Prepared09/12/2006
The voyage has commenced. The original departure day of Tuesday the 5th got pushed to Friday the 8th, one full week from the scheduled departure day. The delay was due to cracks in the fuel tanks which required repair. I was supportive of this decision, namely because I would prefer the ship wasn’t broken before taking on the Southern Ocean. Also, the delay meant I got to spend a few extra days enjoying the sights of Hobart and the surrounds. We visited the cliffs at Eaglehawk Neck and then stopped by Port Arthur, went for a bushwalk up Cathedral Rocks (on the West side of Mt Wellington) and got to see the new Bond film. Not a bad way to spend a couple of days.
We finally boarded the ship on Friday the 8th of December and set off on our journey in the late afternoon. Everyone on board was excited and full of energy as we made our way down the Derwent River and waved goodbye to a haze Hobart. I stayed up on the Heli-deck and looked out to the rugged coastline of Southern Tasmania as the sun set and the sky changed through all the colours. As I said my farewells to the land a circle of yahoos played hacky-sack behind me. It is surprising how much enjoyment a little bag of beans can bring. Whatever floats your boat I guess (pardon the pun – I have heaps of them). I preferred to enjoy my last glimpses of the Australian land and was mesmerised by the colours in the sky as the silhouette of the land melted into the darkening sky. I stood alone on the deck and tried to steady myself for the adventure before me, which was finally starting to seem real.
The voyage has commenced. The original departure day of Tuesday the 5th got pushed to Friday the 8th, one full week from the scheduled departure day. The delay was due to cracks in the fuel tanks which required repair. I was supportive of this decision, namely because I would prefer the ship wasn’t broken before taking on the Southern Ocean. Also, the delay meant I got to spend a few extra days enjoying the sights of Hobart and the surrounds. We visited the cliffs at Eaglehawk Neck and then stopped by Port Arthur, went for a bushwalk up Cathedral Rocks (on the West side of Mt Wellington) and got to see the new Bond film. Not a bad way to spend a couple of days.
We finally boarded the ship on Friday the 8th of December and set off on our journey in the late afternoon. Everyone on board was excited and full of energy as we made our way down the Derwent River and waved goodbye to a haze Hobart. I stayed up on the Heli-deck and looked out to the rugged coastline of Southern Tasmania as the sun set and the sky changed through all the colours. As I said my farewells to the land a circle of yahoos played hacky-sack behind me. It is surprising how much enjoyment a little bag of beans can bring. Whatever floats your boat I guess (pardon the pun – I have heaps of them). I preferred to enjoy my last glimpses of the Australian land and was mesmerised by the colours in the sky as the silhouette of the land melted into the darkening sky. I stood alone on the deck and tried to steady myself for the adventure before me, which was finally starting to seem real.
We have now been at sea a full day and I am surprised that I am feeling quite well. I am told that the water is particularly calm and that I should enjoy it while it lasts. A few people have changed a pale shade of green and have retired to their bunks after a short career as taxi drivers for their lunch from the mess hall to the toilet bowl. I slept well. I’m not sure if that was due to the seasickness pill I took (25mg of Avomine) or the gentle rocking of the bed. At the moment the expectation of me seems to be to eat, play, occasionally get sick and then get rocked to sleep each night. It’s like being a little kid all over again. Whenever I feel a little queasy I wander up to the deck and breathe in some of the sea air and look out to the horizon. The land is not there anymore, it is all ocean. I think it will be quite a sight when I see the land again. However, first I should see some icebergs.
