Homeward Bound in the Drake Passage
Overnight the seas increased with a 36 - 40kt wind (Gale force 8) from the North West and the ship pitched a bit but to me the movement was remarkably steady having never traveled to the Antarctic in a stabilized vessel before. We were still using tall drink glasses at breakfast when the seas were about 4 m on the beam, amazing!
As we approached a misty Cape Horn to 2.5 nautical miles we picked up the pilot at 1730 and turned to the east running with the wind; joined by our escort of albatrosses and petrels everything calmed down and we had a smooth passage into the Beagle Channel where.
So ended a very fine and diverse trip. The highlights for me were the visits to Portal Point and Detaille Base W of the British Antarctic Survey which, which despite being closed in 1959 was remarkably intact and brought memories flooding back. The met desk with its pilot balloons lying on the table and met observation pads on the desk, I had filled in hundreds of them. Dog harnesses still hanging in the genny shed, the coal bunker which you had to fill on Saturdays if you were up late while the others got all the nice easy jobs. The Hoover washing machine which we called a Tanglematic, the water tanks we filled when on gashy and occasionally pulled the grid inside and removed whatever deposits were left by melting snow blocks: blubber, dead penguins, and doggie deposits etc.
The pleasure that the guests had at seeing emperor penguins on the ice as we tried to get into the Gullet east of Adelaide Island will remain. The ingenious kayaking system with its floating platform and very safe kayaks, getting about 80 people out on the water - many of whom probably had never kayaked before - was a pleasure to see!
To have wonderful guests from Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Costa Rica added an international spice to the passenger mix. Definitely one of the most enjoyable trips I have made and my first with Lindblad, thanks to Captain Oliver and crew, my good friend Tim the Expedition Leader and the outstanding expert staff and a very fine ship! Smooth sailing.
Overnight the seas increased with a 36 - 40kt wind (Gale force 8) from the North West and the ship pitched a bit but to me the movement was remarkably steady having never traveled to the Antarctic in a stabilized vessel before. We were still using tall drink glasses at breakfast when the seas were about 4 m on the beam, amazing!
As we approached a misty Cape Horn to 2.5 nautical miles we picked up the pilot at 1730 and turned to the east running with the wind; joined by our escort of albatrosses and petrels everything calmed down and we had a smooth passage into the Beagle Channel where.
So ended a very fine and diverse trip. The highlights for me were the visits to Portal Point and Detaille Base W of the British Antarctic Survey which, which despite being closed in 1959 was remarkably intact and brought memories flooding back. The met desk with its pilot balloons lying on the table and met observation pads on the desk, I had filled in hundreds of them. Dog harnesses still hanging in the genny shed, the coal bunker which you had to fill on Saturdays if you were up late while the others got all the nice easy jobs. The Hoover washing machine which we called a Tanglematic, the water tanks we filled when on gashy and occasionally pulled the grid inside and removed whatever deposits were left by melting snow blocks: blubber, dead penguins, and doggie deposits etc.
The pleasure that the guests had at seeing emperor penguins on the ice as we tried to get into the Gullet east of Adelaide Island will remain. The ingenious kayaking system with its floating platform and very safe kayaks, getting about 80 people out on the water - many of whom probably had never kayaked before - was a pleasure to see!
To have wonderful guests from Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Costa Rica added an international spice to the passenger mix. Definitely one of the most enjoyable trips I have made and my first with Lindblad, thanks to Captain Oliver and crew, my good friend Tim the Expedition Leader and the outstanding expert staff and a very fine ship! Smooth sailing.
