Well this my second blog of the day as we only have 2 days left on here and I thought I would get my monies worth!
The wind has picked up big time so balancing on my chair while writing this is great for core stability
I managed to do a little videoing of the sea conditions today but you cannot really grasp the movement unless you are here experiencing the sway of the ship
The starboard side (righthand side) is always much lower than the port side and today people in chairs have gone sliding off balance
Watching the waiters carry trays laden with our food is really mesmerizing as they don't seem to notice the swell and walk as normal
I do feel very cabin feverish but it has given me time to write up my notes on the trip
Sadly this ship is old and has no stabilisers hence our early departure from Antarctica.  I am very disappointed in the journey and as for the competitors, they
have seen nothing special apart from the killer whale attack yesterday morning
We have had 2 visits from Domingo,one of the crew who deals with blocked loos...
Our TV now works but the DVD's shown are not my cup of tea so have borrowed
some from Lucy and now have borrowed some of the ship's ones/
We just go from meal to meal and to think we have another day and a half on the open seas is rather tedious.
I ventured down to the conference room today to watch a film about 4 chillean
mountaineers, but couldn't read all the subtitles as men's heads in the way and I was frozen
Went up to the bridge to video the weather and birds swooping around the ship
and could only stay outside for a short while as my hands and nose froze/
 
There is definitely  a sombre feeling throughout the ship and competitors which
is sad seeing as they have all given so much time and energy each day
I would love to come back here but on a ship that has up to date communication/wifi and perhaps more modern facilities.
I have definitely seen enough of the Drake Passage to last me a lifetime but sadly not enough of the wonders of the Antarctic that I witnessed the last time
I was here.
 
Oh yummy.........tea time!
Now being interviewed by Alina about our feelings of the trip
Will write more tomorrow xxxxxxxx

Big waves all night long and this morning glorious sunny day and giant waves with Wandering albatross and petrels gliding over the crest of each wave and avoiding head on collisions with other oncoming winged birds. Breakfast a challenge as have to carry full tea cup to the table and so core muscles put to the test each second/
The feeling on the ship is big disappointment as no sightseeing done and to come all this way and not having experienced close encounters with the wildlife is very sad.  I am so relieved that I had been to Antarctica before
We have spent more hours lookingat the waves crashing past us
I amso looking forward to getting home but thankfully Lucy and I have not stopped laughing
We feel like we are in an old people's home.....sleep, eat, medication, sleep, eat,
sleep, gentle exercise to outer  deck then back to sleep etc....major cabin fever
Taking a shower will be interesting today but there are handles to cling to!
There is the gala dinner to look forward to on Friday night and by then we should be in the Beagle channel and close to Ushuaia then Buenos Aires for one night then plane home
Riding these waves is like being on a huge roller coaster  but we never get to the end.
At least the sun is shining and we find humour in the silliest things
Well must away now and am going to visit the Captain on the open bridge, not open to the elements but open visits from the passengers
Love to you all xxxxxx

Hi everyone
 
Well the racing ended yesterday on an Island by Port Lockroy, and the course was planned on a huge glacier
All the competitors walked the course for 5 hours and were cold and exhausted by the end of it , but my admiration
For their determination and endurance is total. I stayed for the first 3 laps to cheer on Lucy and then came back to the
Ship to warm up and store my photos on the hard drive which I have now learnt to do without further mishap of losing
All the days photos like I did at Deception Island.
The island Wiencke was the place they raced and Dorian bay was the exact location.  The racers were passed by 9 extreme
Skiers who were all roped together in 3’s, and when the leader of this group saw us strolling up the glacier with no ropes
His look of concern rather spooked me!
After returning to the ship and getting warm, I then went by Zodiac to Pork Lockroy base that I had visited 18 yrs ago
And now they have a post office where one of the ships staff took all the passports to get them stamped and need
less to say I managed to do some retail therapy! The one joy of this stop was to see the Gentoo penguins at very close range
although the scented air from the penguin guano took a little time to get used to.  They also have a small museum showing
old tins of food that were remants of passed times when the British manning this research base lived for months at a time
The Gentoo penguins were at the beginning of their mating season and the 4 women staffing the base now had found 2 eggs already laid for this new breeding season.  From the base I was able to photograph Lucy trudging on top of the glacier across the bay. 
I back to the ship hoping to be at the finish line for Lucy but it was too late and I was gutted not to be there to give her a duly 
Deserved massive hug for her amazing achievement.  All competitors were cold and wet but exhilarated with their personal
Achievement.
Sadly for the competitors we are now heading back to Ushuaia without a sightseeing stop for them as there is a big storm tailing us and the captains wants to stay ahead of it.  As I write we are passing the last glimpse of an island before hitting the drake passage one more time. The seasick patch is on and the dry mouth tedious but at least no nausea and a good night’s sleep after a long day which began with Killer whales hunting penguins around the ship and then turning their attention to a mother humpback and her calf and trying to kill them…it was unbelievable to watch and thankfully after a good hour and a half, we saw
The humpbacks swim off.
We have woken up too late this morning for breakfast and the next 60 hours of sailing without a break seems like another
Endurance test!  I miss you all very much and am so looking forward to being home.  I do realize that I am not at all interested
In doing any desert marathon….I will continue with my gentle exercise and leave the endurance desert races to those people who want to push themselves mentally and physically to the brink…..not one of my genes!
I love to travel and visit new places and wish to do so without carrying a week’s supply of dried food, no showering, sand in every crack and dehydration.  Just having a dry mouth as a result of a seasick patch is bad enough for me!
So it is now off the cabin to watch a movie on my laptop and await lunch as we are not allowed breakfast now, not that I am in
Anyway close to malnutrition after all the carbs of the last week.
I will write again tomorrow and update you on our crossing!
All love xxxxxx

When using a computer that isnt uploading photos and you are trying a new system, it is wise not to reformat the photo card before you have stored the days photos on an exterior hard drive!
Oh yes.....all my days photos of the day spent in Deception Island gone at the press of 2 buttons.........immediate sea sickness not only due to rough seas
The day  began at 4am and the joy of returning to this magical unique setting was one of the main reasons for my journey
Lucy was up and ready to run eventhough the weather outside the warmth of the ship was a blizzard and with the wind chill the temperature felt way below 0 C
By the time I set foot on land, the snow had covered every exposed bit of rock and black sand and the sea was choppy even in the sheltered curve of the caldera.
The runners set off on a 2.5km loop which meant for them it was going to be a very long of laps which seemed a shame that they would not see more of the beauty of this unique setting
I set off with both cameras and started photographing all the wonderful vistas and old long deserted buildings left by the exiting
whalers many years before
To watch these competitors begin to leave a black trail in the virgin
snow like a stain on a white sheet seemed like a hostile invasion of somewhere so special but it  became the norm during the many hours of the day...
I cheered on  the runners and riders all day when our paths crossed and was relieved to revisit the ship at will to refill my tummy with more of the high carbs on offer while my friend Lucy lapped on outside....on the first few days I felt guilty but now that seems to have passed!!
The skies cleared and so I went back on land and enjoyed more hours of photography and just marvelling at the beauty. Some of the family and friends paddled in the water by the steaming beach which created some great  shots.
The race ended and after 11 hours of running all competitors returned to the ship
I am so annoyed at losing the photos but apparently there might be a chance to recover them from the cards, so I have put them away safely
My darling husband will hopefully let me know if my day has been totally wasted, and if so I will treasure each shot in my head.
 
we have now reached the Antarctic peninsula and await the hear the plan for today
I miss you all very and will reblog again tomorrow
I will not wipe off anymore photos until I return home!
 
xxxxxxx

Hi everyone
We left Ushuaia on Wednesday and the sea was calm until about 2am when the boar started to roll and thankfully I had been persuaded to put on a
Patch to ward off any bouts of seasickness………it works a treat and up until, now which is 3.30 pm, I am feeling great.
We have gone from Force 6 to something a little stronger now, possibly 7 -8 Force
My view while writing this at the stern (backend for those less shipworthy ) we can see a variety of Pelagic sea birds, learnt that word at the lecture
Yesterday, it means birds that live in the open oceans to fee.  Albatross and Petrals and Prions….they are very difficult to photograph as they come whizzing
Past at huge speed.
Our cabin is on the second deck and we have twin beds and a picture window…it does have a slightly damp odour but we are ex boardingschool gals
And can put up with most things.
It is actually quite freeing not being able to have contact with the outside world and thanks Tessa for being the only one who has sent a message.
We get to  King George Island at midnight tonight then we all get up at 3.45 to have breakfast at 4am and then 5am on the zodiac boats to take us to
Shore.  The runners will then have 15 hours of running and walking doing a 14km circuit.
As a friend and family member, I could go later but I have said I would volunteer for any duty they want me to do.  We can return to the boat whenever
we want to, but I might do one circuit with Lucy to keep her company halfway through the day.
It is quite incredible watching what the runners have to take in their backpacks for the day and make my camera backpack seem light!
The  food on the boat is very good and needless to say I am trying everything, although coriander and coconut shavings have made an appearance so that
Saved the calorie intake.
I miss you all very much and do hope that you will all try and write soon
I will send an update every 2 days as only have 6 sessions on this system.
Lucy has managed to persuade the younger competitors to call me Grandma!
Off to get some tea now
Sending all my love to you all
Aly xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I am here as Lucy's friend and companion and couldn't be more proud of my brave and mad friend. I have been to Antarctica before, 18 yrs ago, but to do it this time with my husband's camera equipment ( can now switch it on) and to witness all these incredible athletes tackling miles and miles of dramatic landscapes in whatever the elements throw at them will be very surreal.  I do jog occasionally but with no backpack and only when I feel like it and never longer than 4 miles, so this will either inspire me to sign up for another one with Lucy or take up knitting instead.  I wish all the competitors and safe and unforgettable journey and will cheer you all from start to finish.  I am so grateful to be a part of this fantastic journey and will treasure each experience, one day at a time.

I miss my family very much but they are used to me signing up for the more unusual trips and experiences.  We will leave a rather soggy Ushuaia this afternoon by ship and cruise along the Beagle channel to await the weather in the Drake Passage.......well we are fully equipped for rough seas but hopefully the powers that be might be kind and not send too much wind or rough seas.  Bags all packed and ready so signing off now and will update this as we go.