At sea, The Drake Passage
The contrast between two days could scarcely be any greater. Yesterday we were finishing our time on the Antarctic Peninsula in perfect flat calm conditions, Zodiac cruising and kayaking through a spectacular land and seascape. Today we awoke in the open expanses of the Southern Ocean, on the first of the two days at sea on our return to South America.
Literally, it was last year that we made our first landing in the flooded caldera of Deception Island. The sensory overload since then has produced sights and experiences so intense that it seems like much more than only one week ago. Time has taken on a strange quality. Now is the time to start the process of reflection and absorbing the events that cannot be easily processed, but will become treasured memories of a remarkable time in an amazing place.
In the late afternoon, the Drake Passage began to show us its true colors. The wind picked up to a near gale and the seas began to build. While conditions were not comfortable for all on board, we can count ourselves fortunate to have a large ship equipped with good stabilizers and a great crew taking care of all our needs whatever the conditions outside.
