One Man Down

Nathan’s arsenal of sea-sickness fighting weapons has let him down. As I type this he is bonding with our bathroom and is about to visit the ship’s doctor for yet more drugs. I’ve also followed the same preventive regime included the more holistic tapping and this, so far, has worked and so I’m tasked with keeping this blog update until Nathan locates his sea legs.

An early morning wobble around the main deck yielded our first wildlife spot, 5 albatrosses gliding in the winds created around the boat. In an effort to keep boredom at bay the tour company have organized lots of lectures to serve as an introduction to the fauna and flora and to prepare us for running a marathon in such a unpredictable environment. First up was an Introduction to Photography so that we can all come back with that perfect Penguin photo, followed by a brief guide to the birds that we can expect to see. I then realised that my earlier bird identification was either too simplistic – there are over 20 different species of Albatross in the Southern Hemisphere; or simply inaccurate – Petrels are often mistaken for Albatrosses by beginner twitchers like myself.

The final talk of the day, the history of the Last Marathon was extremely disquieting. The marathon has only been run 7 times since its inauguration year in 1995 and in all but one of those years some catastrophe has befallen the trip including Argentinian bureaucracy, extreme weather, bankruptcy, radar failure and local politics. It is only because of the extreme resourceful and ingenuity of the tour company that a marathon has happened at all.

Talk over dinner is becoming worryingly familiar - we sit down with new group of people who, when probed, reveal some tale of sporting prowess or extreme endeavour against all the odds that leaves my piddly ‘two marathons to date and very slowly, I thank you’, look like I am frankly not trying hard enough. Don’t get me wrong, there are clearly some very competitive runners here but they form part of a wonderful mix of people whose raison detre is pushing the boundaries of expectation and achievement beyond anything I could imagine.

In between bouts of sea-sickness Nathan did also manage to sign up for the Antarctica Kayaking championship which will take place 2 days after the marathon. Hopefully he will be feeling a little better by then.

The Voyage Begins

Surviving on only 2 hours sleep we only just made our 5.00am flight to Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego. I had little expectations of the ‘most southerly town in the world’, having heard that its primary function is to service tours to Antarctica but I was amazed at the spectacular scenery. Ushuaia is sandwiched between a glacial carved mountain range of jagged peaks and the famous Beagle channel where Darwin once sailed. Whilst many of the shops cater for the passing tourist trade there are also many artisan studios dotted throughout the town and it is easy to imagine it as a place that would inspire creativity.

At 4.00pm we saw, for the first time, the ship that we would be spending 10 days on, the Akademik Vavilov. Specifically designed to withstand the rigours of the Antarctic environment, the ‘ice-breaker’ nevertheless looked small and inconsequential moored alongside an elegant yacht said to be owned by Paul Allen, business partner of Bill Gates. Starting to panic slightly I tell myself that I didn’t come half way round the world for a luxury cruise but for adventure!

Once on board, we set sail quite quickly and the evening passed in a blur of food, safety talks, more food and a lifeboat drill (supposedly should the worst happen over 60 of us will have to squeeze into a capsule little bigger than a Hummer).

Back in our cabin we marvelled at how much space we had and how smooth the going has been so far. The motion sickness wristbands are in place, ginger tablets and Dramamine quaffed and our ‘tapping’ methods utilised. But I’m still nervous, especially after the dramatic groans that accompany the oft repeated words ‘The Drake Passage’. At the moment we are still in the relatively calm Beagle Channel but we will start our crossing of the infamous Drake Passage sometime in the middle of the night.

There are just 5 days to go until the marathon however I’ve decided to abandon any attempt at training on board ship. I am now officially on the ‘taper’ and will start my ‘carbo loading’ in earnest!