Post the Third

 On our way! 
And you couldn’t have asked for a more picturesque setting than that which was presented to us at the Self’s Point fuel storage facility.  A veritable industrial fairyland of fuel farms and oil tanks was the backdrop to our departure.



Natural beauty

Although it was difficult to leave such a breathtaking vista behind us we soon got over the disappointment as we slowly steamed down the Derwent, past the Botanical Gardens and under the Tasman Bridge.  Sailing under the bridge was particularly exciting for Swim-Swim, and he couldn’t contain himself.

There’s no question that, with the backdrop of Mt Wellington, Hobart is quite an attractive city, and there is no better place to appreciate that than from on the Derwent itself.  I might admit though that I probably felt even more well-disposed to the place since I was going to be away for quite some time.  And, as a result, I took quite a few photos as we steamed past.  Here is one of them.

And it was a glorious day as we made our way down the estuary, down past Bruny Island and into the open ocean.  Such a glorious day, in fact, that the movement of the ship was almost imperceptible even in Storm Bay.  Once we were clear of land we turned right a bit, increasing speed and leaving Tasmania behind us in a sea haze.

The first full day at sea was fairly uneventful.  So full of unevents was it that I have no photographs/sketches/watercolours to share.  Even Swim-Swim remained docile all day.  People filled their day with eating, snoozing, reading, watching movies, standing on the bridge, eating, chatting in the mess, writing emails, eating etc.

Some people whiled away the hours by indulging in a spot of seasickness.  Personally I couldn’t see the appeal, but to each their own, eh?  For the rest of us it was all about enjoying the calm conditions in whatever way we found best.

HOWEVER the word was out – we were heading south as quickly as possible to avoid the full effect of an approaching low pressure system.  And the next day, it hit us, with the wind swinging around from the south bringing 5-6 metre chop and gale force winds.

Reasonably spectacular, I’m sure you’d agree.  I spent quite some time on the bridge being all intrepid and salty, soaking up the atmosphere.  (But not the water.  I stayed inside.  I’m not stupid!)

For those not studying for their seasickness exams, there is plenty of fantastic food on offer.  There are three cooked meals available each day, with a choice laid out in the bain marie.  Additionally there is a salad option available for each meal, and snackage is provided in between meal times.  I suppose the reasoning for providing such large quantities of good food is that people are less likely to die of hypothermia if they double their bodyweight in the space of a fortnight.  Cardiac arrest might be an issue, sure, but that won’t happen in Antarctica, so that’s quite OK.

Mmmmm... brekky!

This is a photo of the bain at breakfast.  Yes indeed, those are poached eggs on offer in that tray.  You have your choice of poached, scrambled or fried.  They don’t do things by halves in this galley!

That's it for now.  However...

The voyage took just under a fortnight, and over that time I prepared a few blog posts.  Remarkable how prolific one can be when trapped in a metal bathtub in the middle of the ocean.  So I will post them over the course the the next week.  Stay tuned!

As usual, please feel free to comment with thoughts, criticisms and requests!