February 5, 2004  - on our way home.

It was Sunday morning at around 10 AM when the Laurence M. Gould pushed off from the dock at Palmer Station to start the four day journey back to Punta Arenas Chile.  It was a pretty impressive goodbye ceremony, with everyone at the station and everyone from the ship on the dock spending about an hour saying their good byes. This was a very emotional experience because we all got to know folks at the station very well during our month there.  For George and Kerry, who have been at the station since October, it was especially difficult to say good bye to the many friends they made.

After the ship pulled away from the dock a bit, the jumpers started.  As I mentioned before, it is a tradition at Palmer Station that when the ship leaves, some of those left behind take the plunge into the icy waters as a parting tribute.  Today seemed to be a special event because a large number of people jumped in the water. Some went in hesitantly, while others did creative dives.  Maria Vila, our remaining project member, was among those who jumped, and I want to say thank you to her for showing us a great jump.  I got most of the jumpers on video but I did not take any still pictures of the actual jumps.  

Although it was sad to leave the station, I was excited about being on the way home. 

The morning of our departure was overcast, and it was spitting a little snow.  The scenery of the Neumeyer Strait was beautiful again, though this time there was a low ceiling of clouds that prevented us from seeing the spectacular mountains.  As we turned one corner, a large cruise ship (Prinsendam) was coming the other way.  Shortly after that we passed the National Geographic ship Endeavor which was heading south. I didn’t expect to see so much tourist traffic!  But then again, this was the height of the austral summer and tourist season.    

During the first day of the return trip the ship was in protected waters and it was calm.  But on the second day we moved into the Drake passage.  The winds were about 30 knots from the north, which meant that the ship was heading right into the waves. This made it quite rough for us passengers who had been on shore for a month.  Most of us got a little queasy.  I never got completely seasick, but I didn’t feel too good that second day.  I slept a lot or just zoned out in the ship’s lounge.

On the third day, I felt much better, having adjusted to the seas.  It helped that the winds died down a bit too.  Those last two days on the ship I was able to do a little work, reviewing a few manuscripts and a proposal. These were things that I didn’t have time for at the Station.

By 0700 on Thursday February 9, we were tied up at the dock in Punta Arenas, Chile.  The ship part of my journey was over.