World Tour: Detouring To King George, Antarctica.

It's the first full day on the Ocean Diamond ship. We were making good time through Drake Passage, which was surprisingly calmer than it normally is (according to the staff). I was a little nauseated, but Dramamine helped clear it up before I got sick. (That stuff is a Godsend!) Quite a few people have gotten seasick though.

Even though I didn't get sick, lots of people have. I fact, I sat in the afternoon lecture behind a guy who I could see had a motion sickness bag in his lap. And for a while there, I would see him lean over the bag and very quietly shake.

He was totally puking.

Or at least dry heaving.

But he was so quiet! I did not hear him! And there was no smell! Poor fella.

We were set to make landfall ahead of the plan, actually. This afternoon, in one of our safety briefings, we were told that we were going to be at land by early tomorrow afternoon (New Year's Eve). And that meant that we were going to be able to do an excursion to land before the new year.

YAY!

But by the Captain's Briefing later that evening, we were prepped that an accident had happened on board. One of the staff in the engineering room had an accident.

"Code Blue!" echoed the walkie-talkies carried by each of the staff, just before we met the Captain. 

We then learned at dinner that we will be diverting to King George Island, where this staff member can be taken off of the ship and flown to where he can get medical treatment. So we will now be making landfall, most likely, on New Year's Day.

Everyone is completely understanding. No one is upset. If anything, we see this as an adventure in that we are getting to see another part of Antarctica that we weren't planning to. Sure, we won't get to step on the continent till later than we expected... But this trip is purely one of risk. Weather can easily prevent us from doing lots of things. And if anyone of us got hurt and needed medical attention, you can bet we'd want to be taken to the closest place as soon as possible.

Besides... We have a bar, massage room, library and DVDs on board. There are lectures a couple times a day about various things. (I am missing the "bar talk" lecture this evening about "Myths and Legends of New Zealand" by the ship's historian.) I even learned, from the ship photographer, how to use my camera properly in a lecture this afternoon!

This is a very useful trip. And I am feeling good about my "sea legs."

I wish I could post pictures, but the WiFi on the ship is quite slow and proving impossible. So instead, I'll leave you with the Haiku my high school friend J. posted on my Facebook wall today after learning about my motion sickness...

Boat's undulating.
My body is quite tingly.
Here comes my breakfast.

(Thanks Lady J.)