We have now left the Tristan da Cunha island group on the National Geographic Explorer. Our next destination is the end of the expedition – in Cape Town, South Africa. This will be the first time I’ve been to South Africa, and sailing into Cape Town should afford spectacular views of Table Mountain.
In the meantime, we have 3 days at sea to occupy with lectures and other activities. My preferred location is the chart room, which is directly beneath the bridge. It has power points so I can plug in the laptop, and pass the day raiding the small mini-bar and biscuit tin while I edit thousands of photos and video from earlier in the expedition. Calm sea conditions all day make this easier as the ship isn’t rolling or pitching. The blue sky and blue ocean make it a peaceful way to spend the time. There are some birds around the ship, mainly shearwaters, but the lack of strong winds to support the albatrosses means it’s a quiet day for wildlife spotting, whilst we are at sea to Cape Town. The weather is forecast to deteriorate as we get closer to the African continent, so it’s edit, edit, edit whilst the sea is calm enough to do so.
