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Day 3 - En route to Antarctica
Position at 08.00: 60°09.4'S, 062°23.4'W.
Weather: NW 7; Overcast; Very rough sea; +3°C.
We wake up in the morning with rocking seas… again… Fortunately the swell is on our back and is as such not slowing us down; instead it is pushing us on our way south. After breakfast we adjourn in the lounge where Pablo conducts a compulsory International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) briefing. This covers such things as the Antarctic Treaty and the history of IAATO, but more importantly it outlines how we should behave and conduct ourselves while onshore in Antarctica. This is followed by another briefing, this time on zodiac operations onboard Plancius, where we learn how to get into and out of the zodiacs which will be used to shuttle us around.
Not long after these briefings we each do our own small part to protect the Antarctic wilderness by taking it in turns to vacuum the clothing we will be wearing whilst onshore in Antarctica. Lunch provides a welcome distraction from our chores but it isn't long until the final few of us make our way to the lounge to vacuum away any seeds we may have on our clothes.
In the afternoon Oliver - our onboard photography expert from Leica - gives us a great lecture about how to use our cameras in Antarctic conditions. With a wealth of photographic subjects awaiting us at the peninsula the lecture is well attended by novices and more experienced photographers alike. Later in the afternoon Sonja talks about the seal species that inhabit Antarctica. The more we hear about the creatures of the southern seas, the more and more eager we become to reach the peninsula.
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