Six to eight meter waves on the Drake Passage — about half of what a big storm would bring, but still enough to send the boat rolling at a twenty-five degree angle. Chairs and glasses were crashing at breakfast, and my brief attempt to get a picture of the waves from the seventh deck ended quickly when one crashed over the bow and drenched me. I finally gave in last night and took some motion sickness drugs, and today I’ve got blurred vision but no naseau. It’s fun to experience a bit of rough weather, but it’s also rather a shame as the waves are keeping most folks in their rooms. Hopefully once we round Cape Horn in another hour or so the seas will calm a bit and everyone will again be venturing out.
A few random memories:
- “These two fellows washed overboard, so we had a couple of empty seats at dinner; didn’t talk about it much.”
- “OK, I’ll do it, as long as it doesn’t make me sticky.”
- The boot wash after landings, dubbed the “de-pooping process”.
- “Mambo sawa sawa! Fantastic! Good karma!”
- “You know, it’s not the sea that’s the problem, it’s the god-damned ship that keeps moving.”
- The disco ball, and the horrified look on Rick’s face as he realized his two roommates were having a Saturday Night Fever moment.
- “Ryan to the bridge, Ryan to the bridge please.”
- “I’d like to thank my sponsors, Preparation H and Tucks Medicated Pads.”
Also worth noting is that Doug generously offered to bring me back on the 2005-2006 trip as a zodiac driver, so in addition to Ted’s South Georgia trip in April there’s an excellent chance that I might again be a visitor to this end of the earth. I’ve asked him to let me verify that I’m still employed when I get back to the States, but provided Warner Brothers still needs me then I’ll be signing on for a return visit to this land.