25 March 2018 – Back in the belly of the beast
Unfortunately, due to impending weather in the Drake Passage, we had to cut our trip a bit short, which meant that today was spent travelling. And by travelling I mean, rolling around in bed and in the lounge, trying to combat seasickness. The majority of the group was successful, with some students playing a rousing card game in the lounge, while others felt it may be safer to just stay in bed. We were also able to get out to the bridge to do our seabird counts, despite the 6-meter swells. The wind was blowing at 35 knots, which meant there were plenty of seabirds to be had.
The crew today was fantastic, making sure there were plenty of activities to combat any cabin fever that may have been setting in. Sonja had an excellent talk about the exploitation and management of the Southern Ocean and even Lars even put to lecturing work, speaking about how he uses seals for all his oceanographic needs. There was also a documentary about the adventures of Irvine Johnson, who sailed around Cape Horn.
The food continues to be excellent, and more and more of us are able to keep all three meals (and all three courses) down, which is always a plus!
As I write this at the end of the day (9pm), more and more students are filtering off to bed. Who knew that trying to remain upright on a pitching and rolling ship could use so much energy? And since I’ve been staring at a computer screen for the past 30 minutes, which isn’t conducive to not vomiting, I’ll be heading to bed myself. We have one more day in the Drake Passage and I’m hoping that the 19 of us will continue to triumph over the seasickness. Stay tuned!
Written by Lucy Bukowski
