Energized by the exciting new look of the third edition of, “The Cruiser Friendly Onboard Guide to Alaska’s Inside Passage,” I am negotiating with a fellow in the UK to help me not only post my books on iBooks – but to animate them! Can you imagine a whale breaching across the page? Tlingit elders dancing at Celebration? Or a glacier calving in Yakutat Bay? Pretty cool, I say. Getting all these things together will require time; as an integral part of my future, I think it would be a good investment. So, we’ll see. I have lots to do.

Little by little other cruise lines are expressing interest in my books; not just Alaska but the Panama Canal. Again getting all that together will require more shore time, but this iBook platform will make for a whole new delivery system which I know is the way of the future.

The website (www.cruiserfriendly.com) has been given a temporary update; but these changes are just temporary.  The site will be brought up to speed with the long-awaited inclusion of video segments and YouTube links. Part of my dream is to have a “store” on the website where you can find CDs, books, videos, artwork, greetings cards, etc., not just from me, but all your favorite guest entertainers and personalities from Kenny Smiles to Chef Paulette Mitchell. We all stay in touch and over the years have formed a community; I think it would be nice to have a central place from which to access them and their work. What do you think?

I know this is old news for most of you, but in April, Captain Dag Dvergastein officially resigned from Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Captain Dag was in many ways, the face of RSSC; always the tall, tanned, handsome, Norwegian at the helm of the beautiful sleek cruise ship. If Dag were cast as Capt. Stubing on the Love Boat no one would believe his character – how could anyone that perfect be for real? But Dag is real and a very able captain who has taken the Seven Seas Voyager and the Song of Flower many times around the world and back. He will be missed by his fans on Regent but no doubt I am sure we will see him surface soon on another ship — so fear not. We all wish him well and look forward to further announcements from him.

As I wait for the third edition of my book, “The Cruiser Friendly Onboard Guide to Alaska’s Inside Passage,” to be printed I will be hopping off the Navigator on May 26th in San Francisco. I will re-board June 30th and will stay until September 30th when I disembark in Tokyo. In my place during those first few weeks will be Dr. Robert Clarke whom many of you know. So far, the remainder of the year looks like I will be back on the Mariner for the last two legs of the Discovery Collection, Cape Town – Rio – Ft. Lauderdale. Then we begin our 2011 South America circumnavigation on January 11 – March 23rd. I honestly did not realize the last leg of the Discovery Collection was over Christmas and New Year; we may have to see about that as I have a standing date with my best friend and her husband over the holidays.

Many of you have been wondering how Captain Philippe is doing; I spoke with him before I left while he was at home in France on vacation. He is enjoying his new team on Costa and remarked that they run a tight ship. As it is Italian, the company is giving him Italian lessons. He said during the summer his ship is going to have many French charters and, always the student, he is looking forward to learning more about the places in which he will be sailing.