Iceberg in Antarctica
Antarctica cruise and kayak

Antarctic travelogue

Dreadful Drake passage

Day 2
  • Position: Drake passage
  • Hour: 8:00pm
  • Latitude: 56°24’S
  • Longitude: 66°04’W
  • Distance: 109Nm
  • Air temperature: 8°C
  • Water temperature: 8°C

Although I was sleeping I easily noticed the moment when the icebreaker entered Drake passage. 40 to 50 knots wind started to harshly shake our russian ship in every possible directions. Within a few minutes my cabin was upside down and I had to hang up to my bed not to be thrown.
albatrosIn spite of the wild elements I continued to sleep with this odd impression to be in a washing machine! At 7.30 Andrew (expedition team leader) woke us up via the P.A. I opened my eyes and started to feel dizzy. So far I never had been ill in any means of transports including boat, I felt helpledd and had to admit I was sea-sick.

At 8am I succeded in joining the breakfast room but what an adventure! The ship is so much shaken that each step is an adventure especially if your try to hold a cup of tea... But my presence here was brief as my stomach made me understand it will not accept food this morning. I headed back to my cabin and lied down as it was the only stable position. Around noon I decided to call the doctor as my health was not getting better.

After I took sea sickness pills, I started to feel better around 4pm. I got out to breathe fresh air and watch the albatrosses flying all around the ship.

As I was nauseous I decided not to take part to the briefings about antarctic wildlife, famous antarctic expeditions, the swell etc.
In the evening I finally got enough strength to get down to the conference room for the kayak briefing. We are only 9 kayak people out of 48 passengers. Everyone takes possession of the kayak gear: Gore-tex suit, waterproof boots, neoprene muff and a waterproof bag. Chad, kayak leader, gave us the basics to get on and off the kayaks: from ship to zodiac which gets farther so as to get safely in kayaks.

My little evening victory is that I had dinner even though the ship kept on being shaken. Only one third of the passengers were present for dinner... One has to pay Drake's tax to reach Antarctica :-)

[Continuation] Another day in Drake passgage