Drake Passage
“We’re on our way,” according to our Expedition Leader Tim Soper, but just what does that mean to us?... especially to those who may have felt like they’ve been on their way now for 3 or more days just to get to where we are now. Well, we are on our way to Antarctica, of course, and today was the first day that we could really start to see and feel the things that make it such a special place. Luckily, the seas of the Drake Passage were extremely amiable and let us take these subtle changes without the notorious motion so common in this body of water.
Obviously, the first realization for many of us was that we were indeed at sea, with no land in sight in any direction. This is a blatant, but rather important observation; for it is the sea, the unbroken sea, that has allowed Antarctica to become what it is today (a frozen continent of ice, wind, and isolation) and changed it from the place it once was (a temperate, perhaps even tropical land connected to South America.) Secondly, we began to notice the creatures that take advantage of this open ocean: the petrels, shearwaters, and the albatrosses. These graceful yet hearty birds make their living riding some of the fiercest winds on the planet while scanning mile after mile of trackless sea for their next meal. Finally, the weather itself began to shift ever so slightly, but continually, with each passing wave under our bow. Though the winds did not increase, the temperature began to drop. Without the wind, the fog increased gradually, and by dinner time, the ship was enveloped in a bank that hugged the ocean’s surface. This fog signaled our approach to the Antarctic Convergence, a current that sits atop the water column and encircles the white continent; keeping the frigid, but nutrient rich waters within its grasp year-round; and in turn, providing a bounty of food for the spectacular wildlife we’ve all come to see.
And see it, we will; just not today…for our last revelation is that it is indeed a long, long way to the bottom of the earth, and we still have miles to go before our first landfall in Antarctica. The bustling and southern-most port of Ushuaia, while certainly a long ways from just about everywhere, is still much closer to the world we know best than the one that awaits our arrival tomorrow. Yes, Antarctica, get ready; ‘cause we are on our way!
“We’re on our way,” according to our Expedition Leader Tim Soper, but just what does that mean to us?... especially to those who may have felt like they’ve been on their way now for 3 or more days just to get to where we are now. Well, we are on our way to Antarctica, of course, and today was the first day that we could really start to see and feel the things that make it such a special place. Luckily, the seas of the Drake Passage were extremely amiable and let us take these subtle changes without the notorious motion so common in this body of water.
Obviously, the first realization for many of us was that we were indeed at sea, with no land in sight in any direction. This is a blatant, but rather important observation; for it is the sea, the unbroken sea, that has allowed Antarctica to become what it is today (a frozen continent of ice, wind, and isolation) and changed it from the place it once was (a temperate, perhaps even tropical land connected to South America.) Secondly, we began to notice the creatures that take advantage of this open ocean: the petrels, shearwaters, and the albatrosses. These graceful yet hearty birds make their living riding some of the fiercest winds on the planet while scanning mile after mile of trackless sea for their next meal. Finally, the weather itself began to shift ever so slightly, but continually, with each passing wave under our bow. Though the winds did not increase, the temperature began to drop. Without the wind, the fog increased gradually, and by dinner time, the ship was enveloped in a bank that hugged the ocean’s surface. This fog signaled our approach to the Antarctic Convergence, a current that sits atop the water column and encircles the white continent; keeping the frigid, but nutrient rich waters within its grasp year-round; and in turn, providing a bounty of food for the spectacular wildlife we’ve all come to see.
And see it, we will; just not today…for our last revelation is that it is indeed a long, long way to the bottom of the earth, and we still have miles to go before our first landfall in Antarctica. The bustling and southern-most port of Ushuaia, while certainly a long ways from just about everywhere, is still much closer to the world we know best than the one that awaits our arrival tomorrow. Yes, Antarctica, get ready; ‘cause we are on our way!
