At Sea
Endeavour sailed from Ushuaia on the evening of Jan 30, traveling east through the Beagle Channel. Morning found us out in the Drake Passage, nearly 100 miles southeast of Cape Horn. Weather and currents being favorable, we made exceptionally good speed all night. Although Tierra del Fuego had been discovered by Ferdinand Magellan in 1520, along with the Straits which bear his name, the existence of an oceanic connection between the Atlantic and Pacific remained unknown for another half century. Not until 1578 did Francis Drake sail through these waters during the second circumnavigation of the earth, firmly establishing the fact that Tierra del Fuego was merely an island, not a great southern continent.
Fortune smiled on us as we started this journey of discovery, with calm seas and sunshine. Calm, that is, by Drake Passage standards. A few rain squalls blew through in the early afternoon, but wind remained light as a short swell rolled in from the west. Albatross and other seabirds trailed in our wake, constantly patrolling for a potential meal that may have been stirred to the surface by the ship’s propeller. Conditions remained benign throughout the day, so much so that in the late afternoon we were able to lower a boat, pictured here, for a short plankton tow. We are entering some of the most productive waters on earth, and in a few minutes the fine mesh of the plankton net caught a sampling of zooplankton, minute creatures swarming in uncountable numbers around the Antarctic continent. After our final presentation of the day we were able to have fantastic looks at some of these diatoms through our video microscope in the Lounge. Finally, at our Welcome Cocktail Party we met the Captain and officers of the good ship Endeavour. With a day of outstanding speed under our belts, we expect to not only see the South Shetland Islands tomorrow, but make a landing if the weather continues to hold. The mysterious white continent looms nearer and nearer.
Endeavour sailed from Ushuaia on the evening of Jan 30, traveling east through the Beagle Channel. Morning found us out in the Drake Passage, nearly 100 miles southeast of Cape Horn. Weather and currents being favorable, we made exceptionally good speed all night. Although Tierra del Fuego had been discovered by Ferdinand Magellan in 1520, along with the Straits which bear his name, the existence of an oceanic connection between the Atlantic and Pacific remained unknown for another half century. Not until 1578 did Francis Drake sail through these waters during the second circumnavigation of the earth, firmly establishing the fact that Tierra del Fuego was merely an island, not a great southern continent.
Fortune smiled on us as we started this journey of discovery, with calm seas and sunshine. Calm, that is, by Drake Passage standards. A few rain squalls blew through in the early afternoon, but wind remained light as a short swell rolled in from the west. Albatross and other seabirds trailed in our wake, constantly patrolling for a potential meal that may have been stirred to the surface by the ship’s propeller. Conditions remained benign throughout the day, so much so that in the late afternoon we were able to lower a boat, pictured here, for a short plankton tow. We are entering some of the most productive waters on earth, and in a few minutes the fine mesh of the plankton net caught a sampling of zooplankton, minute creatures swarming in uncountable numbers around the Antarctic continent. After our final presentation of the day we were able to have fantastic looks at some of these diatoms through our video microscope in the Lounge. Finally, at our Welcome Cocktail Party we met the Captain and officers of the good ship Endeavour. With a day of outstanding speed under our belts, we expect to not only see the South Shetland Islands tomorrow, but make a landing if the weather continues to hold. The mysterious white continent looms nearer and nearer.
