Update by Joel
On Wednesday morning, we had a quick breakfast and the other passengers hopped into the zodiac to revisit the veritable zoo that was Yankee Harbor. Along the rocky shore they saw 7 elephant seals and a wedell seal. Not quite the flurry of activity from the day before, but still plenty to observe. Very happy with the footage I had captured at the same harbor the day before, I remained behind on the ship to bang out the last of my video interviews with the remaining crew members. A wise decision; the other guests returned positively soaked.
We were then underway to Frei. And overway. And sideways ways. Pretty much all the ways a boat can go, we went. It was a rough transit for much of the passengers and crew, and I was the only passenger at lunch to enjoy Naomi’s fantastic Thai green curry. Even Federico succumbed to the conditions, having only a muffin before heading back to his bunk.
We remained in our cabins for much of the transit, exiting only to grab a glass of water, or something salty and dry to keep our stomachs rightside up. Like the penguins we had spent so much time with, some of us even practiced regurgitating food for our young.
We anchored just in time for dinner, and a still boat was a welcome relief to all. We played games of Battleship (boys vs. girls like a middle school dance) and Uno with G&Ts made using sea ice. Dinner was a delicious pork and tomato sauce with mashed potatoes. Once finished, captain Jarrod and deckhand Roisin delivered a marvelous recap of our journey, including a map with the path of our trip alongside a wonderful video full of highlights from the adventure. Roisin managed to put this video together over the course of our rough passage that day, which as a video editor myself is quite the feat of post production. Before returning to our cabins to pack for departure the next day we presented certificates noting the extent of our journey, and declaring us all true sailors of the antarctic seas.
This morning we awoke to a full English breakfast and news that our flight out was delayed due to poor visibility conditions, leaving all flights on standby. We’re waiting on news of our departure as I type. While we waited, Daniel the engineer treated us to a tour of the engine room. The hulking straight 8 cylinder turbo diesel is original to the ship and was quite the sight to see nestled below decks. I asked Daniel if the turbo would fit on my Honda, and he informed me that the 1.5L of my CR-Z’s hybrid powertrain would fail to move the impeller.
We now sit in the saloon of Hans Hansson awaiting news of our flight which hopefully leaves today. I can’t wait to get back to the mainland and tell everyone our amazing story.
- Joel Ruby
