All Aboard the Ushuaia

19th January 2016
So today I spent the morning and part of the afternoon reading up on Antarctica.
At 3:00pm it was time to put my first Scopoderm patch just behind my ear, this I hope will keep any sea sickness away. Then at 3:30 it was time to finally go to the docks, check in and board the Ushuaia ship which will be home for the next 9 days.
There was a briefing to meet the team leaders and also Dr Grace. We were told we may be in need of her assistance especially for the "Drake". By this they mean the Drake Passage. You have probably heard of the Roaring forties, well we have to do the Furious Fifties and the screaming sixties.
The guides are Dr Julieta Pedrana the expedition Leader, Leandro Miri the assistant expedition leader, Alejandro Fernandez Ajo a biologist and lecturer, Marva Constants Marcesi (Kta) a lecturer and guide, Marcela Nunez A lecturer and guide.
Once the ship had set sail we had a safety brief and a life boat drill. For the drill we had to get our life jackets from our cabins, then go to the assembly point to be checked off and then to our allotted life boat station.
That done it was time for the first meal onboard, which I must say was very nice and I think we are going to be well looked after.
Meanwhile whilst all this has been going on we have being making progress along the Beagle Channel. We are expecting to reach open water around midnight at which point it may become a bit lumpy. The forecast is not for it to be too bad, let's hope that's correct.
The plan tomorrow is for lectures on sea birds and if it's not to lumpy to see what sea birds can be spotted from the decks.