LOCATION: Drake Passage
What's happening?
Up and down, left and right and the occasional bang. Hello to the Drake Passage. There's no guessing involved here. It's our version of the "shake." And a pretty good excuse to pull the blankets up higher and stay under the covers and catch up on some sleep.
The Captain's report this morning indicated 40 knot winds and- seas moderate to rough at up to 4 metres (17 feet). There was a moment today where there was sunshine up on the Panorama Deck and I did venture outside - for about 2 minutes to watch the petrels trailing and diving in the ship's wake. @Lloyd reported that he had spotted albatross from his balcony this morning and was sitting outside with a heavy jacket on. They are on the opposite side of the ship to us - no way we could go on our balcony - blowing a gale and the spray from the breaking waves was hitting the roof above us when the sideways waves hit. No rhythm to it where you could dash out- have a look and come back inside. Very random.
The Adventure
Walking is a little tricky on board - not really a straight line affair - sort of a lurching zig zag with a reliance on the hand rails. Sick bags are strategically tucked in to the rails at regular intervals.
@Loraine, @Deb and @Mac decided to take refuge in their cabins today and between @Lloyd, @Richard and I we had the activities covered.
There are 28 Expedition Team members on board who are available for outreach for guests. They could be positioned around the ship in the observation areas -ready to answer questions, might be presenting a workshop or a lecture. But their roster ensures they are visible and accessible.
Ticked off attendance at a few activities:
A. Enrichemnt Lecture -Seabird Identification - educating you how to describe the bird life so that the four ornithologists on board can help you identify what you are seeing
B. Wildlife Watch on Deck - well there is a view from inside the Panorama Lounge .. so you don't have to be outside. Anyway, lots of people gathered and there were many eyes out to spot the bird life and team members from the Expedition Crew there to help.
C. Sea Day Market - i was sold for this one 🤣 and just had a look but didn't buy anything. Did attend the napkin folding demo though and whipped up a couple of flowers.
D. Parka Exchange - thank goodness @Lloyd checked and gave us the heads up - four of us had been delivered XS parkas. Needed to front up and make the exchange. @Lloyd commented on his visit there were some "unhappy" travellers in the queue . When I dropped by, there was no queue - but, we only have one parka - waiting on the second to be delivered.
E. Enrichment Lecture - The Heroes of the Antarctic Frontier - wow, what an eye opener learning about the crazy feats of the first explorers in this region. Great stories of adventure, risk, success and failure - can't wait to read more.
F. Voyage Overview - met Marieke who is the Expedition Leader and her introduction was excellent. This session will form part of the daily routine for the next 10 days. It will be a debrief and recap of the day's events and will give a heads up on the plans for the next day.
The emphasis here was that our opportunities are shaped by whatever Mother Nature deals out for the day. There might be a plan, but it is a fluid plan that might need to be reshaped by the water, wind and ice. .
Missed quite a few sessions in the middle of the day because of the need to catch up on some zzzzs and to try and fit in a brunch time. Definitely tried to give @Mac some space, quiet and solitude in the cabin so he could bunker down without being disturbed.
Have now found out that we can catch the sesseions on a luestream on the TV in the cabins - will be handy over the coming days.
Joined @Richard and @Lloyd for dinner - started our exploration of cocktails, finally got to try some crispy frogs legs (they tasted like very succulent 🐔 ), the men stuck to variations of seafood and we added desserts and cheeses.
As for the other 50%of the team, one is "Nil by mouth" while between the other two it was a banana and a piece of toast.
Perhaps we will see more of them tomorrow as the Captain has predicted a reduction in the seas and the wind - by 2200 hours - seas to 8 feet and wind at 30 knots and tomorrow 6 feet and 20 knots. The Captain has made the point that the seas aren't really "rough" rather it is just "lumpy."
Actually need everyone sort of upright and mobile because we have two mandatory briefing sessions tomorrow - some "training" and "biosecurity clearance" that needs to be completed so we can go on the ice.
We've invested three days of travel to get this far - it is just another 30 hours and we will be able to yell YES to the inevitable question "Are we there yet."
Survival Barometer
Steps 6793 - exaggerated becuase impossible to walk on a straight line ABD I have used stairs all day - not confident to try the lift
Weather sky constantly changing - but clouds ever present and occasional flashes of blue sky. Seas "lumpy"
Health - sea sickness taken out 50% of team
Can you believe this?
🌊 The Amazing Drake Passage Fact from Co-Pilot
The Drake Passage is the only place on Earth where water can flow completely around the planet without hitting a single piece of land.
Why that’s mind‑blowing
- This uninterrupted flow is called the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) — the most powerful current on the planet.
- It moves more water than all the world’s rivers combined, several times over.
- Because nothing blocks it, the ACC can whip up the infamous “Drake Shake”, where waves can reach 10–15 meters and winds roar across an entire ocean.
- This same current is also why Antarctica stayed so cold and isolated for millions of years — it’s like a liquid moat around a frozen kingdom.
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