Despite the National Geographic Explorer’s stabilisers, crossing the Antarctic Convergence in the Southern Ocean involves a lot of pitching and rolling. The rolling from side to side isn’t so bad – the headlong pitches into the trough of a swell and the G-forces imposed from the ride up from the trough aren’t that much fun.
It is too wild, wet and windy to go outside, so it’s a good day for a decadent, slothful day of lying in bed, listening to music. Rod Stewart’s “Atlantic Crossing” of course. Who cares that we’re going in the opposite direction and in the wrong hemisphere?
Somewhere nearby, the ship’s bell is ringing in time with the rolling of the ship across the Antarctic Convergence. The ship’s superstructure is creaking under the onslaught from the sea, and the waves are rolling over my cabin porthole. It doesn’t take much imagination to close my eyes and imagine being rocked in a hammock on a 18th century sailing ship, the ship’s bell tolling for those about to be lost at sea….
Then again, it’s good weather to go up to the bridge to practice photographing the waves crashing on the bow of the Explorer.
