Antarctica's White Wilderness Day 12

DAY 12 - Monday, January 25, 2016 - Cruise the Drake Passage

The ship was rolling quite a bit last night after dinner. We were just publishing GarciaTrips when Claudia announced that there were whales on the port (left) side of the ship.

Even though the seas were choppy, Vic went out on our veranda and took a few photo bursts as we watched a pair of Humpbacks traveling along with the ship. Another nice thing about a cabin with a little deck, you can come and go outside as you please.

“The ocean has motion”, Claudia said in the morning announcements. We had been warned that in the night, the boat would be rocking. We “Drake Proofed “ our cabin before we went to bed so that every thing would be stable for the night. Amazingly, we were able to rest well as the ship rocked us to sleep during the night.

While we were having breakfast, the Captain told us we were now out into the Drake and the seas would be rough. The temperature was 33 degrees, the wind was blowing at 30 knots (34 mph) and waves were cresting at 18 feet. The Corinthian is a trusty ship and we never felt frightened.

The seas were getting worse. All of the early morning lectures were postponed and the elevators were not to be used until we got into calmer waters. A few brave souls were out on the deck.

As we waved goodbye to the White Continent we were still awed at the pristine splendor of Antarctica. Heading back to Ushuaia, we hope to arrive late tomorrow evening.

We went down to the dining room for lunch at 12:40. We are lighter eaters at home and three solid meals per day are very unusual for us.

Our table crew and the chef work very hard to offer a wide variety of meal choices. The noon buffet was as elegant as the dinner each day. We have been having salads and a light lunch, as we know diner will be served at 7:00. The half portions were an excellent way to get a taste, but not to overeat.

During the two sea days, the Expedition Team provided lectures on various topics that were very thought-provoking. These talks kept us busy and gave us little known information about Antarctica.

We had another excellent dinner tonight and then went back to our room at 9:15 to watch the sunset and prepare GarciaTrips.

Accommodations: Corinthian - Meals: B, L, & D