Taking the bonine tablets for motion sickness was a good move! Things got very rough overnight once we exited the Beagle Channel. There were 9-12 ft waves with a 30-knot wind and very rough seas. It was difficult to walk around the boat with the amount of roll. Thank goodness for the handrails in every corridor! We didn’t need them, but the rails were decorated with barf bags for anyone stricken.
Many of our fellow travelers have gotten ill and are staying in their cabins. Very few people arrived for the buffet breakfast. We both felt fine but are very drowsy – a side effect of the bonine. After breakfast we returned to our cabin and stretched out for a while.
Later in the morning was a mandatory zodiac and wildlife awareness briefing. Guests sign up for one of the four zodiac groups, all named after a type of penguin. We joined the ‘Chinstrap’ group. The groups rotate positions for landings.
Dick attended the kayak program briefing, required for all who are signed up for the kayak activities. The number of kayakers is limited and there are only two groups. On days where kayaking is possible one group will do a morning excursion, the other group goes in the afternoon. Dick is assigned to the ‘Orcas’. There is also a fitting for required kayaking gear. LOTS of extra stuff!
For regular zodiac and soft landings the gear list starts (pic 1) with wicking socks, wool base socks, wool over socks, t-shirt, base long sleeve top, middle long sleeve layer, fleece outer top, base long undies, and fleece outer longies. The finishing layer for zodiac trips (pic 2) is waterproof shell pants, liner gloves, shell gloves, outer shell jacket, stocking cap, neck gator, muck boots, and life jacket (that’s the red one in pic 3. For kayaking days, the gear from pic 1 is the base along with (pic 3) dry suit, booties, and a larger life jacket (yellow). Whew!
There are two options each day for lunch, a full buffet in the dining room or a ‘light’ lunch available in the lounge. We chose the lounge and enjoyed a nice vegetable soup and small sandwich.
The ship has a lecture lounge with AV facilities where the daily presentations are held. They are also available for in-room viewing. There were three lectures today – an ‘Introduction to Mammals & Birds’ by Mathias, ‘Flora, Fauna, & People’ by naturalist Beth, and ‘History of the Falklands’ by Hanna J, the crew historian.
Biological control to reduce the possibility of introducing non-native species to the landing locations is very strict. A mandatory ‘Bio Safety’ presentation covered the control practices to be followed both before landing and return to the ship. Very interesting, very thorough.
We saw our first group of albatrosses today as they followed the boat for hours. Both Black-Browed and Southern Royal were spotted along with a number of petrel species. The Royals are super cool to watch as the swoop along the deck and water. Hard to get on film though. They have the longest wingspan of any of the bird species, reaching up to 11-1/2 feet! One of the crew’s nightly tasks in these waters is to blacken out all the windows in the common areas. It’s curtains closed and lights out in the cabins as well. Evidently, lights contribute to bird strikes.
After a nice dinner and a few minutes listening to ‘Randy’ in the lounge it was early to bed. The bonine made us very tired all day but we were able to participate in all the activities.