Antarctica- 48 hours Crossing the Drake Passage

WEDNESDAY 

We crossed over and into the Drake Passage during the night. Many, many people struggled with motion sickness. Fortunately, I did not. 

The day was spent exploring the ship 🛳️ and attending lectures. The tradition of hosting lectures everyday comes from the time of Shackleton, the explorer.  The lecture could be on anything but lectures are geared towards preparing the guests for visiting Antarctica 

Practicing a fire drill and ship 🛳️ evacuation. 

Notice the rope that was put in place for when the seas are rough. The ropes were strung through out the ship for people to grip and stay standing.  The rope is removed when all is calm.

Lattes and cappuccinos on demand at the bistro!

Delicious desserts served at every meal.

                                           Each day the "Daily Program" is posted listing key events

                                                                          and lectures

My home away from home:  Cabin #305

High Tea - every day!

Listening to a lecture in the lounge 

A view from my cabin window.

THURSDAY 

Each morning yoga/stretch session is offered at 7:00 am in the lounge. The yoga is a wonderful way to start the day and it ends with a fresh smoothie. 

We spent the day steaming south with the plan of crossing into the Southern Ocean at 60 degrees south as we make our way to Crystal Sound. 

In general, the seas were far calmer today so there were more people in the dining areas and throughout the 🛳️ ship 🛳️. 

Our first view of an iceberg….

I think 🤔 I have fallen in love 🥰 More icebergs…

Clearly, I need to do just an iceberg post 🤔🙄😊

Checking out the bridge. 

Showcasing our DMS flag in the lounge.  

In preparation of stepping onto the continent, we inspected all of our clothing for contamination (dirt, seeds, hairs, everything). We used a vacuum cleaner to help clean pockets and the inside of backpacks. 

The evening ended with the entire dining room singing happy birthday 🎈 to me. 

A visit to the bridge. 

Good night 😴 view through porthole in my cabin. 

Shout-out to Ellie, Aayana, Charley, Jarvis, and Alex B- Watching and searching for animals in Antarctica 🇦🇶 is a big part of our trip. We saw many types of birds, three kinds of penguins, three types of whales 🐋 and four types of seals 🦭. It’s so easy to fall in love with the penguins because they are so animated. I love watching them waddle and hop. 

Shout-out to Grady and Manny- Penguins have dark backs so they look like they’re part of the water. They have light colored bellies so when predators look up, they blend in with the water. It’s all about camouflage.  Often like penguins stay with like penguins. Occasionally, you see them mixing a little but that does not mean they mate across species. 

Shout-out to August-The ship 🛳️ has been fabulous. There is a chart room where you can review maps and get a hot or cold drink any time of the day or night. The library sits on top of the ship providing excellent views. There is a dining room and bistro. Because the ship is so large, it makes it a little easier to go through the Drake Passage. 

Antarctica-For the Love of Icebergs

I would not have predicted this but I fell in LOVE 🥰 with the icebergs. 

Icebergs were far easier to capture with my phone/camera than birds 🦅 or whales 🐋🙄🤣

An iceberg is fresh water and a minimum of 15 feet long that has broken off of a glacier. Chunks smaller than 35 feet are called , “growlers “  or  “bergy bits.”

The craziest of facts is that 90% of the iceberg is below the water and we saw some ENORMOUS icebergs. 

Icebergs are full of tiny air bubbles. Over time, the air bubbles are squeezed out. The light absorbs all the colors but blue. This is why some icebergs appear blue. 

Shout-out to Emma- There were many icebergs once we left the Drake Passage. When we were kayaking we were told to stay away three times the height from icebergs. There is always the risk of an iceberg flipping. 

Shout-out to Tegan- In many places in the Southern Ocean there is new ice forming on the water. The new ice is soft and mushy. As the ice solidifies, it makes it much harder to access the shore. 

Shout-out to Chris, Ryder, Hunter, Caroline, Angel, and Lahee- Weather in this part of the world is interesting 🧐 It’s summer and yet it snowed ❄️ almost every day. The temperature wasn’t that cold 🥶 (30-33 degrees) but the windchill was brutal. I used hand warmers on some days but I used my skiing mittens every day. It could be calm one moment and then next thing you know, the wind 💨 is whipping around your body. 

Shout-out to David- We saw all kinds of wildlife as you have seen in my pictures. Over and over again the naturalists on board the ship 🛳️ emphasized that the waters are rich with life. Krill being the most important piece of the food chain. Yet, if you look closely there are many other critters to discover…

Antarctica 🇦🇶-Grilling, Ushuaia and Home 💕

Crossing the Drake Passage for a second time was rough for many. Again, nearly 1/2 the guests were hit hard with motion sickness 🤢as were many of the crew and staff. Fortunately, I was fine. 

Tea time turned into a grilling party 

Recap in the lounge and a farewell by the captain. 

A delicious 😋 dinner to celebrate the end of our expedition. 

And back on land at Ushuaia, Argentina 🇦🇷 

And three flights later…. Home 💕

Our expedition route. 

A BIG thank you to National Geographic Society and Lindblad Expeditions for this life changing opportunity. I am so proud to be a Grosvenor Teacher Fellow. 

I can’t begin to say enough about my cabin mate, Brittany Berry. She is a talented educator and an ideal travel partner. She made my birthday 🎂 memorable and special. 

The many guests and naturalists filled my world of Antarctica 🇦🇶 with knowledge and laughter. 

The ship’s crew covered every detail and kept me energized with lattes on demand. 

Wow 🤩 So generous of my family to cheer me on during this holiday season as I explored two new continents 🤗🥰😘🥰

Lastly, thank you 🙏🏽 to my students who helped me prepare for the adventure of a lifetime and turn me into an Antarctica 🇦🇶 explorer by doing research 🧐, asking questions and completing last minute tasks (flag creation and origami penguins 🐧). Mr.  Michael Bernt and his students made pens to help me say thank you to the special people I met along the way. And to my Team A teachers, Ms. Ouelette and administration… Thank you ☺️ for your continued support thus allowing me to bring the outside world 🌍 into our school and my classroom 💕💕

Shout-out to London L - The penguins 🐧 were so incredibly curious 🧐 of us but none of them came very close. All of my photography was done with my phone and you can see how close they were to me. 

Shout-out to Liam, Jameson, Aayana, Lucas, and Nevaeh- It’s really hard to say what my favorite part of this expedition was… I learned so much from the many naturalists and I shared many laughs with the guests. I think 🤔 I liked crossing the 60 degree south latitude line into the Southern Ocean and seeing the many icebergs the very best. The penguins 🐧 are definitely a close second 😂

Antarctica -Deception Island and More Penguins 🐧 (crossing the Drake)

TUESDAY 

Today we visited Deception Island. The island is located in the South Shetland Islands and it s caldera of an active volcano. You can reach your hand into the sand and the sand is actually warm due to the underlying volcanic activity. 

Notice the narrow opening called Neptune’s Bellows. The island is 10 miles wide and we spent time in Whaler’s Bay. While in the bay, there was a strong sulfur smell. Due to erupt, the volcano last erupted in the 1960’s. The remains of a whaling camp can be seen on shore. 

Chinstrap Penguins 

After returning to the ship, our boots had to be cleaned to prevent the spread of avian influenza (bird flu). 

Half Moon Island and More Penguins 

Soooooo windy 🌬️ 

Scallops for Dinner 

All locked down in anticipation of traveling through the Drake. 

Shout-out to Caleb and Natalia P. - the first two days and last two days of our ship journey is spent crossing the Drake. The distance is about 600 miles.  On average, the depth is about 11,150 feet. So many people are experiencing motion sickness 🤢 Fortunately, I am not …. It’s like being on one long roller coaster 🎢 Waves 🌊 are ranging 12-15 feet in height. 

Shout-out to Mackenzie- As far as which guest has travelled the farthest, it is probably a guest from Austria 🇦🇹 He is a friend of one of the naturalists. 

Shout-out to Andrew and Andre -We covered quite a bit of territory on this journey. One highlight is that we crossed over into the Southern Ocean, meaning we went below 60 degrees south. Take a look at the map 🗺️ below 

Shout-out to Sara- I have purchased very few souvenirs. I bought two patches ( maybe 🤔 I will put them on a jacket or on my backpack) and penguin earrings. We have a brief stop in Ushuaia on the way back home… I hope 🤞🏽 to purchase a few items then. The truth is I am bringing back lots of pictures and videos. 

Do you want to see penguins swimming underwater?  Check out this video captured by the naturalists on board our ship.

Click on this link:

     Penguins Swimming