Tim JohnsonAug 2, 2026 – 5.00amThe conditions could hardly have been more wild or woolly. Exactly what you’d expect here in the subantarctic latitudes, aptly dubbed the “Roaring Forties”. Huge waves, whistling winds, rain falling in sheets so utterly and completely pervasive, the water seems to completely fill every square inch of the air.Sitting on the pontoons of the Zodiac, properly outfitted in our waterproof clothes, the soaking splashes crashing over the bow feel as if someone is tossing huge buckets of water on us. It’s a cliché but that frigid water really does make you feel alive.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles