February 9th and 10th – Bouncing Around the Australian Bight

As we made our way across the bottom of Australia, a long swell of 10 feet high waves gave us a big buffeting. It made for a bouncy, lurching ride, which were hardly ideal conditions for lecturing, as I cha-cha-cha'd my way sideways across the stage, trying to hang on to the lectern for grim death. Somehow, I managed not to fall off the stage, or to swear into the microphone when the biggest bumps hit. It must have been even more difficult for the guest chef to do his cooking demonstration onstage.

Fortunately, it got better by the afternoon of the second day – you could feel the mood of the ship lift as we headaches disappeared and the simple act of walking in a straight line became a lot easier.