Some anecdotes, Royal Viking Line world voyages 1974 and 1975

We mentioned the passenger / student who arrived at 10 am in our art class with a cocktail in her hand.  Before the class she’d been also to the beauty salon.  Yes, already then there was a Spa on board ship. At one point, in the Bar (she was a bar fly), she said to Natasha, “Do you like my rings? Choose one”, she said, “then I’d go to the insurance company and say I’d “lost” it.  Choose two for that matter, eh?” Natasha declined her ‘kind’ offer. Our table mate was Snr. Manuel Lema, a friendly man from Puerto Rico who only spoke Spanish, which I spoke also.  He was pleased to have someone to chat with.

Seated in the Dining Room with "mystery woman" and Sr. Manuel Lema (right)

Later, a woman joined us, making the table of 4 complete.  Adorned with precious jewelry, always a mysterious smile, she did not talk much.  Except we learned she’d been widowed four times. “I’ve put them all under”, she declared.  Nearing Cape Town, South Africa, we asked if she was going on safari.  “Are you kidding? They’d put me in the clink!” “Why?” we asked.  That mysterious smile again. 

Another very memorable passenger was Major Martineau.  English, but resided in Vevey, Switzerland.  He was in his early ‘80s and traveled with his personal valet, like the Somerset Maugham era. There was always after-dinner theatre.  Major Martineau could not stand it when women put items on chairs to hold seats.  Nor was he pleased when they wore hats obstructing his view of the stage. “Those women with their damned purses and hats!” he’d exclaim.The Major had an interesting background.   A figureskating Cup was named after him, the Martineau Cup.  He owned already in 1930 a famous skating rink in  London, also race horses and jewelry stores. We liked his boldness and impish nature.   He often invited us to one of his cocktail hours in his suite. Here you can see us together with a couple from Newcastle, UK.

 At the suite of Major Martineau (left), with a couple from the UK

“If ever you come to Europe in the summertime, look me up.  I’ll send my chauffeur to meet you in the Silver Cloud”, he said one day. We followed up his invitation. Two years later we explored to Europe with a 3 month Eurailpass first class pass. His chauffeur indeed fetched us in the classic Rolls Royce.  We had a memorable visit in Vevey with the Major. Out of the blue, he offered Natasha one of his jewelry stores, but she graciously declined this unexpected offer, which came with some strings.

Here is another anecdote. A senior bar fly was wondering what to give her son for his birthday.  After a few martinis, she found the solution, and sent a telegram saying she was giving him a football team she owned. 

 With friendly local couple, in the New Territories

While in Hong Kong, I had a complete white suit made by a tailor.  And in Bangkok, a beige suit.  We mingled also with passengers during the exotic shore excursions.

Receiving line, Captain's Night (Captain Alf Morner)

We looked like millionaires.No one believed we had no home and were nomads mostly doing housesitting. When we disembarked, we had no place to go, and stayed at Natasha’s parents in Toronto for a few weeks.

Well, we hope that answers the question put to us earlier, asking if we could say somewhat more about our world cruises in 1974 and 1975 with Royal Viking Line. The person who asked the question, her parents had been on both voyages, so we must have come to know them.  Of course the full play-by-play would amount to a book.

When we travel and encounter

Californians

telling them we're Canadians

We're hearing, "You send us all that cold."

What can we say, if it's so? . .
No more can we be told,

for the Alchemists in the skies

are transmuting Saharan dust out of Africa

Dropping it on Californians, as snow!

 

Pineapple Express Rap

 

Here at James Bay in Victoria

mildest climate in Canada.

We have a community garden.

It's so tiny

no need for a warden.

Rains come and go

then it's sunny.

 

But what is all that rain

these days in excess?

 

Hey, don't you know?

It's the Pineapple Express!

 

   

 

Part Two - art class aboard Royal Viking Line circumnavigations (continued)

Here is Part Two of our art classes aboard ships, doing world circumnavigations. (Part One is below) Secondary colours.  Mixing two of the three primaries at a time.  Always a free choice for use of the two first colours. Under their eyes, magic took place.  Blue with yellow results in green.  Red with yellow creates orange.  From blue with red, violet is born. This is not a man-made, but universal law. Let us now see how much has been achieved thus far.  Maximum results with minimum use of material.   

Our students worked with the three primary colours only: Red, Yellow and Blue, in all media:  coloured pencil, oil pastel, watercolour and acrylic.

 One ladder of eleven steps with one colour, results in eleven colours.  Thus, red, yellow and blue (11 x 3) results in 33 colours. By creating the secondary colours, another 33 colours = total 66.  Later on, there’ll be 11 more by mixing all three primaries (earth colours), totalling 77 colours.

Our students had NO need for store-bought coloured pencil sets like this, they could create their own colours, in fact even more, on their own, using only the three primary colours.

You can see a pencil box with many, many colours. Yet, even a beginner in our class has already created more than in the store-bought box. A few even managed to get more. Also, there are two “eco’s”:  one is economic, the other ecologic. By using only the 3 primaries, students learned to create and discover on their own many more colours.  Not just grab them out of a retail box, which numbs imagination and also will sap money later.  We had an easel on which I placed a rainbow image, and the Colour Wheel.  The exercise now was to create a rainbow, using only the three primary colours and secondary colours. The previous colour exercises already contained the rainbow and the spectrum, without students realizing it. Next exercise was creating a circle with the compass, and paint a Colour Wheel, as shown on the easel with my example.

This took two full classes of 90 minutes each, although some needed three classes, while a few were diligent and did homework in their cabins. Bravo! Next class: Rainbow Fantasy.  Anything goes, as long as the primary and secondary colours are used. Next class:  Earth colours.  By mixing all three primaries, you get beautiful earth colours.   

Here's an example of a student's work, creating Earth Colours (mixing 3 primaries together)

Start off with yellow (the lightest).  “Ah”s and “Oh”s were heard when they discovered the outcome by mixing the 3 primaries. Next two classes:   introduction to Oil Pastels, and exercises as per example. Next class:  watercolour introduction. Here begins the daily routine of Natasha of providing fresh water.  Brush techniques, use of water, paper.  Then make another Colour Wheel.  There were three classes on this introduction.  Secret of beautiful watercolour painting:  always use fresh water.  Next: introduction to Acrylic.   

Rainbow Fantasy creation from one of our students, using only the three primary colours

 

Technique, scales, mixing, awareness of drying time, working with water, cleaning brushes (very important, to avoid ‘hockey sticks’, although this more for watercolour brushes). And now we’re on our way, after two months.  Diligently following instructions, the passengers were given different themes. For each we taped an example before the class started so the pax. knew what the daily ‘plat du jour’ would be. 

This bronze water buffalo with rider was a birthday present for Natasha, our "water buffalo" water carrier

Natasha was not only the “water buffalo”, supplier and carrier, but always replaced stained with fresh, clear water.  A non-stop job. She also set up and dismantled all the classes.  Also her calligraphy text for the easel board was a great help.  Three classes were devoted to using any media they’d worked with so far, always using only the three primary colors.  Anything goes, as long as they didn’t copy from postcards or other images.  Except maybe something in black and white that they could change into colour. Three days before arrival and final disembarkation, we held an exhibition of our students that Natasha and I had selected after asking each passenger to submit 2-3 creations of their own choice. The exhibition was well received.  Those passengers who did not participate in the art classes were very impressed, and a kudo from the Captain topped it all off and made us feel proud:  “A job very well done”.

 Our legendary salty master, Captain Alf Morner, said "A job very well done."

First mission accomplished.  A dream come true.  We pulled it off! Not only did the students tap into their own imagination, but their eyes were opened to the magic and mystery of colour.  And you know what?  Upon return, they could actually teach their own grandchildren.

First ever Art at Sea class o/b RVL Sky '74 and RVL Sea '75

Part One - our first ever Art at Sea class on board "Royal Viking Sky" 1974, and "Royal Viking Sea", 1975 (both world circumnavigations)

"Skald" Daily On Board Program

 Upon arrival we learned Royal Viking Line had filled an order of art supplies we needed, enough for 24 passengers:  HB pencils, rulers, erasers, compasses, oil pastels, plastic palettes, watercolour pads, sketch books, Winsor Newton watercolours, acrylics, mini-canvas boards, watercolour brushes, acrylic brushes, pencil sharpeners, Red/Yellow/Blue pencils (the primaries). First, we were introduced to the passengers by the Cruise Director. Art class, Step One:  we put out sign-up sheets for the classes, maximum 24 people, the rest waitlisted. We feel 24 is the maximum number in order to give each ‘student’ some personal attention. Step Two:  finding a good location.  We found the ideal spot: midships, Sky Deck (highest deck). But there was no water source.  Problem solved:  Natasha would be the water carrier.  One deck below was the Trondheim Bar where she could fill two pails, then bring these up via the elevator.   

Natasha wrote up my instructions for class on the easel each morning

This she did for the entire voyage, and was nicknamed “Gunga Din”, or Water Buffalo. There was another obstacle:  the best tables were the card tables, also used by the bridge players. There was a concern we’d soil the table tops, and there was a conflict with the time of our class and the bridge classes.  I suggested the times be changed, while we’d cover the card table tops with plastic.  Accepted, all problems solved. We asked who were beginners, and more experienced ones. 

IMAGINATION

My emphasis is always on using imagination and making sure the passengers didn’t just copy something from a neighbour, or a ‘pretty picture’ from a postcard. Ages – from 50 to 80.  Later a 7 year old boy from Thailand joined us. His name was Vilit. 

 Natasha and I with the family from Thailand, and my youngest student, Vilit, seated on my lap, 1974

Step 1 for the students was to do a scale of double eleven ladders with pencil.  One column, from very light to full pressure.  Another column, the reverse: begin full pressure to very, very light.  When this exercise is done correctly the middle of each column should be the same value. We had fifteen on the waitlist.  Soon one dropped out.  She came dressed as if going to a cocktail party. Even though the classes began at 10 am, she carried a Bloody Mary.  I kindly asked her to give someone else a chance from the waitlist.  I took a big chance because she was a paying passenger and could have gone to the Cruise Director or Captain even. Luckily she took it in good spirit and never showed up again.  Later during the cruise she often asked us to join her at the bar.  She was a bar fly. Once the pencil scale exercise was done correctly, we introduced the primary colours. 

You cannot talk about colour.  Hands-on and eyes are needed. There was a choice of which colour to begin with:  Red, Yellow or Blue. (Again, the 3 primary colours).  Now the same exercise of scales as done with the HB pencil, but in colour. This took 3-4 classes.  Those who were more experienced were a bit impatient, but most did the exercises (except two).

Next blog post:  Part Two

Food and Service aboard Royal Viking Line

Writing these memoirs some 40 years later about our Crown Jewels of Travel experiences (around the world voyages), there is still too much hunger and misery on this tiny speck of planet Ocean Earth.  Children and infants die each day from malnutrition.  Even here in affluent Canada, there exist third-world conditions.  Four decades ago, although famines happened in many places, these vital issues of the Human Family were not the headlines they are now. Already mentioned that those two ships, “Royal Viking Sky” and “Royal Viking Sea” were elegant, five-star vessels.With this comes sterling quality of food and beverage service.Table settings were all silver cutlery, crystal glasses, porcelain tableware, Egyptian linen tablecloths and serviettes for lunch and dinner.  That says it all.

 Example of Luncheon Menu COVER

Breakfast was served, not buffet-style.  Bouillon mid-morning served on the teakwood decks; luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner. Also delectable midnight snacks.  We were seldom present at those however. Plus 24-hour cabin service by the friendly stewards.We were not only surrounded by tropical blue waters, but by food. The following is what 250 passengers consumed each week aboard the “Royal Viking Sky”:

Going back along memory lane, 40 years later

Prime rib, 600 lbs.  Filet of beef, 500 lbs.  Rack of Lamb, 150 lbs.  Chicken/Fowl, 750 lbs.  Lobster tails, 200 lbs.  Prawns, 200 lbs.  Fish, 600 lbs.  Russian Caviar, 25 lbs.  Total vegetables and salads, 3,500 lbs. Potatoes, 2,500 lbs.  Fresh fruit, 2,500 lbs.  Cheeses, 350 lbs.  Milk, 500 gallons.  Eggs, 7,000.  Ice cream, 100 gallons.  Danish pastry, 4,000.  Croissants 1,500.  Luncheon and dinner rolls, 3.500.  Bread, 500 loaves.  Bar & Spirits, 450 bottles.  Wine, 600 bottles.  Beer, 2,000 bottles.  Mineral water, 3,000 bottles.  All this for one week! See what we mean?   

Example of Dinner Menu Cover
featuring extinct White Tailed Sea Eagle LOGO, adapted from Vikings of long ago
 

Today’s cruise ships are no different.  We are the consumers!  Bon appétit. Both ships had their own desalination equipment to produce fresh water from sea water. They were amongst the first to have this equipment. Also the vessels were the first to have modern bow-thrusters (could dock on a dime), and had state-of-the-art stabilizers.

 Captain's Farewell Dinner menu, signed by officers and stewards

Selection of Royal Viking Line menus on our dinner table

Above are some sample menu covers and menus.  The cover designs were works of art, some referred to Norwegian heritage, others were more contemporary. We kept many of them, together with the daily program, “Skald”.  That’s where I got the statistics about food consumption. All the servers were European, mostly Scandinavian.  Officers were Norwegian.  Next:  our Art classes held aboard the “moving platform”.