The Weddell Sea welcomed us today with howling winds and glassy calm, remote islands and chaotic landscapes of sea ice, bright sunshine, racing clouds, a nearly full moon in the evening and a fantastic, hoped-for but unexpected sighting of an emperor penguin. This is a nearly legendary place, the setting of the harrowing adventures of Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition and Nordenskjold’s Swedish Antarctic Expedition. Thoughts of that heroic history were always in the backs of our minds as we enjoyed our first sightings of the continent and our first day in the true Antarctic wilderness.
2/28/2025
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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.
