01/02/2020 to 03/02/2020 – Saturday to Monday
Drake Passage – overall, I believe we were very fortunate with respect to the seas and winds going over the Drake. It could definitely been a lot worse, although there were some of the expeditioners who would most probably disagree with that statement. Excluding the crew, three expeditioners were fortunate and did not suffer from seasickness; one had a mild case and bounced back after a day; but the remaining three had varying degrees of the sea sickness.
However, for the most part the Drake was relatively uneventful. One minor hydraulic problem with the auto pilot was promptly fixed by our competent crew, and we were fully under sail by 14:00 on Saturday as the winds had picked up to 22-25 knots. By the end of my shift that day we were under 3 sails, no engine, with 32-35 knot winds propelling us along at 10-11.5 knots!! A very good speed, whilst making mealtimes interesting with the boat listing massively to port!! Good meals, though- primarily stews that take little prep, kept in fridge for passage through rough water and large swells, easy to dish up and “stick to the ribs”. The listing makes for interesting sleeping, though – thank heavens for the side straps on the bunks!!
The most interesting shifts for me personally, were the ones late in the evening or very early morning – cold, most definitely, but quite eerie seeing the sun disappear so late and then reappear a few hours later; or watching the moon rise above the ocean sending its beams brightly across the dark waves; or trying to figure out the names of the stars which were crystal clear on some of the nights, all whilst under sail with no noise except the sound of the waves breaking around the hull. Seeing Cape Horn in the distance was awesome, just knowing that land was definitely behind us and for the expeditioners, the rest of the Drake and the unknown lay ahead…
Bird watching was interesting, especially identifying the species – the Light-Mantled Albatross we saw is seldom seen, but there were many a Wandering Albatross and Black-Browed Albatross – they have such a large wingspan and are so agile. It was great to see the birds by Sunday evening after what seemed like an eternity of nothing. Towards the end of my shift around 19:00 we were treated to a visit by a couple of Hourglass Dolphins. They were quite curious and played alongside and in front of the boat before they disappeared. Everyone who could come out to see them, did so, and they were still there when my shift finished at 20:00.
On Monday we were treated to a visit by a whole flock of Cape Petrels, their numbers increasing to around 20, just following the boat, swooping and diving around it, flying high, then resting in the waves to eat any krill the boat’s wake had stirred up. Around 12:30 3 whales were spotted in the distance and Adrien identified them as Fin Whales, but they were not close enough for pictures or a good look. Just before my shift ended, we also had some curious Antarctic Fur Seals visit, but they didn’t hang around for long.
The first island spotted in this icy land was to starboard, Smith Island. The clouds obscured the tops of the mountains which are around2000m high. So excited to see the first snow covered island. The next island was Snow Island to port – again, very pretty – and our first (relatively large) random iceberg!!! One of thousands to come…
Post from Denise
February Trip 2020