After two days of travel, we awoke this morning to the success of crossing the Drake Passage and reaching the Antarctic Peninsula. Outside our windows: tall mountains and big blue icebergs. On deck: crisp and chilly air. We are finally here. We spent the whole day in Marguerite Bay, commencing our expedition with a visit to Stonington Island, home of two historic research stations, Base E (UK) and East Base (USA). We headed farther south for afternoon adventures, but plan A was sloshed away by inclement weather. We pivoted both plans and direction, but not before reaching the farthest south latitude that National Geographic Resolution has ever sailed! We enjoyed delightful Zodiac excursions to view fantastic ice formations, gorgeous lighting, and a sampling of Antarctic wildlife. Both morning and afternoon included programs by our scientists and naturalists, concluding with recap and another delicious dinner.
1/28/2023
Read
National Geographic Resolution
The Drake Passage and the Beagle Channel
The sun came out by 07:00 this morning and stayed with us all the way into Ushuaia. In the morning, we had two presentations. One covered the South Pole, and the other was on the early Antarctic explorers. After lunch, we had a wonderful display by sei whales in the Beagle Channel. Shortly after, our two divers demonstrated the underwater ROV and the cold-water dive equipment. In the evening, we attended the Captain’s Farewell in the Ice Lounge and auctioned the trip flag. The Beagle Channel was named for the HMS Beagle . The channel is south of the Strait of Magellan, and it is the last cut off for ships rounding South America to avoid the Drake Passage. It was named during the first voyage of the HMS Beagle around 1827. It was on the second voyage of the HMS Beagle that a naturalist named Charles Darwin was brought along. Darwin and the HMS Beagle spent months in the channel. In addition to his observations in the Galapagos, many of Darwin’s observations in this area led to his Theory of Evolution. The HMS Beagle was sent with 22 chronometers to fine tune the latitude of critical points around the world. Captain Robert Fitzroy was not funded by the British Navy to have a naturalist aboard, but he hired Darwin with his own money because he felt it was important. That decision was critical in how we now look at the natural world around us.
