The Drake Passage
The National Geographic Explorer departed Ushuaia, Argentina, yesterday evening and steamed south into the Drake Passage. Destination: Antarctica. No voyage to Antarctica is a routine undertaking, and this is no exception. For while many of the staff and crew on board are Antarctic veterans, the ship herself is a novice. This is the inaugural voyage of the National Geographic Explorer to the White Continent and there was a palpable sense of anticipation among those on board. Many questions remained to be answered, not least of which was – ‘How will she handle the Drake?’
The Drake Passage is the (in)famous body of water that separates the continent of Antarctica from South America. About 600 miles of some of the most storm-tossed ocean on the planet that must be crossed to reach our goal. And the good news is that in moderate seas with 30 knot winds, the National Geographic Explorer performed very well, maintaining good speed with a gentle motion as we made our way south.
While crossing the Drake we have excellent opportunities to prepare ourselves for our experience with presentations from the natural history staff. And out on the deck or watching from the bridge a wide variety of southern ocean seabirds could be found. Notable among these were five species of albatross, ocean wanderers that accompanied our passage during the day and provided a chance to marvel at these superlative masters of the air. Feeling assured that the ship had passed her first test, we anticipated our arrival in Antarctica tomorrow.
The National Geographic Explorer departed Ushuaia, Argentina, yesterday evening and steamed south into the Drake Passage. Destination: Antarctica. No voyage to Antarctica is a routine undertaking, and this is no exception. For while many of the staff and crew on board are Antarctic veterans, the ship herself is a novice. This is the inaugural voyage of the National Geographic Explorer to the White Continent and there was a palpable sense of anticipation among those on board. Many questions remained to be answered, not least of which was – ‘How will she handle the Drake?’
The Drake Passage is the (in)famous body of water that separates the continent of Antarctica from South America. About 600 miles of some of the most storm-tossed ocean on the planet that must be crossed to reach our goal. And the good news is that in moderate seas with 30 knot winds, the National Geographic Explorer performed very well, maintaining good speed with a gentle motion as we made our way south.
While crossing the Drake we have excellent opportunities to prepare ourselves for our experience with presentations from the natural history staff. And out on the deck or watching from the bridge a wide variety of southern ocean seabirds could be found. Notable among these were five species of albatross, ocean wanderers that accompanied our passage during the day and provided a chance to marvel at these superlative masters of the air. Feeling assured that the ship had passed her first test, we anticipated our arrival in Antarctica tomorrow.
