Page 9 - Seniorstoday January 2023 Issue
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many found it extremely challenging to
walk up the now wildly swaying gangway
and had to crawl up on their hands and
knees.
Towards evening, around 5-6 pm, the
sea turned even choppier. Though a
warning had been issued earlier that the
weather would turn very rough, another
announcement told us to batten down
everything. Absolutely nothing loose
on table-tops. It added – “Either knock
yourselves out with sleeping pills or drink Beaufort Scale – Temperature, wind force etc…
yourselves into oblivion.” yet, the curtains would fly up. Ramrod
And, God, did the weather turn nasty!! In straight. Stay suspended in space. Then
spite of nausea patches in place, domstal suddenly, slam back. Our dustbin too, was
already taken, nausea set in. We crawled possessed. It would run from under our
into bed, the massive rolling and rocking of bedside table and crash into the door at the
the ship at unbelievable angles and slants. other end with every swing of the ship. I
No condition to even talk, leave alone have very cleverly placed a heavy muck boot in
food or sip water it, since the weight would hold it in place.
We were caught in a live nightmare! Hah!! Bin and boot, both kept racing up
and down constantly. Had us in hysterics,
DAY 4 even between my bouts of throwing up. Not
Friday, 28 October only the bin, even both of us kept slipping
Wind Force – 6, Sea state – heavy swell down our beds through the night. Going to
FALKLAND ISLANDS - SOUTH the loo, all of 5-6 feet away was a terrifying
GEORGIA AND ANTARCTICA feat. Sometimes you are thrown back,
Waves through the night had been 10 to 15 other times, hurled forward. Or slammed
metres high with wind speeds of over 40 into something sideways. So immense was
knots. Neither of us was in shape to do/ the rocking of the ship that our bedside
eat anything. Sitting up for over 3 minutes drawers – both locked, flew open and
was enough to get our nausea welling up. were thrown 10-12 feet away, with all their
Regular announcements were made, to take contents scattered all over. Dinner was our
great care while moving around, with one first meal in over 24 hours.
hand gripping the safety rails – and to keep Mashed potatoes. Brought by staff who
our fingers out of door frames. Weather must have done a major balancing act,
forecast predicted further deterioration. holding a plate in one hand, the other
We were in the eye of a hurricane. clutching the staircase railing for dear life.
The swaying and rocking of the ship was The winds, by this time, were gusting at
horrific. At one point, I was sitting up on over 70 knots with the swells well over 50
one side of the bed – in a nanosecond, I feet.
was thrown to the other end. The portholes For those who made it to the dinner tables
were double sealed, like airplane windows that night, the Captain had to change
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #43 | JANUARY 2023 9
