26 December
Noon position : 58* 24’S 62* 49’W Sea temperature - 7.6C Air temperature - 2.4C
The main engines were stopped at 0530 hrs, blessed quiet! Our cabin has a porthole (which cannot be opened) which is often under water. When I was in the Merchant Navy I was often asked if it was boring in the engine room and I answered that to pass the time I would watch the fish going past through the porthole in the hull. Many believed this! Now it looks as if the person lying in the bunk near the porthole could actually watch the fish going by especially as the ship is rolling and pitching quite well.
When keeping watch now I am wearing two trousers (one waterproof), shirt, sweater, coat, plastic undercoat, waterproof coat, about four bits of headgear and two pairs of thermal socks. The hardest part of wearing this amount of clothing is the dressing when the ship is moving all over the place. If that is not the hardest thing to do then it is getting out of the bunk as there is a very high wooden sill to keep us in the bunks, hard to get over. We were told not to walk around in stocking feet as they slide very well on the floors. Having a shower with the ship moving is something of an exercise as well, I figured out that sitting on the toilet and taking the shower head out of the holder was the safer way and the comments from other who tried to shower without sitting down is something to believe.
The log shows a very tidy pencil outline of the ship. When I looked closer I found that it was a sticker with a print of the ship which is then filled in to show what sails were in use during a period of time (usually the length of a normal watch)
When out on deck today we had to wear a harness at all times, and keep it clipped on to the safety lines. Later on the window guards were fitted over the deck house windows, as the ship was rolling so bad and shipping water over the deck house. Access across the aft deck was stopped with all movement being made through the below deck passages. Someone had six different types of sea sick remedies, nothing like being prepared!
The passengers used more fresh water than the engine room made over the last 24 hours. Our speed has been between 5.5 and 9 knots depending on the wind.
27 December
Noon position : 58* 26’S 62* 49’W Sea temperature - 7.6C Air temperature - 2.4C
The sea was very rough during the night and I had little sleep. During the morning 4 to 8 watch the sea was too rough for lookouts to stay on the forecastle so they stood at the wheel house and harnesses still had to be worn on deck. After changing sails the speed increased to 10.5 knots, very good for this ship so it seemed. People who had been seasick over the past days now started to appear with the weather improving later in the day, including blue seas.
No-matter the weather the kitchen crew produced meals on time, good wholesome meals at that. The evening meals have consisted of rice, mashed potatoes or pasta with a meat sauce, vegetarian options being available as well. Most of the time a tin of dry biscuits are kept in the deck house for anyone to eat. During the midnight to 4 watch soup and bread is available in the deck house for those on watch.The tables have a clingy sort of thick plastic sheet on them to stop the crockery from moving except in extreme movement of the ship.
The ship travelled 170 miles noon to noon today (that is the straight line figure and does not count the zig-zag course travelled depending on the wind) and the outside temperature is 3.5C. Now that the ship is listing to starboard I have had to turn round in my bunk so that my head is at the highest point. A sailing ship always has a list depending on the way the wind is blowing and how the sails are rigged.
As a requirement for going ashore at Antarctica we all had to vacuum clean our day bags, shoes and outside clothing, taking special care with the pockets. This was so ass not to take any foreign items, dirt or seeds onto the Antarctic continent.
Noon position : 58* 24’S 62* 49’W Sea temperature - 7.6C Air temperature - 2.4C
The main engines were stopped at 0530 hrs, blessed quiet! Our cabin has a porthole (which cannot be opened) which is often under water. When I was in the Merchant Navy I was often asked if it was boring in the engine room and I answered that to pass the time I would watch the fish going past through the porthole in the hull. Many believed this! Now it looks as if the person lying in the bunk near the porthole could actually watch the fish going by especially as the ship is rolling and pitching quite well.
When keeping watch now I am wearing two trousers (one waterproof), shirt, sweater, coat, plastic undercoat, waterproof coat, about four bits of headgear and two pairs of thermal socks. The hardest part of wearing this amount of clothing is the dressing when the ship is moving all over the place. If that is not the hardest thing to do then it is getting out of the bunk as there is a very high wooden sill to keep us in the bunks, hard to get over. We were told not to walk around in stocking feet as they slide very well on the floors. Having a shower with the ship moving is something of an exercise as well, I figured out that sitting on the toilet and taking the shower head out of the holder was the safer way and the comments from other who tried to shower without sitting down is something to believe.
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| The ship's log |
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| The ship's log |
When out on deck today we had to wear a harness at all times, and keep it clipped on to the safety lines. Later on the window guards were fitted over the deck house windows, as the ship was rolling so bad and shipping water over the deck house. Access across the aft deck was stopped with all movement being made through the below deck passages. Someone had six different types of sea sick remedies, nothing like being prepared!
![P1050982_thumb[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWBajMQnvYeEg14ghg1D44GIUfgw-f1VyG-2yZ2wzm1Ptzi6rqyOaQ0L_YWifloXiFCx2kL1cLhIlrSz18VdRlwVsrbNWhwQiFdwB3gQMLLsRsyIBWq_d8M_cstULCq_XMG6n7pOES92St/s1600-h/P1050982_thumb%25255B1%25255D%25255B3%25255D.jpg "P1050982_thumb[1]") |
| Safely hooked on while a lookout at the bows. |
![P1050970_thumb[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFd8RHltjB2ZhD-jA0fNWacnN9zNCLINGvS4tiSfwkEkbiSswZjIv0O7N5zyvH49Gbb8J6knUFnFuGU-vT5Jxc5W31TsZuwh5rNhdyNY2zAQQPT5MZYbWKbhbfYbbOlrhnJOBsdBoHHwhw/s1600-h/P1050970_thumb%25255B1%25255D%25255B3%25255D.jpg "P1050970_thumb[1]") |
| The ship rolling to port |
![P1050978_thumb[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe4nqowOWO3QwlOyKdSsomHmAO-TYPdMLq-4SMNO0UNTaHskV8l4wAd8kc2IYJYUplPq516XtcYURlIm_fdk0jCrlXy7Zy4QaXCPZLJ57iejDdp8Bwdu4nD6dt4gME78dzhyANklfb3_qv/s1600-h/P1050978_thumb%25255B1%25255D%25255B3%25255D.jpg "P1050978_thumb[1]") |
| The ship rolling to starboard |
![P1060007_thumb[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5WfvhQwKXgtczXNhWyoDYOSDY059cKDh1NXy1VR7lXeRk0gINcaVF0jlR0lWg5RSAopDSsAbtd0s_PRsTCjlMwujUesGoTCznNfaK1bAXooBOCOkgyfiDx-rdluOe2gupC36yXePlZKa3/s1600-h/P1060007_thumb%25255B1%25255D%25255B3%25255D.jpg "P1060007_thumb[1]") |
| Steering |
The passengers used more fresh water than the engine room made over the last 24 hours. Our speed has been between 5.5 and 9 knots depending on the wind.
27 December
Noon position : 58* 26’S 62* 49’W Sea temperature - 7.6C Air temperature - 2.4C
The sea was very rough during the night and I had little sleep. During the morning 4 to 8 watch the sea was too rough for lookouts to stay on the forecastle so they stood at the wheel house and harnesses still had to be worn on deck. After changing sails the speed increased to 10.5 knots, very good for this ship so it seemed. People who had been seasick over the past days now started to appear with the weather improving later in the day, including blue seas.
No-matter the weather the kitchen crew produced meals on time, good wholesome meals at that. The evening meals have consisted of rice, mashed potatoes or pasta with a meat sauce, vegetarian options being available as well. Most of the time a tin of dry biscuits are kept in the deck house for anyone to eat. During the midnight to 4 watch soup and bread is available in the deck house for those on watch.The tables have a clingy sort of thick plastic sheet on them to stop the crockery from moving except in extreme movement of the ship.
The ship travelled 170 miles noon to noon today (that is the straight line figure and does not count the zig-zag course travelled depending on the wind) and the outside temperature is 3.5C. Now that the ship is listing to starboard I have had to turn round in my bunk so that my head is at the highest point. A sailing ship always has a list depending on the way the wind is blowing and how the sails are rigged.
As a requirement for going ashore at Antarctica we all had to vacuum clean our day bags, shoes and outside clothing, taking special care with the pockets. This was so ass not to take any foreign items, dirt or seeds onto the Antarctic continent.
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