The Drake Passage

Probably the question everybody asks on the way to Antarctica is what it is going to be like travelling across the Drake Passage. This is a notorious stretch of water between South America and Antarctica. The water from the Pacific is funnelled through a 500 mile strait into the Atlantic. Combined with deep low-pressure systems this causes mountainous seas. Well we have been lucky, very lucky although not quite a lake it has been a gentle swell that rocks the ship. For the most part as well it has been very sunny. At the moment we are on course to land in the South Shetland Islands tomorrow morning, our first day on the seventh continent. It is easy to feel the excitement growing on the ship. I am certainly excited.

So today was about preparation for our landings and several mandatory briefings, primarily about being good visitors. This made a fundamental change in my perception. In the Antarctic we are the guests and the environment comes first, everything is done to preserve it. I will take this back into everyday life. At our kit inspection of our external clothing any signs of foreign matter were vacuumed from it. We were briefed on correct attire, lifejacket use and boarding the zodiacs. Wildlife has priority at all times, after all it is their habitat. We expect to see Gentoo penguins tomorrow and fur seals.

For the remainder of the day we sat, read and talked. Our new friend Krestin is a senior 777 pilot with United who has some interesting tales. Tonight we joined a couple from Washington State for dinner, though both are recent migrants, one from Taiwan and the other from East Ham. The food excellent as always was on a Japanese theme.