The Best Trip Ever

After a long journey, I have finally arrived home in Big D. What a truly amazing adventure. The ship, the crew, the ice, the penguins, seals, birds and whales, the Drake Passage (all three crossings) the new friends, and the side splitting laughs all were somehow more fabulous than I could have ever imagined. Definitely, the best trip ever.

Penguin Movie

Last Landing

Here are a few pics from our last landing at Yankee Harbor before we hit the Drake Passage. If you look carefully, the furry blob on the ice in front of the ship is a weddell seal. Also notice how deep we had to wade in the icy water to get into the tiny boats.

Back on Terra Firma

We finally got out of the Drake around 2 am. Catherine had a pure joy ride, but when the waves hit 36 feet, I went down hard. No patch was a match for the Drake Shake. Looking at a computer screen was out of the question. We are waiting for baggage and my computer charger so this is all I can type for now. Final updates and maybe some video later.

Random Pics

Q&A

We have had a few questions from our commentors, so here are some answers:
Antarctic travel places a strong emphasis on protecting and respecting this pristine area. The rule for all visitors is to take only memories and leave only footprints. The wildlife has the right of way, At each landing, except one that I will explain later, we were required to remain 15 feet from all wildlife and 45 feet from a leopard seal (they are very aggressive). It was okay if a penguin approached you, but under no circumstances were we allowed to touch them.

At Port Lockroy, we lose as the penguins had an exception to the 15 foot rule and we could get as close as the penguins would allow. They are doing research on the effects of human interaction and that base has had people interacting with penguins for a long time. Half of the island has no human interaction and the other half has a lot. Interestingly enough, the penguins exposed to humans are doing better than the other side. They speculate that it is because there tends to be fewer skua – the main predator of penguins,


The ship is very nice, but it is an expedition ship. There is no spa or shows, there are lectures which are very interesting about history, geology and wildlife. But that isn’t to say we haven’t had traditional cruise fun! The group that adopted us have been a blast and we have established quite a reputation on the ship – in a good way.

Finally, some waves to be excited about

We are now riding 30 ft waves and 45 kt winds here in the Drake Passage. A much better ride than the straight and level we had coming down. Walking is very difficult and going out on the deck is very dangerous and perhaps stupid but fun as all heck. You have to hold on to the railings or the wind will blow you across the deck. There are about 20 of us in the group that adopted Ruthie and I. At the moment there are only 8 soldiers still standing. We are getting mist and spray clear up to the 5th deck. I am trying to get pictures that will show how rough it really is. I'll send them along later.