Southern Ocean Reminder

Yes we were reminded today that we are in the Southern Ocean! We have had very calm conditions on our journey so far but winds picked up today and the ship started moving a little (by the way, we are getting close to South Georgia and will arrive tomorrow morning). The Fram is exceptionally good in rough water but still you could feel the difference today! Some of us decided to stay in our cabins but most of us went about our business as usual- lectures, some fresh air outside on deck, more lectures, briefings and of course our meals- more on this below!

Most of the birds flying around the ship are petrels of one sort or another (even albatrosses are a sort of petrel), which rely on the winds to glide over the oceans in a very efficient manner. So with more wind today we had more birds and they clearly seemed to enjoy soaring over the 3-4 meter waves. A real treat was seeing a Snow Petrel- an iconic bird of Antarctica.

Something of great importance we completed today was the vacuuming of our clothing and bags. This is to prevent the introduction of foreign seeds into South Georgia and Antarctica. As more people visit these remote places every year, there is growing concern that foreign species could be introduced. Studies have shown that an effective way to reduce the chances of this happening is to vacuum our gear.

We mentioned our meals earlier in this blog- they are superb, and something that makes them extra-special is the fantastic pastries and deserts. No matter how hard you try to avoid walking by the desert section of our restaurant, resistance is futile! Here is the man responsible for making these treats- Arseñio, our skilled pastry chef, standing behind some of his creations.