It's about quarter past one -- a.m. -- and I get lucky. I wake up (for the usual reasons) and realise that...
No? What! Double entendre!? Not that I noticed. Anyway:
I wake up, see the time and realise, 1am is when Samuel said would be the best time for photos. An hour or so before the sun sets. I'd better look out the window.
Nothing to be seen... Well, I can see the front of the ship. And a whole lot of water, still quite calm. Nothing worth photographing, good light or not. I shift the curtain away from a side window. And...
There is a magnificent -- pink!! -- iceberg! Just catching the setting sun. Long and flat. Glowing pink. Beautiful ! I grab my camera and take a photo. Through the murky porthole. The berg is distant, I wonder if it will be more than a blurry pink line?
What the heck... Pull my pants over my pyjamas. Pull on the puffy jacket. Get out on deck with my camera...
From our cabin it's one corridor and a weather-proof door to the nearest deck...
And the berg is now grey-blue, as the sun sets.
I have one photo of the glowing pink iceberg. On the laptop screen, it looks quite good. I got lucky! And I suspect I was the only passenger who was even awake to see it. Lucky indeed :-)
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8:15 am. The dulcet tones of Agnes announcing the day's program:
Guuuud morning ever-ee-one, guud morning :-) (Yes, you can almost hear the smile.) After announcing breakfast (at its usual 8:30), Agnes announces the major entertainment for the morning. It will be a talk on Two-Glass Mawson.
Two-Glass Mawson? Was he an easy drunk? Honestly, that's what I hear Agnes say. It takes me a while to work out that she means, Douglas Mawson. After the disappointment of reality, I skip the lecture.
Deb is at the lecture. I walk the decks.
My nails need cutting, I decide to do it up on deck. After one quick walk I return, to add waterproof pants to my outfit: underpants, extra-heavy wool long johns, jeans, plastic pants. On top it's heavy-weight thermal, t-shirt, heavy wool jumper, puffy jacket. Plus neck warmer, wooly beanie, jacket hood pulled up, gloves, thick socks, solid hiking boots.
I could probably do without the water-proof pants -- except that there is sleet. In sheltered spots it looks like very fine snow, blowing like mist. At the front of the boat it blows hard... it stings my eyes if I look forward. I consider wearing sunglasses but worry that the sleet could scratch the lens.
I stand on the poop deck and cut my nails. Decide not to remove boots and socks to cut toe-nails. I enjoy the brisk weather -- and keep my back to the wind-driven sleet.
There's one other person out on deck, an older sailor (my age "older", perhaps). He's often up on deck, doing many laps of the poop deck. (aside: I used to think that my wooly beanie was thick. Until I saw -- and felt -- a Russian sailor's beanie.) Today the sailor stays in relative shelter on the deck below.
I do a few careful laps of the poop deck, sometimes leaning into the wind. Luckily the sea is quite calm. Then I lap each of the lower decks... Careful on the sheltered side of deck 3, there's slippery icy sleet on the deck. I wave at the idlers watching from the bridge.
We may not have landed in Antarctica but I'm getting some of the Antarctic experience :-)
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Afternoon: Deb is at a video viewing, part one of Amundsen's race to the pole. Part one of seven. I've been reading and relaxing. It may be time for another stroll around the decks.
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And a bit later: In the morning, my strolls round the poop deck involved holding metal rails -- and watching frost being knocked off. Most of the frost is gone. Must be warmer :-) There are still a few icicles. The plastic pants would be a good idea.
I visit the bridge. Wind speed is 14.7 somethings. Plus our 10 to 12 knots, and occasional ice/snow flurries. It's still an exciting Antarctic experience out there. And I'm still the only passenger who prefers the outside to the bar or bridge.
As I had guessed, Amundsen part 1 of 7 did not even reach Antarctica. Deb thinks the video was okay. I'm not sure that she wants to watch the remaining six. At dinner, one person says part one was boring. Another said the acting was terrible.
We're still sailing east. Following the coast (though out of sight of the coast). Hoping that tomorrow we will be able to land somewhere. Or get south of the Antarctic Circle. Or something... It all depends on what we find.
Could be another good day for reading and walking in the very fresh air.
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