December 29

Days 3-4  Drake Passage Crossing

As we commence the Drake Passage Crossing, we make the most of our time getting comfortable with the motions of the sea.  Our expedition team prepare you for our first landing with important wildlife guidelines and biosecurity procedures and start our lecture program to help you learn more about Antarctica's history, wildlife, and environment.

Our wildlife experiences begin as we enjoy watching and photographing the many seabirds, including majestic albatrosses and giant petrels following our vessel.  On sea days, you can enjoy the facilities on board the vessel including the gym, sauna and jacuzzis or relax in one of the observation lounges.  

Nearing the South Shetland Islands and the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula on the afternoon of day four, the excitement is palpable with everyone converging on one of the observation decks watching for our first iceberg.  The ocean takes on a while new perspective once we are below the Antarctic Convergence and are surrounded by the surreal presence of floating ice sculptures.  The memory of your first big iceberg sighting is likely to remain with you for a lifetime.  Time and weather permitting, we may attempt our first landing in Antarctica by late afternoon.

The first night crossing the Drake Passage was fine for me.  It's different for everyone, though.  I heard that one woman was barely able to get out of bed this morning.

We had a lovely buffet breakfast.  No chance of going hungry on this trip!  Then more time in the lecture hall with briefings.  Had our outer wear all checked to make sure we're not carrying any dirt, bugs, or seeds onto the land down here.  Boot fittings, etc.  There went the morning.

The weather seems to be improved; hard to tell while we're moving.  Still windy and choppy but the clouds seem to be higher and the sun has come out a few times.  In fact it did get quite a bit choppier around noon.  My cabin is on the closest level to the water, so the swells break over the edge of the boat and keep my balcony perpetually soaked; won't be sitting out there anytime soon..........  

I went to the first lecture of the trip - all about seabirds.  It was an interesting talk but I'm blaming it on the drugs - I nearly nodded off a few times.  I was trying hard not to fall off my seat.   A quick trip to the gym, then a gathering for solo travelers to meet each other.  A captain's welcome social, then another delicious dinner.  Lots of empty tables in the dining room tonight.  I think there are quite a few people feeling the Drake effect.  

No pictures today.  We did see some birds about, but all too far away for pictures.  The experts on board have been noting which species they've seen.  

Apparently we've had favourable (following) winds and are currently ahead of schedule.  Normally we would be at sea all day tomorrow, but they're figuring we will be able to do our first landing tomorrow afternoon at Barientos Island, one of the islands in the South Shetlands.    

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Introduction

Image
The outing that I've chosen is called "Falklands, South Georgia & Antarctic Peninsula".   "This epic voyage takes you on an incomparable journey, visiting enigmatic Subantarctic Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula...... discover the fascinating history of the islands and encounter the spectacular birdlife found here.  Feel awed in the presence of the king penguin colonies in South Georgia, some of the largest on Earth.  Immerse yourself in the serene grandeur of the Antarctic Peninsula as you embrace the true spirit of exploration and adventure."     There are lots of providers running expedition cruises to the Antarctic these days.  As I started looking at this in the summer I came across a website with a fairly comprehensive "Cruise Comparison" chart.  It listed no fewer than 42 ships representing 22 different companies, ranging from Ultra Luxury to Budget.  I'm in the "Premium" category, just above "Budget".  I'm goin...
Read more

January 17

Day 22  At Sea With lectures and film presentations to complete our Antarctic experience, there is still plenty of time to enjoy the magic of the South Atlantic Ocean and the life that calls it home.  There is time for reflection and discussion about what we have seen and experienced.  We hope you become ambassadors for the Antarctic region, telling your family, friends, and colleagues about your journey to this magical part of the planet, advocating for its conservation and preservation so that they might one day visit the region to experience what you have been lucky to see and do here. As we approach the tip of South America, our Captain may sail close to legendary Cape Horn, weather and time permitting.     Well, this was pretty much a wind-down day.  A session on procedures for tomorrow.  A last trip to the gym.  A hilarious and very successful auction run by Gaby to raise money for two charities  - South Georgia Heritage Trust and ...
Read more

January 16

Days 19-21  Falklands-Malvinas (Cont'd) After three days at sea we pulled into Stanley Harbour just before breakfast this morning.  It's a Falklands requirement that we go to Stanley before we land anywhere else, so given that we want to be back at sea by mid-afternoon that kind of limits our options for seeing much of the islands.  Oh well - we've been lucky with the weather up until now.  We probably missed out on seeing nesting albatrosses and rockhopper penguins but we've seen albatrosses in the air and, lord knows, we've seen hundreds of thousands of other penguins.   I see my phone automatically updated to a new IOS overnight.  What I didn't realize right away was that when it did that it took my phone off airplane mode and dropped the wifi.  So - I can't wait to see my bill for roaming charges; ugh.......... We started ferrying guests to land shortly after 8.  They had arranged for a big bus to take us out to Gypsy Cove.  I signed...
Read more