Welcome to Travel Journaling: Antarctica Entry 9 November

It's been a very busy week and I haven't gotten any journal posts up. I still plan to have the whole journal online by the new year. 

This entry is about our time on the Drake Passage. It is the area of ocean where the Atlantic, Pacific, and Southern Oceans meet below South America's Cape Horn. To get to western Antarctica by ship, you have to go through the Drake Passage. The Drake Passage is known for it's rough waters and high waves; our guides said that a flat passage would have a wave rating of 1 out of 10 - which is called the Drake Lake. I'm not sure where the Drake Shake (when the ship gets tossed around) starts on the scale, but they have to return to port if it gets above an 8 out of 10 on the scale. The final estimation for our passage was 6.5 out of 10 - one of the roughest in a long while. However, my entry says it was a little lower than what was the final estimate.

9 November, 2025

National Geographic Explorer

20:48

We had a Drake Shake this morning with a level 5.5 or 6 for wave activity. If it had hit 8 or higher, we would have had to return to Ushuaia. The morning stretch class was cancelled due to the rough seas and wind, so I grabbed a cup of tea and up to the bridge. It was amazing to see the motion of the ocean. I giggled a lot.

Morning shot of the Drake Passage - yes there's a filter.

Breakfast opened at 8:30. There was a buffet - which I braved to get my own food - and the crew offered to bring us all food. My coffee cup spilled twice, even with a lid covering it. After breakfast, C.C. and I explored for a bit and she left me in the chart room. I decided to reach there for a bit while C.C. all the way up to the library and observation deck (at the top of the ship). It's C.C.'s current favorite area. 

We met back up in the lounge at 10:00 to watch Around Cape Horn shot by Irwin Johnson in 1929, when he was 19. The narration was recorded around 1980, when he was in his 70s. It can be viewed on YouTube. 

I took a half hour nap after the movie and then went back to the lounge at 11:30 to meet the naturalist team. C.C. stayed in bed until lunch. The sea had calmed quite a bit by then. C.C. and I sat with one of the National Geographic naturalists from Argentina. We discussed the Drake Passage, his sail boat in the Mediterranean, and the US Health Care system.

While C.C. took another nap, I went back to the lounge with my cross stitch to learn about the native birds of Antarctica. Unfortunately, the fog had rolled in and no birds were spotted for the rest of the afternoon. However, one lady had gotten great pictures on the bridge earlier in the day.

All fog and no birds.

Tea Time at 16:00 was nice. I tried a red bean sandwich that tasted more spicy and umami rather than sweet (which I am more used to). Am and her husband have seemed to declare the booth next to the bistro counter as theirs. I enjoyed sitting with them. 

C.C. joined me for the smartphone camera tutorial - which was very informative. After, we went outside for some fresh air. It was C.C.'s first time outside. 

Shot from the stern of the ship.

We had a cocktail hour and debrief in the lounge at 18:00. We learned that since we've been making great time, we would be getting to Antarctica's South Shetland Islands by midafternoon tomorrow. We reviewed tomorrow's schedule and were informed that there was a mandatory briefing at 10:00.  

I met a few other cross stitchers and needlepoint enthusiasts. C.C. and I sat with W (one of the cross stitchers) and his partner R during cocktail hour. W and I did our cross stitch while listening to the day's recap.

I signed C.C. and I up to join the Minke (Whale) Group with W and R. This will be the group we go to shore with.

While most of the afternoon we'd had a Drake Lake, but at dinner the waves began to pick up again. We sat at a table with El and her friend K. We had a selection of pizzas to choose from along with soup, salad, and a caramel pecan pie for dessert. I don't usually like pecan pie, but this one was really good.

At one point, C.C. took off her seasick patch because she thought she was fine. She was not fine and put it right back on. I'm leaving mine be. A lot of people stayed in their rooms, including D.

From what we understand, on most cruises you can't feel the waves hit the ship. The rocking this morning was mostly due to the wind. It had been the worst condition a long while. One of the naturalists, Em, said she'd only experienced one worse crossing. 

When C.C. opened the blinds and blackout curtains this morning, a huge wave tilted the ship and splashed against our window. It was also cool seeing the waves break over the railings while I read in the chart room (it's on the deck above our room).

Until the next post. 

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