November 15-16
The first two days on boat were travel days through the Drake Passage, notorious for sea-sicky rough waters. Packed with an inappropriate amount of Dramamine to combat the sea sickness, we felt ready to go. On the ship, people started getting to know new people and get familiar with the ship. This was also time for a ton of information from the crew along with the parka party and boot bash – where we get our huge yellow jackets (to keep) and waterproof boots (to borrow) for the trip. A lot of the shore excursions will require us to get off the zodiac boats in some water, so the boots are crucial. We also starting having informational sessions about the wildlife on the Drake Passage and in Antarctica. Sleeping that first night was tough – supposedly it wasn’t that bad, but I slept terrible and felt gross. I took some more Dramamine the next morning and consequently slept through a handful of lectures. After about 24 hours on the boat, I had pulled it together and got a bit accustomed to the moving ship. Smooth sailing from here… at least until we’re heading back on the Drake in a few days.
