The Antarctic: Day 3

Day 3 – Tuesday, January 18

   I take another shot at breakfast.  Fruit only.  Successfully it seems, this time.  Got a round of applause for this.  Seems bets were placed on what my “wobble factor” would be, both entering and leaving the Dining Room.  I skip the morning lecture on seals and penguins on the Observation Deck.  Boldly, tried some lunch as well.  Salad only, to be safe.  Again, bets were placed, and looks of near disappointment exchanged when I kept my food down for a second straight meal.  This afternoon, we listened to a mandatory lecture on the etiquette of Antarctica – the ethos, really, of “leave only footprints and take only photos.”  Great care is taken, NOT to change the environment of “The Last Great Wilderness.”  Practices go so far as vacuuming daypacks and exterior clothing so as not to transmit seeds and trash, and sanitizing Wellington rubber boots both before going on to shore aboard the Zodiacs and after our return.  We try these “Wellies” and life jackets on for the first time, and go over boarding procedures for the Zodiac inflatables.  For the first time, the sun shows up.  We hear about our first of three shore trips for tomorrow, as The South Shetland Islands draw nigh.  Optimism abounds.  Passengers are smiling again.  And then at 5:30 PM, we spot our first iceberg (still 25 nautical miles away).  This evening, after a presentation on protecting the wonders of Antarctica we are to see in the morning, Marco and Simon and I close out the bar at midnight.  Wakeup call is four hours from now.