Last night at dinner they told us that we were going to have another storm before we made it back to Cape Horn and the Beagle Channel.  They advised us to prepare your cabin and place any movable objects in the locked drawers and closets.  We had heard this before and everyone took it at face value.  They were right, and by midnight I could not sit in the chair in the library because it was moving too far left and right and then back and forth.  I finally gave up and went to bed.  I was awakened many times during the night to the shudder of the ship crashing over the waves.  At some points between the swells it would be quiet and calm…for about three seconds.  This morning is not any better, and you cannot walk with anything in your hands as you need both to grab rails and doorways to stay on your feet.  This storm, unlike the others, would make the ship slam downward and then be pushed sideways into a yawl and sway in the opposite direction as soon as the ship rose upward over the next swell.  This was what made it hard to walk because you could no longer predict which way you would be tossed next.

I went up to the bridge at dawn.  If we can keep the current headway speed of 10 knots I guess we will see land around 5:00 PM tonight and be in the calm of the channel by 9:00 PM.  This is day three at sea and we have not seen any land or other ships since we passed King Georges Island on Thursday afternoon.

I went to the gym this morning after my visit to the bridge and was only able to stay on the stationary bike for about 20 minutes before the rocking evaporated my enthusiasm.  I was able to do the weights exercises, or at least most of them, by lying flat on my back with a yoga mat.  I was the only one there and since the gym is on the lowest floor of the ship, at least it was moving the least.

I found my luggage outside my door when I returned from the gym waiting to be loaded with all my dirty laundry and prized treasures (my race number and my finishers medal) in anticipation of getting off this ship tomorrow morning.  Now, let me say, I am glad I have done this trip.  It is the opportunity of a lifetime to go and see the Antarctic, but it is also one of those “I can check it off” items, because I have no desire to return.  If you are someone who enjoys cold and wildlife with almost no connection to the outside world, this is the place for you.  Seeing the places that these “research stations” (I’m still not really sure what they are researching) are located and the living conditions confirms in my mind that it takes a special person to live here, and I am not special.

It is now mid-afternoon, and still no sign of land.  There have been a few birds, but no whales or other wildlife.  I think because it is still windy and lots of chop the animals may be lying low.  At least the sun is out, but they have all the doors double downed (the interior door is the one you usually open and close and then there is a heavy metal door that they crank closed with  clasps and the door is “gasketed”).  The wind is directly out of the north and our heading is 355 degrees so winds and waves are once again right at the nose of the ship.  Everyone is ready to get off this bouncing ball.

I think I will go pack my suitcase in anticipation of my departure tomorrow.  I know my suitcase will be less because most of the Power Bars are gone.  I gave up trying to clean and dry the shoes I ran the marathon in and have officially donated them to the Antarctic gods.

Tonight at the “Captains Dinner” they will have a slide show for the marathon and the expeditions we went on.  Not to be negative, but this will be the 9^th day since they got provisions for the ship, so most of the fresh fruit and vegetables are not so fresh anymore.  I look forward to tomorrow being able to go to a grocery store.

As soon as I get to a good internet connection that I can download and send pictures, I will! I will try to include brief descriptions with each picture.

Thanks for reading these blogs and feel free to fire away with questions!  I will try to answer them all.