National Geographic Resolution started the day by cruising north toward Booth Island. We had the opportunity to listen to a few talks, including one from National Geographic photographer Kike Calvo, who went over how he approaches photography. We then hopped off the ship and into Zodiacs to cruise around Port Charcot. We observed massive ice and gentoo colonies. We even had some close encounters with a leopard seal! We repositioned for an after dinner operation in Neko Harbour, where we enjoyed the early part of sunset as we observed glaciers and penguins. This was our first continental landing of the voyage!
1/27/2023
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National Geographic Explorer
The Drake Passage
Today was quite busy with many interesting presentations. In the morning, geologist Serguei Ponomarenko spoke about the geological history of Antarctica. Before glaciation wiped out thousands of species of the animals and plants that used to be here, Antarctica was once connected to Australia, and much earlier, it was connected to Africa, Madagascar, India, and South America. Later, Gerard Baker spoke about conservation efforts in the Southern Ocean. After lunch, National Geographic photographer Michaela Skovranova instructed guests on live editing of photographs, an essential skill after a memorable trip. The last activity before dinner was an Antarctica quiz. In the late afternoon, National Geographic Explorer entered the Beagle Channel. Almost immediately, the wind subsided, and the sky cleared. Guests enjoyed the spectacular scenery on the Chilean and Argentinian sides of the channel. After dinner, the ship docked in Ushuaia, and guests had an opportunity to spend a few late evening hours in this most southern town in the world.
