DAY 16 ANTARCTICA TRIP - Drake's Passage

16 March 2011

As we sailed towards the harbour I reflected on our adventure.

We visited a truly unique part of the world – the End of the World. How wonderful it is that mankind has agreed to keep this continent pristine, free of human contamination and intervention.

As I've said throughout my blog we saw some amazing places. Antarctica is truly a beautiful place. A wilderness!

The wild life was interesting.

We saw humback whales, mink whales, fur seals, artic seals, leopard seals, weaddell seals, elephant seals, crabeater seals, giant petrels, other petrols, albatross, artic terns, antartic terns, gentoo penguins, chinstrap penguins, and adelie penguins.

We walked on glaciers, volcanic sandy soil, snow, ice, mud, penguin poo.

Good company, great sites - what else can one wish for. Every day brought amazing unforgettable experiences.

We were blessed that our experience of Drake’s Passage was not what is described as a stromy Drake’s Passage. It was not a calm crossing but it was not rough either. Whilst it did cause a lot of people to suffer from sea sickness it was not an unpleasant experience.

The last dinner was the Captains Dinner. The tables were set formally as we were already in calm waters.

A delicious dinner was served and a champagne toast was drunk.

After dinner we retired with our new friends to a cabin for a farewell drink.

DAYS 15-16 ANTARCTICA TRIP - DRAKE’S PASSAGE return trip

15-16 March 2011

At night the boat started to roll. Those that thought they couldn’t handle the crossing back along Drake’s Passage took medication the night before. It is not too bad – the waves are not high but lots of swells. The boat rocks from side to side and at times front to back.

So two very quiet days on board. On Tuesday not may surfaced in the morning but by afternoon most people were up and around watching films, looking at photos, reading or just relaxing.

On Wednesday the day started well – it was fine, a slight breeze, and the sea with small swells.

We made good time so the boat anchored in a sheltered spot after lunch to wait for the pilot to guide us into Ushuaia in the morning. Our last dinner was the captain’s dinner. The crew was dressed up. A beautiful dinner with a champagne toast with the captain brought the cruise to an end.

I spent those days thinking about where we had been. What an amazing experience – a once in a lifetime experience. I have stepped foot on the white continent. We experienced her beauty, ruggednes, isolation, wildness s and somehow evaded those much heard about winds.
A trip of a lifetime!