PrintWell the 5th Unlock the Past Cruise is underway, and having boarded the Marco Polo ship on Saturday 19th July, we are now currently up to day 3.

As I have intermittent internet access onboard I’m not going to give detailed day-by-day happenings but rather an overview of what has happened so far.

Day 1 (Saturday) – everyone boarded during the afternoon, and could then go to their rooms, unpack their bags and then had time to wander around, finding out what is where on the ship. We set up our registration table and our geneacruisers could collect their name tag, lanyard, and cruise kit from us during the afternoon. In the evening we had a meet and greet session, and all the guest presenters were introduced. After that it was a late tea, and more chatting.

CMVs Marco Polo ship

boarding the Marco Polo

boarding the Marco Polo

Unlock the Past's registration desk

Unlock the Past’s registration desk

Unlock the Pasts meet and greet on the first evening

Unlock the Pasts meet and greet on the first evening

our fabulous speaker lineup at the meet and greet session. L-R: Jackie Depelle, Geraldene O'Reilly, Rosemary Kopittke, Marie Dougan, Helen Smith, Paul Blake, Leslie Silvester, Mike Murray, Eileen Ó Dúill, Sean Ó Dúill, Lisa Louise Cooke

our fabulous speaker lineup at the meet and greet session.
L-R: Jackie Depelle, Geraldene O’Reilly, Rosemary Kopittke, Marie Dougan, Helen Smith, Paul Blake, Leslie Silvester, Mike Murray, Eileen Ó Dúill, Sean Ó Dúill, Lisa Louise Cooke

Day 2 (Sunday) – the first day of talks was a solid one with 7 talks scheduled throughout the day. It began at 9am with Lesley Silvester talking about the Mystery of the standing stones, followed by Rosemary Kopittke talking on Government and Police Gazettes as well as The Genealogist. Eileen Ó Dúill kicked off the afternoon with a great introduction to Irish genealogy, and Lisa Louise Cooke wowed the crowd with showing how to create an interactive family history map, which is guaranteed to get even your non-genie friends and relis interested.

Rosemary Kopittke talking on The Genealogist

Rosemary Kopittke talking on The Genealogist

the opening screen on Lisa Louise Cooke's talk on Google Earth

the opening screen on Lisa Louise Cooke’s talk on Google Earth

Paul Blake talked on British probate record on the 5th Unlock the Past Cruise

Paul Blake talked on British probate record on the 5th Unlock the Past Cruise

The second part of the afternoon saw Paul Blake discussing British probate records, and Marie Dougan talked about families that moved between Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales. The evening talks were Mike Murray talking about crofts and crofting, and Sean Ó Dúill on Irish death and burial, and all the Irish rituals and folklore that goes along with that. All up there was heaps of information learned in just that one day!

Dinner in the main restaurant was “formal attire”. Some went for it, and some didn’t.

Lisa Louise Cooke and her husband Bill all dressed up for the formal dinner

Lisa Louise Cooke and her husband Bill all dressed up for the formal dinner

Marie Dougan dressed up for the formal dinner

Marie Dougan dressed up for the formal dinner

some of the food on the Marco Polo

some of the food on the Marco Polo

Day 3 (Monday) – we docked at Invergordon, in the county of Ross & Cromarty in Scotland. Most people went off to do tours throughout the day, while some like myself, just hopped off the ship and went for a wander around the town of Invergordon. Here’s a few photos from my wander around the town. We were very fortunate with the weather, as it was a beautiful sunny, 24C day.

my first look at Invergordson, Ross & Cromarty, Scotland

my first look at Invergordon, Ross & Cromarty, Scotland

Scottish flag at invergordon

Scottish flag at Invergordon

on the way to Invergordon's main street

on the way to Invergordon’s main street

main street Invergordon, Scotland

main street Invergordon, Scotland

the gangway of the ship is where you get off and back on the ship

the gangway of the ship is where you get off and back on the ship

And I couldn’t do a post about a cruise without having some lovely sea shots, could I? So here’s just a few …

sea

sea

sea

It’s still Day 3 here – and we have one talk scheduled for this evening. so I will report on that, and others in my next post.