December 6th – First day at Sea

Last night after dinner we entered Drakes Passage and none of the warnings
we were given about rough water proved long.  Most of the group took the
advise of the ship’s captain and took their motion sickness medication.  The
night was very rough with the boat rocking from side to side.  When we awoke
and saw what was going on outside we were all a bit concerned.  We were in
the middle of the Drakes Passage riding up to 20 foot waves.  Every step we
took required a firm hand hold on the hallway and stairwell rails.  The
higher up on the ship the worse the rocking became.  Everyone was in good
humor however and taking advantage of the ship doctor’s advise none of us
got sick.

We enjoy several lectures today.  The ship’s historian talked about the
history of Antartica and the many historic voyages of exploration.  The head
of the expedition gave a talk on the formation of sniow flakes and the
significant scientific study in most recent years to classify the specific
shapes and configuration of the snow crystals.

Lunch was served in the dining room with plates, serving dishes, and glasses
moving around and some making it to the floor.  In the afternoon we all
settled in upstairs in the observation lounge to watch the huge waves and to
sway back and forth with the ship.

In the afternoon we once again enjoyed two more lectures; one from the
resident geologist and another from the bird expert.