Going South

Monday was a glorious day. The sun shone, there was little wind and the sea was just rolling gently. We were able to relax and get into the swing of the ship. After a light lunch I took part in a tour of the bridge, it was fascinating. What struck me is how simple it all, after taking into account that everything was duplicated basically there were two main consuls. Of course these could be changed to give multiple views. The ship was controlled from a very small joystick and two thruster levers. On the deck were a second and first officer and a seaman whose sole job was to keep a look out. Talking to the first officer he enjoyed sailing to the Antarctic as it was much more challenging than what was happening today. It presented a high workload whereas today he just pointed the ship and it went!!

After a quick coffee, this will be our downfall good coffee is always available; we went to a talk about albatrosses and petrels. Now as you know we are not bird people, but this cruise is changing that. The presenter changed our perception of seabirds, the fact that we look at them through the lens of land based mammals whereas they spend their time always on the sea, sometimes only visiting land to mate and nest every eight years.

It was a formal night in the restaurant as the Captain was presenting his crew, really interesting to see the mix of nationalities working together. (Tom – my penguin tie cause many admiring comments). I can get used to the caviar and champagne that accompanied the presentation. We joined a couple we have met from Lake Tahoe, Krestan and Coralyn for dinner who are really good company. We had another lovely meal, Marion and I both hade beef wellington that was a really well cooked piece of fillet. A late night malt and Cointreau in the Observation bar ensured that we slept soundly until past eight o’clock.

The weather is more overcast today with a slight bite to the wind as we head south. So it was a practical morning. The expedition team reassured Marion that she would easily manage the landings. I went to a practical session about kayaking and putting on a dry suitr. Now here is the shock news we spent an hour at the aft of the boat tracking seabirds. So today we say great northern petrels, and black browed albatrosses. What made it doubly interesting was the knowledge of the expedition staff. In particular one gave me tips for using binoculars that have revolutionised viewing.

So at lunchtime today the Captain was more optimistic that we will be able to land in the Falklands. So onwards to the Malvinas.