We just got back from a lecture by Dr. Stonehouse on the Antarctic Treaty System. It was very interesting, and gave a good historical account of how the system developed and where it came from, as well as some insight into how it's developing now as new activities are being explored in Antarctica (like tourism).
Dr. Stonehouse (and several of the other researchers on board) have expressed a lot of support for tourism, since they believe that the tourists represent a very strong force for Antarctic conservation. They feel that the tourists are less damaging ot the environment than many of the scientific bases, and that there have been many anecdotal cases of tourists inducing the scientists to "clean up their act" through pressures at home.
I'm not so sure I agree completely, since I have seen what several hundred people can do to a beach where we've landed (tearing up the ground, walking over lichens and algae beds, mixing up the composition of the dirt and stuff in it by walking all over, etc.), but since I've also seen the barrels the boards and the skeletons of buildings (and whales) left behind by the various bases and former whaling and sealing stations that we've visited, I can see their point. I believe that many of the people on this cruise will take back what they've seen and will do some work to help conserve Antarctica and ensure that others don't destroy it.
There are a number of huge icebergs floating by still; one which I just saw had a hole in the side, like a cave leading into the interior of the ice. There are also a group of people playing shuffleboard on the Promenade deck, all bundled up for the cold, but playing away anyway. I gather that there's a tournament going on, slowly but surely. And there are also the omnipresent crew, working away on their minor repairs and aesthetic upkeep: mostly painting the railings and chairs and things. All of the metal work on the ship is kept solid white or black, and it must get repainted at least weekly. It's a constant process. There's always someone on the deck working on something.
After getting back in, Grandma and I took our guide books down to have Lindblad sign them.
The waves are currently 5-6 feet, and the winds are around 8-10 knots. It's 36F outside. (38F is the water temperature.)
We have decided to skip the 9th of February because of crossing the international date line. We'll be having two Feb. 19ths on our way back to the States, but we will skip the 9th. So, we'll jump right from the 8th to the 10th.
Of course, we've been falling back an hour each night for two days now, and we'll probably continue that until we get to McMurdo. It's nice being able to sleep an extra hour each night. I guess we'll have to pay it all back when we fly home from New Zealand...
I've definitely got a head cold. My sinuses feel a lot of pressure, and I've got a headache and a queazy stomach. I'm sure it's not seasickness now, because the sea is pretty calm and the feeling has been getting worse not better. I may decide to go see the doctor later today if it continues to get worse.
Some of these icebergs have been really huge...
We had another lecture by Gilles Allard earlier this afternoon, this time about mining and the Antarctic.4:30pm
I just counted the number of photos that I've taken so far on the trip. (You can tell from this that I'm getting a little bored again.) Anyway, so far I've taken about 325 pictures. I have enough film left for about 360 pictures. I guess I went a tiny bit overboard in stocking up on film at Ushuaia and on the ship. But, I bought the last batch just before we found out that we would be missing Adelaide, Stonington, and Alexander Islands, so I guess it's not entirely my fault. Blame Mother Nature for part of it.
I've spent most of the afternoon in our cabin, taking it easy in hopes that my cold will go away soon.
Although there was snow on the rear deck a couple of mornings ago (which melted pretty quickly), this is the first time I recall seeing it snowing seriously since the beginning of our trip. (We did see a few flakes falling back in the Beagle Channel, but it wasn't anything much to speak of.)
Of course, Gilles is a lot of fun too, being something of a celebrity on the ship because of his lectures and blessed with a great sense of humor. He's an entertaining lecturer, throwing out jokes and funny comments every so often to keep the audience alive and in good humor. At the dinner table he's a real character. Very down-to-earth.
And of course Susan and Marty poke fun at each other, and Ethan mixes it up with everyone, and Grandma and I are often just trying to keep up it seems.
Ethan has a very interesting quality in his discussion skills (and probably his thinking process as well). When someone says that they are definitely going to do something, he will immediately say, in a challenging voice, "Why?!" When they say that they would never (or could never) do something, he'll say in the same voice, "Why not?!" It's refreshing to have someone challenge the things we take as absolutes so easily, and so clearly. I'm sure that this flexible thought process serves him very well. It's probably one of the reasons he's managed to do so well for himself.
According to those who sit at our table itinerantly (the wanderers who sometimes come back), it's one of the livelier and more pleasant groups. It is certainly true that we usually end up staying around longer than most other tables talking with each other animatedly. I can't imagine how we were so fortunate to end up there ourselves! In any case, it's made the trip a lot more enjoyable, and gives us something good to look forward to each evening, no matter what happens during the day. Not to say that the days are horrible, but I guess it's nice to have something predictably good on the schedule.