Has anyone seen my sea legs?
Although the sun did not set, we wake up with the early morning wakeup call from our expedition leader at 7:30am. Through the ship’s PA system, he again welcomes us onboard and runs through the events of the day ahead. As we get up we feel the ship moving…really feel it moving…like, grab the walls as we walk moving. The ship is clearly designed for ice crushing , and not a smooth ride in open waters. Showering in the tiny bathroom is a challenge, but it is particularly tricky with the constant motion.
As we head down to our first breakfast on the ship it’s clear that we aren’t the only ones feeling the effects of the motion…as passengers make trips to the buffet they are stopping and steadying themselves…only the brave take juice in one hand and a plate in the other. Everyone is pleasantly surprised that the food is quite good, exceeding expectations. We chat with other couples and start to get to know the other passengers.
Our first official event on the trip is parka distribution…official Quark parkas are included in our expedition package. Part function, part team building, part safety and part future advertising, the parkas are bright yellow with navy Quark branding. As the morning progresses, more and more passengers resembling yellow marshmallows appear out and about, wandering the decks of the vessel. Next we head to the Aft Saloon…a casual gathering place large enough to hold all passengers and expedition crew…for a mandatory safety briefing. As the meeting begins, expedition crew are sent to collect people who elected not attend due to sea sickness…safety is considered to be very important and this is one of the few mandatory events on the expedition. We perform a thorough run through of the safety, lifeboat and abandon ship procedures. While we are sure they are essential in an actual emergency, the tiny lifeboat vessels jammed with people feels uncomfortable even for a few minutes. After lunch, we have a second safety briefing for helicopter use.
Later in the afternoon we attend a presentation on Geology. After years of studying and working in the arctic, many of the expedition leaders have an area of expertise and will be offering arctic themed lectures throughout the week. Despite good intentions, I fall asleep during the lecture! I am holding the sea sickness medication, the warm room and the woozy feeling from the motion of the ship responsible. MG does stay awake, but I believe his retention of the content is limited.
After welcome cocktails and dinner, we end our first day on the vessel. Even though it is promised to be a historical masterpiece of life in the arctic in the 1920s, we opt to skip the film “Nanook of the North”. Sleepy from the sea sickness medication, we head to bed early.