Where am I
now?? Glad you asked… Right now I’m
about half way between Cape Horn (the Southern tip of South America) and
Antarctica. I am in what is called the
Drake Passage which is where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet. This is some of the roughest waters in the
world and let me tell you, I see why! We
are getting it easy in fact just simply being knocked about, but that isn’t
always the case. One good storm and we’d
be strapping ourselves to the walls. But
let’s back up for a few minutes and actually start at the Port. If you followed my Facebook, I sent a few
pictures when we departed into the Straights of Magellan. This was quite amazing really. The sea was calm and the air was relatively warm. There were all sorts of birds, seals,
penguins, and dolphins to see. What a
great way to start this trip from Punta Arenas!
When we left the Straights and headed south along the coast by Tierra
Del Fuego there were more oil rigs than you can imagine. It was quite a sight at night with all of the
flames in the sky. The seas were
spectacular and my first night sleeping on the boat at sea was very pleasant. You really are rocked to sleep and waking is
harder than you’d think!
Yesterday
was the first full day at sea and the seas were a little rougher as we left the
shore and entered the Drake Passage.
Still, I can’t complain about 10 foot seas; this is mild from what is
generally here! There were still lots of
sights to see yesterday as we moved south toward Palmer Station. During the day we all participated in a Ship
Evacuation drill, something you only ever want to practice, never actually
experience. Last night, sleeping was
more interesting. You see, when the boat
of bouncing around, you slide around in your bed while sleeping. This means you wake up and end up in some
funky positions or realize that you banged your head on the wall.
When I woke
up this morning, it was to some rougher seas and some very nice crisp cold
air. The sea is a very deep
dark-blue. I have to say, it looks very
cold in that water and I really don’t want to find out. What a great day at sea, no land anywhere…just
open sea and the crisp air that comes with it!
We are definitely getting closer to Antarctica and moving there at
between 10 to 20 knots depending on the currents we pick up. This little ship is being knocked about, but
making the trip like a champ. I enjoy
standing on the deck watching waves crash onto the deck and the water sloshing
around. Being up on the bow is even more
amazing. There are still sea birds
flying with us, and the sun finally came out this afternoon. I think I’m used to everything moving around
now. Walking is interesting in fact, you
always want a free hand to grab a rail and stairs are interesting too. You really have to time your steps to
coincide with the rocking or walking up or down stairs can be really
tough. There isn’t a lot to do other
that wander around, hang out on the bridge, watch movies, etc. This is a long transport to Palmer Station,
but something that if you have a chance, you should give a try. I really can see why so many people decide to
spend their lives at sea. Not me, but I
understand. There is something relaxing
about the rocking of the boat and the fresh air around you. The open sea is inviting and forbidding all
at the same time. It keeps you looking
to the distance and waiting for the first ice bergs to appear to let us know
that we are close to our destination. I
am truly amazed that I am being paid to go on this journey. This is a great and amazing world that I am
so happy to have had the opportunity to experience and see so much of it.
The pictures below are from the trip here. There is still much to share about that, but I'm about to get on a Zodiac to tour the area (my job), so more stories and pictures will have to wait. :) I will be taking a lot of pictures and ready
to you all about what we see!
Bye for
now! J
How envious I am as I miss being on the water. Enjoy it for the both of us.
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