Update by Joel
On Wednesday morning, we had a quick breakfast and the other passengers hopped into the zodiac to revisit the veritable zoo that was Yankee Harbor. Along the rocky shore they saw 7 elephant seals and a wedell seal. Not quite the flurry of activity from the day before, but still plenty to observe. Very happy with the footage I had captured at the same harbor the day before, I remained behind on the ship to bang out the last of my video interviews with the remaining crew members. A wise decision; the other guests returned positively soaked.
We were then underway to Frei. And overway. And sideways ways. Pretty much all the ways a boat can go, we went. It was a rough transit for much of the passengers and crew, and I was the only passenger at lunch to enjoy Naomi’s fantastic Thai green curry. Even Federico succumbed to the conditions, having only a muffin before heading back to his bunk.
We remained in our cabins for much of the transit, exiting only to grab a glass of water, or something salty and dry to keep our stomachs rightside up. Like the penguins we had spent so much time with, some of us even practiced regurgitating food for our young.
We anchored just in time for dinner, and a still boat was a welcome relief to all. We played games of Battleship (boys vs. girls like a middle school dance) and Uno with G&Ts made using sea ice. Dinner was a delicious pork and tomato sauce with mashed potatoes. Once finished, captain Jarrod and deckhand Roisin delivered a marvelous recap of our journey, including a map with the path of our trip alongside a wonderful video full of highlights from the adventure. Roisin managed to put this video together over the course of our rough passage that day, which as a video editor myself is quite the feat of post production. Before returning to our cabins to pack for departure the next day we presented certificates noting the extent of our journey, and declaring us all true sailors of the antarctic seas.
This morning we awoke to a full English breakfast and news that our flight out was delayed due to poor visibility conditions, leaving all flights on standby. We’re waiting on news of our departure as I type. While we waited, Daniel the engineer treated us to a tour of the engine room. The hulking straight 8 cylinder turbo diesel is original to the ship and was quite the sight to see nestled below decks. I asked Daniel if the turbo would fit on my Honda, and he informed me that the 1.5L of my CR-Z’s hybrid powertrain would fail to move the impeller.
We now sit in the saloon of Hans Hansson awaiting news of our flight which hopefully leaves today. I can’t wait to get back to the mainland and tell everyone our amazing story.
- Joel Ruby
3 replies on “Hans Hansson – The Wait…”
As you know some of us are obsessive about weather watching. You may have not heard of weather north and west of here causing flight delays as well. Regardless we are all set to pick up our favorite adventure videographer with the cast iron stomach whenever the word arrives. Better to wait and be safe. Thankful for your awesome crew and really excited to hear about all the adventures. Stay frosty , be safe , much love from your biggest fans
We’ve been sharing your adventures vicariously (one benefit being that we missed out on the soaking and regurgitating of the last few hours) and like Joel’s fan club are grateful for the fine care and wonderful meals you’ve been having. I suspect talented photographer Andrew will have some amazing video footage of his own to show us on his return along with all the still shots. Hope you will all stay in touch after you return to your homes.
We’re all wondering if you’ve been able to leave the Hans Hansson yet. No doubt you’ll all be well looked after on board and these delays are probably fairly common given the uncertainty of the weather, but you must all be keen to see home again.