Cruising to Kherson, a Fishermen’s Island

Varenyky making competition

We’re not due to arrive at our next destination till after lunch so this morning there are a couple of on-board activities.

09:40 For those who are interested in sailing, an invitation to go up on the Bridge to learn about the Captain’s duties.

11:30  A cooking demonstration by the Chef in the Sky Bar.  He and his assistant show us how to prepare a Ukrainian Varenyky or perogies, a traditional Christmas eve dish.  This typical Ukrainian dish also has its equivalent in other Slavic countries.

We get to taste Varenyky after the demonstration.  Although it looks kind of bland, when you eat it, it’s really quite tasty.

12:30 Lunch is a little earlier today.  When we arrive in Kherson we’ll go on to our shore excursion immediately.

14:00 We anchor in the middle of the river, near Kherson and transfer on to a smaller boat to take a scenic cruise on the narrow canals to the Fishermen’s Island.

On the island, we are taken to one of the farm houses where we get to taste a locally brewed spirit and some biscuits.  We then have time to roam around and see how the villagers live and what crops are being grown on the island and to check out the local handicraft and foodstuff that are on sale.

Tony and his band of pirates

At 18:00 we set sail for Zaporozhye.

Tonight is Pirate’s Dinner and the crew all dress up in self-made pirate’s gear.  The young Ukrainian girls enjoy the opportunity to be out of their work uniform and enjoy dressing up and creating their own pirate look.

After dinner, enjoy drinks at the Sky Bar and tonight we have a guest singer on board.

We sail overnight to Zaporozhye.