Thursday 11 December 2014

Bored on board?!

After two days at sea, we are getting closer to Antarctica where we hope to land at Elephant Island. These two days in the southern ocean were anything but boring.

On Wednesday, passengers were able to enjoy six different lectures in English and German about (amongst others), Penguins, Marine wildlife and the polar ship Fram. In the afternoon, everyone was invited to come to the Observation Lounge to have a Recap of South Georgia with the entire Expedition Team. We quickly shared our impressions, demonstrated a few emergency procedures and showed the passengers what the guides carry with them in their backpacks. This includes radios, GPS equipment and chocolate! Some of our passengers were lucky enough to see whales. The first on this trip! We were also able to spot a big table iceberg on our way. Our amazing musician Myles enchanted the Observation Lounge with his music while we held a Fruit and Ice carving show, which was a great success. Our Team member and birder John found a diving petrel and showed it to some passengers before releasing it.





Picture by Tom Warmolts

On Thursday, our passengers were once again able to attend our lectures. In the same rooms we showed two movies during the evening about Shackleton and the giants of the seas: Whales. Something else the passengers were able to do was visit the Bridge. In groups they were allowed to come in the place to be. There where everything happens and everything is decided. Our captain and second officer welcomed the guests and showed them how the most important equipment works. It was very interesting for them to see how the sonar and radar tools help the crew to navigate through these hostile environments. After the presentation they were able to ask questions regarding the ship and its trips. In the afternoon, our expedition team members Therese and Mattias hosted a Quiz in the Observation Lounge on deck 7. Passengers were divided in groups and asked to answer a few random multiple-choice questions regarding the expedition, its destinations and the encountered wildlife. The winners were offered free drinks from the bar and received a nice certificate.







In the evening we had our first snow! Visibility was fairly low but this only added to the beauty of the moment. Sea days always hold surprises and it is a nice way to get a sense of the distance we are travelling. It makes our destinations feel much more special as this is the only way to get there.