Our last night in Antarctica…. we are all preparing for the Drake – cabins have been tidied up – everything in place where it can’t move. The galley has been a flurry of action preparing meals for the Drake passage – split pea soup, chili, lentil stew – things that go down easily. We’ve been waiting in Port Lockory the last few days waiting for weather. The last week or so the winds have been from the north, plus a few strong low pressures, so we see a good window tomorrow. We’ll be joined by a handful of yachts who have also been waiting for a good window. We’ve taken advantage of the extra time though – today we went over to Dorian Cove and explored Damoy Hut. We shared the landing with our friends from the cruise Ship Midnatsol. They have a replica of Amundsen’s tent that he left at the south pole. They set it up at this landing and allowed us to check it out and even go inside. A big thanks to their staff for letting us share in their landing at Dorian. Also at this site is a bright turquoise hut that was used by the british as a base of flight operations for nearly twenty years. The hut is now preserved and we were able to go inside and check it out. Plus David, our penguin scientist onboard got an extra site and collected 5 more sets of feathers for his mercury study. All in all a great extra morning. There are low chances of blog posts over the next few days as we cross the Drake – looking a a computer screen is one of the surest ways to get seasick. Listening to music and podcasts will be the theme of entertainment for the next few days. All guests have been assigned shifts, so we will take turns at the helm as we cross the Drake. Catch everyone on the flip side! Back to the Continent we go!
– Laura
