Entering Drake's Passage

I have finally moved onto the boat and a few hours ago we left Punta
Arenas headed for Drake's Passage and Antarctica! We are taking a route
that goes east out of PA toward Argentina and then down the eastern
coast of the continent. When we reach the end of South America, we
officially enter Drake's Passage, which is known for being a
particularly nasty stretch of water. Everything onboard must be strapped
down extremely well and seas can get up to 14+ feet. While that may not
seem huge to some people, its pretty big. Its like trying to drive an RV
up a ramp onto a one story house, then quickly careening off the other
side of the roof. As you sit and try to drink your juice or eat the
surprisingly good food made by the Chilean cook on board, the food and
juice start trying to run away from you mid-bite. So far I have not had
to experience this and I hope I don't have to. Admittedly, part of me
would like some kind of thrilling ride where you are looking up at the
opposite wall before it plunges to your feet on your heroic voyage
aboard a 200 something foot ice breaker venturing to the great frozen
continent. Part of me also would like to keep food INSIDE my stomach,
drinks securing in their respective cups, and my legs not feeling like
jelloas they struggle to keep up with the bobs and weaves of the
floorboards perpetually trying to dodge my already stinky feet (I did
shower today!).

Lucky for me, the forecast calls for a pretty smooth crossing. However,
now that its been said, it will probably get crazy again. There is also
a little test here of how my definition of "calm" compares to that of a
seasoned crew used to going back and for to Antarctica multiple times a
year. For me, calm is seas of a few feet max, maybe with some wind.
However, if your "normal" is 14 foot swells with wind that anywhere else
in the world (except the Arctic maybe) would be defined as hurricane
force gales, calm might take on a whole new meaning. Oh ya, its only
going to be 10 foot seas with 50-60 mph wind, piece of cake. We got
this.

So long story short, I have tried to post this earlier rather than
later (before Drake's), as well as do things like shower, do some
laundry, and eat as much food as possible. So far so good. I am
considered "green" here because I am new. On the plus side, it means
nobody expects much of me. On the downside, I am pretty sure someone
somewhere is taking bets on who will be the first to puke with an
betting scheme broken down to the minute. Or maybe I am just
overthinking. Its definitely done by the hour.