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cruised
through the Beagle Channel, guided by the   harbour pilot, and
headed towards the Drake Passage.      
    “So how long have you guys known each
other,” Georgina asked, pulling her ski-jacket more tightly against her.
    “A while now. We met in college - UCLA.
Taj enrolled for visual arts and I was studying zoology. He needed a place to
crash during the holidays and I lived nearby.” He shrugged, “The following year
we moved into shared digs together and it was all downhill from there.”
    Georgina laughed. “Sounds like fun.”
    Don rolled his eyes. “Oh, you have no
idea. I’m surprised we survived the first semester.”
    The ship tilted to the side and Georgina
gripped the railing. Don pulled his beanie down against the sudden chill. “It
can get a bit rough around here sometimes. If it’s calm we call it the ‘Drake
Lake’ but tonight it looks like it’s going to be the ‘Drake Rock ‘n Roll’. You
don’t mind a bit of dancing do ya?” At the look on her suddenly pale face he
suggested, “Perhaps we should go inside.”
    Georgina nodded. The boat was now
rolling from side to side and she was beginning to feel a bit queasy. “I think
I’ll go to my cabin and settle in. Thanks for the chat.”
    Don gave her a knowing grin. “No
problem. Anytime.”
    Georgina felt the nausea rising as the
boat rolled again and she quickly made her way back to her cabin. As it was she
ran the last few metres and only just made it to the bathroom in time. An hour
later she was lying flat on her bed, exhausted. The nausea had abated
momentarily, but she knew better than to get up. For the last hour she’d been
wrapped around the toilet bowl and had no wish to repeat the experience. Why
didn’t someone warn her about the seasickness? Then at least she could have
come prepared.
    A knock on the door made her sit up.
    “Can I come in?” a female voice asked,
and the door handle turned. Georgina realised she’d forgotten to lock it.
    A dark head peered around the door. “Hi
there. I’m Amy.” Georgina recognised her from the hotel in Santiago.
    “I heard you weren’t feeling too well
and I’ve come to give you these,” she handed Georgina a small vial of pills. “I
don’t leave home without them.”
    “Thanks, I’ve never been on a boat
before so I didn’t know what to expect.”
    “Don’t worry,” Amy told her kindly. “I
get seasick every time and I’ve been sailing for years.”
    “Really?”
    Amy nodded. “Yes, but it passes fairly
quickly and these definitely help. Staying above deck also helps. I know its
cold, but you’ll feel better.”
    Georgina laid her head back against the
headboard. “On deck?” she repeated weakly. “I don’t know if I can make it.”
    “Sure you can. I’ll help you. Let’s just
get one of these down your throat.” Amy busied herself in getting a glass of
water and handed it to Georgina.
    She took the pill and with Amy’s help
struggled out of bed and up on deck. Amy was right. She felt better almost
immediately. The fresh sea air revitalised her and after about ten minutes her
stomach settled right down.
    “Thank you,” Georgina said gratefully.
“I thought I might have to stay in my cabin for the duration.”
    Amy laughed. “No problem.”
    The two women chatted for a while and
when Georgina was ready they ventured into the dining room. Dinner was almost
finished, but Amy said she’d already eaten and Georgina had no stomach for food
just yet. She did however want a word with Taj Andrews. She wondered if Don had
had a chance to talk to him yet. She decided to find out.
    Taj was
lounging at a table talking to Amy’s husband Claude. He looked up as Georgina
and Amy approached. “Joining us, ladies?”
    “I hope we’re not interrupting,”
Georgina asked casually.
    “Not at all,” Claude shifted up to let
his wife sit next to him.
    Georgina remembered meeting Claude at
the welcome reception back in Santiago. He’d been introduced to her as