So now we’re off crusing the Drake Passage to Antarctica and it’s the a part of the journey that we have been probably the most anxious about. Especially as this crossing can take as much as 48 hours. I’ll clarify why.
Before that, simply to rapidly recap, to this point we’d travelled from London to Buenos Aires and now to Ushuaia the place we might be catching the Ocean Victory ship by Albatros Expeditions to take us to Antarctica.
It was such a mixture of feelings by this level. We have been tremendous excited (for apparent causes) but in addition kinda nervous because of the Drake’s Passage crossing we have been about to embark on.
The movies we’d seen of the passage seemed terrifying when it’s all stormy. 12m / 40ft excessive waves will do this to you.
The ships are constructed to have the ability to sail by this however not everybody’s abdomen is so our greatest fear was getting seasick. And as you may know, as soon as you’re feeling seasick, it’s so laborious to shake off.
Oh, and the crossing goes on for two days so the potential of two days of seasickness was positively taking part in on our minds.
But right here’s the factor about this crossing – it might probably both be actually rocky or simply actually calm.
This is why it’s generally known as both the ‘Drake Shake’ ( when it’s rocky) or the ‘Drake Lake’ (when it’s calm).
And it’s not seasonal both, it might occur on any day so there’s no higher month or time of the 12 months to go to to keep away from this. Trust me, I requested round quite a bit about this.
We did discover one thing moderately helpful earlier than we left – an internet site referred to as passageweather.com.
This web site is a prediction of the winds, wave top and floor stress you possibly can count on over the following week on the Drake Passage (and different passages on this planet).
We nonetheless haven’t any clue what to do with the floor stress data however the wind and wave top data – these we understood.
That web site positively helped take our nervousness away. The prediction for our crusing was for the ‘Drake Lake’ and despite the fact that we all know the climate can change on the drop of a hat, it was sufficient to calm us down.
So yeah, with that – let’s get on board the ship, we could?
Actually, earlier than that – I virtually forgot about this half…. which ended up being one of the crucial mentally-stressful elements – testing for you-know-what earlier than boarding the ship.
See, if you happen to examined optimistic, you wouldn’t be allowed to board the ship. A coverage that makes a lot sense for everybody’s well being and well-being.
And don’t fear, even if you happen to can’t go on that crusing – you possibly can go on different sailings at a later date so your cash isn’t wasted.
In truth, if you find yourself testing optimistic and because of this miss half of the journey, you’re mechanically entitled to a different journey to Antarctica on a distinct crusing.
So for the check, we confirmed as much as a gymnasium the place we have been examined in teams of 30 and it felt like we have been in Squid Games.
People have been simply getting picked out at random and though you couldn’t actually hear what they have been saying to them after they left the group, their sobbing made it fairly clear what information they’d simply been informed.
We needed to wait round for half-hour for the all-clear and people half-hour have been simply worrying. You don’t need anybody to say your identify and name you out of the group.
During these half-hour, you have been principally doing all of your finest to keep away from making eye contact with the woman choosing folks out of the group. Like that might have made a distinction.
And I don’t even know why we have been so nervous both, we’d actually completed a check that morning and had examined unfavorable so our nerves had no enterprise being that frayed.
I feel it should have been the entire auditorium factor giving off main Hunger Games or Squid Games vibes.
Oh, and by the best way, that is the norm for each cruise ship, not only for ours or ships going to Antarctica, it’s the identical for each ship. You want to check earlier than you board.
Before we left, there was a ship that had been lax with their testing and virtually half of the passengers ended up testing optimistic on arrival again to Argentina so the entire ship needed to quarantine for 10 days.
Anyway, so we examined unfavorable and with enormous sighs of aid hopped on board the ship, the place we have been welcomed with cocktails, snacks and a light-weight lunch to have in our rooms.
And so off we set to Antarctica. The forecast, by the best way, was right and for the 2 days of crossing the Drake’s Passage, the water was comparatively calm.
Some folks nonetheless received seasick however we’d began taking our sea illness medicine – Promethazine, earlier than we left the port.
Another nice sea illness medicine is Meclizine, however Promethazine is the one NASA apparently offers its astronauts to assist them keep away from sea illness in order that sounded ok for us.
We couldn’t get Promethazine over-the-counter within the UK however fortunately our ship’s pharmacy had it and so they gave it to us without spending a dime.
We truly then began off with Meclizine on the primary day earlier than switching to Promethazine. (No actual motive why – it’s simply what we got).
Both tablets do make you very drowsy although however I’d moderately be drowsy from the medicine and seize a espresso to wake me up than seasick and but nonetheless drowsy and exhausted from sea illness.
I don’t know if you happen to’ll discover this attention-grabbing however that is apparently how the ocean illness tablets work.
So your eyes, your physique (like your toes on the bottom) and your inside ear often inform you when your physique is in movement.
The first two ship indicators to your mind saying you’re in movement and your inside ear corroborates that data and your mind is like “Okay, we’re moving” and all tremendous.
Sea illness occurs nevertheless when your inside ear says that you simply’re transferring (as a result of it might probably really feel it) however your eyes and physique say that you simply’re not, which might occur if you happen to’re in an space with no home windows or if you happen to’re not always staring out of the window.
This distinction in data confuses your mind and makes you’re feeling nauseous.
So the medication work by silencing the indicators out of your inside ear so your mind doesn’t get confused and also you don’t really feel nauseous.
But yeah, the medication, coupled with a comparatively calm crossing meant that for these two days we might simply calm down and revel in crusing throughout the Drake’s passage.
The actual enjoyable begins after you’re completed with the Drake’s passage however that doesn’t imply you’re simply sat round doing nothing, except, after all, if you wish to.
While you’re crusing, you’ve received wildlife outdoors (we had our first whale sightings on the Drake’s passage), you’ve received lectures (which I promise you’re far more thrilling than it sounds and actually assist put into context what you’re about to see) and within the downtime, you’ve received so many films in your TV in your room as nicely.
In our downtime, we ended up watching a brand new present on we simply found on Sky. It truly not a brand new present per se. It’s new to us however there are like 5 seasons of it.
The present known as Gomorrah and it’s in Italian. It is ready in Naples and is all concerning the drug cartels in Naples. Like an Italian Narcos, I suppose.
It’s form of primarily based on a real-life notorious housing property in Naples.
We initially came upon about this present whereas we have been travelling in Naples and noticed the property within the distance.
Our Italian pal we have been travelling with regaled us with tales about it (like how they’d randomly discovered a tiger in there as soon as simply sat there as somebody’s pet) and informed us about how at one level even the police have been terrified to go to this housing property.
We’d been watching this earlier than we left the UK and simply downloaded it on the Sky Go app to take travelling with us, which turned out to be an excellent plan, particularly seeing as we have been planning on isolating all the time earlier than we boarded the ship anyway.
But yeah, earlier than I end off this vlog, I figured I ought to in all probability present you across the Ocean Victory ship, so let’s begin this fast tour with the bed room…
Then let’s transfer to the eating room. This is the place you have got all of your meals.
Breakfast has a buffet (it’s nonetheless desk service) with different gadgets you possibly can order off a menu (like omelettes and waffles).
Lunch and dinner are a-la-crate with a lot of completely different and moderately scrumptious choices (so don’t fear if you happen to’re vegetarian or vegan).
This is the library. It’s such a cute and calm house.
This is the lecture theatre.
This is likely one of the bars. And there’s one other bar up right here within the statement lounge, which has among the finest views on the ship.
To be trustworthy, when you’re in Antarctica, there are nice views in every single place.
The sizzling tub and swimming pools are behind the ship. The spa is inside.
This is the principle viewing platform in entrance of the ship.
There’s additionally a store and a pair extra speciality eating places in addition to visitor lounges dotted throughout the ship.
There’s additionally a ‘mud room’ downstairs which is the place you, de-contaminate and get the zodiac boats to take you on a cruise or over to land.
And there you have got it. Catch you within the subsequent publish after we lastly arrive in Antarctica!
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