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.

Buenos Aires to Ushuaia and we are sailing!

We awakened at 4:45 to have a quick breakfast and then head to the airport for our flight. After we were on the bus our guide announced that LAN was having a ‘little strike’ and there would be a ‘little’ delay at the airport. When we arrived there were many strikers picketing in front of the checkin lanes for LAN and the TV cameras were all there. We were taken upstairs to an area where we did manage to find a table and chairs for all six of us and there we sat and sat and waited. At about 11:00 they announced that our flight would leave at 12:05 so we all proceeded through security to the gates. Our flight did leave not long after that time and we arrived in Ushuaia about 4:30. We had only planned to wander in the town prior to boarding so it wasn’t a problem for us, but the people that had booked the excursion to the National Park were disappointed that it wouldn’t take place.

Boarding and checking in on the ship took place quite quickly and we came to our cabin. All 6 of us are in Mini-suites which are nice and comfortable with a large window that looks out over the side across a public deck space. As with most cabin windows that are at a public space you cannot see into the cabin except when the cabins lights are on so we will need to remember to close them at night. We had many things to do prior to dinner; register a credit card, turn in our medical forms and get our Antarctic jackets. Dinner was buffet style and everything was very good; it seemed everyone was very hungry after all our delays during the day. They canceled our lifeboat/safety drill until 11:30 the next day - by international law they have 24 hours in which to hold the drill. We had a short Welcome cocktail party with the Captain and Expedition staff and then by 10:00 pm we were back in the cabin and ready for bed.

The Captain had said that it would be very smooth for about 6 hours and then it would get a bit bumpy as we would enter the Drake Passage. We woke up sometime in the early morning hours are realized that the ship was slightly rolling, but hardly any bumping and slept until about 6:30 this morning. Life is just fine… no butlers or room service on this ship, but there is an electric kettle and instant coffee and tea available in the room so I’m perfectly happy. After a couple cups of coffee, we wandered around the ship a little and then headed for breakfast.

Note: the battery in my laptop will not charge, so I have to plug in to use it… and I only saw one plug in the reception area where the wireless connection is located. I’ll try to post as often as possible and hopefully be able to add pictures when we get a little more organized.