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......
