another said that I was more than a PhD…that I must have several honorary degrees with all of my knowledge on a variety of subjects. An Aussie stated I should run for President and that I would be famous in all of Australia for my ice-swimming and imitation of a seal on an ice-berg.
My fellow colleagues get a boost from the many compliments they received for a job well done. Each one of us, with our outgoing personalities and the pride we take in our jobs, makes small-ship cruising a big hit in the cruise industry. We feel good in knowing that our new company is profitable, as we hear rumors that InnerSea Discoveries may be purchasing some new vessels for upcoming itineraries next year. Kudos to the home office for their expertise in choosing this itinerary and recruiting great guides and crew. We are all giving memories for a lifetime for our guests.
After preparing the ship for the next group of guests, we have about an hour to ourselves onshore for R&R or personal business. It is fun to see how busy this town can get with a huge cruise ship in port!
