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Sunday 8th March 2015

Wake up to fairly high swell although less daunting than the previous evening.

Breakfast followed by another excellent lecture by Alasdair McGregor (Part 2 on Shackletons trip on the Endurance.)

The ‘Roaring Forties ‘ are taking their toll on quite a few passengers with many feeling seedy and looking rather weary. Nevertheless, there is a reasonable turnout for lunch after which many retire to their  cabins again.

By late afternoon the storm is now in full swing ( apparently level 9 on the Beaufort Scale which goes up to 12) and we make  the mistake of going to see a USA film on Cape Horn in the Deck 2 lecture theatre. This is usually the location on the ship where we are able to gain some respite from the the swell but not on this occasion. Moreover, a fairly ancient film about a sailing ship enduring a very rough trip round the Cape is not recommended viewing especially when my lunch has decided to make a u-turn and is now making its way north at a fair rate of knots! To make matters worse the narrator of the film has one of those voices which make Normason tablets redundant.  After a rather hazardous climb up the various stairs I get back to the cabin just in time to throw up all today’s lunch and probably much more.

I recover sufficiently to join Gail back on the bridge and around 5 pm we gain our first very welcome sight of Cape Horn.  We then watch an instant transformation in the seas as soon as we head northeast and into more sheltered waters. It is at times like these that the open bridge policy really comes into its own and we could not have a better vantage point from which to take in the spectacular scenery of this southernmost tip of South America.

Eventually we have to leave the  bridge as the pilot is coming on board to guide us through these waters. However, a short time later our quiet but impressive Captain does join us all in the bar where he gives one of his now familiar short speeches  during a special cocktail hour.

Before dinner we then hear a general review of the trip by Christian and the rest of the Aurora team and then it’s off for our final dinner on board Polar Pioneer. As always the meal is of the usual high standard and we are given an opportunity to express our appreciation of the fantastic performance by the chefs and all of the kitchen support staff.

The day comes to a perfect end when we all meet again In the lecture theatre to watch a magnificent slide show comprising photographs from passengers and crew  members.

Members of the crew have been beavering away all afternoon to put together this superb pictorial record of the trip and the end result is nothing short of spectacular. Gail’s photos feature in the final selection and given the temporary loss of her zoom lens she has done a great job.

All that remains is for us to pack our bag( note the singular) and turn in for the night by 10.45.

Cheers

The Obese Ferret.