Today was a beautifully sunny and windy day as we crossed the Drake Passage on National Geographic Explorer. We had perfect conditions for watching seabirds, including albatrosses, shearwaters, and petrels. We had an opportunity to learn more about Antarctica during presentations and then finally, after lunch, we spotted land on the tip of South America. The seas calmed as we entered the Beagle Channel, and we enjoyed the views as we sailed into Ushuaia. The captain’s farewell cocktail hour was a wonderful cap to the trip, along with the guest slideshow. It was an amazing last day on board and an absolutely incredible trip to the White Continent.
12/3/2024
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National Geographic Resolution
Lemaire Channel and Pleneau Island
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.
