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Soon after leaving port, we encounter some rough weather. The sea is vast and as the wind blows across it for great distances, large waves or swells build up. The sea can become very rough in a very short time.

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We get weather information directly from the satellites and marine weather centers.

The captain always knows where the bad weather is and plots his course around it as well as he can. Still, with winds gusting up to 50 knots and 30 foot swells, this storm makes us all realize how big the sea is and how small our ship is and how far from land we are.

Although we tried to tie everything down before we left port, the rolling of the ship causes many things to come loose. The worst kind of loose things are the ones you hear banging around when you are trying to sleep, and try as you might, you can't find the source of the noise!

After a while, you get used to keeping your balance as the ship rolls. This is called 'getting your sea legs'.

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Some people also get seasick, but this usually goes away after a few days. Still, after a few days of no sleep and little appetite, we are all very glad when the weather improves!

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