At Sea in the Drake Passage
Dear Diary,
We are on our way to Antarctica! After many long flights to get to Ushuaia, Argentina, self-proclaimed as “the southernmost city in the world”, we are sailing southwards on MS Endeavour toward the continent of Antarctica, or “The Ice” as some call it. Today started out clear, although a little windy, and we were rocking and rolling a bit in the wee hours, but by noon the seas had calmed down enough for us to be out on deck. Endeavour handles these seas very well, as she was built for rough weather, and she has stabilizers to even out the ride.
Speaking of taking long flights and windy conditions off of Cape Horn reminds me of a most remarkable bird - the wandering albatross, pictured here today just off the stern of the ship. The “Wanderer” as I like to call it, is the largest flying seabird on earth with a wingspan of 10-12 feet (the world record is over 13 feet!). They weigh about 20 pounds, so there needs to be some wind to allow these magnificent soaring birds to stay aloft. Wanderers roam the southern oceans in search of food, usually squid, which they seize just under the surface and usually at night with their long, sharp, hooked beak. They are long lived birds (some over 50!), pairing for life and breeding on subantarctic islands. In December, one egg is laid by the female in a gigantic grass nest and both parents incubate the egg. Chicks are fed by both adults through the austral (southern hemisphere) winter and fledge (leave the nest) in November. So the birds we are seeing today are out here at sea foraging for food, while their mates are taking their turn on the nest incubating the eggs.
It is amazing to see them soar in the wind, up and down between the waves, in and out of the troughs. Thinking of all of this makes me want to go back out on deck and watch them all day long. So here I go! I’ll write more later.
Dear Diary,
We are on our way to Antarctica! After many long flights to get to Ushuaia, Argentina, self-proclaimed as “the southernmost city in the world”, we are sailing southwards on MS Endeavour toward the continent of Antarctica, or “The Ice” as some call it. Today started out clear, although a little windy, and we were rocking and rolling a bit in the wee hours, but by noon the seas had calmed down enough for us to be out on deck. Endeavour handles these seas very well, as she was built for rough weather, and she has stabilizers to even out the ride.
Speaking of taking long flights and windy conditions off of Cape Horn reminds me of a most remarkable bird - the wandering albatross, pictured here today just off the stern of the ship. The “Wanderer” as I like to call it, is the largest flying seabird on earth with a wingspan of 10-12 feet (the world record is over 13 feet!). They weigh about 20 pounds, so there needs to be some wind to allow these magnificent soaring birds to stay aloft. Wanderers roam the southern oceans in search of food, usually squid, which they seize just under the surface and usually at night with their long, sharp, hooked beak. They are long lived birds (some over 50!), pairing for life and breeding on subantarctic islands. In December, one egg is laid by the female in a gigantic grass nest and both parents incubate the egg. Chicks are fed by both adults through the austral (southern hemisphere) winter and fledge (leave the nest) in November. So the birds we are seeing today are out here at sea foraging for food, while their mates are taking their turn on the nest incubating the eggs.
It is amazing to see them soar in the wind, up and down between the waves, in and out of the troughs. Thinking of all of this makes me want to go back out on deck and watch them all day long. So here I go! I’ll write more later.
