Layer your clothes for Antarctica

It’s the wind. It’s most definitely the wind. Standing on the promenade deck, forward, it’s the wind you need to dress for. Wind so strong that at times one could, literally, not walk into it, around the front of the ship.

On our Antarctica trip, we were given windproof and waterproof jackets. Pre-trip instructions said to bring clothes that could be layered, which we did.

Since I didn’t feel I was getting enough exercise while ashore (too busy watching the wildlife), I decided to walk the promenade deck. I dressed for the cold and the wind and met up with a newfound friend from South Africa. She has about 6 inches on me and with her longer strides, our walk was really a workout for me.

By the time we quit, my body temp was really up. I headed straight for the cabin that, because of the warmer clothes we had been wearing, we were keeping at a cool 66 degrees. Still, I couldn’t peel fast enough. Off came:

the wind/waterproof jacket
the scarf
the wind/waterproof gloves
the glove liners
the sweater
the t-shirt
the thermal underwear top
the thermal underwear bottom
and the wool socks.

Did I need all that? When standing at the forward rail, watching and photographing wildlife and scenery, you bet. I’m glad I brought every single piece.