"Cloudy and rainy, a force 7-8 gale, a swell of 3-3.5 meters, with the highest at 4..." Wu Rongrong got a sinking feeling in his heart when reading the weather forecast for next day.

Along with other 250 crew members aboard China's Xuelong (Snow Dragon) vessel, Wu, a young researcher at the China Polar Research Center, was experiencing the worst storm since the vessel embarked on its 26th Antarctic expedition on October 11 from Shanghai.

Xuelong, now navigating in the sea nearing South Pacific Solomon islands, has been sailing through the rough seas since it crossed the equator and entered the southern hemisphere on Monday.

The dining room on the vessel, which could accommodate more than 100 people, was frequented by just 20-odd crew members in the past few days, as most have been felled by seasickness.

Wu, himself was plagued by seasickness, took pains to manage to eat some food.

"I have been telling myself that a man can lie down but should never break down. While facing hardships, we must rely on will power to overcome difficulties," Wu wrote in his diary.

Wu is not the only one on the vessel who faced up to high waves and gale winds.

No matter how heavily the ship is wallowing, scientists aboard are still conducting ship-based observation every six hours on the deck.

"The most valuable data is collected on rough seas," said Zhang Yongshan, senior engineer from the Oceanology Institute under the China Academy of Sciences, who is in charge of the ship-based observation.

To ensure the vessel's safety when sailing through the treacherous waters, captain Wang Jianzhong and his colleagues are on duty day and night on the navigation bridge, while chief engineer Huang Rong regularly inspects the engine room, where temperature is as high as 40 to 50 degrees Celsius.

Seasick as they are, the five cooks on-board get up at 5 o'clock in the morning to prepare food for the crew. They make a special spicy salad with green pepper so that seasick crew members can have a better appetite.

"More violent waves are in store for us, yet the strong will of our team is unshakable," Yuan Shaohong, team leader of the expedition, told the crew.

On receiving the sad news of his father's death due to a heart attack on Thursday, Yuan restrained his grief and worked as usual, paying close attention to every detail in work and taking care of every member of the team.

"The team leader is our role model," said Wu. "No amount of sea waves can deter us from reaching and exploring the Antarctica."

(Xinhua News Agency October 24, 2009)