“Fair winds and following seas.” An old saying among mariners signifying the ideal conditions under which one wishes to sail. This morning’s conditions as we sail south across the notorious Drake Passage fit those criteria perfectly. Mild winds and gentle swells were the backdrop on which many different species of seabirds soared all around the ship. From the smallest of them, the Wilson's storm petrel, to the largest, the wandering albatross, their elegant design and seemingly effortless soaring signified that we are indeed out to sea. For crossing the Drake is very much a part of an expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula. The reputation of this over 600-mile passage is no legend or myth. The Southern Ocean and the currents and wind that swirl around the icy continent at the bottom of the earth travel and build with no restrictions for thousands of miles until they are funneled through the constriction between the tip of South America and the Antarctic Peninsula. Timing is everything and in the case of our southerly transit we hit it spot on, just in between two systems, affording us these fair conditions.
Today we will enjoy the sights, sounds and vastness of the passage as well as take the time to learn a bit more about what we're seeing and what lies ahead in our future once we arrive in Antarctica. To begin with, Stefan Lundgren gave a lecture on the seabirds of the Drake Passage. Later in the afternoon our National Geographic certified photo instructor, Rich Kirchner, gave an introduction to digital photography followed by a hands-on breakout session with the rest of the photo team. Following the photography session this very same author gave an introduction to the penguins of the Antarctic Peninsula in order to better prepare us for our first landing tomorrow afternoon in Antarctica.
As the day faded into night we all gathered in the main lounge for the first evening recap of the day’s events, still heading south and accompanied by the magnificent birds of the open ocean. To conclude, the words of Robert Cushman Murphy sum it up the best when he penned, “I now belong to a higher cult of mortals for I have seen the Albatross.”
