Exploring Antarctica
The Drake Passage
The sun hung low over the distant watery horizon, as
it always does in the
Drake Passage.
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Iceburg on the Drake Passage
Here it barely rises into a gray cold
sky. It struggled to make a shallow ark. It cast a
golden glow about the ship; the
M/V Ushuaia. The thick polar atmosphere tempered its
fearsome fires, reducing it to a feeble creature. And
dark gray clouds released it only occasionally from
their grip.
Not many people were on deck as the able ship sliced
through the icy waters. It was very cold outside, below
freezing, and the Antarctic wind made it much colder
than that. But albatross glided effortlessly on the
frosty gale, as it reflected off the hull. They had been
with the ship since it left Ushuaia the previous day and
would hitch a ride all the way to Antarctica. The
majestic creatures with massive wings outstretched would
fly up and down in a never ending dance with the ship.
The Antarctic Peninsula
The mighty
Southern Ocean churned and tossed the tiny vessel
and its fragile inhabitants. Powered by the mixing of
the vast Antarctic Ocean and the South Polar Ocean, in
what is known as the
Antarctic Convergence, unimaginable forces drove the
undulating watery plain. Back and forth, left and right,
up and down the ship was thrown. Unendingly and
relentlessly the unnatural motion continued. So powerful
was this movement that people were tossed from chairs
and hurled down gangways. The ceaseless motion took its
toll on everyone from broken arms to nightmarish nausea;
there was no escaping it.
Mixed between the endless sunsets and sunrises two
days passed by; eventually, at first in the distance,
but soon all around icebergs were spotted. Like giant
silent floating buildings would never do, they drifted
by our tiny vessel. They reminded all of us of our
minuscule stature and humbled us against the potent
polar region.
The Drake Passage
Excitement rose up and spread around the ship like a
virus as the first sighting of land in days was made. We
had made it to the Antarctic Peninsula, but more
importantly to the protection of its smoother waters.
Finally we would have relief from the ceaseless churning
of the Drake Passage.
The trip to Antarctica is a difficult one, but the
price is definitely worth paying.
See my next article to
continue exploring the vast southern continent with me.
Exploring Antarctica, Aitcho, Greenwich, and the South
Shetland Islands
More Information:
Drake Passage
M/V Ushuaia
Southern Ocean
Antarctic Convergence