At sea, Drake Passage
Our afternoon spent in Ushuaia was unusually warm reaching close to 75º. The sky was bright blue and amazingly clear. The photo opportunities of the surrounding mountains and town itself were exceptional.
We boarded the Endeavour in the afternoon, our home for the next several days. We were welcomed by the staff, crew and champagne in the lounge. As we departed Ushuaia we all our looked forward to our pending adventure!!!
After a pleasant night’s sleep with calm seas and virtually no wind we awoke to a magically tranquil morning of gentle glassy swells. We were truly experiencing the Drake Passage (Lake) at its finest. The conditions were perfect for spotting marine mammals on the surface of the sea. We spotted two kinds: one rarely seen beaked whale which we were unable to positively identify (possibly a strap-toothed or a Gray's beaked whale) and a small pod of hourglass dolphins. The strangest sight of all was the albatross completely becalmed and floating on the top of the swells, unable to soar on the winds so common in the area. It was hard to imagine all the dramatic stories of huge waves and life threatening storms while we sailed upon such calm seas. The infamous Drake Passage was a gentle crossing with mostly clear skies, occasional fog and glassy swells, a real treat!!
We were grateful for the kind weather as it afforded all of us to truly enjoy and participate in all the excellent presentations.
Our afternoon spent in Ushuaia was unusually warm reaching close to 75º. The sky was bright blue and amazingly clear. The photo opportunities of the surrounding mountains and town itself were exceptional.
We boarded the Endeavour in the afternoon, our home for the next several days. We were welcomed by the staff, crew and champagne in the lounge. As we departed Ushuaia we all our looked forward to our pending adventure!!!
After a pleasant night’s sleep with calm seas and virtually no wind we awoke to a magically tranquil morning of gentle glassy swells. We were truly experiencing the Drake Passage (Lake) at its finest. The conditions were perfect for spotting marine mammals on the surface of the sea. We spotted two kinds: one rarely seen beaked whale which we were unable to positively identify (possibly a strap-toothed or a Gray's beaked whale) and a small pod of hourglass dolphins. The strangest sight of all was the albatross completely becalmed and floating on the top of the swells, unable to soar on the winds so common in the area. It was hard to imagine all the dramatic stories of huge waves and life threatening storms while we sailed upon such calm seas. The infamous Drake Passage was a gentle crossing with mostly clear skies, occasional fog and glassy swells, a real treat!!
We were grateful for the kind weather as it afforded all of us to truly enjoy and participate in all the excellent presentations.
