Hi, young explorers! It’s Tim again. When you’re getting ready for school, are you the type of person who likes to wake up a few minutes early so you can check (and maybe double-check) that you have absolutely everything you need to be successful throughout your day? If so, you would be right at home amongst the many Endurance22 Expedition team members who are already doing everything they can to prepare for a departure that is still several months away.
For me, this means making sure that I’m healthy and prepared for anything that could go wrong during the expedition. The best way to test my fitness for life aboard a ship is to obtain an official medical certificate from the United States Coast Guard. Getting this certificate is a requirement of the expedition--I won’t be able to board the S.A. Agulhas II without it. When I brought the thick stack of medical forms to my regular doctor recently, she got very excited. Her dad had worked aboard Coast Guard icebreakers in the Arctic--what a wild coincidence!
My doctor went step-by-step through the form, testing my sight, my hearing, my strength and my reflexes. We talked about any health issues that might be made worse during long periods of exposure to cold temperatures or rough seas.
