Rocking and Rolling

As I said in an earlier post, the weather became the focus as we ventured further south towards Antarctica. This was a day at sea and we were headed south-westerly towards Cape Horn. The creaking of the ship was a constant background noise and the sound of the ocean waves breaking against the hull filled our night of sleep. We woke to an overcast sky with temperatures dropping and the winds hitting us from the northwest at gale forces of 55-63 mph (Force 10 according to the Beaufort Wind Scale for maritime). Yup, we were rocking and rolling.
The Promenade Deck (Deck 7) had been closed during the night and into the day due to the winds and water.

Another "white bag day"...they were hanging in all public areas.

We went up to the Skywalker Lounge on Deck 16 and sat in front of the floor to ceiling windows extending beyond the side of the ship and watched the sea. Rick photographed one wave (of many) that hit our bow sending plumes of foam and spray up and over the top of the ship. Keep in mind that we were 16 floors above the sea and the spray was going even higher!
  

Walking anywhere on the ship was difficult. The higher you went, the more you felt the motion of the ocean. So we headed down to low, mid-ship where it was the least bothersome. All of the lounges and service bars were laying huge sections of cling film (Saran Wrap) over all glassware and bottles and tucking the ends tightly underneath. This helped keep all breakables from shifting and falling. The room stewards were wedging pieces of wood under the wheels of their carts to keep them from rolling down the hallways.

Passenger areas were quieter than usual - many chose to stay in their cabins or find a seat somewhere quiet indoors and read. For those poor crew members who had to work outdoors during all of this, our hats were off to you. But they handled it with typical positive attitudes and smiles.

We found an empty table in the International Café inside on Deck 5, hung out with the crew and had some hot tea. Eventually I decided to dive into a good book I had started months ago but never finished. Rick played games on his iPhone.  

During the day, the captain piped in on the intercom system and announced that the severe weather conditions ahead of us prevented the ship from safely rounding Cape Horn as we had hoped. This had been anticipated because the Cape is notorious throughout maritime history as being an ultimate challenge. Successfully crossing Cape Horn in pre-modern navigational times was a big thing. Captains got to wear an earring and put one foot on their dining table as a reward for such skill and courage. So our course was changed and we proceeded to the safer and calmer waters of the Beagle Channel and on to Ushuaia, Argentina as our next port of call.

Rick and I spent the remainder of the day being lazy, socializing and enjoying the entertainment provided throughout the ship. That night, after dinner, we watched a comedian perform in one of the lounges and had some good laughs. Then off to bed for an early start the next morning in the southern most city in the world.

NIGHT, NIGHT.

The next day would bring us to the end of the world in Ushuaia: South American Cruise 2014