think everyone was fairly relieved to get back on the ship and we were all hoping that not every zodiac ride would be this eventful! It did make for some better bonding between passengers and it was here that we got chatting to Daphne and Rob, a lovely couple from Patley Bridge in Yorkshire and it was good to hear some Northern voices. We also met Trisha and Romy from Scotland, who were also very nice people. Romy was an amazing lady, she was 75 and extremely agile for her age, hopping into the zodiacs with ease! Also by this point we had met Gary from Rhosneiger in Anglesey who along with Phil had got a last minute deal from Ushuaia. Gary and Phil both shared the same kind of humour as us, so we knew we’d end up having a few beers and a good laugh with them at some point in the not too distant future! We had also met Doris and Jacob, a Canadian couple who had also sold their house in Los Angeles and were travelling for two years! They were also great and exceptionally good

fun.

When we got back to the ship and undressed out of our many layers we made our way to the bar and found that Alan, the hotel manager, had made a huge vat of hot chocolate which was very welcome. The winds by now had reached storm force 8, so our second planned zodiac landing was cancelled. After the excitement of our first zodiac ride back to the ship, it was completely understandable why it would not be a good idea to land in such adverse weather conditions. It meant that we may be able to gain some time on the lost hours in the Drake Passage and headed off towards Paulet Island on the eastern side of the peninsula.

Again we experienced a bumpy ride but the seasick patches seemed to be working well and we ventured up to the bridge on more than one occasion. The Russian crew were fantastic, they were always very welcoming and didn’t