Hello again to the real world! I was thinking that most of the people that are reading these entries have never stepped foot on an Antarctic Research Vessel like the Laurence M. Gould (LMG), just as I hadn’t until a week ago. So, here is a little about life on the ship as we make our way to the Antarctic Peninsula.

We got to board the ship on October 26, which was a little weird because that was the day that we were originally scheduled to leave. That first night was spent at the dock and we were to set off the next morning.

So you know where I am living, my cabin is approximately 10 by 8 feet with the bunks taking up almost half of the space. I am lucky that I have my own room because some people have to share the same size room with another person. Each room has a bathroom with a toilet, sink and shower (a very tiny shower). There are plenty of cabinets in the room with latches so that they won’t fly open and empty out all of your clothes on the floor when we encounter rough seas. There is also one small desk in the room and I don’t even want to guess on how two people would share that. Overall, it is a cozy amount of space for one person. I think it would be a bit cramped for two. Like I said, I am glad I don’t have a roommate, but I would have made do if I did.

There are a lot of other things on the ship that can make the time go by a little bit easier. There is a gym with a stationary bike, treadmill and a universal workout machine. I have not ventured in there due to the fact that when I work out (some of you know how rarely that is), I like there to be solid ground under me.

There is the mess hall, galley, dining area, etc. Whatever you want to call it, that is the place that you will see most people each day. They serve some good food in there and just about every type of food you could imagine. We have already had hamburgers, chili, french fries, salmon, fettuccini, lasagna, stew, turkey with dressing, pancakes, french toast and bacon (though not all at the same time). This goes along with the baskets of fruit available all the time, microwave popcorn, cookies, pies and ice cream as well. They are making sure that we are well fed and making sure a lot of people head to that gym on a regular basis.

There is also an electronics lab. This is where all of the computers vital to the ship are kept and where people without their own computer can go to get e-mail. If you brought your own laptop, then you can set it up in your room and there is a network connection for you to use e-mail and check for headlines. This was something that took me a little getting used to. I am used to sending e-mails and looking on the Internet quite a bit when I am home, but that luxury is not present here. E-mails are sent by satellite connection, so they are sent out in usually two batches per day — one in the morning and one in the evening. At those times, the emails are sent out and come in are in batches. So, when you hear that email has been checked, people will all go to computers to see if anyone in the outside world really loves them and sent them any messages. Then there is the fact that there is no Web access at all. Once a day, we will get the headlines from CNN, but half the time they don’t even tell you any part of the story. I am a big sports fan and haven’t been able to see any scores for the last 2 weeks and it is killing me! For instance, I can’t even see the Web page that this entry is going to be posted on until I get to Palmer Station. These are just some of the minor inconveniences of life aboard a research vessel.

There is also a laundry room, with washers and dryers, that is open all the time and is for public use. This is very nice because clothes tend to get dirty after you wear them and I don’t especially like walking around in dirty clothes and having other people do the same.

What else is there on the ship, let’s see … oh yeah, the TV room. This is a great place! There is a big screen TV, a DVD player, a VCR, a surround sound speaker setup, 4 very comfortable couches, and lots of DVDs and videocassettes for your viewing pleasure. I have to admit that I have spent a lot of time in this room and it has helped pass the time. Usually there will be a movie at least once a night that a large group will gather to watch and sometimes they bring some of the popcorn up from the galley.

Well, that is about all there is on the ship other than the obvious (decks, halls, engines, etc.). I have to say that most of my time has been spent in my cabin. I am not what you would call a seafaring man — so when the big waves hit, Kevin gets a little sick to his stomach. I have pills that keep that from happening now, but they tend to make me a little sleepy. So, the ship will then rock me to sleep. While we were in rough seas, it looked like most of the people on ship were in their cabins most of the time. Now that we are in calmer waters, people are coming out and watching more movies and standing on the deck a little more.

What was once supposed to be a four-day shuttle to Antarctica from Chile has turned into a nine-day tour bus around the islands of Antarctica, due to ice and snow. We don’t know when we might get to Palmer Station, but right now the sights are pretty amazing and I am enjoying my view of Antarctica.

Until next time, I hope everyone is staying just as warm as I am — with a few less layers.