In Antarctica Mother Nature dictates…. (The only real-time blog post done from Antarctica!)

13 November 2022 – somewhere in the morning.

Apologies for only updating posts today… Literally day 7 of the “cruise” but 5 days since boarding.

I severely underestimated the impact and the intensity of the experience – or maybe it’s been too long since my last travel or maybe its different after Covid or maybe a combo of both…

It’s been on the go non-stop since leaving my home in a rush, feeling severely underprepared… and I have not caught up since – at least it feels that way.

Obviously as I’m writing this from Petermann Island arounds at the Antarctic Peninsula I passed the Covid Test and is currently on-board the M.S. Roald Amundsen – as those who follow the Facebook posts would gather. Super-blessed.

This morning was supposed to be a landing at Petermann Island, with our boat-group the Weddell Seals being the first group out at 08:30. However at around 07:30 during breakfast the annoucement came that current weather conditions (driving rain, snow and winds) does not allow safe shore excursions and the landings are ‘postponed’ to later this afternoon… pending what Mother Nature decides.

I’m in the Explorer Lounge and quite ironically “Sailing” by Rod Stewards is playing as background music. Watching little icebergs floating by and the wind driving rain and snow … sometimes lost tufts of fluffy snow swirl against the windows.

Surprise Surprise – never having been plagued by sea-sickness in my life, I got severely ill just after we left the relative calm of the Beagle channel. It was supposed to be a relatively calm crossing as far as the “Drake” goes… 3-5m waves… in contrast with the previous group that experienced 10+m waves coming back from Antarctica to Ushuaia.

I took the tablets I brought from home just after we left Ushuaia (7pm), but 4am the morning the nausea struck and stayed through the night and most of the next day. I got some tablets from Reception the afternoon. That seemed to have helped.

Someone else in our Weddell seal group, who also never previously experienced sea-sickness, but also had a bout of Long-Covid, also wonder if there is link there somewhere.

Anyways… the programme has been jam-packed and it takes me 20 minutes to get ‘dressed’ and ready for ‘landings’ between the layers and the boots and the life-jacket. So always keeping an eye on the clock not to miss a landing or zodiac cruise.

There are also lectures, craft activities, science experiments and a huge library. I have attended some very informative lectures – some in person and some via the streaming option (Channel 5 on the big screen TV in the cabin – a German translation available on another channel).

Talking about lectures … the one on Elephant and Leopard seals just started… was going to miss it.. going out on a landing.. but now.. I can make it.. See you later… Seal time..