We are out in the open water heading towards South Georgia from the Antarctic peninsula. Sitting in the lounge at the stern of the ship I look out the 270 degrees of windows and see nothing but water and sky. It will be another day and a half before we see land. I have always wanted to be out in the middle of the ocean on a small boat and so I don’t mind the time at sea. Rather than making me sick (so far) the constant wave motion makes me sleepy. I’m trying to resist taking naps as it just means I will be up late into the night instead. Since life is moving at a slower pace for the next few days I’ll take a moment and describe life on board the ship.

The Akademik Sergey Vavilov crew is both Russian and Canadian as I have previously described. The ship itself is operated by approximately 45 people from Kaliningrad, Russia and they also provide housekeeping and wait staff. OneOcean staff manage the customer experience and the expedition content and include expertise in conservation, biology, the environment, photography and history. Their prime roles are to ensure the programming is rich and the excursions are executed in a safe manner. They also provide the kitchen staff and bartender.

The morning schedule is typically driven by the excursion schedule for the day. Apparently the many tour companies that operate in the Antarctic have to compete for the very few landing sites available in the harsh, unforgiving terrain that defines the continent and outlying islands. Consequently about half a year before the tour season starts they work together to de-conflict schedules so that no two ships are attempting excursions to the same sites on the same day. Hence the itineraries are to a certain extent set defined around attempted landings and the most popular sites. There is a bit more freedom for general cruising and landing at other sites, as we have found out when weather aborted some of our landings.

Breakfast has been served as early as 6:30 am and as late as 8:30 am, based on the activities of the day. David typically will make an announcement on the ship’s loudspeaker 30 minutes before breakfast as a wake up call. Breakfast, served as a buffet, is remarkably good and varied. After breakfast we usually have either a landing or an excursion planned and if it is a “go” we head back to our rooms right after eating to don our gear. In my case, I have wear a thermal layer, then on my legs put on a pair of hiking pants. On my top I add a fleece and a down jacket. Over those layers I add the windproof and rainproof jacket and bib overalls that OneOcean supplied. I have a neck baklava, a hat, sunglasses and two pairs of gloves, a thin liner to wear inside a stout pair of waterproof insulated mittens. My feet are protected by two pairs of wool socks, which are all I can fit inside the rubber boots I have been issued. It’s a lot of gear but has done a great job of keeping me warm, even when we have been on a zodiac excursion and facing a lot of wind. It can be a bit of a challenge to walk around in so much stuff, but the wind always has a brisk bite to it, so I generally do not un-layer.

Usually lunch is served around 12:00 or 12:30, again as a buffet. There is always a choice of soup and salad in addition to other dishes. Like any cruise it is really easy to eat too much! If we have another excursion planned for the afternoon it is back to the room to layer up again. If there is not an excursion because the boat is moving to a new location or the weather is not cooperating, there is generally a presentation on the history or animals of the area, a tutorial for photography, or some other interesting educational topic. It is also possible, at any time, to go the bridge. Many people take naps, go to the lounge to read or talk, or wander around the ship taking pictures of the many birds accompanying us on our journey.
Happy hour occurs an hour before dinner, usually served between 19:00 and 19:30. A large number of the 90 passengers find their way to the bar and general socializing takes place. Surprisingly even though I have been on the ship for six days and have been trying to sit with different people at every meal, I have not yet met every person on board yet. Some people are traveling as a group and they are a bit harder to meet. The passengers are a mix of Canadians, Americans, Australians, British and New Zealanders with only a handful of others from other countries. Dinner is served as a sit down meal usually with an option of either meat, fish or vegetarian. I have been skipping dinner, perhaps only eating soup or salad, simply because three huge meals a day with little corresponding physical activity is too much food. Overall the food has been really good.

After dinner there is usually a fun, light-hearted evening program in the bar and then by 9:30 or 10:00 most people, me included, head to their cabins. I believe the bar stays open until sunset, which has been around midnight, but have not stayed up late enough to find out. One of my goals is to watch a sunset, perhaps during these two days at sea. The rhythm of life is very comfortable and I have enjoyed the slow pace mixed in with the opportunity to see new things. The landscapes of Antarctica that we sailed by were fascinating and that is what drew me constantly to the bridge- it was the perfect place to watch the world go by.