Transpacific Vancouver to Yokohama on board Westerdam

In late September I will be joining Holland America's cruise ship Westerdam to present a series of 10 lectures as we cross the Pacific Ocean from Vancouver to Yokohama (Sept 31 - Oct 15). 

On most cruises I like to present short video clips that I produce using Google Earth to highlight each specific itinerary.  Here's one that I've produced for the Westerdam cruise:

My lectures will highlight some of the fascinating creatures and shifting ecosystems as these northern waters and the Arctic, in particular, experience rapid warming with climate change.  My topics include:

Undersea Societies of the Pacific Northwest

Meet the Masterminds of the Pacific Ocean!

Alaskan Ecosystems: Adapting to a New Planet

Who Owns the Arctic Ocean, Northwest Passage and the Fish Below?

Japanese Jellies are a Stinging Success!

Hokkaido and the Kuroshio Current

Japan: Life on an Unstable Island

Perhaps you will be joining Jan and I!? If so, we look forward to renewing past acquaintances!  And, of course, we have the joy of making new friends!

Seabourn Sojourn - Japan & Alaska to Vancouver

Night Lights in the busy Dotonbori section of Osaka Japan

Dear Friends - A big thank you to the friendly passengers and crew of the Seabourn Sojourn for a wonderful transpacific voyage from Kobe Japan to Vancouver BC.  In my lecture series I explored topics ranging from the dynamic Pacific ring of fire - to amazing creatures of the deep ocean - and complex communications of whales.

I presented a few of the videos that I captured during the voyage, including a series of time lapse videos of some of our ports of call.  Here's one showing Kobe, Hakodate and Kushiro ports in Japan.

In Kodiak Alaska we had the opportunity to watch the Russian Orthodox priest bless the fleet.  I captured this video from the opposite side of the channel with a long zoom.

As part of the itinerary, we had a wonderful morning visit to the Hubbard Glacier and along the way had a good view of a grizzly bear walking along the shore.

In Juneau Alaska we took the popular trail to Nugget falls from the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center.  Here's a quick video:

Wishing you all the best and here's hoping we meet again on another fantastic voyage.

Exciting Japanese Horse Archery - Yabusame

Had the amazing experience in Nikko, Japan of attending Yabusame; the famous horse archery tournament.  This is an exciting event!! A Yabusame course is 220 meters in length, with 3 simple wooden targets. The archer tries to hit all three targets while the horse is in full gallop. The arrows have a rounded head and make a big thwack when the target is struck.

The tournament took place at the World Heritage Tōshō-gū shrine in Nikko.

Vancouver to Alaska Fly-over Google Earth

Video overview of Trans-pacific voyage by Cruise ship.
Part 1 Vancouver to Dutch Harbor Alaska

Volendam Japan to Vancouver - greetings friends!!

Fushimi Inari shrine; Kyoto, Japan

We've just returned from a very special voyage on board the ms Volendam, from Kobe Japan to Vancouver Canada.  I want to thank all the very kind and supportive guests who attended my lecture series and made the crossing such a great experience for Jan and I.

I promised a link to a couple of the books I referred to:
"Stung! On Jellyfish Blooms and the Future of the Ocean" by Lisa-ann Gershwin
"The Once and Future World" by J.B. MacKinnon (see a good review here...)

I also referred to the paper by economists Crow White and Christopher Costello, who examined the provocative idea of completely closing international waters to fishing.

My next big idea came from E.O. Wilson who wrote a provocative article in Smithsonian magazine in 2014: "Can the World Really Set Aside Half of the Planet for Wildlife?"


Thanks again!  Please keep in touch...if you have a chance, sign up for my future postings down below to the right - all you need is your email address.

Best regards, George

Japanese Crane near Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan

Crane chick - about 10 days old

Cherry blossom time in Kyoto, Japan

Japanese Fish Market & Squid sashimi

Just returned from a cruise lecturing aboard the ms Volendam, from Yokohama to Vancouver, via Hokkaido and Alaska.

The fish market in Hakodate, Hokkaido was amazing!  Crabs, including King Crab, and fish of all sizes... and live squid...

King Crab in fish market, Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan

Crabs galore in the various tanks

Jigging for Live Squid at the fish market

Squid in that tank do not have a bright future!!  Once caught they are quickly turned into sashimi on the spot.   Good thing this is a relatively sustainable fishery!  I for one am not a big fan of squid sashimi... I prefer not to look my lunch directly in the eyeballs!

I prefer my squid nicely grilled on a skewer... thank you!