Is anyone serious about this cruise ship idea? Are you talking about the kind of ship with ballrooms and shuffleboard courts and swimming pools and beauty parlors? Well, count me out!

Now, a worthwhile ponarvian cruise could be accomplished on a smaller vessel, of the sort Robert and I were aboard in the Queen Charlotte Islands six or eight years back. The Darwin Sound II sleeps a dozen or fifteen in rather cramped style; it was custom-designed as The Galloping Gourmet's private sailing yacht (remember him?).

We could charter an entire boat of this size for a week or two, and take it anywhere our funds would allow. My first choice might well be the Pacific Northwest: wonderful seafood, great diving, good weather (maybe), and easy to "get away from it all", whatever "it" is.