Drake Passage, Towards Antarctica, 1/9/2018, National Geographic Orion
Aboard the
National Geographic Orion
Antarctica
The relaxing nature of a day at sea is so often dashed by inclement weather conditions. As it were, the Drake Passage, the area of water betwixt South America and the Antarctic Peninsula, is notorious for just such weather conditions and just such hopes of relaxation being dashed. Fortunately for us all aboard the National Geographic Orion, the Drake Passage was a mild sea at most. We were introduced to the staff and crew, enjoyed lectures on photography, and began to learn about the continent and its conservation. Gentle waves rocked the ship as she steamed south, carrying our expectations and excitement into the eternal daylight.
James is a home-grown, free-range Pacific Northwest outdoorsmen. Born in Seattle and reared nearby on Vashon Island, he grew up in and surrounded by the Salish Sea. James has saltwater in his veins, but would be quick to point out we all do, echoing ...
Almost home. Land is in sight as we complete our crossing of the Drake Passage and draw within view of Cape Horn. As sunrise begins to illuminate the clouds, we see the blinking light of the Cabo de Hornos lighthouse. Expedition leader Lucho tells us about the poignant albatross sculpture dedicated to lost mariners and reads us the associated poem in Spanish and English. We are sailing in sheltered waters now, and the sea has reached the balmy temperature of more than 7° C. The seabirds we have learned to recognize in the open ocean–albatrosses, petrels, and prions–are now joined by others, such as imperial shags from Patagonia. Fur seals are once again frolicking near the ship. With formalities complete, there is time for a last series of presentations from our expedition staff, including: a lively account of the world-defining voyage of Ferdinand Magellan by naturalist Madalena Patacho, intriguing ‘Behind the Scenes’ insights into the life of an undersea specialist from Brett Garner, and more about the famous Endurance expedition under the leadership of Sir Ernest Shackleton. After making time for some excellent afternoon Swedish pancakes, we sailed the remaining stretch along the Beagle Channel and came at last to port in Ushuaia. We gathered in the lounge for farewell cocktails with our captain. We celebrated the wonders we experienced over the last ten days, the good friends we traveled with and with whom we shared our discovery of the Antarctic, and the glorious land of Antarctica–the seascapes, history, and wildlife. Where will we travel next? Photo caption: An avian harbinger of the coming day. Photo by Steve Backus
Our morning began as we approached Hannah Point at the east end of Walker Bay on Livingston Island in the South Shetlands. We landed groups at Hannah Point, where we saw colonies of chinstrap and gentoo penguins, as well as several groups of elephant seals. At Walker Bay, we found a “wallow” of elephant seals in the process of molting their fur. We also found a site that had several plant fossils dating back to the time when the Antarctic was still connected to the Andes Mountains. Right beside the fossil specimens, we found the two flowering plant species endemic to Antarctica, Antarctic hair grass and Antarctic pearlwort. After leaving Hannah Point and Walker Bay, we made our way over to the spectacular Charity Glacier at the edge of False Bay. We cruised by the glacier and then made our way to Deception Island. Deception Island is an active volcano that most recently erupted in 1970. We made our landing by Baily Head, an eroded volcanic ash cone that forms the entrance to a large colony of chinstrap penguins. Tens of thousands of penguins spread out around a volcanic amphitheater. Our expedition day finished with a ship cruise into the entrance of the Deception Island caldera–Neptune’s Bellows–created by a cataclysmic eruption 4,000 years ago. We also saw the remains of the only Antarctic land-based whaling station in Whaler’s Bay.
For nearly a week now, we explored the uninhabited expanse of the White Continent, including towering glaciers and abundant wildlife. There was virtually
no sign of human life along the way, save for the scattered research station.
Today, we continued our voyage into the Weddell Sea towards James Ross Island
and Snow Hill Island to explore the human stories of the region and tales of
early expeditions. Our morning began at James Ross, a relatively uncharted island. Ice
crowds its shores, cutting off accessibility for much of the year. Hikes and
Zodiac tours offered views of unique geology and of Snow Hill Island, our
afternoon destination, across the way. There, we visited the historic hut from
the 1902 Swedish expedition led by Otto Nordenskjöld. We learned about the
team’s true saga of survival from historian Carol Knott. The afternoon’s polar plunge followed by a sunset cruise through a
maze of tabular icebergs in Iceberg Alley topped off an amazing day. It was a
perfect send off from the peninsula as we begin to make our way north toward
the Shetland Islands and a final day of adventure.
