It’s always a bittersweet feeling sailing north across the Drake Passage from Antarctica back to South America. The Drake Passage certainly lived up to its reputation on this leg of our journey, serving as the real ticket to go home. Of course, we do love the wildlife that the less calm condition of the Drake brings for us! As we made our way closer back to South America, we were treated to fantastic sightings of birds from sunrise to sunset. From the tiny cape petrels to the stunning light-mantled sooty albatross, and even passes by the largest flying bird on the planet, the great wandering albatross. When we could manage to peel our eyes away from the windows, we enjoyed the final presentations by our amazing expedition staff team: “On Assignment with National Geographic” by photographer Krista Rossow, and “Climate Change in Polar Regions and Solutions to a Big Dilemma” with Joe Holliday and Bud Lehnhausen. By early evening, we were essentially surrounded by large groups of giant petrels soaring closely alongside the ship. We rounded out the final evening of our expedition with our Captain’s Farewell cocktail party. The premier presentation of our guest slideshow is always a perfect way to reflect on our trip, but this evening was made even more special by a wonderful group of guests who shared incredibly kind words of what made the trip so memorable for them and toast to all the people that made it what it was. The inaugural Antarctic voyage of the beautiful National Geographic Endurance feels like it passed by in the blink of an eye, but is surely a trip we all will never forget.
2/28/2025
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National Geographic Resolution
Northbound Drake Passage, Cape Horn, and the Beagle Channel
This morning, we had a later start than usual after a late night enjoying the crew show. Our galley team gifted us with a fulfilling brunch. We then had a brilliant forum about climate change with the participation of our panel of experts onboard. Afterward, our expedition leader called us to the bow to see Cape Horn, which was only a few miles ahead. The good weather allowed us to have a smooth and fast crossing, allowing extra time to swing by Cape Horn, the most southern tip of the Americas. Over the PA system, Steven provided a very interesting description of the historical importance of this area, then Pablo read a beautiful poem, a memorial to the seaman lost at sea. We could see the monument in the distance, two metal sheets that depict an albatross in flight. During the afternoon, we enjoyed Madalena’s presentation about Women in Antarctica. This was an incredible voyage through the struggles and delays of allowing women to participate in science and logistics in Antarctica. We entered the Beagle Channel around 17:00 and we encountered black-browed albatrosses, cormorants, dolphins, and whales. On our final approach to the beautiful city of Ushuaia, we passed by Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse and some of the seals that live in the Bridges Islands Archipelago.