Queen Elizabeth Voyage: April 22, 2017, Walvis Bay, Namibia

Walvis Bay, Namibia, April 30, 2017

This is the second time we have visited Walvis Bay. The last time was ten years ago on our first world cruise. The town seems to have doubled in size, the port is larger and nothing looks the same. Last time, we rented a car with friends and drive around for three hours. This time, we took a ship’s excursion, a catamaran ride out onto the bay. First, a quick bus ride to the dock and then onto the boat. As soon as we got settled, one of the crew members invited a friend of his to board the front deck. A hungry pelican flew in and got a couple of fish. A pelican can fill a seven-foot space just by spreading its wings. It got a bit crowded on the front of the catamaran. After the pelican moved onto the next tour boat, a hungry sea lion came on board our catamaran. Sea lions take up almost as much space as a pelican.

After finishing with “the free lunch bunch,” we headed out into the bay. Passed by some oyster beds that had been installed several years ago. There were also several oil rigs in the bay, a storage place for rigs that were out of service. Also a couple of old fishing boats that were one storm away from sinking. We saw several colonies of sea lions on the beaches and playing in the water. A couple of dolphins followed along with us for a few minutes. Even caught sight of a fire boat with jet of water. Just before the end of this cruise, the captain brought out the finger food including oysters on the half shell. Back at the pier, we made our way passed several craft shops. More goodies to take home.

We had lunch on the ship and headed out to see the rest of the town. Unfortunately, it was Saturday and shops were closed in the afternoon. The best we could do were a couple of small grocery stores and a number of street vendors on our way back to the ship. At 4:30 in the afternoon, we sailed out of the harbor, turned northeast for a seven-day journey to the Cape Verde Islands.