31 January - At sea - 8 degrees Celcius - 58 degrees 27 minutes South

Another quiet day travelling south. The big news was that we crossed 60 degrees south during dinner, so that we are now in waters covered by the Antarctic Treaty. We toasted Neptune after dinner.

My jetlag is pretty much gone now, so apart from waking early, I am normal again.

If you haven't noticed, not much is going on at the moment. We should arrive in Cape Adare on Saturday morning, so we spend the days attending lectures on board about Antartica, its history and its ecology. They also feed us constantly and the food is very rich and swish, so I am probably going to be rolled off in Hobart.

The boat has about 100 guests and around 75 staff, so it's kind of like staying in some hotel at sea. Some people seem very used to this, but it is far less adventurous than I expected and I am getting a bit tired of fielding the same questions ("Where do you live?" "What do you do?") Most people seem to be retired or nearly there, although there is a group of GPs who have a lecture on Hypothermia or something related once a day, so they can write off the trip as a tax expense. I think I am the youngest person here by quite a way.

We are in the middle of the ocean with nothing around, so it is a new experience to be so isolated. The swells calmed down yesterday, and although some people have been hit by seasickness, Dad and I haven't had any problems. The weather is generally foggy and overcast, but the sun does come out sometimes. It rains a little but nothing too strong and not for long.

We have passed through the area where you can see auroras without seeing any, which is a shame. Hopefully we will catch some on the way back up.

I am taking the time to learn how to use my camera, read and nap. It is a little frustrating to be sitting around all day. At the same time, it's nice to have enforced relaxation.