Cape Horn and Beagle Channel, 11/22/2024, National Geographic Endurance
Aboard the
National Geographic Endurance
Antarctica
Shortly after sunrise, coffee in hand, I made my way to the bridge. A pretty sunrise greeted me with the islands of Cape Horn visible over 50 miles away. I knew it would be a nice day.
Southern royal albatross flew by, traveling all the way from their nesting grounds in New Zealand. After rounding the horn, we made our way into the Beagle Channel. Here, we saw some dusky and Peale’s dolphins and even a few sei whales. We continued to Ushuaia, completing the circle of this amazing voyage to Antarctica.
Mike learned early on that the best way to escape Ohio was to become a marine biologist. During college at Wittenberg University he attended a semester at Duke University's Marine Lab — that time only confirmed his love for all things oceanic and ma...
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*KRCRUNCH* Such were the sounds as we punched our ticket south through the sea ice west of Adelaide Island. With a tempting sea state, glorious weather, and the incredible capabilities of National Geographic Resolution , by midday we found ourselves truly alone in a sea of ice, the only representatives of humanity for many, many miles. We made way through the loosening winter’s sea ice, and it seemed that our plans had received an official Antarctic seal of approval—five in fact! By day’s end we completed the rare Southern Ocean seal BINGO: crabeater, leopard, Weddel, elephant, and A ROSS SEAL—one of the few ever seen on the Antarctic Peninsula, and a first for many expedition staff with decades under their sea ice belts. By early afternoon we arrived at the spectacularly vertiginous Jenny Island, named for the wife of Commandant Charcot’s sub-lieutenant Maurice Bongrain. There we cruised and strolled among the Antarctic shags, Adelie penguins and southern elephant seals hauled out to molt into a new paintjob like so many submarines in shipyard. Defrosted and refueled ourselves, we look now for a spot to slow down for the evening. Ah, this fast ice could well do! Onward!
The Drake Passage greeted us with a 25-knot headwind this morning, and National Geographic Endurance rolled with the waves as we made our way south. We had an escort of seabirds—albatrosses, petrels, and prions—soaring gracefully alongside, taking advantage of the ship’s air currents and the strong headwind. Their movements were a mesmerizing display of skill, perfectly adapted to the Southern Ocean environment. By evening, the wind had eased, though the 3-meter swells remained. The surface of the water smoothed, and flashes of white streaked across it as birds turned on their wings, catching the sunlight. The Drake Passage, so often known for its turbulent waters and intense storms, offered us this rare, peaceful moment. The gentle rhythm of the waves, the grace of the soaring birds, and the unending light of the Antarctic summer came together to create an evening of serene beauty. Not every crossing is so kind. Tomorrow, Antarctica.
The soft rolling of our ship genteelly woke us up to serene morning. Through bouts of low fog, we charged on, and luck was on our side, as we had made enough speed across the Drake Passage to arrive earlier than anticipated to Antarctica. We spotted our first icebergs, looming mountains in the distance, and scattered blows of opportunistic humpbacks that the energy on the ship began to manifest. After lunch, our bridge team expertly navigated us through one of the most stunning passages on the Antarctic Peninsula, the Lemaire Channel. Towering mountains, volcanic in origin, now smothered with thick blue glaciers cascading straight into the sea all around us. Awesome isn’t strong enough a word to describe the drama of the scene. National Geographic Resolution settled among massive icebergs near Pleneau Island for our first landing. Boots and parkas donned, our fleet of Zodiacs brought us all to shore. The gentoo penguins charmed us all with their antics, posing coyly for the cameras before continuing on their industrious journeys. The clouds parted, allowing the sun to illuminate the vast landscape. With rosy cheeks and bright smiles, we claimed the expedition a success and returned to prepare for the next day.
