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. Particularly as this crossing can take as much as 48 hours. I’ll clarify why.
Earlier than that, simply to shortly recap, thus far we’d travelled from London to Buenos Aires and now to Ushuaia the place we’d 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 additionally kinda nervous due to 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 means of this however not everybody’s abdomen is so our largest 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.
However right here’s the factor about this crossing – it could both be actually rocky or simply actually calm.
This is the reason it’s often 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. Belief me, I requested round lots about this.
We did discover one thing fairly helpful earlier than we left – an internet site referred to as passageweather.com.
This web site is a prediction of the winds, wave peak and floor strain you’ll be able to count on over the following week on the Drake Passage (and different passages on the planet).
We nonetheless don’t have any clue what to do with the floor strain info however the wind and wave peak info – these we understood.
That web site positively helped take our nervousness away. The prediction for our crusing was for the ‘Drake Lake’ and though 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?
Really, earlier than that – I virtually forgot about this half…. which ended up being one of the crucial mentally-stressful components – 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 could possibly go on different sailings at a later date so your cash isn’t wasted.
In actual fact, if you find yourself testing optimistic and consequently miss half of the journey, you might be routinely entitled to a different journey to Antarctica on a unique 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 Video games.
Individuals 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 anxious. You don’t need anybody to say your title and name you out of the group.
Throughout these half-hour, you have been principally doing all of your finest to keep away from making eye contact with the woman selecting individuals out of the group. Like that may have made a distinction.
And I don’t even know why we have been so nervous both, we’d actually performed a check that morning and had examined damaging so our nerves had no enterprise being that frayed.
I feel it should have been the entire auditorium factor giving off main Starvation Video games or Squid Video games vibes.
Oh, and by the way in which, that is the norm for each cruise ship, not only for ours or ships going to Antarctica, it’s the identical for each ship. It’s good to check earlier than you board.
Earlier than 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 damaging and with large sighs of reduction hopped on board the ship, the place we have been welcomed with cocktails, snacks and a lightweight lunch to have in our rooms.
And so off we set to Antarctica. The forecast, by the way in which, was right and for the 2 days of crossing the Drake’s Passage, the water was comparatively calm.
Some individuals nonetheless acquired seasick however we’d began taking our sea illness remedy – Promethazine, earlier than we left the port.
One other nice sea illness remedy 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 at no cost.
We really then began off with Meclizine on the primary day earlier than switching to Promethazine. (No actual purpose why – it’s simply what we got).
Each tablets do make you very drowsy although however I’d fairly be drowsy from the remedy 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 fascinating however that is apparently how the ocean illness tablets work.
So your eyes, your physique (like your ft on the bottom) and your interior ear often inform you when your physique is in movement.
The primary two ship alerts to your mind saying you’re in movement and your interior ear corroborates that info and your mind is like “Okay, we’re shifting” and all superb.
Sea illness occurs nevertheless when your interior ear says that you simply’re shifting (as a result of it could 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 info confuses your mind and makes you’re feeling nauseous.
So the medication work by silencing the alerts out of your interior ear so your mind doesn’t get confused and also you don’t really feel nauseous.
However yeah, the medication, coupled with a comparatively calm crossing meant that for these two days we might simply calm down and luxuriate in crusing throughout the Drake’s passage.
The actual enjoyable begins after you’re performed with the Drake’s passage however that doesn’t imply you’re simply sat round doing nothing, until, in fact, if you wish to.
When you’re crusing, you’ve acquired wildlife exterior (we had our first whale sightings on the Drake’s passage), you’ve acquired lectures (which I promise you might be far more thrilling than it sounds and actually assist put into context what you’re about to see) and within the downtime, you’ve acquired so many films in your TV in your room as properly.
In our downtime, we ended up watching a brand new present on we simply found on Sky. It really not a brand new present per se. It’s new to us however there are like 5 seasons of it.
The present is named Gomorrah and it’s in Italian. It’s set in Naples and is all concerning the drug cartels in Naples. Like an Italian Narcos, I suppose.
It’s sort of based mostly 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 good friend 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 a superb plan, particularly seeing as we have been planning on isolating your complete time earlier than we boarded the ship anyway.
However 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. That is the place you have got all of your meals.
Breakfast has a buffet (it’s nonetheless desk service) with different gadgets you’ll be able to order off a menu (like omelettes and waffles).
Lunch and dinner are a-la-crate with a lot of completely different and fairly scrumptious choices (so don’t fear if you happen to’re vegetarian or vegan).
That is the library. It’s such a cute and calm area.
That is the lecture theatre.
This is among the bars. And there’s one other bar up right here within the commentary lounge, which has probably the greatest views on the ship.
To be trustworthy, when you’re in Antarctica, there are nice views in every single place.
The new tub and swimming pools are in the back of the ship. The spa is inside.
That is the primary 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 submit after we lastly arrive in Antarctica!
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