Drake Passage, 2/19/2023, National Geographic Explorer
Aboard the
National Geographic Explorer
Antarctica
Today we are closing in on the Antarctic Circle. The day is full of sun and blue skies with patches of lovely white clouds. The day is so nice that it is decided that we should have a deck barbecue! And what goes best with the Antarctic Circle? Why, hotdogs of course! Well, high-class hotdogs. Yes, there are also vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free offerings. No one is left out. A big thanks to the Hotel Team!
Now we need to get prepared for tomorrow’s landing south of the Circle with a round of decontamination. We certainly do not want to introduce anything non-native to Antarctica.
Every day is a big day on National Geographic Explorer, including a day at sea. Aside from the above-mentioned activities, there are lectures, delicious meals, and an evening cocktail party hosted by Captain Peik Aalto.
Dennis has spent more than half of his life working with Lindblad Expeditions. He first studied biology in the Sonoran Desert. It was his work with the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum that brought him into contact with Sven Lindblad. Dennis was working ...
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We headed into the infamous Drake Passage last night after five days in Antarctica, so today's slightly later wakeup call and breakfast were a welcomed change of pace. A day at sea, however, does not mean fewer opportunities for wildlife spotting! Large numbers of seabirds flew all around the ship, such as southern giant petrels, Antarctic prions, and Cape petrels. We observed several light-mantled albatrosses, considered by some to be the most beautiful of that spectacular family of birds. In the early afternoon, several of the less commonly seen Antarctic petrels joined the fray, distinguishable from the artistically patterned Cape petrels (known also by their Spanish name 'pintado,' meaning painted) by their more orderly black and white plumage. While sea days spent heading back north from Antarctica provide time for reflection and processing of our experiences over the last few days, the lecture and enrichment program also continues. In the morning, Undersea Specialist Emmett Clarkin spoke about the ocean currents that keep Antarctica cold and insulate it from the rest of the planet, while Naturalist Elise Lockton gave a long-anticipated account of Sir Ernest Shackleton's famous Imperial Transantarctic Expedition. Finally, Naturalist Maria Intxaustegi presented some of her experiences working as a marine archaeologist. After a hearty dinner of Japanese okonomiyaki, we gathered once more in the lounge for a showing of the documentary Around Cape Horn, in which Captain Irving Johnson recalls his time sailing aboard the bark Peking from Europe around Cape Horn to Santiago. This film puts the historic significance of our spectacular ocean crossing into fitting perspective, especially as we hope to catch a glimpse of the famous lighthouse and monument at Cape Horn tomorrow morning.
Before breakfast and from the north, our ship approached the famous Lemaire Channel. The narrow channel is ornamented with magnificent black cliffs on both sides. The cliffs stick out of a steep glacier belt at low elevations. The clifftops were hidden by overcast clouds. The channel is so narrow that a large iceberg could completely block the passage. Luckily, all icebergs within the channel were small or medium-sized, and National Geographic Endurance made it through. At the southern exit of the channel, we spotted Pleneau Island, our destination for the morning landing. A shallow sea near the island trapped hundreds of icebergs driven by wind and currents until they were grounded. Two of them were especially remarkable. One was in the shape of a bridge. An opening in the iceberg was decorated with huge icicles. From one side, guests on the Zodiac cruise could take an ice-framed photo of our ship. The second massive iceberg had an enormous cave that was carved by ocean waves. The cave was about 30 meters high at the entrance and about 50 meters deep. A landing at the island and Zodiac cruises were offered to guests. Pleneau Island is home to about 3,000 pairs of nesting gentoo penguins. The island is almost completely covered by ice and snow except for multiple small, smooth rock outcrops that protrude through the snow. These clear openings were used by nesting birds. The sky cleared after lunch. We sailed through the Lemaire Channel again in the opposite direction. The ship repositioned to nearby Hidden Bay, where we had two afternoon rounds of Zodiac cruising. The bay was surrounded by spectacular peaks and sparkling glaciers. Guests enjoyed the Zodiac cruises and a very interesting presentation about science experiments in the Southern Ocean. Before dinner, National Geographic Endurance set its course for Ushuaia across the Drake Passage.
We’ve had a bright and beautiful day, well south of the Antarctic Circle at 67° 33’ south latitude. This morning, we explored Bongrain Point on Pourquoi Pas Island, where Adelie penguins waddled their way between nests and the sea. Meanwhile, many of us hiked the lateral moraine alongside the glacier. From the top, we enjoyed great views of Marguerite Bay. In the afternoon, we arrived to a rarely visited bay, with stunning scenery and glassy calm seas. We kayaked among countless small bits of ice and saw a few seals resting on the ice, as well as glaciers and tall mountains as a majestic backdrop. Our activities were capped off by the Polar Plunge – a fun and very invigorating (and voluntary) jump into 0° C (32° F) water.
