Introduction

Participants

 

R/V Pelagia Cruise SME 117 INDUS
	Diary overview
Thursday, 25 December 2008
Christmas Day was a splendid and mellow affair after our hard work yesterday. We sailed to the southeast, but then had to do some fancy navigating to avoid a series of fishing vessels and their extended nets. This was no small feat because the nets were not always well marked and the buoys did not show up well on radar either.  Unfortunately we ran close to some nets that were not well marked, much to the displeasure of the fishermen but by midday we found ourselves at anchor on the east side of the Indus Canyon in wonderful flat seas and a good strong sun. By this time the pool, complete with palm trees and the  "Indus Bar" sign had been constructed and filled with sea water. Before long Bert Puyman was doing his best chief officer job of distributing a nice glass of port to all present and Captain Cees de Graaff lead us in a festive toast. However, the true star of the day was our valiant chef Hans van der Linde, who then brought out several trays of delicious snacks, including herring specialities.  This was just to get us warmed up for the main event inside, where venison formed our main course. The day continued with visits to the swimming tub and rides for some in the Zodiac around Pelagia to get those elusive photographs of the ship at sea, normally so hard to take. The evening finished with a fishing marathon, during which we first caught four large squid and then a bucket's worth of sardines that were being pulled out of the water three at a time at one point. Sander Asjes and Tim Dellapena both did particularly efficient jobs of gutting and preparing the fish once they got on deck and a few of the fish were even eaten there on spot, like instant sashimi. Maybe not a typical Christmas but certainly a fun one.
Dutch Santas	Christmas Drinks