Goodbye Ushuaia: Hello Seaspirit!

So we said goodbye to Ushuaia, literally the end of the Earth (in Spanish on the sign I am standing beside)

                            Ushuaia - The end of the Earth

and started on the next leg of our adventure – the part we have been waiting for – boarding the ship and setting sail!  After some lunch and walking around, we were finally ready to go.  Once again, the organization was excellent – meet at the bus, board the bus, catch a quick nap (that’s the Gravol kicking in, which we were told to take well in advance of boarding the ship), and finally board the ship. 

                 Boarding the Sea Spirit - The adventure begins.....

Once we were on board, we had a briefing from the expedition leader who introduced the expedition team and explained all aspects of the operation which included all the available activities such as kayaking and camping, as well as the expertise of the various team members, such as photography, ornithology (birds), geology, and wildlife.  We were even told where we could get an extra shot of anti-nausea medication if we had real trouble with seasickness. 

                             Introduction to the ship and staff

Incidentally, once we get out of the Beagle Channel, which is the smaller passage out into more open water, we move into the Drake Passage, which is often known for its turbulent water, due to the convergence of warm and cold ocean waters.  This is the reason most people pack Gravol or some other anti-nausea medication, because nobody wants to spend the 2 days of this passage seeing nothing but the inside of their bathroom.  But we have been told that recent passages have been rather uneventful, so we pray the trend will continue.  We went out on deck for a little while where the sky was sunny but the temperature continued to drop.  Going past the shoreline reminded me of sailing past the coast of Ireland or Newfoundland – green and hilly. 

                                    Dining on board

  Then it was a lovely 3 course dinner, some chatting with new friends, collecting our bright yellow Quark parkas, and finally a nightcap in the lounge.  Tomorrow there is a lineup of 5 lectures, so it’s early to bed, and early to rise.  Don’t want to miss a thing.

Until then......