Monday 1 December 2003
Heavy Seas
Sailing South on the Ernest Shackleton is quite a lot different from a
typical cruise. The Shackleton is very much a working ship so everyone is
expected to do their bit to help out. Everyone is included on the weekly
cleaning schedule and on Sundays everyone gives the ship a proper clean
before inspection by the captain.
Perhaps the biggest difference between our journey and your average ferry
crossing is the motion of the boat. In order to make the ship a more
efficient ice-breaker, the Shackleton's hull is flatter than most, which
makes her more susceptible to rolling in rough seas. The form of the motion
is apparently quite unique and rather disconcerting. As well as moving
forwards and backwards and up and down the ship is also prone to sideways
motion, resulting in a regular corkscrew roll which takes some getting used
to.
When the wind really picks up you feel like a cork bobbing around in a
very big bath. We hit a force 10 gale between Montevideo and the Falklands
which quickly consigned half of us to our bunks. The portholes in the mess
room turn into washing machines and simple tasks like showering change from
awkward to something resembling a circus act. Even moving around the ship
becomes something of a challenge. The rising and falling leads to
alternating feelings of weightlessness and pressure. If you time it right
you can float up a flight of stairs with very little effort, but it's
equally easy to get caught out and stumble into something or someone.
Occasionally the hull hits the water hard, making the whole hull
reverberate like a bell. You hear a big thud then for a few seconds
everything wobbles backwards and forwards as the ship slowing returns to
the right shape. At night the whole ship creaks and groans under tension
and anything that's not tied down rolls rhythmically in time with the ship.
Between the noise and trying to avoid floating off your bunk, sleeping can
be quite a challenge!
Fortunately I was one of the lucky ones and managed to continue in
relative normality, but the relentless rocking, which is a lot of fun to
start with, just becomes a bit tiresome after a while. Still, the seas are
a lot calmer since we left the Falklands so perhaps we are through the
worst of it now.
Posted by simon at 7:14 PM