December 21 Crossing Drakes Passage

 

This is the Glass Atrium. Upper level is the Library, lower level the Citizen science area. 

The crossing wasn’t so bad nevertheless we stuck on patches to mitigate any sea sickness. Today was an orientation day really – we did more exploring and there were safety protocols, wildlife guidelines and biosecurity procedures, lifeboat drill – the usual stuff plus a briefing and lecture to set the scene for our expedition. Plus all passengers had to have another RAT! We are fortunate to have on board Ian McCarthy who for many years has been a wildlife filmmaker mainly for the BBC including much of the footage for David Attenborough’s features. He presented images from some of those specials.

Lunch was buffet style always with soup offered.

The weather was not too bad – a little light rain but fine enough to be out on deck watching the world slip by and scanning the horizon for whales.  The Observation deck was crowded so I slipped out to the back deck and was rewarded with a beautiful rainbow. This evening marked the summer solstice and the time when the sun starts to head north and we crossed the Antarctic Convergence. This is where the cold Antarctic waters meet the relatively warmer waters of the Subantarctic waters. The mixing of these waters creates a zone which is high in food especially Antarctic krill and that brings the birds and whales to feed.