We entered the notorious Drake Passage overnight. It should take us some 2 days of sailing to reach Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.
Crossing the Drake is considered one of the most treacherous voyages for ships to make and is considered a ‘rite of passage’ for those sailing to/from Antarctic waters. Waves can top 40 feet – the currents have no resistance from any landmass. The rep for the Drake is that it has two states – the ‘Drake Shake’ with massive waves or the ‘Drake Lake’ when calm.
We were ready for bad weather – gear stowed, closets locked, motion sickness medicine in the belly and barf bags on the handrails. The weather gods were on our side – much calmer than normal. Whew.
The Hannahs did our daily lectures. Hannah L. spoke on ‘The Worst Journey in the World’ about Edward Wilson and the tragedy of his role in the Endurance expedition. He and a small group were tasked with laying out the food caches for Shackleton’s team and perished on their return. Hannah J. spoke on ‘Women in Antarctica’ and some of the unsung heroes of the continent’s explorations.
With a heavy heart, Dick cleaned up and returned his kayak gear. Danny, head kayak guide, gave a nice presentation on the different kayak outings. Later, Dick and kayak partner Ralph shared a wee dram in front of the ship’s globe.
During the day’s recap, Expedition Leader Hannah L. presented a riveting summary of a study which won the ‘Ig Nobel Prize in Fluid Dynamics’ – ‘The Explosive Physics of Pooping Penguins‘. Fantastic stuff.