The Boat that Rocked

24 hours of rocking and rolling on the Southern Ocean, making our way through the Roaring Forties, rock-a-bye baby it was most certainly not!  The westerly winds produced waves around 5-6 metres, sometimes more, which made for a very challenging night and day on the journey commencing from the port of Bluff in Invercargill.  We skipped the Snares and headed directly towards the Auckland Islands.  The night was challenging for everyone – just about everything that was not fastened down ended up on the floor, including some people!  A dislocated shoulder, several hits on the head (including myself), stitched on the head, numerous bruises were displayed once the ship had reached safe haven near Enderby Island in the north of the Auckland islands, around 7pm.  I was one of the many hit with a bout of sea-sickness into the bag, and acknowledge that those 24 hours were some of the most unpleasant I have ever experienced.

A good night’s sleep for everyone, staff and passengers, meant that we are all ready for our excursion onto Enderby Island tomorrow, and our first look at the Hooker’s Sea Lions and other marvels waiting for us.

Why anyone thought it was a good idea to try and form a settlement down here is anybody’s guess.  It didn’t last.