Rock-n-Roll in Drake Passage
Day 2 : Dec 11, 2019
A light rock-n-roll swaying of the ship becomes the highlight of our 2nd day in the Antarctica adventure as we sail through the Drake Passage.
A light rock-n-roll sway of Drake Passage greeted us in the morning at 6:00 am. The Drake Passage was witnessing a swell of 1 Metre. Soon, we got used to this gentle sway and enjoyed our morning tea delivered to the suite. We freshened up and got ready for the day.
The Drake Passage or Mar de Hoces is a 800 km wide body of water that separates the Cape Horn, Chile – the southern tip of South America, and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. It connects Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Southern Ocean (also known as Antarctic Ocean). There is no significant land anywhere around the world at the latitudes of the Drake Passage. This allows unimpeded flow of the Antarctica Circumpolar Current which flows clockwise around Antarctica. This cold current keeps the warm ocean waters away from Antarctica, enabling the continent to maintain its huge ice sheet. However, it is in the Drake Passage that the warm currents of Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean meet the cold current of Antarctica Circumpolar Current. This intermixing of warm and cold currents gives rise to the peculiar weather of Drake Passage that has struck terror in the hearts of seafarers since the discovery of the passage. Its strong swell, currents and storms have earned it a nickname -‘Passage of Hell’. Usually, seafarers have encountered Drake Passage in one of its two forms – Drake Shake – full of fury & storms, and Drake Lake – a calm serene sea. Apparently, we were witnessing a very mild form of Drake Shake.
An active morning
We went to the La Terrazza on Deck 7 for the buffet breakfast. We enjoyed the beautiful seascapes while having our breakfast. We also got a taste of Silversea‘s famed 5-star service where once you fill your plate at the buffet counter, the service staff would insist on carrying your plates from the buffet counters to the table. No doubt, with the slight swaying of the ship in the Drake Passage, this service was very welcome! After the breakfast we got our boots tagged. The tagging process entailed the Expedition Staff member putting our suite number tags on our boots. This was to prevent any mix-ups when our boots were stored in the mud room.
At 9:30 am we assembled in the Explorer Lounge on Deck 6, where the Expedition Team took us through the 200 years’ history of Antarctica exploration. At 11:00 am we attended the mandatory IAATO briefing done by the Expedition Leader at the same venue. After the briefing we went down to Deck 3 and got our clothing & gear inspected for any possible foreign invasive material by the Expedition team. This inspection is extremely important to ensure that sanctity on the Antarctica environment and prevent accidental introduction of any invasive foreign organic material. When we came back to the room to leave our clothing & gear, we were fortunate to get the first sighting of the Dolphins from the balcony.
A relaxed mid-day
We had a multi-course lunch at The Restaurant on Deck 4 at 1 pm. Thereafter, we sat down at Panorama Lounge on Deck 8, savouring the view around while sipping hot tea. It was a sunny day and the sea was inky blue. By then the swell had subsided and sea looked at peace. The Drake Passage, thankfully, was giving us its Drake Lake avatar. By then there were a few Snow Petrels, Cape Petrels and Albatrosses which were following the ship. Apparently, the wake of ship churns up the Algae and Krill to the surface which is food for these birds. For next 2 days, these birds were our constant companions.
At 5:00 pm we came back to the suite and rested for some time. There was a Cocktail Reception at 7:00 pm in the Explorer Lounge on Deck 6, which we attended. Key crew members were introduced to the explorers.
Hot Rocks
Thereafter, we went to the poolside restaurant – The Grill on Deck 8, for the dinner. It has a unique concept of self-cooking on hot lava rocks. We were served Sea Bass fish and Prawns which we cooked on the hot lava rocks. We enjoyed the fish and prawns with accompanying sides of steamed veggies and onion rings. It was an open-air dinner in a freezing weather, and the diners were provided blankets to keep them warm while dining. It was a different experience altogether.
It was 10:00 pm when we retired bringing to an end a beautiful day.
