In the morning, Jason instructed everyone on where to meet before going through passport control to board the ship to Antarctica, the Sea Spirit. Then, Rob Swan reminded us that we are embarking on an expedition, not a vacation or cruise (not to be confused with the zodiac “cruises”). He also talked about leadership, and told the story about a man who skipped the expedition and flew home with a lady who had broken her leg during the glacier hike in Ushuaia. Then, Rob presented on the Antarctic Treaty, and the territorial claims countries had made beforehand. The Antarctic Treaty protects Antarctica from exploitation by countries, and maintains it as a reserve for “peace and science.” Next, Darrin talked about “Drake-proofing” our cabins on the ship, or making sure that everything in our cabins is secure while we travel through the infamous Drake Passage (it can have very rough waters because it’s where two oceans meet). To follow, Jumper gave a presentation about drowning, which featured several videos and a humorous demo.
After the morning briefing, I went to downtown Ushuaia with Hannah Wells. We went to the tourist office to get our passports stamped with the Ushuaia stamp. Elke, my roommate in Ushuaia, was there getting a thick stack of postcards stamped. Hannah and I then walked around to look for the best deal on postcards - some shops charged more than others. For lunch, we went to a cafe and had empanadas. Then, we went back to the tourist office to get our postcards stamped (thank you for the idea, Elke!). We met the 2041 Team Leaders in front of the obelisk across from the tourist office, and took photos in front of the Argentine flag.
We made it through Passport Control pretty quickly, since our passports were never checked. Everyone was really excited as we approached the ship! Rob Swan took photos with everyone and their flags in front of the ship before we boarded for the first time. I’m sharing a cabin with Kim Williams, on Deck 3. The ship is really nice, and I’m looking forward to spending the next 10 days aboard!