The waters are getting a bit rougher now, but not like the Drake shake we feared. The crew said this has been a wonderful crossing… probably in the middle of lake and shake. That said, while standing in the shower this morning, I had visions of bouncing off the walls like a ping-pong ball, but alas, I was able to stand rather steadfastly, hold my ground, and got out barely scathed. (I did have to be very careful with eye make-up application so as not to poke myself in the eye.)

Walking to breakfast, was a challenge, as we staggered like drunken sailors from our room to the buffet, careening from one side of the hallway into the other. One crew member told me to walk in a squat position with my legs spread far apart. Looks rather weird, but it did help to keep my balance. Once you had your tray of breakfast selections, it was tricky carrying it back to the table without dumping it on someone’s head as you passed. It’s unbelievable that during the last sailing, apparently the waves went almost up to the 4th deck. So glad our crossing has been relatively smooth.

After breakfast we attended the mandatory briefing by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operations, IAATO, which was founded in 1991, to advocate and promote the safe and environmentally responsible private-sector travel to Antarctica.

When going ashore, you must always be aware of what’s around you and not run, shout, or walk in the penguin “highways”. (The “highways” are how the penguins traverse back and forth from their nests.) Also, make sure you don’t ever come between a mom and her offspring as that can cause aggressive behavior as well.

You not only have to be cognizant of the penguins. Some seals can be aggressive or more easily disturbed than others, which can make them dangerous. They bite. Stay 15 feet away.

You cannot bring anything back with you from the land except your memories and your photos. Rocks, eggs, feathers, flora must all remain. And you are not permitted to make any marks on any of the buildings or wrecks that are on the shore. In other words, no writing “I WAS HERE! 2023!”

Lastly, cannot sit, kneel, or lie down on the ground or snow, or leave any equipment on the ground, close to animal activity or fecal matter.

Since the beginning of 2022, the increasing intensity of avian influenza outbreaks has resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of seabirds in the Northern Hemisphere, around the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and southern Africa. It has also caused elevated grey and harbour seal mortalities in the United States. The IAATO is working with diligence to prevent avian flu from impacting Antarctica. With the start of this year’s tourist season, experts fear it’s only a matter of time until the virus impacts the bird and seals on Antarctica. Hence the strict procedures that are currently in place. Antarctica would be closed to tourists for many, many years if the flu threatened its avian population.

These strict procedures require us to ensure that all of our clothing and equipment, and anything that may come into contact with the Antarctic environment, is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before going ashore. Our boots must be hosed down thoroughly with water, the bottoms scrubbed and then they are treated with disinfectant spray that we walk over upon leaving or returning to the ship.

After lunch, we went down to the lowest deck to get our outdoor gear vacuumed for any pods or seeds and also to pick up our snow boots. They had already delivered our coats, coat liners, and snowpants to our room and they are a perfect fit, so we’re all set to traverse Antarctica.

They made an announcement in late afternoon, that we made better time traveling the Drake’s then originally predicted and so they would be offering excursions for tomorrow that were originally not possible. We were lucky to be able to sign up for the Special Ops boat for tomorrow at 6:40 pm as most of the spots filled up quickly.

We went to the Captain’s welcome presentation and then met our friends for drinks and on to dinner… Sushi, sashimi, lobster tail and filet.

Tomorrow we might check out the pool before our excursion. The weather is beautiful and the seas, while still making it difficult to walk around the ship, are making for a wonderful experience.