Weather: Stormy. Big waves, two or so meters. Whitecaps. Boat is rocking. Too much motion and to erratic to open the side doors and lower the CTD.

 Also, we just saw the strangest thing: A fishing boat.

 Prior to yesterday I thought we were very much alone.

 We are around 1,200 miles (equivalent New York to somewhere around Kansas) to the bases on the peninsula, where there are a few small scientific outposts (Palmer and Rothera Station, among others).

 We are more than 1,500 miles from the big base at McMurdo and Ross Island.

 We are almost 2000 miles from our port in Punta Arenas, Chile, which is around 7 days of non-stop sailing to get home.

 We are a mere 1,100 miles from the South Pole. That is equivalent to New York to the southern tip of Florida. I thought the closest human beings to us were at the South Pole.

 When you are in this type of location, you definitely feel a sense of isolation and being alone (and you take safety very seriously).

 But this morning as we sailed toward our CTD waypoint there was a fishing boat sitting there. It was from New Zealand, and we presume it was fishing for Toothfish / Monkfish / Chilean Sea Bass. It was a very strange sight to see.