March 6 - Drake Passage, Day 1

It had been smooth sailing out of Ushuaia yesterday evening, but I woke up at about 1:00 am and could feel that the ship had started pitching as we left the Beagle Passage and were out in the open ocean.  By early this morning, we were well on our way across the Drake, and the ship was (and has been all day) rocking quite a bit.

At the morning briefing, the Captain said that we were very lucky about the weather and that the sea was exceptionally good, but most people spent the day staggering up and down hallways, stairways, and to various events.  Word is that there's a lot of mal de mer, but I haven't felt anything so far (nor have I taken anything).  There has been a steady swell coming from behind the ship (the captain said 3 meters), but as you can see from the photo (and it was like this all day), not even any whitecaps, other than caused by the progress of the ship itself.  

It felt kind of like the first day of school, actually (the events, not the staggering).  Lots of meetings and talks, registrations for things, picking up uniforms, etc.!  After hearing from the captain, there was a talk right after breakfast, in the main theater, about the itinerary; also we heard from the Expedition Leader and were introduced to various naturalists, guides, biologists, geologists, oceanologists, glaciologists, ornithologists, and on and on.  There's gonna be a lot to learn!

This was followed by another meeting for those who had signed up for sea kayaking, where we learned how that all worked, got a demonstration of how to get in and out of the "dry suit," what to wear (and not wear) underneath, and then each person had to demonstrate enough agility to transfer from a fake "dock" into and out of a kayak that they had brought up to the lounge for the demonstration.  

  

Having passed that test, I am now qualified for this event if and when the weather and seas cooperate.  This happens once we are in protected waters, obviously.

After lunch, we had another lecture, this one mandatory for everyone, explaining all the various rules, regulations, procedures, etc. for going ashore in Antarctica.  They were very serious about this and everyone had to sign next to their name on a big sheet at the entrance to the theater, kind of like the sign-in at the beginning of each stage of the Tour de France.  All of this is regulated by an organization called the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators, (IAATO) and included a plethora of do's and don't's for the shore expeditions.  One of the surprising things has to do with their efforts to prevent the introduction of non-native materials, including especially seeds and microscopic matter; so anything that has to go ashore, backpacks, pants, hats, gloves, camera bags, has to be cleaned, vacuumed and inspected (this happens tomorrow; see below re boots).  We also learned about how to observe the animals, how far away to stay, what to do if an animal or bird approaches (or attacks!), how to recognize (and stay off of) the penguin paths, and more.  We are not supposed to bring any food, or drinks other than water (and NO PLASTIC bottles, so we all got nice little metal thermos bottles to use).  This is one place where hydrating is not particularly encouraged, there being no facilities whatsoever other than aboard the ship.

We were warned about not taking off any clothing items while ashore, primarily because of the danger of the wind blowing something away, but also the wildlife can be sneaky.  One passenger recently removed a glove for some reason and a Skua swooped down and flew off with it in an instant.  We are also not to sit or slide on the snow lest we transfer some contaminant from our clothing to the environment.

This was followed by an explanation about how to embark and disembark from the Zodiacs, which are our transportation to and from the ship, and what to do and not do while in the Zodiac.  And more guidance about what to wear (layers!).  The ship has a complement of about 12 Zodiacs, which are racked on the top deck and hoisted down for the expeditions.  We load into the Zodiacs off a water-level platform at the stern.

Boots are a big deal....you must use their heavy, rubber boots when going ashore, which were set out in front of our cabins today.  These are sized up a size or two to allow room for at least a couple of pairs of warm socks.  The boots (also walking sticks) have to be scrubbed & disinfected before and after going ashore, and we were shown how that works.  Finally, the cruise line furnishes everyone with a big red parka, which we keep as a souvenir of the trip.  This way, everyone is easily visible, and distinguishable from the expedition staff and naturalists, whose parkas are yellow, I think.  There's a little plastic window on the parka sleeve where you slip your cabin keycard, which has your name & a barcode; this is scanned as you disembark and return to the ship so they know who is ashore and when. 

The passengers are divided into four color-coded groups of about 50 or 60.  All the Francophones are in the yellow group, and the English-speakers are blue, orange or red (We're red).  Since only 100 people at a time are allowed ashore, the excursions go at staggered times by groups, and each day in a different order so that no one group is always the first or last to go and come back. We also picked up our gear today in shifts, based on group colors.  

By the time all that was over, I was ready for a nap, then dinner.  Tomorrow is another day at sea, but the weather looks bad (low of 34 degrees, high of 36 degrees, drizzle).  On the schedule are two more lectures, plus the "Mandatory Bio Security Screening," and a 5:20 pm briefing about the following day, which should be our first day of going ashore and putting all this new knowledge to use!