Well here we are insaneily pushing through some ridiculously high seas.....making our way back to Ushuaia. Kimberly and I were so scared last night..honestly thought we were going to tip. At 2am we decided to empty a bottle of Rescue down our throughts....it helped for a while. Being on this ship is honestly like being strapped to a rodeo bull for three days!
 
For the rest we are fabulously happy and enjoying the sweet joy of having accomplished what we set out to do. Looooking forward to Ushuaia and terra firma!

Oh my word…. Life just does not get better!!!! I am on that trip of telling everyone I AM SO HAP PY!!!!!!!! As you probably all know by now – WE DID IT!!! The four deserts are conquered!! It was SO hard. Yesterday was without doubt my toughest day ever. I am useless in deep snow and this was seriously deep with a massive climb. I didn’t mind the climb so much but coming down was torturous. I was in such pain yesterday .. a shocking blister on my heel that was suppurating badly in the morning before I even started. To then put a shoe on, covered by a neoprene bootie and then yaktrax which just squeeze the blister  more was not funny. But once we started the last march it was my groin, my knee ligament and my deltoid (from using the poles so much) that were killing me. After the first lap I sat in the snow and cried. Brandee came and gave me some moral support and Mark (who withdrew a few days earlier) brought me two pieces of toblerone (just like the tv ads) and then I felt better!!! Anyway finished the race which was really really tough. Still limping but feeling like a miillion dollars!! Kimberly and I have totally taken over the ship!!!!!!!!! We have made friends with everyone from the captain to the chef. At night we choose a table and invite our chosen ones who are hndpicked before dinner. We let them know they are the chosen few and the party begins! Last night was a party of huge proportions. Probably got to bed at around five thirty!!!!Everyone brought out the stash they had hidden in their cabins. There we were – about ten of us … Pink Floyd Dark Side of The Moon playing full blast and sailing past enormous icebergs at four in the morning. It doesn’t get better. Needless to say I stood up yet again and said “I am SOOOOO happy. Kimberly and I have also worked on our friendship with the staff on board and are the only ones who get breakfast in bed (yes I promise that’s true!!!)..and get telephone calls from the captain to let us know what the sea conditions are ( yes that’s true too).
We are now on seriously rough seas and are racing back to Ushuaia to “try and avoid the mother of mothers of storms”. Cant imagine what that will be like as this feels like a mother already. Right now Kimberly and I are the only ones on the ship not taking sea sickness pills and are absolutely marvelous…must be the vino! Anyway gotta go now ..they are calling me for scrabble…am currently the reigning champion. LOVE life morethan I have words to describe!!! Thanks to my most incredible, amazing, gorgeous, sexy and divine Markie!!!!! xxxxx

Hello All - this is me checking in during a patch where we are waiting to c if the weather permits us to go out again or if it is safe ti irder a glass of wine!!! Seriously, this morning was quite ominous - dark clouds, serious winds and sleet. We were supposed to leave at five with a wake up call on the intercom at 3h45. we got the call on the intercom but to let us know that the wind was at 40 knots again and of course we cant leave the boat on the zodiacs with anything above 20. Breakfast would b at six over, with an announcement thereafter. Kimberley and I turned over, put the duvet over our heads and skipped breakfast. However the call did come at eight and by nine we were boarding the zodiacs. We only managed to do one lap of 9kms before a blizzard set in and we had to get back to the boat with speed.
 
My good news is I have found a way to keep my feet relatively dry. Yesterday they were soaking wet with my shoes filled with icy water and snow. The terrain is shockinglywet - mud- snow -ice and a mix of all of the above. Thre are very many spots where u put your foot on what you think is a safe spot and it turns out to be snow on ice and your footjust breaks through the ice. On numrous occasions  my leg fellinto one of these into the icy water up to my knee. Today however I managed to find a way to keep the neopreene bootie ON my shoe. Yesterday it just kept coming off. Today I got tape and tape around the shoe, tying it with a knot at the top.The a put on the yaktracks (ice spikes) which acted as a casing around the neoprene. I t worked pretty well and even though my feeet got into icee water  up to my calf my feet werent soaking wet. Yay!!!
 
So right now we are waiting for Mary to announce if we are about to leave ship again and go and do some laps on land. On the one side one wants to do it and of course ont he other, knowing that you only have a couple of hours on land dreads the prospect of putting all the wet clothing on again!! Well we'll know soon enough.

Well now its all very very real. This is not a beautiful cruise in Antarctica, but an insanely tough race under hectic weather and terrain conditions. I managed to do over a marathon …44km in icy wind..sludge…deep snow..slippery ice .. and deep mud. We climbed mountains…and battled our way down ice hills. My shoes are useless… not gortex and therefore the water and ice just pours in. In some instance my feet just fell into ice pools  went knee deep. In fact two guys have pulled as their feet were too close to frostbite. But here we r on board..relieved to be here. Tomorrow we wake up at four which means four hours sleep.. and then they have a 15 hour stage planed .. same terrain as today. Will b back!

So we've had out first briefing!!!! The show is on!!!! We arrive at King George Island at around midnight tonight and leave the ship at 4h30 with the race starting at 06h00. We are going circuits of 12,5 k and will go non stop from 09h00 until21h00. Probably followed by the same thing the next day. Everyone is really excited to get started and to get as many kilometres in as soon as possible. Last night the seas got pretty rough – is  lots of hectic keeling. Right now is rough but the sky is incredibly blue with no clouds at all. Its definitely getting much colder. Cant wait to send my next blog as hopefully I will have quite a few kilometers under the belt! Here goes guys – this is the real thing!

So here we are – deep into the icy waters heading due south. Its lunchtime on day two (I suppose its  two – we left yesterday) and so far so good! The seas are on a force six which I am told is pretty good. I am totally intact  no wobbly stomach at all. Don’t get me wrong – by any normal standards its as rough as hell… but by Antarctica standards its not too bad. Last night we lost every item that wasn’t on the floor – to the floor!! One by  one everything eventually fell off the tables, bed, chair…. We have a great crowd on board with Lucy Tang and her friend Amy being firm favorites. Mary is adamant we are doing 100 miles on Saturday….lets c what happens. For now we are well, happy, excited and nervous. At least we are all – literally – in the same boat!!! All my love and kisses to Markie and the girls! xx

Figured I would do a bit more blogging(clearly not my forte). Right now the sea is really not bad at all and in fact some people are saying we might get to land tomorrow night instead of Saturday morning. That would be awesome. Everyone is very anxious about the prospect of 100miles on the first day. I have never done 100 miles non stop – least of all in Antartic conditions. But as always it will be one step at a time and just put the big number out of your head. Right now I am sitting in the lounge area looking out of the huge picture windows and I can see massive Albatrosses with their massive two and a half metre wingspan – its awesome.
 
Food on the ship is fabulous! I had my first pasta of the year – a scrumptious lasagna (for those who don’t know – its taboo on our regime, but before a 100miler you can break any rule!!). The rule on board is no drinking 24 hours before the race and during the entire race which means tonight is the last night for vinonfront. Better make the most of it!!
 
My book is coming along really well and I now have over 80 pages written. Its amazing how easily its flowing. But I suppose there’s heaps of material to inspire me.
                                                                                                                                                                                                  
Well all that’s me for now…will try and keep up the blogging. Its such an absolutely mind blowing place to be in – wish I could somehow blow a kiss across the sea that would deliver a slice of this heaven to each of u. Simmie

Cannot believe it has taken me longer to figure out how to set up a blog than it will hopefully take me to run 250km across Antarctica!! Well here I am - so excited I could burst! I'm the lucky girl who is going with her best friend - how cool is that. Anyway big party tonight - tomorrow will be frenetic and then Sunday morining we're off to Buenos Aires!