At sea - En route to Campbell Island

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54° 29′ 59″ S 158° 56′ 14″ E – 52° 32′ 24″S 169° 8′ 42″E

The water, the sky, the whole world is bright and clear. Calm seas soothe our passage northeast, towards Campbell Island. I split my time between photographing out on deck, and reviewing and sharing photos in the bar/library. There are a lot of Macquarie images to go through, and backing them up (twice, I must have three copies of everything) takes a while. Can you blame me for being trigger-happy in such an amazing place?

The Southern Ocean is showing a rare calm face, and I’m not going to complain. Crisp, fresh air keeps me wide awake, more awake than I think I’ve ever felt. It’s partly the cold, partly the wildness. The horizon stretching off on every side. Room to breathe, and be. A wide blue dome arcing overhead, the sun a warm breath through the chill wind.

The sea is spangling clear, and as the afternoon wears on Henry and I spot Hourglass dolphins chasing up the port side. Their stark black and white cuts through the water, and I wish I had a polarising filter because the sky is shining on the surface and obscuring them every time they duck under. As they coast down the shadow of a wave, they are two dark streaks in the glowing water. Then they are gone, lost to the endless blue ocean.

We have dinner, and the sun slowly sinks. We are northbound and sunset comes earlier. Through the clouds that have billowed up behind us, god-rays lance into the darkening sea. Our seabird following thins as the day ends, but there are still plenty around, soaring up past the low sun. Are we allowed to have this much perfect weather in one trip? Godrays_EAW_4764-Edit6x4WEB

The Southern Ocean is famed for wild swells and storms, and we have experienced neither so far. Not that I mind – to be able to stand steadfast on deck and see the ocean spread out in every direction, to photograph seabirds as they glide past, or to simply stand and watch in awe of the enormity of the world – it’s beyond what I could have ever expected from this adventure. And we’re not done yet.