At Sea

Ok now I¹m really getting into this ship everything runs so smoothly, with 68 crew and 11 expedition staff, and this time, it¹s not Russian. We were shifting fleeces and jackets around and one of the crew assisting said ³Ya mon I would die of heat if I wore these at home!² given this ship¹s port of call is in the Bahamas it¹s home to a mix of people all over the world, mainly Philippines, Bahamas, Poland and all over South America. I sat down for a meal and started shifting around my cutlery, and a waiter kindly re-ordered them and placed the napkin on my lap. After finishing my King Prawn the waiter scooped the bread crumbs off my table, and I was immediately offered a second meal, the serving staff can read my mind. Oooh my gosh ..food! Then at breakfast, they made me a cheese and mushroom omelette just as I ordered. Tomorrow I will experiment and see if they can make me an egg white omelette, I haven¹t worked up the courage yet to ask for low fat cheese.

Here I am going to a place famous for starving and killing countless explorers, the lost continent shrouded in mystery, rife with tales of disaster and despair, and I¹m worried about eating too much fat, and will probably gain weight (not a bad thing for me). I¹ll be chomping down on cheeseburgers from Alberta while laying eyes on places so desolate that nearly 100 years ago was occupied by men surviving on stringy penguins while sheltering in downturned lifeboats for months during the Antarctic winter. Shackleton is rolling in his grave.

Today we will have to prepare for our inspections as South Georgia is an incredibly sensitive place. This is an island that has evolved without the presence of any rodents so the wildlife here has no defense for an utter onslaught by such a prolific animal. Other threats include introduced seeds and roots carried in the pockets, velcro, treads, and bags of travelers. Every person will be vacuuming and disinfecting their gear between every locale to ensure we don¹t destroy what¹s left.

It¹s day two at sea en-route to South Georgia for my 6th time and excitement is mounting. Ooooh to be back again! I wonder what the seasonal variation will bring, something is always different. Sadly the delay at Stanley means another half day at sea tomorrow, but hopefully the evening will present a fantastic evening in the most ebullient place in the Southern Ocean.