Another morning rocking and rolling through the Drake Passage. It as not as bad as the previous day however it was still difficult to walk a straight line on the ship. Jean-Roch reminded us to “Keep One Hand for the Ship” which meant in order to stay steady keep one hand on railings and walls. First time that I heard this phrase, and we were putting it to good use.
Our morning started in the Fitness Center followed by breakfast. Gen was feeling better and joined us at
breakfast. We packed a bit then Virginia
went to the bird watching session on Deck 5 Aft with two of the Expedition Guides,
Rodrigo and Catherine. We saw an
Albatross and Giant Brown Petrels. They
like to fly in the draft of the ship.
There were other lectures throughout the day – “Sled Dogs of
the Antarctic”, “Climate Change”, and “Arctic Photography”. Sled Dogs were introduced in the early 1900s and
stayed there for 40 years. Then it was
decided that only animals native to the Antarctic could stay. The dogs were sent to the Hudson Valley to
Inuit Tribes.
During High Tea, Michael the Cruise Director and Luis the
Hotel Director talked about life on the Ship.
Luis started his career with Royal Caribbean on the Sovereign of the
Seas. It is very possible that he was on
some of the Royal Ships which we sailed.
Of the 150 passengers on board, there were 18 nationalities including
American, British, Canadian, Australian, Israeli, Mexican, French among others. There are 28 nationalities withing the
Crew. It is always fun to ask questions directly
to the Ship Crew and get to know them on a personal level.
The ship had made good distance and arrived close to the Beagle
Channel by early afternoon. The winds
and waves quickly dissipated which made for a pleasant journey. This allowed
the Captain to slow the ship and meander towards the channel to meet with a
pilot boat in the middle of the night.
There was one last recap prior to dinner. Each Expedition Team Member selected one
photo or video which they most cherished from the week. This was followed by a video montage by
Videl, the photographer. Highlights
included the Minke Whales following us through the Lemaire Channel, the Leopard
Seal following the Zodiacs through the Iceberg Graveyard, the sighting of a rare
Snow Petrel – so many precious memories.
What a blessing it has been to experience this with our daughters and friends.
Two young passengers, brother and sister from Australia,
shared a special thank you to the crew, Expedition Team and passengers who made
their visit special. They concluded
their appreciation by offering everyone to visit them in Australia.
Dinner theme was an Asian Fusion buffet. There was a beautiful sunset to cap off a
beautiful night. Michael and Chase
entertained us with songs of travel in the Dome.
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