The Drake Passage
Endeavour sailed from Ushuaia on the evening of Jan 19, traveling east through the Beagle Channel on the first leg of our magnificent adventure. Morning found us out in the Drake Passage, some 50 miles southeast of Cape Horn. Although Ferdinand Magellan discovered Tierra del Fuego and the Straits which bear his name in 1520, the very existence of an oceanic connection between the Atlantic and Pacific remained unknown for another half century. Not until 1578 did Francis Drake sail through this now notorious passage during the second circumnavigation of the earth.
This can be one of the most tempestuous pieces of ocean in the world, but fortunately we only got a hint of its capabilities. Twenty-five to thirty knots of wind from the west with several meters of swell left us rolling slightly but making excellent speed southwards. These are the roaring forties, the southern latitudes at which there are no continental land masses impeding wind and waves from ceaselessly circling the globe. The constant winds here create a paradise for seabirds, as was obvious throughout the day. Petrels and albatrosses surrounded the ship from first-light, zooming over the wave tops with scarcely a wingbeat, like the Giant petrel pictured here. These birds breed on remote oceanic islands throughout the southern hemisphere and are capable of incredible long-distance foraging flights, sometimes covering thousands of miles in a single trip. Seabirds will be our constant companions on this voyage, enlivening this apparently trackless expanse of ocean.
After a full day of bird-watching and informative presentations by the naturalists, we had our Welcome Cocktail Party and met the Captain and officers of the good ship Endeavour. With continued good speed we fully expect to have our first glimpse of the South Shetland Islands tomorrow afternoon.
Endeavour sailed from Ushuaia on the evening of Jan 19, traveling east through the Beagle Channel on the first leg of our magnificent adventure. Morning found us out in the Drake Passage, some 50 miles southeast of Cape Horn. Although Ferdinand Magellan discovered Tierra del Fuego and the Straits which bear his name in 1520, the very existence of an oceanic connection between the Atlantic and Pacific remained unknown for another half century. Not until 1578 did Francis Drake sail through this now notorious passage during the second circumnavigation of the earth.
This can be one of the most tempestuous pieces of ocean in the world, but fortunately we only got a hint of its capabilities. Twenty-five to thirty knots of wind from the west with several meters of swell left us rolling slightly but making excellent speed southwards. These are the roaring forties, the southern latitudes at which there are no continental land masses impeding wind and waves from ceaselessly circling the globe. The constant winds here create a paradise for seabirds, as was obvious throughout the day. Petrels and albatrosses surrounded the ship from first-light, zooming over the wave tops with scarcely a wingbeat, like the Giant petrel pictured here. These birds breed on remote oceanic islands throughout the southern hemisphere and are capable of incredible long-distance foraging flights, sometimes covering thousands of miles in a single trip. Seabirds will be our constant companions on this voyage, enlivening this apparently trackless expanse of ocean.
After a full day of bird-watching and informative presentations by the naturalists, we had our Welcome Cocktail Party and met the Captain and officers of the good ship Endeavour. With continued good speed we fully expect to have our first glimpse of the South Shetland Islands tomorrow afternoon.
