Day 06

Tuesday, February 17

Drake Passage

Posted by Geoff Green, Expedition Leader

Hello from the Drake.  We had a great departure from Ushuaia and a smooth sail down the Beagle Channel last night.  Everyone was out on deck enjoying the sea breeze, birds and spectacular landscape in every direction. It was an amazing feeling to cast off the lines and begin our journey.

Around 1:00am we reached the end of the Beagle, and the ship started moving more, and later in the morning we really started to learn why the Drake is so infamous!  We had some rough seas for the first night, and seasickness set in for many on board. This of course is part of the experience and often an unavoidable part of going to Antarctica.  This morning was more of the same, with the seas and winds hitting us directly on our starboard beam, causing us to roll quite a bit.  It has been a morning spent trying to get our collective sea legs!  The lounge looks like a bit of a war zone with students sprawled out in all directions.  As I write this email, my chair is sliding from side to side, so please forgive any typos!

Spirits are still good and everyone is toughing it out.  We´ve had many Wandering Albatrosses soaring around us throughout the day, along with many other southern ocean seabirds.  And the sun is shining!  We are making good speed towards the Antarctic.  But it looks like this crossing is truly going to be a ´rite of passage´ for our students...

We hope to send more journals and photos later today.

In the expedition spirit,
Geoff Green

NEW VIDEO

Students on Ice Antarctic University Expedition 2009 Intro Video

Journal Entry by Sally Ells, Athabasca, Alberta, Canada

In the middle of the dreaded shaking Drake

If you had told me one year ago that I would be sailing on the roughest waters of the world to the most isolated continent on earth, I would have thought you were crazy! But here I am, in the middle of enormous blue waves, traveling at about 13 knots seeking out icebergs, penguins, sea lions and whales, with a wonderful group of people.

Last night I gazed into the dark sky until land was behind us. I thought it was a good idea to shower before bed because we were warned that we would wake up to the shake of the Drake. Let me tell you, that was the most epic shower of my life! There’s nothing like water sloshing back and forth on slippery surfaces and waves tossing you around in a small metal shower. Sometimes my stomach sloshes as much as the water in the shower basin. It actually did not get really rough until the middle of our sleeps though. The rocking of the ship kept trying to toss me out of bed. At first I was disappointed to be on the lower bunk because there is little head room; I quickly felt more comfortable though once the boat was rocking and I knew my fall would only be about 2 feet to the floor. Eventually I realized the best way for me to sleep was to lie on my back and wedge my leg between the bed and the wall. This stopped me from rolling so much when the ship rocked dramatically in the darkness. So far, to my surprise, I have not been one of the sea sick passengers. Neither has dad. We seem to be doing very well. I have been hungry and enjoying the rocking of the ship. I am told that this is a good sign.

On deck is amazing. Sometimes you can feel the ocean mist on your face as the water crashes below you. The ocean is the bluest thing I have ever seen in my life. Absolutely unreal. A person cannot even describe the beauty of something so pure and so untouched. Obviously, you see nothing but ocean. Water, water, water and more water. There is no land in sight, and no other ships. It feels like we are a group alone and removed from civilization. This is actually a wonderful and strange feeling. I know we are all in good, capable hands though, so there is very little to fear.

Tomorrow I look forward to reaching protected waters. Everyone will be more chipper once the M/V Ushuaia gives us a break from all the rocking. We are expected to cross the Antarctic Convergence tomorrow morning-ish, I am told; and we should see ice by the evening. I cannot wait.  

Until then, in the expedition spirit,
SAL

A view of the mountains on the hike to Laguna Esmeralda, Tierra Del Fuego

Journal Entry by Jolene Lust, Sylvan Lake, Alberta / University of Alberta

Drake Passage

Well, here we are on the M/V Ushuaia, making our way towards the end of the world! It’s been an interesting journey. We left the Beagle Channel last night about 11pm and now we’re into the Drake Passage, the middle of the Southern Ocean. I didn’t sleep much as I was up worrying about falling off the top bunk as the boat rocked back and forth. I’m seriously debating on tying myself to the bed with the rope I brought as I don’t trust the removable railing, if you can even call it that.  Erin (my cabin mate) and I now know the true meaning of “Drake Proofing” your cabin. We had several items throughout the night crash to the floor. Gravol has also become my friend. I was unfortunately one of many that got sea sick this morning. Its bearable now. I think tomorrow will be a better day.

Nunavik Student Penina Mae Kleist in Tierra Del Fuego

Journal Entry by Susan Nulukie, Kuujjuaq, Jaanimmarik

Drake Passage

Finally! My first blog since I left home.

I still can’t believe I’m going to Antarctica. Mom, I’m having a great time. Like on one of the songs of Jason Mraz “Open up your plans and damn, you’re free”.

Our way here all the way from home took forever on the plane. I have never been that long on a plane; more like on planes. At first we left Kuujjuaq to Montreal, it was good. Then Montreal to Toronto was good, too. We spent a night in Toronto then left in the morning, and met a lot of people. Toronto to New York was ok. But New York to Santiago was sooo long. We slept in the plane and it took us 16 hours to go to Santiago. Then Santiago to Buenos Aires. When we arrived to Santiago, I thought we were going to spend a night there but I guess not. Well, it didn’t take long to go to Buenos Aires. Its really hot there, I don’t know why I was saying I miss summer. We spent a night there, and we had a cute room. Then the next day we went on a tour around the city. Heard a story about the city and some people, pretty good story, I like it. Then we where on our way to Ushuaia. Oh, I LOVE Ushuaia. It is the most beautiful place I have ever been. I wish I could live there but then I would miss home to much. In winter, they do some skiing there and the mountains are really big and, of course, beautiful. We spent 2 nights there, and  it was sunny on both of the days. The third day, it was raining a bit but later on in the afternoon the sun came back.

The first day in Ushuaia, we met David Fletcher, who is pretty cool. He told us a story about Shackleton. Shackleton was a great man. He was a guy who wanted to be the first man to South Pole but someone else was the. So Shakleton had another plan to go across the Antarctic. He went around the sandwich, they tried to go to that corner but the current and the ice pulled them away. Then their boat broke but it was still on the ice, and the ice was holding it up. So then Shackleton and his crew took some pieces of the boat and took all kinds of weird stuff they didn’t really need. But they left the expensive stuff like jewelry, gold and all those kind of things. The boat sank soon after. They took the 3 small boats they had, put all their equipment in. But they had to drag the boats and it was pretty heavy. It would take about 1 day for 800 feet. They made it to Elephant Island, freezing cold and exhausted. Shackleton and 5 more people from the crew went off to get help from Southern Georgia. It took few months or weeks to get there. When they arrived there, they heard the most beautiful thing ever. It was a sound of a whistle. A whistle to let workers to get ready to go for breakfast, but they were not sure if they really heard right, so they waited for another half an hour to see if they could hear the other whistle to let the workers get ready for work. So then Shackleton and the 5 other men walked to the place where they heard the whistle and slid to the town. The men in that town thought “Who are these people?” One of the workers went to go see their boss, so then the boss went up to them and when Shackleton said he was Shackleton, the boss was so happy to hear it was him, he smiled of joy. They thought they had died in Antarctica cause they hadn’t heard from them since quite a while. Schakleton sent a rescue mission for the other 22 men and they were saved. After the guys got rescued, they signed up for the war. 3 men died but the rest died of old age. Schakleton went back to Antarctica to do another expedition, but he died from a heart attack because he was old. They sent his body to his wife but the wife told them to send him back to Antarctica because that’s where his heart belongs. So, that is the story of Shackleton. I love how David told the story. He is from the U.K and I like his accent.

So, that was the first thing we did in Ushuaia. The second day in Ushuaia we went to the ranch. It was nice; more like beautiful. We went to the museum then did a tour around the ranch and of course heard a story. It was pretty good. It was beautiful there, of course. They use electricity only by a generator. Must be fun living there. Then the third day in Ushuaia we went for a hike up the mountain behind our hotel to the glacier but we didn’t make it to the glacier. We didn’t have enough time because we had to go to the boat M/V Ushuaia. We arrived at the boat and we got to see the whole town and it was beautiful. Now we are on the ship. I have taken lot of pictures of the town in those three days, about half of my memory card, that’s how much the town is beautiful. But good thing I have extra memory cards. The water was nice and smooth, we had a great view of the mountains and the beautiful skies and of course beautiful clouds. Then we went to sleep, woke up and the ship was shaking a lot. I thought it would be rougher. I am really happy that I’m not seasick. It’s like a baby rattle but really big. It’s like this all day and night hopefully it will stop tomorrow even though I’m used to it. So, tomorrow we are going to be doing a lot and I’ll write another blog but not this long.

Everyone at home, I miss you guys and I’m having a great time here. Hopefully its going to feel fast and I’m going to have a blast here. It will feel like I’ll be there in no time. I love you guys all,

Sue –xox-

Student Maéva Gauthier on the way to Laguna Esmeralda, Tierra Del Fuego

Journal Entry by Maéva Gauthier, Mt-Tremblant, Qc, University of Victoria

On the ship, Southern Ocean

French:

Alors, le “drake lake” ou le “drake shake”? Hier soir vers 23h, c’est le «drake shake» qui a commencé! Enfin, plus agité que tout ce que j’ai connu en terme de voile ou de bateau que ce soit les caraibes ou le large de l’île de Vancouver. Le sommeil fut difficile car je me faisais promener d’un côté à l’autre du lit, puis réveillée par des objets qui tombaient! Le lever pour le petit déjeuner m’a démontré que vivre dans une maison flottante par temps venteux n’est rien! C’est dangereux et on doit vraiment se tenir toujours d’une main pour ne pas se retrouver à l’autre bout de la pièce ou à côté de la toilette! Je ne me suis pas très bien sentie dans la cuisine, alors j’ai décidé de rester près de la porte ouverte dans notre «lounge» et manger quelques fruits. Devrais-je spécifier que j’étais blanche? Beaucoup ont été malade et les activités de la journée ont été reportées. J’ai repris mes couleurs pour le dîner et par la suite la journée s’est très bien passée. Quelques danses synchronisées à travers les pièces lorsqu’on se déplace et ça en est drôle. Moins drôle pour Laura qui a été malade, s’est retrouvée dans une chambre voisine à cause du mouvement du bateau, s’est agrippée au cadre de porte et celle-ci lui a fermé sur le pouce. Ouch! Elle a perdu son ongle et ne sait pas s’il est cassé. Ils ont changé un peu la direction du bateau et nous nous dirigeons vers Elephant Island qui devrait se montrer le bout du nez vers 16h demain! Nous avons eu des présentations sur les oiseaux marins par Santiago, le Southern Ocean par Eric et Marianne, ainsi qu’une présentation de Belinda sur sa descente en sous-marin au Titanic. J’ai discuté avec Scobie sur les mammifères marins, il parait que c’est une bonne année pour voir les baleines en Antarctique! Bonne nuit!

English:

So, Drake lake or Drake shake? Last night, from 11h30pm, the Drake shake prevented me from sleeping most of the night. I’ve never experienced something like this. “One hand for you, one hand for the ship”, Geoff said. If you don’t, well you might end up at the opposite side of the room or off the toilet! I had a hard time for breakfast and barely ate some fruit. Activities were canceled for part of the day, because it was pretty rough. By the afternoon, we changed our heading to have it less rough and we plan to be at Elephant Island by 4pm tomorrow! Yay! We had great presentations about sea birds from Santiago, the Southern Ocean from Eric and Marianne and Belinda’s descent to the Titanic. Very interesting. Nice discussion about whales with Scobie, apparently it is a good year for whales in Antarctica! Good night!

Heading into the Drake Passage

Journal Entry by Dan Hammond, London, ON / UWO

Drake’s Passage: approaching Antarctic Convergence

Ayyeee mateeyy...makin’ way cross ye Drake Passage, ½ me landlubbin’ crew is mighty queeezy!

Mixed opinions on the state of the Drake’s Passage – the captain and first mate declare smooth sailing (referred to as “Lake Drake” as opposed to “The Drake Shake”) but about half of the passengers are suffering from some severe sea-sickness.  I’ve opted to go “o-natural” to tough out the motion in the ocean – my remedy involves sticking my face against a cold glass window and taking a refreshing bite of an apple – thus far my technique has been overwhelmingly successful.  After all, I am a pirate.

A Wandering Albatross catches an updraft from the MV Ushuaia in the Drake Passage

Journal Entry by Marianne Mathis, ULaval

Ushuaia & Beagle Channel

Ce matin, Émilie, de Trois-Rivieres et moi avons essayé notre première session de yoga avec vue sur la mer.  La série debout était complètement impossible à cause de l’amplitude des vagues dehors et nous avons été lancé de côté en côté durant la serie parterre.  Malgré nos difficultés, c’était une belle façon de commencer notre premiere journée d’apprentissage.  Nous avons aussi vu nos premiers Albatrosses dehors, en train de voler en pleine mer.  Nos discours aujourd’hui ont été incroyablement intérressants; les oiseaux de mer en matinée, l’ocean antarctique en après-midi et la visite du Titanic après le souper. 

Les oiseaux qui habitent l’Antarctic font face a des difficultes unique, notamment; l’environment mouille et sallee, aucun eau fraiche, aucun terre pour se reproduire et un manqué de nouriture.  Les especes qui peuvent surmonter ces obstacles severes le font de facons incroyables et ils sont des varies miracles de la nature.

Nous avons ensuite appris pourquoi l’Océan antarctique (Southern Ocean) possède les caractéristiques uniques permettant la biodiversité incroyable qui existe ici.  La température et la salinité de l’eau de mer créent une densité uniforme, unique au sud de la convergence Antarctique (la région d’eau froide autour du continent – élément critique à créer cet environement), qui permet les macros et les micronutrients à être mélangé par les vents de l’ouest. Ceux-ci peuvent ainsi se rendre à la surface pour favoriser l’accroissement du plancton – la base de la chaîne nutritive. Le carbone est attiré vers le fond, ce qui crée un puits de carbone.

Melinda, une plongeuse de la Nouvelle-Zélande, nous a ensuite guidé autour du Titanic!  En expliquant ses recherches sous-marinea au site du Titanic, elle a demontré des merveilles des profondeurs de l’océan.  Le sel dégrade le bateau qui ne sera pas reconnaissable en 2300. Des touristes extravagants peuvent y plonger pour le modique coût de 35 000 USD et on retrouve évidemment des canettes de Coke provenant des régions urbaines sur le bord de l’océan. 

Bref, des systèmes complexes et merveilleux, expliqués par des experts dans leurs domaines respectifs. Ces présentations générales nous préparent effectivement pour les détails des jours à venir.  Autres bonnes nouvelles: il semble que j’aurai peut-etre une chance d’avoir un cours universitaire crédité en glaciologie, ce que je croyais impossible jusqu’à ma discussion avec le professeur en charge du cours!

Evidence of the Drake Shake from a porthole

Journal Entry by Penina Mae Kleist, Kuujjuaq, Quebec / Jaanimmarik School

Drake Passage

First of all Hello’s to you J. Since I left home I had to take at least 6 planes to get to Ushuaia and the plane rides weren’t that fun since we had to sit down until we landed. Since it’s my first time leaving my country, that is Canada, it’s been fun seeing a whole different world. After the plane rides we landed in Ushuaia to spend to 2 nights there. As soon as we hit the city, it was the most lovely view that I’ve ever seen through my 2 eyes. And where we stayed was the beautiful place I’ve ever stayed.  The name of the hotel is Del Glaciers. If I were rich, I’d live there already! I’m just kidding, but it’s soo nice to be there. There are lots of high mountains and some of them have glaciers.

We went to visit the Harberton Ranch and we went to the bone museum. It was the coolest moment for me to learn something different that we don’t have in the North . Before we left for the ship, I went for a hike with friends and that was the first time I’ve hiked. I’ve been taking lots of photos, too.

Right now I’m on the ship with other 89 people including me and it’s my first time on a big ship. This morning when I got up, before 7:00am, I felt good. When I saw the big waves through the small window where me and Susan are staying, as soon as I sat on the floor, I kind of felt that I was getting a little sea sickness, so I took some Gravel but I puked after I took it. I went for breakfast and I  couldn’t really eat, so I just had few bites. After, I tried going back to my room. I had to run to the washroom to puke again. So I went to the lounge to get a little sleep on the couch and it helped me and now I’m alright. I still have lots to learn from this trip and we only started going through the ocean yesterday around 5:00. It’s pretty fun but being on the ship for the first time is kind of  uncomfortable for me.

Thank you for reading my little journal and I would like to say to my family and friends that I really really  miss you guys so much and I’ll see you when I come back home J. That’s it for now! I’ll write again some other time. One picture so far. If I have time lol…  P.S Penina Mae Vilhelmine Kleist hope to see you guys soon march 1st 2009 okey.

Wandering Albatross

Journal Entry by Nishtha Sinha, School: India/ Bhutan/Lungtenzampa M.S.S

Drake Passage

Hello, everyone! This is Nishtha writing from somewhere in the Drake Passage. Yesterday we boarded our vessel MV Ushuaia and officially said goodbye to the civilized world. Since the moment I got on the ship, I have been jumping around and generally going mad. People who know me probably know that I am really crazy so just imagine what it would be like if I became even crazier. Well, this mad, high feeling did not last very long as we were introduced to the Drake Passage. For people who don’t know, the Drake Passage is quite infamous for being the angriest patch of sea in the world.

With the Drake Passage, we also said hello to sea sickness. There are no words to describe how you feel when you are sick every 5 minutes. Most people did not venture out of our rooms but the few who were extremely daring to come to the lounge had to rush to the toilet every 10 minutes. Since the water was choppy our ship has been moving quite violently, so have the people and things in the ship. It is quite a common sight to find people flying all over the place. As for meal times, that’s another story. Our food and drinks are everywhere. My friend Rosie and I were discussing today just how boring it would be during meals times with no food coming your way or how during shower times, you would not bang your head into the wall.

We have started our expedition officially with briefings and lectures. Most of us were running in and out of the meeting room to go the toilet to throw up. The food we get is so yummy that even with an upset stomach we stuff ourselves and promptly throw it up later. This is the first time in my life that I have had a proper 4 course meal complete with a salad and dessert.

Today when the weather was a bit calmer, we were allowed to go on deck and guess what, I actually saw an albatross. It was a breathtaking sight. Their wing span is about 3 meters and they seriously look majestic gliding in the air. An average albatross can cover a distance of 1000 km. a day by hardly flapping its wings.

We high school students have a curfew time and I have passed it a long time ago. So I better go to my room before someone comes to check. Good night. Will keep posting.

Journal Entry by Terina Hancock, University of Alberta, Edmonton

Drake Passage

Before leaving Ushuaia on the boat, I spent a couple of days in Ushuaia.  One of these days, before the rest of the expedition members arrived, I went scuba diving in the Beagle Channel.  It was quite exciting to compare the ecosystem there to that of the West Coast of Canada.  In the Beagle Channel, I saw no fish, but there were tons of little lobster like creatures, and some giant shrimp with blue legs hiding behind the bull kelp.  By that evening, most expedition members had arrived and there was ice breaker games and dinner.  The next day was group activities; I participated in the hike up to Laguna Esmeralda.  There is a history of beaver damage in that area that has flooded and destroyed some of the forests.  The beavers were introduced to Tierra del Fuego many years ago, however they have no enemies.  Walking through the muskeg-like area, the things that I noticed that were different from the forests of Canada was the lack of life.  At home, walking through the forest one can hear frogs, crickets, birds and many other creatures.  In the forest up to the Laguna, I heard no activity like this, saw very few birds, and only two lonely individual insects.  The Laguna itself was very beautiful.  It is a glacier-fed lake with the glacier further up the mountain.  The day after, February 16, it was time to board the boat for Antarctica.  It was a very thrilling day watching the tug boat pull out from the pier and sailing down the Beagle Channel.  We entered the open ocean of the Drake Passage in the middle of the night, and it was difficult to sleep as the boat rolled back and forth.  Today, February 17, was spent getting use to maneuvering around the boat with it rolling in the waves.  Albatrosses have been following us all day, dancing around the boat.  There was some time in the afternoon when we were able to go out on the outer decks and sit in the sun, watching the waves and the dancing Albatrosses. 

Journal Entry by Sierra Pope, University of Ottawa

Drake Passage

There are three reasons I’m so tired today, which may well apply to a lot of us on board.  The first is the terrible night’s sleep last night…every time I would get to sleep, a little fretfully as it was, a swell would come, and someone’s possessions sliding off a surface somewhere on my floor, or the creaking of the ship, or my inner-ear’s message of oh-god-you’re-falling-off-this-bed, would wake me up in that sudden way that makes it nearly impossible to sleep again.  The second is the inevitable drowsiness of the anti-nausea pills I finally decided to take.  I was doing well until late morning, then finally succumbed to the shaking of the Drake.  More than half of my shipmates have been sick at least once as well, but we’re in incredible spirits…it almost seems like a badge of honour, the greenish face and the swaying footsteps across the common room: “We’re all surviving the Drake!  The roughest seas in the world!  Now where’s the bathroom…”  The third reason for my tired state, and all of ours here on the ship, is the balancing act we have to do every time we move.  Walking across the room is hard enough—arms reached out to balance, moving diagonally in a strange little dance— let alone the effort it takes to get out of a chair, get up the stairs, or in and out of the top bunks.  In a day when we’ve reached calmer seas, we’ll all be experts at moving on these waves.

All of these Drake-related issues aside, we’re having a fantastic time.  The common room is full of people; sleeping on cushions and couches, clutching their cameras in case of a huge photogenic wave (they happen a lot), talking, reading, sketching, playing cards.  Every now and then a huge wave will rock the boat so hard that the cushions and pens and papers go flying…most recently, two empty mugs and a splash of cocoa onto someone’s assigned reading.  But almost everybody is smiling; it’s fun to do this all together.

We had a great talk earlier by Santiago on sea birds…about a third of our party made it to the lecture room, which felt a little like being in a cold washing machine, but it was worth it.  A couple of things I learned: 1) sea birds have a salt gland in their heads, to help process the salt out of their food or their sips of seawater 2) a recent study indicates that changing climates are leading birds to winter farther north—the purple finch has almost made it to Wisconsin for its winters, so things must be changing—and 3) the albatross has an incredibly parallel life cycle to our own.  They reach sexual maturity between 12 and 14 years old, and once they decide to find a mate, they participate in various mating dances for 3 to 4 years until they find the right mate.  They are born with dark brown feathers that go white with age, and they die at around 60 or 70 years.  How poetic is that? 

We’ve seen quite a few albatrosses, soaring around our ship today.  In the early afternoon, the captain and Geoff decided it was calm enough seas for us to be allowed on the port side of deck.  It was so beautiful outside, with the sun and deep blue water…waves crashing everywhere in big white sprays, making little rainbows in the mist at the end of their paths.  It’s such a good remedy to be outside for a little while—we all had a bit more colour in our faces after being in the fresh air for a few minutes.

So, a solid day at sea.  At our present speed and course, we should reach Elephant Island around 4 pm tomorrow.   Hurrah!

Journal Entry by Sandra Borton, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, B.C.

Drake Passage

18:30  “Baby, we’re rockin’ now!”  Well, actually, we’ve been rockin’ for 24 hours- last night being the worst.  I am one of the lucky ones so far; unlike many of my expedition-mates, I have not been too badly ill.  Seas were extremely rough through the night and not quite so bad in the am.  It is evening time now, and the course has been altered slightly in an attempt to achieve a more comfortable angle to the swell.  Santiago gave us an “Introduction to Seabirds” lecture, which helps us to appreciate the birds that are following the ship for more than just their photographic potential.  We are off to a second lecture and then dinner, so I will finish this up in a little bit…

21:45  mmmmm…. dinner was GREAT!  The staff on the ship are doing a stellar job!  We just finished our last lecture of the day: Belinda (a kiwi from Stewart Island) gave us a slide show about her diving trips to the wreck of the Titanic – SO COOL!  She is the deepest diving female in the world and we are so privileged to have her on board with us!  I’m off to bed soon.  I want to catch up on a bit of reading, and figure out some of the features on my camera.  I have got some photos of birds, but would like to get some better ones before the Albatross leave us tomorrow (they do not come close to the land, but we will see them again on the journey home.). 

Tomorrow, in the early evening, we should arrive at Elephant Island, and maybe make our first shore visit.  We can feel it getting colder outside, so I know we are getting closer.  I am excited for our first landing.  I gained some ‘geographical’ perspective today after spending some time on the bridge, able to see the great expanses of ocean all around us.  Our first shore landing will feel even more spectacular given this new perspective of our location.  So, it was a good day today and looking forward to another good day tomorrow! 

Journal Entry by L-A Shibish, Vancouver Island University

Drake Passage

“I now belong to a higher cult of mortals, for I have seen the Albatross ” Robert Cushman Murphy.

Our first night on the ship was challenging. The Drake Passage proved to us why it has the reputation of the roughest patch of water on earth. Waves rose to over 5 meters, and the high winds created a ‘washing machine’ effect. Within an hour of leaving the sheltered waters of the Beagle Channel, most of us began feeling queasy. The demand on sea sickness bags peaked around midnight. By morning, less than half the students and education team surfaced from their cabins for breakfast.

At breakfast, I amused myself by watching the fruit salad slosh back and forth in the buffet tray. At one point, a rogue wave hit the starboard side of the boat and dishes and drinks went flying off the table. Two students ended up covered with water and juice. But as the old saying goes, “No pain, no gain.” We did not sign up for a luxury cruise. In the true spirit of Shackleton, Scott and Amundsen, we are explorers, adventurers, pursuers of knowledge. 

As the sun rose across the endless sea, we got our first glimpse of the Albatross and Petrel sea birds. Like a welcoming party, they turned up to escort our ship through their homeland. The morning lecture was cancelled due to the roughness of the sea. To give us some relief from the sickness, the captain turned the ship further east to ride with the swell, and not against it. The boat continued to rock and pitch and roll all afternoon. Due to the rough weather, and for our safety, we were asked not to go outside on the decks. The lounge was full of students, in various stages of unrest; sleeping on couches, passed out on the floor or leaning, pale faced, against the windows.

Things didn’t improve all day. Students staggered around the ship as the waves continued to show us who’s domain this really was; as if it was trying to tell us that only those of stamina and fortitude need travel here.  Every hour it seemed another king wave would come out of nowhere and attempt to test the strength and determination of our little ship. If it wasn’t nailed down, it was flung across the room. Same went for students, as we bounced off walls and grabbed for anything within reach for stability. We have now learned what “Drake Proofing” means. As I type this, I am almost falling off my chair as the boat rocks from left to right. I’ve had to grab my laptop several times to avoid it skating across the table. Four students have grabbed my chair on the way by as they lose their balance from the waves. We’ve even joked about tying ourselves down to our bunk beds so we don’t fall out during the night.

But aside from the epidemic of sea sickness on board, this day’s journey brought highlights. The appearance of the Albatross was quite a thrill. We attended an appropriately timed lecture and slide show on Introduction to Seabirds, given by Santiago, the ornithologist traveling with us. We also had three other lectures; The Southern Ocean, Introduction to the Antarctic Ice Sheet and Into the Abyss/Titanic Revisted.

Hopefully the winds in the Drake Passage will ease somewhat by tomorrow. Our plan is to land at Elephant Island, the island that Shackleton sailed to for help for his expedition team which got trapped in the Antarctica ice.

Another king wave just hit, chairs; dishes, bodies flying all over the place. Better go and help fix things.

Journal Entry by Marianne Mathis, ULaval

Drake Passage - 10:00 PM

La mer gonfle et gonfle son ventre, depuis le milieu de la nuit, et tente de nous avaler. Heureusement, le navire est bien solide, et mis à part les objets à l’intérieur, nous restons bien solidement à bord. Toutefois, la nuit de sommeil fut plutôt mouvementée, étant donné que le Passage Drake ne nous a laissé aucun repos. Nous dormions dans un manège involontaire qui ne cessait de nous balancer à droite et à gauche, dansant avec la gravité.

Les vagues se fracassent dans une mousse blanche, qui laisse place a de l’eau d’une couleur aqua incroyablement claire. Les pétrels et les albatros viennent survoler l’arrière du bateau, en partie parce qu’ils sont curieux, mais aussi parce que notre passage fait remonter des ressources comestibles dont ils s’alimentent. Plusieurs de ces oiseaux ont aussi besoin du vent que produit le passage d’un navire, afin de voler, lors des journées tranquilles. Comme ils se déplacent à la recherche de nourriture, sans jamais s’arrêter sur la terre ferme, ils apprécient particulièrement le repos qu’ils trouvent dans le vent qui les porte sans effort.

Toutes les espèces animales étant liées de près ou de loin aux activités humaines, il est intéressant d’apprendre qu l’albatros est une espèce très piégée par les poissonniers qui lancent des filets de plusieurs kilomètres de long au large, afin d’approvisionner en poisson les cales de leurs navires. Effectivement, comme les oiseaux sont attirés par le passage des navires, ils se font souvent prendre à leur propre jeu… d’où l’importance de comprendre la dynamique entre toutes les espèces qui font partie de l’écosystème et d’adapter nos méthodes afin de préserver ces espèces.

C’est incroyable de se retrouver au milieu de l’Océan antarctique, avec aucun repère terrestre aux alentours. C’est à ce moment-là que je réalise combien notre planète contient d’eau; avec ses 70% d’eau potable conservée en sa glace, le dernier continent, l’Antarctique, est riche de cette ressource.

Ce soir, nous passerons la ligne de convergence, qui est une zone tampon, qui sépare les eaux chaudes des eaux froides de l’Antarctique. À partir de ce moment-là, il fera de plus en plus froid, jusqu’au moment où nous serons en Antarctique. Nous avons maintenant la moitié de notre chemin de fait. Quelle excitation à l’idée d’apercevoir nos premiers icebergs et si nous sommes chanceux, nos premières baleines et pingouins, en soirée ou demain!

En attendant, nous avons différentes conférences sur les ressources de l’Océan antarctique et sur les espèces d’oiseaux qu’on y observera. Cela nous prépare à nos observations.

Autrement, de simplement regarder ces formes qui se créent dans l’océan, de se laisser imprégner du bruit de l’eau qui se fracasse sur la coque et de se laisser bercer par le mouvement dramatique du bateau est une activité pleinement satisfaisante en soi.

Les rayons de soleil percent les nuages, dans un éclat fade: le jour va bientôt se coucher.

Journal Entry by Lindsey Andersen, Glenbrook North

Drake (Shake) Passage

Well, today has been a tough day on me to say the least. It is getting close to bedtime and I am extremely tired. I spent a large majority of the day throwing up and then sleeping but it was definitely worth it…as strange as that sounds. I won’t speak too much of my sea-sickness; but, to say the least, I wound up succumbing and putting an anti-sea-sickness patch on. I got through the day, though, with the help of everyone trying to make me smile and laugh. When I started to feel better around 7:00 P.M, I went outside and saw my very first albatross. I must say it was one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever had the privilege of laying eyes on. I am quite exhausted and in great need of a shower!

To be honest, I have learned so much already. From the faculty and from my fellow peers, I feel as though I have been allowed into a world of creativity, love, and unconditional passion—just by meeting these people. Whether sitting in a lecture about the Southern Ocean, or sitting at the dinner table, I already know this will be single-handedly the most amazing experience of my entire life. I was joking around when speaking with Tim yesterday—but I think I have found quite a valid point. I have a feeling I have acquired a pre-requisite to a very extreme addiction….an addiction to the Antarctic. I honestly believe this is not my last trip here. On the other hand though, each day I try to brainstorm more and more ways that I can help get the message across back home. Speaking of home, I have been homesick very little…which surprises me. I miss my dogs, parents, Joshua (boyfriend), and all my friends but I know they are so proud of me. I sit here and I know that back home, my friends are sitting in a fantastic classroom…but I am truly experiencing the best classroom on Earth. (Even though sometimes I hate it with a passion because it makes me so sick sometimes!!!!)

P.S. to Mrs. Bettle- Rosie would like me to tell you that she is alive and well! :] We are having the BEST time as shipmates! (Hah our room has finally been “Drake-Proofed”… our toilet seat went flying off in the middle of the night…hilarious, actually!)

Until tomorrow,
Lindsey Jens Andersen

Journal Entry by Kevin Turner, Kitchener, Ontario/Wilfrid Laurier University

Drake Passage

Wow – nothing like getting spanked by the Drake Passage.  Pretty sure I’m not gaining weight on this trip.  From what I hear, our list has been up to 27 degrees (the angle that the boat sways from straight up to the side).  I heard that this boat is rated to about 50 degrees, so we should be good.  I was almost tossed from my bunk a couple times through the night and we all have an interesting time getting around the boat.  It sounds like there have been lots of broken dishes.  My bunk is my happy place.  Whenever the tossing around becomes a little too much, I head there for a bit.  I took a photo of the view that I have from my bunk through the circle window (below).  It turned out to be a beautiful day.  We were accompanied by some albatross and petrels, which were amazing to see.  This is a wild place.  It humbles you for sure and lets you know whose the boss.  I have an even greater respect for Ernest Shackleton and his men.

Journal Entry by Florian Hofmann and Lukas Sundermann

Drake Passage

Eine der berüchtigsten Seepassagen der Welt, die Drake Passage zwischen Südamerika und der Antarktischen Halbinsel, trifft uns mit voller Härte. Jede Bewegung im Schiff kann gefährlich sein und verlangt den Einsatz beider Hände. Treppen werden zur Gefahr und an Schlaf ist nicht zu denken. Flo trifft es, Lukas umso härter. Mehrmaliges übergeben steht an der Tagesordnung. Alle Präsentationen im Conference Room werden zur Qual und Lukas ist zwei Tage komplett ausgeknockt. Kein Getränk und keine Nahrung bleibt im Magen, ich liege zwei Tage einfach im Bett und versuche nicht aus dem Bett zu fliegen bei über 35 Grad Neigung. Einigen anderen geht es gut, aber die meisten liegen mehr oder weniger flach. Der  riesige Albatross und andere Seevögel sowie Wale können kaum beachtet werden. Am Abend geht es Flo schon wieder gut und er kann das erstaunlich gute Essen an Board genießen.

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