As we sailed away from Antarctica, the weather gods continued to look down on us fondly with a tame Drake Passage full of birds. Guests spent time on deck watching albatrosses and petrels play around the ship. When they got cold, there were engaging lectures inside to entertain.
11/26/2023
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National Geographic Explorer
Petermann Island
An early wakeup call from the expedition leader was appreciated by the guests who bundled up and headed outside for our transit through the Lemaire Channel. The narrow channel, towered over by snow-capped mountains, is one of the most picturesque places in Antarctica. After safely navigating our way through, thanks to the bridge team, we enjoyed breakfast as we arrived at Petermann Island. Guests had the opportunity to land and visit the gentoo and Adelie penguin colonies; we also had a Zodiac cruise around the island where impressive ice sculptures were grounded. On the Zodiac cruise, we saw numerous Weddell seals hauled out — but the stars of the show were the porpoising gentoo penguins, leaping out of the water as they travelled speedily back to land. Our journey then took us northbound, back through the Lemaire Channel, while conditions continued to improve with blue skies and calm seas. It made a perfect farewell to our time in Antarctica. Now we steam north into Drake’s Passage with our hearts full of memories and a mountain of images to sort through and share with friends and family.
