DAY 56-AT SEA OFF AUSTRALIA COAST

       Our position at noon today, Friday, is in the Coral Sea off the east coast of Australia proceeding northernly towards our next port of call, Cairns.  We will be arriving there Sunday morning, our time, so will have another sea day tomorrow.  Of course the further north we go now, the closer we get to the equator and warmer it is getting.  It is a nice, mostly sunny day with smooth seas overnight and continuing today.  Temperature is 89F with 57% humidity this afternoon.

THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
       Since we we are cruising along this The Great Barrier Reef today and tomorrow, I thought I should say something about it on today's blog post.
BACKGROUND INFO:
       The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system.  It is composed of over 2,900 reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 1,400 miles in the Coral Sea off the coast of Queensland, Australia.  The reef is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps.  Living in the reef are 30 species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises.  There are also over 1,500 fish species, 17 species of sea snakes, and 6 species of sea turtles.  There are even some saltwater crocodiles living in the mangroves and marshes near the reef.  Nearly 5,000 species of mollusks (shell fish) and 215 species of birds are found here too.  As you can see it is quite an enormous habitat for all kinds of sea dwellers.
         Because of all the sea life, tourism is a huge here.  Most of this activity comes from Cairns, our next destination.  There is an excursion offered by the ship to visit the Great Barrier Reef which cost an additional $199 per person.  Over $5 billion annually is generated from this kind of tourism.  Scuba diving, snorkeling, and other water activities are world class here.

WHAT WE DID TODAY:
       My sister in Houston emailed to say that my photo link for Day 54, the day after we left Sydney, was not good.  She was right so I went back and corrected it on that day's posting and have added it below.  Photos are of our Sydney sail out and Mardi Gras pics of us with beads.

https://goo.gl/photos/Hqw8UgJ3HPxj2Wqn8

       I slept in a bit this morning since it is a day at sea.  Rebecca had her usual room service breakfast while reading the Dallas Morning News paper and I did my usual coffee connection coffee and muffin while checking my email.  We both got in our workouts.  I had a nice lunch in Compass Rose and was joined by Susanne.  I enjoyed a very tasty grilled bass grouper so ate healthy.  Rebecca stayed in the suite and had a protein bar.  She is reading a book (the ship's library is packed full of good books) this afternoon while I write this.
       This evening is the Seven Sea Society reception in the theater at 6:00 pm.  We usually do not go as just too many people trying to get cocktails.  The best part of it is the chef always has miso sea bass (our favorite entree) on society evenings.
       We want to see tonight's headliner show featuring, "The Tap Pack".  They are an Australian group singing songs made famous by the Rat Pack (Sinatra).  Should be good.