Delayed

Our Ship has come in… but it is not going anywhere, at least not very fast.

After getting all excited and tucked away on the boat, we woke up yesterday morning to see that it was still attached to terra firma.  Bummer.  As one of the first trips down to Antarctica of the season, as well as being the sister-ship to the Explorer (which sank down here last year), the Argentinean inspectors are going over the ship’s systems with a fine-tooth comb and have delayed the ship for 48 hours.  So far.  This is drag as part of the allure of this trip was that it was fairly short, at least by Antarctica terms, so the delay of two days puts a real crimp on the agenda.  Still, plans are being juggled and between everyone having a flexible schedule and positive attitude, things will work out.

Since we spent last night at the dock, we had an onboard Halloween party which was a blast.  Chris Davenport looked disturbing as a School Girl, there were pigmies, monsters, a few penguins, and the Finn’s dressed as themselves, which was naturally scary.

To pass the time, I’ve come back into Ushuaia and am hanging out at a chocolate shop, which is a dangerous idea – strong coffee with a slab or two of handmade chocolate on the side.

To help pass the time yesterday we got out for a few turns behind the town and tried out our roped travel systems.  The teams are broken up into groups of four with a guide,  Our group consists of Gregor Wilson, Kellie Okeneke, Scott Fennel and Sam Bass, all of whom are a blast to ski with.

Category: Trip Reports