I wake to an increasingly violent rocking motion. There is a point at which sleep becomes impossible. My bunk is in room 101, the nearest room to the bough on the starboard side. Being this far forward, I feel each and every wave. In less than calm seas, my entire body roles from right to left.

 I join the realm of the sleep-walking wakeful. We zombies roam the boat, restlessly seeking the least uncomfortable location for our bodies and a diversion for our brains. This is my first storm in the Drake Passage.

 I am not scared, just faintly nauseous. At first, it's novel. Walking four steps is a challenge. Climbing stairs, an art. It's interesting to observe different peoples' reactions to the motion. The veteran seamen and women seem to be in their element, sharing stories and jokes. They are not in the least bit perturbed, which I find a great comfort.

 But after several hours of being tossed around, having eaten so many anti-sea sickness pills I can barely keep my eyes open, I am wondering when this will end.

 It is a waiting game. We need the storm to wain in order to winch the Conductivity Temperature and Depth Profiler (CTD) back onboard the ship. Submerged several hours ago, it has traveled to the bottom of the Southern Ocean, some 4000 meters below the surface to sample seawater from each of the ocean's layers.

 Niskin bottles attached to the CTD now hold some of the most expensive water on the planet. The ship burns tens of thousands dollars of fuel per day and the storm has delayed us several hours...

 At some point, the Marine Technicians are able to rescue the CTD, returning it to its home at the ships' stern. The Gould resumes forward motion and a small but earnest group of scientists and volunteers begin the task of sample-taking.

 The challenge of staying upright makes it a particularly exciting session. Containers of sample bottles and pickling juices are locked down, but some escape. Boxes of bottles and liquids and scientists fly from wall to wall. The storm is not over.

 Sample-takers tumble about the the back deck as the ship heaves and pitches, displaying various levels of control. Armed with tubes and bottles, they hunker down and set about milking the Niskin bottles. Seawater sampled will be analyzed for O2, CO2, C-13, nutrients and salinity.

 The boat gets underway and the waves calm. I collapse in bed, exhausted and grateful.