Viking Polaris: Day 2! The Drake Passage swells varied between a bit concerning and barely noticeable. At least once, while sleeping, my stomach seemed to be rising out of the bed without me but I slept ok besides that. The sun rose just after 0430 and I noticed the light a little after that (I hadn’t closed my screen). I was completely awake after 0515 and spent almost two hours reading books, blogging, answering social media messages and re-reading the “Viking Daily”. When I checked on our location, it appeared that we were about a third of the way across the Drake Passage. I was informed later that we have been experiencing the “Drake Lake” version of the crossing of this dynamic body of water - a bit anticlimactic, actually... The good conditions did mean that I was able to start my day with a hearty breakfast at the World Cafe (0715). I had an omelette, fruit, toast and cereal. Afterwards (0745), I went for a walk around the ship (to get exercise). At first, I thought the Promenade Deck was still closed but eventually figured out how to get outside. Actually, I think I was the only passenger to even realize the deck was open - I had it all to myself... The air was cool but the wind had died down. The one thing I wasn't used to, though, was that the bow of the ship settled and rose with enough force that I needed to careful with my steps. Listened to audiobooks along the way. I finished my walk at 0830 and returned to my room to get ready for all of the tasks assigned to passengers for the day. Last night, I figured out that I could adjust the timing of some of the sessions. I was assured that I was OK as long as I got everything done before the end of the day. This allowed me to visit the The Hide for an Inter-denominational Church Service (0900). It was “unhosted” and the six of us (only four other people attended) took turns with the readings and prayers. With the ocean waves crashing against the windows, there aren’t many better places for a religious service. Afterwards (0930), I took my winter gear to Deck A for a biosecurity scan. From the advice I was given there (“you don’t need this”), it sounds like there are major concerns about avian flu - I’ll definitely now be limiting what I’m taking ashore during the excursions. Fortunately, the temps shouldn’t be too bad and many of the necessary items are being provided. (Note: yesterday, I’d received all my other outer gear (snow pants, winter jacket and boots), provided by the ship, and have since learned that trekking poles and binoculars are provided by the ship; I guess I hadn't needed to bring my own.) Everything I'd brought was clean except for my backpack (it contained grass cuttings from a recent hiking trip) and some mittens/gaiters (both showed evidence of fur from Eileen’s dogs). After completing the biosecurity check, I returned to my room to wait for the next event. At 1045, I walked aft to the Aula so I could attend the mandatory briefing to go ashore on Antarctica. Just before it started, I noticed some crew members pointing at the ocean. They had spotted a huge pod of pilot whales near the ship and it was a treat to see the marine mammals playing. Unfortunately, my photo doesn’t do the scene justice... By then, it was raining but my spirit soared with the wildlife encounter. Back inside, the lecture began (1100) with a video from the International Association of Antarctica Tour operators. The lecturer, Berna (Expedition Leader), then gave an entertaining and informative briefing on rules for going ashore, tips for dressing warmly and lots of “bioethics” admonitions for keeping Antarctica clear of external items. The Aula was filled, with about half of the other passengers, and we learned about being a good visitor to Antarctica, received tips (e.g., Daily Briefing) for enjoying each day of outdoor activities, saw photos and videos about excursion equipment (including kayaks) and watched demos of survival gear. It was clear that some of the point of the lectures was setting expectations - the schedules, locations, activities and weather could change abruptly. All the speakers were knowledgeable and funny. Berna talked about how well the passage of the Drake Passage had been going and asked (half joking) if anyone had been seasick. No one responded but I had already noticed that most passengers were wearing a small adhesive patch behind their ears (I also heard some ladies talking about medicinal “cocktails” they’d been drinking to avoid nausea). After he was finished, the leader for the kayaking team took us through an overview of how the excursions would work, along with limits due to weather and fitness requirements. This was mandatory before we could go on our scheduled event and they gave info about where we needed to go next for a practical test for entering/exiting the kayaks from the zodiacs. A person was brought on next to talk about the submarine but I left because I wasn’t planning to go on that kinds of excursion. I managed to squeeze in some lunch at the World Cafe (1215) before my next event and I ate two hot dogs, fries with mayo, a piece of chicken cordon bleu and a couple of desserts (no alcohol). There was a huge, well designed/decorated cake out that had been made in honor of the Super Bowl but I didn’t have any. During my meal, the Captain came on the “1MC” and updated us on our progress towards Antarctica. He mentioned that the weather should stay the same for the remaining journey (again implying “Drake Lake”). I was done eating at 1245. Before attending a kayak “test” (to see if we were physically able to maneuver between zodiac and kayak), I went looking for the Science Lab (I was curious). I eventually realized that it was in the Hangar Area (Deck 1) but couldn’t access it. At 1300, I joined the kayak practical test session with other guests from my deck of staterooms and we got to try Zodiac entry and exit procedures along with the same processes for the kayaks. My training was logged by the kayaking team and I then volunteered (my own initiative) to fill in for any kayak session that lost a participant. I am hoping this will pay off because the kayaks require two people and most guests are couples (if one gets sick or has a conflict, I’ll head over to participate on a moment’s notice). As I was leaving (1345), I got a sneak peek at the Science Lab on the Hangar Deck because one of the scientists was working there. It wasn’t open to the public so I now need to figure out how to get an invitation to visit again... Oh well. I returned to my stateroom and read for a little while. Meanwhile, it started to get really foggy and, before long, I was feeling sleepy. Since this was a vacation, I decided to take a nap. During this time, Polaris passed 60 degrees South latitude. Two hours later (1630), I awoke feeling quite refreshed. Through my window, I noticed that foggy and rainy conditions had returned (this closed the deck again). I was pleasantly surprised, however, to see some more pilot whales and albatrosses from my balcony. Next up (1730) was a fun and informative lecture (again in the Aula) on taking good photos with an iPhone. With a wonderful speaker (Molly), a nearly full auditorium sat in rapt attention and played with their settings. I learned a lot (tips for using camera settings, framing shots and maximizing battery life) and also encountered Jim and Gail (married 52 years); I'd met them on yesterday’s flight. As we were leaving the Aula (1815), they invited me to join them for dinner in the World Cafe. Of course, I accepted. I sampled various options (seafood, Asian, dill salad, etc.), topping off my meal with some strawberry gelato. The dinner came with complimentary Cab-Sav (Frontera from Chile). While we were dining, we saw our first iceberg of the trip! The sun stays up so late that I didn’t realize it was 1945 before dinner was done. This curtailed my plans for trying out a “Nordic Bath” regimen in the Spa (they closed at 2000). The Promenade Deck also closed again, unfortunately, so this meant that a walk was also not going to be easy. Hoping I could get some exercise in the gym, I headed back to my stateroom to get my workout gear. Upon arriving, I found that Rico had cleaned it for the second time in the day (“turn down service”). He had also left me a certificate for successfully cruising the Drake Passage (nice). I’ll add it to some other cool documents I’ve gotten for similar achievements during my Navy Career. I opened the window briefly and found that the sea air (not too cold) was quite enjoyable. I spotted another whale nearby (he was spouting) and a soaring albatross - the window views are wonderful! I changed clothes and went to the fitness center for five miles (22 minutes) on the stationary bike. What a great view out the wide windows! The only other person there was the Ship’s Nurse (also biking) and we had a nice conversation. After getting done with my workout (2020), I went back to my cabin. The Super Bowl festivities were starting in the Aula (2030) so, after I showered and changed into some "regular clothes" (2100), I went there to check out the game. The auditorium was very full but the vibe was quite upbeat and they had lots of game day food. Even without a seat, I was able to watch a little of the action on the HUGE screen. Even better, I snagged a free beer (Aegir IPA) as I departed. My day was capped off with an interesting session in The Hide called “Maritime Superstitions”. The speaker (Juan, from Ushuaia) was quite entertaining and it was nice to watch the sun set (at 2200!) from the windows near the bow on Deck 1. Juan gave lots of examples of the kinds of things sailors did to avoid bad luck (tattoos, earrings, cats, Champaign, etc.). There were actually a lot of people there, despite the sea state. Afterwards, I talked with Juan about his travels in the Arctic and Antarctic, the local economy and activities in his hometown and Rio Grande, Argentina. It was nearly 2230 before I how late it was. I returned to my room and did some blogging and reviewed the “Viking Daily” for the next day. Went to bed just after midnight. Altogether, it was a productive and interesting day. Tomorrow: Antarctica!
