Day 27 - January 30, 2008 - at sea

Catching Up photos
So, we had to change the clocks back again last night. Good news is that we got an extra hour of sleep here where it seems to never get dark. Bad news is that we are all screwed up as to what time of day it ever is anymore. We were all slow moving again today then and had a late breakfast at Compass Rose. The seas are not too rough today, but there is a good sized and annoying swell just keeping us doing a slow rolling. It could be worse so we hope this is as bad as it gets. We all went to Terry Breen's talk on Shackleton. It was good. There is something about that Theater though that just exhausts us all and we came back and took naps before lunch. Hey, it is a vacation and somebody has to do the heavy lifting. Lunch we were back in Compass Rose because it was just too cold and windy to think about the Pool Deck American BBQ or fighting the crowds that would be sitting in LaVeranda on this kind of day. We did hear a rumor from a waiter today that the next segment would be back down around 500 passengers instead of around 700. That will be good news if true. Also, yesterday I think we forgot to report that Bryan Townsend announced at the Ushuaia Prison Break Cocktail Party that the next Circumnavigators Special Event will be on the evening of Feb. 5 starting at 4:30pm. The bad news here is that we have just booked the Exclusive Day on the Pampas through the tour desk and it is 7 1/2 hours long. So, not sure if that will cause us to miss the Event, or if we will just be really exhausted for it. Oh, well.
Debbie & Clay went to Shackleton, the big screen movie in the Theater, this afternoon and Margie went to Arts & Crafts and Needlepoint. Except that the movie had been rescheduled to 3:30pm according to a note on the door and Debbie had given it her last effort to get that far forward in the swells and was not up for a return trip. Clay decided to go up to the Observation Lounge and try to get one of the 3 kinds of Beagle beers that were loaded in Ushuaia, since he had only bought 1 type. Then he would get to sit alone in the Constellation Theater on Deck 6 instead of on Deck 5 with Debbie. Deck 6 is the balcony level andsomehow the motion seems worse there to Debbie and Margie, so Clay always has to sit downstairs if they go with him. Not today though.
Tonight is Informal and we are dining at a hosted table in Compass Rose with the Assistant Food and Beverage Manager Arjan Scheepers. The menu at Compass Rose tonight is really awful and not one of us can find 3 courses we are willing to eat. It might make for a long evening. Ludovic tells us that we will like Arjan that he worked him for over a year and that even though the menu is bad that we should enjoy ourselves. If Arjan has some embarrassing stories to tell us about Ludovic, it will be very good. Fingers crossed. So, we had a very nice dinner with Arjan, who is Dutch and living in Thailand now. He had no stories about Ludovic except that he had made him less French. So, that was a good thing. We had some surprisingly good wines tonight that they had brought onboard yesterday. A Sauvignon Blanc from Patagonia and an Argentine late-harvest dessert wine. We like both. They also served an Argentine Malbec as a red, but we did not have it.
Oh, gosh we forgot to post that we got bed gifts last night! Metal bookmarks that were inscribed Ushuaia Prison Break and the date. Here is the poem on our beds tonight.
Poem inscribed at the bottom of the Albatross Monument; Cape Horn, Chile
I am the albatross that awaits at the end of the world...
I am the forgotten soul of the sailors lost,
Rounding Cape Horn from all the seas of the world.
But die they did not in the fierce waves,
For today towards eternity, in my wings they soar,
In the last crevice of the Antarctic winds.
Sara Vial
December 1992
Valparaiso, Chile
Margie went to the show, Stephen Kane. Debbie and Clay went to bed early to be up early in the morning for the Sparrow Cove Excursion in Port Stanley, Falklands. Pasted below is the tour description.
Sparrow Cove Penguin Adventure
Duration: 2½ Hours.
Adventure.
$115
You will be met at the ship by Sulivan's launch and transported to the pontoon at Sparrow Cove, which forms part of Port William where the ship anchors. It is approximately a 10 minute launch journey from the ship to Sparrow Cove. Here guests are greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Lowe and other experienced local driver/guides, to travel 30 minutes across country in off-road vehicles to the Gentoo penguin colony.
During this drive you will gain an insight into just how sparsely populated these islands are. Visitors can often see King penguins as well as other fascinating wildlife, such as red-backed hawks, Falkland Skuas, Upland Geese and the Falkland Flightless steamer duck. There are fantastic views, providing great photographic opportunities of Stanley and the ship.
Guests will walk about 100 yards across rough ground, as vehicles are not permitted closer to the birds. From this vantage point you may be able to closely observe up to 1600 Gentoo penguins and up to 5 breeding pairs of King penguins, as well as other wildlife. There are basic toilet facilities and a shelter. A few locally made items and postcards are on sale in the shelter, and coffee, tea, hot chocolate and home baked cookies, as well as a brochure, are provided.
Please note: Due to the off-road drive, this tour is not recommended for guests who suffer from hip, back or neck problems. Guests are advised to wear warm waterproof clothing and sensible walking boots. This tour will not be available on January 23rd, 2008 due to very low tides.
Catching Up photos