NOTES: Poor internet. Pictures will be added when we can.
Last night before bed the Captain suggested we secure our cabin due to potential rough seas. We thought we were thorough in our preparations, but Margo woke about 2:00 am hearing bottles rattling together. Apparently, she hadn’t properly secured them. Mark slept through the rocking and the noise.
We ate at the small Thomas Keller restaurant onboard. It was wonderful and there may have been more staff than passengers. Every part of the meal was special and the food was magnificent. The chef came out to our table to remove the bones from Margo’s dover sole. It was like watching a surgeon performing a delicate operation.
We want to acknowledge and thank our friend Dan Kimball who is friends with the CEO of Seabourn and a couple of other lines. Dan sent him a note to let him know our sailing dates for the Seabourn Quest. Apparently, that made us a “Friend of Stein.” We have gradually learned what that means. Nothing overt but every one of the staff knew our names immediately and we think the service is a little more attentive and personalized. Thanks again Dan!
The staff seems to abhor an empty wine glass. We get the impression that their bonuses are directly related to the number of wine bottles they empty. Mary Ann, you should be here because Mark certainly can’t keep up with Margo.
We awoke this morning at 7:30 to an announcement from the expedition leader, Chris, that we were entering Glacier Alley. Margo pulled out the camera to try to capture some of the beauty. As we are learning is typical down here, the pictures do not do full justice. The world is so beautiful and pristine here. Margo finds herself having strong emotional reactions to people who live without regard to their negative impacts on the environment. As we watched the large waterfall rushing down the side of the mountain from the melting glacier, our first response was, “Isn’t that impressive!” Our immediate next response was that this was very sad because it meant the glacier was melting.
We saw seals swimming in the water, and endless beautiful birds. Regretfully, we do not know what kind of birds, but they are all majestic and supreme. We did see some albatross, for which we have been waiting. Others saw dolphins this morning, but we weren’t so lucky. Going outside with the others would probably help!
Preparations for our Antarctica arrival are in full swing. Only 100 people are allowed on Antarctica at a time so Seabourn has a method to assign who goes ashore when. Today we received our Purple arm bands that indicate our shore group.. One day we may be in the first group, another day the 2nd group, etc. There is no “best” group because the weather changes so quickly here. There are 5 different colors; each group will go ashore for about an hour and 15 minutes.
We had mandatory briefings to know what is required by the IAATO (International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators) and to learn how to safely get in and out of the zodiacs. We were watching the pictures and Margo kept thinking, “Is there really going to be that much ice or are they just showing that for affect?” I guess we will find out in a couple of days!
While it seems that going to Antarctica is something that only a few people get to do, we learned that there are 30,000 – 40,000 visitors to the Antarctic peninsula each year. We are going under a United States permit issued to the expedition leader who is responsible for all adverse events. We each have to sign a binding agreement that we understand and will comply with all rules. For that reason, it is important that no visitor bring back anything from the continent other than themselves. This means no rocks, feathers, etc. (Sorry, Jess.) We are also reminded to be very mindful of the penguins and other wildlife while we are visiting their home. This is a critical time for them as they are having and hatching their babies.
Dear grandkids and their parents: Although we promised each of you kids a pet penguin, we are beginning to think the penguins would be very sad to leave their mommies and daddies. We may have to give you a penguin that stays in Antarctica with its family.
We arrived in Ushuaia, Argentina, around 2:00 pm. Ushuaia is considered the southernmost community in the world. You may recall that Punta Arenas, Chile, claimed the title of furthest south city. Ushuaia is a cute little town. We both got off the ship and went to the entrance of the town where we made phone calls. This will likely be the last time we can make phone calls until February 2nd, when we arrive in Punta del Este, Uruguay, or February 3rd in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Margo wandered the town a bit, walking up and down very steep hills, to find a restaurant with free WiFi so she could upload the pictures for yesterday’s post. She ended up at a Hard Rock Café – not very Argentine, she knows, but it was effective to post the pictures.
Tonight, we begin our journey across Drake’s Passage. We will cross the 60’ south parallel that puts us in Antarctica. The climate changes from cool, humid, and subpolar to the frozen conditions of Antarctica. The Drake Passage is the shortest route from Antarctica to the rest of the world; however, the stormy seas and icy conditions make rounding the Cape Horn through the Drake Passage a rigorous test for ships and crews alike. The Captain announced that we have good conditions for tonight, with seas expected to be only 10 feet. Mark, however, looked at the international wave height map and it showed 4 – 5 meters, which is over 15’. Somehow, we think the Captain is understating the conditions because some people on board are extremely nervous! We want a safe, but adventuresome, journey. A few feet of waves make for fun memories! Feel confident Mark will exaggerate the experience. The Captain has deployed the ship stabilizer “wings” so we should do fine.
We learned that the creaking noise on the ship was from the stabilizers. We hate to think how much rocking and rolling would have been going on without those stabilizers!
Until tomorrow… Will it be Drake’s Shake or Drake’s Lake?