22nd February

Ít doesn’t really feel as though I’m on my way to Antarctica. It feels more like I am on a floating health farm, fabulous food, great gym, no stresses or worries. It has been foggy all day today with calm seas but even so I am very careful about going on deck. It’s such a big ocean that I can’t help imagining how terrible it would be to fall overboard. I watched shearwaters ( mutton birds ) flying around the ship yesterday.

Other items

21st February

Its about 5.00 pm on my first day at sea. We are 200 nautical miles south-west of Hobart in fairly calm seas. I’m still finding my sea legs but haven’t been sick. The anti-seasick tablets make me very sleepy and I had a delicious sleep last night, feeling snug and safe in my bunk as the ship crashed through the sea.

23rd February

It’s a grey day today with calm seas and we are still chugging across this huge ocean, with about nine days to go until we reach the ice. This morning I wandered around the ship taking photographs of all the signs. There are signs everywhere, and many of them have pictures of people running, up or down, to reach exits. The deputy voyage leader found a room for me to work in this morning, so soon I am going to go down there and do some drawing and painting.