Rough Seas in the Furious Fifties

Here's a panorama I shot from the deck above the helipad, the evening before last. The seas were rising and picked up to a 5-6 metre swell - meaning a very uncomfortable night not sleeping as I was tossed around in my bunk. This shot gives an idea - it's impossible to shoot a pano like this over time (it's about 4 shots) as the ship is rolling and pitching on the waves - but it creates the interesting effect of capturing the ship as the still point around which the chaos of the ocean is raging. As a dramatic addition to this, the photographer has to contend with a form of gymnastics necessary to stand up whilst taking this sort of shot - it's not dangerous, but you do have to grab firmly onto things! Contrarily, today has been an ocean of calm as we approached 60º South - we're finally in Antarctic waters! So, naturally, our kind hosts threw a little party on the helideck with a very nice punch. Tres tres jolie! - Peter Morse