Day 8: at sea en route to Commonwealth Bay

Folks use the 'down time' of sea legs for all sorts of things. Many are sorting their thousands of images on laptops and updating journals while others just relax with a book or catch up on some sleep. Our run out of Macquarie is relatively smooth and aided by a following sea, so lectures and documentary screenings are back on the schedule. One other thing about these voyages is that they attract the hardiest adventurers. In our midst we have corporate consultants, a movie animator, a former whaler, sundry scientists, biologists, teachers and academics as well as regular folks. The international mix includes the US, UK, Poland, New Zealand, France, Russia and Australia.

Ewen is proving a minor celebrity with his photography tuition, while expedition crew, Dean and Tess enthral us with their documentaries on Macquarie Island. Naturalists Adam and Martin fill us in on all the intimate details of seabird and seal behaviour while conversations with fellow travellers more than fill the voids between.

At current rate of travel, we expect to reach the continent in around 48hrs, so there is plenty more time for edification and chit chat.