Drake Passage

Drake Passage




Our trip through the Drake Passage has been quite an adventure - they are saying that is was quite calm. We have been rolling and bumping for over 24 hours and many of the passengers are ill and many are carrying the sea-sick bags around ‘just in case’. They have the bags on every possible location, tables, railings… We are very lucky that neither of us have that problem, but Alice and Richard are suffering from mal de mar.

This morning we woke up to blowing snow and ice - the windows on the port side of the ship are completely covered with ice - needless to say, this isn’t the nice weather I was hoping for. At 9:00 we had to attend the safety and environmental lecture. This was mandatory for anyone planning to do any of the landings. It was quite well done and covered pretty much anything we would need to know. We were issued our life vests for the landings and had our packs vacuumed so that we take nothing ‘foreign’ onto the land. We will get boots just prior to each landing.

If the weather permits we will have our first landing late this afternoon at Halfmoon Island… we are all prepared, but so far the weather doesn’t look too promising. The temp is about 37 degrees and it is force 8 - gale force winds - big waves and swells. Everyone is just crossing their fingers that we will be able to do it as this is the only location where we will see the chinstrap penguins.

We saw the first icebergs about 30 minutes ago; first a smaller one and then a bigger one. We were in the dining room eating lunch and could watch them through the windows - everyone was clapping. Ok, we are all nuts - 200 of us onboard!

All announcements are done in English and then German and some of them are repeated in French and Chinese as there are a large number of them aboard too. It is quite a mixed and interesting passenger load. As I said many times, this is not a luxury cruise. Dinner last night was a sit-down dinner; no choice of food. They do post the menu early in the day and offer a second entrée, but if you want that one you have to let them know by 2:00. The food has all been good - nothing to complain about at all. Dinner tonight will be buffet again to allow for the landings. There are nice choices on the buffet and always a fish and a meat and a pasta for the entrees, with lots of veggies both hot and cold, nice desserts etc.

Well, I guess that’s all for now, wish us luck with the weather today for our first landing.