12 February 2021: It rolls, it rocks, it swings!

There are waves on the ocean and fortunately for us, the RV Marion Dufresne embraces them. Today, a beautiful white crested swell of 5-6 m high comes in from the starboard, which rises and falls in a swaying surf. 

Inside, another adventure. The ship rolls from one side to the other (or rocks if the movement is backwards and forwards), making the interior space very unstable. The walk becomes floating in the corridors, we collide from one wall to the other, the only source of drunkenness being called “rolling”. Crossing someone requires an adjustment, especially when it is British because it naturally walks to the left. Going straight requires a diagonal posture. Crossing a room can be suddenly rushed…or become arduous. Objects fly, beware of mugs, boots or helmets that are not properly hung… Of course, everything comes back but not without a certain amount of noise. A moment of inattention and the chair (and its passenger) leave in their turn for the adventure: we quickly invite ourselves to our neighbors’ table, and even in a more or less acrobatic way on their knees… 

The shower is another ultra-critical moment of instability. A golden rule on a boat is “one hand for you, one for the boat” but… where is the third hand for the shampoo? The curtain swings, the water overflows in the bathroom, the slipping is never far away. Let’s not talk about the acrobatic dressing operation that follows.

All this requires skill and unusual (compensatory) muscles. Speaking of muscles, pushing a door (which are very heavy) can become athletic, going up a staircase can turn into an ascent, going down it into an instant of vertigo…and let’s not talk about the foosball where the ball only does what it wants, a false pretext for bad players!

And during this time, the RV Marion Dufresne embraces the swell…