Our journey to the Antarctic

Let the voyage begin.

After spending the first part of the day walking around Ushuaia we boarded the G Expedition.

The plan was to take up to 3 days to get through the Drake Passage, the part of open ocean from the southern tip of Argentina to Antarctica.

All passengers attended the safety drills where we learned how to put on the Gumby survival suits and life jackets then headed to our lifeboats. We were fitted with our own expedition parkas and set sail down the beautiful Beagle Channel. This first day at sea was relatively calm and easy going.

While traveling, twenty of us who signed up for kayaking were fitted for our kayaks. Each couple was assigned their own kayak, named after a type of whale. Ours was Sperm.

As we maneuvered through the Drake Passage, we all thought we were experiencing the notorious rough waters nicknamed the Drake shake, only to find out we were lucky, as conditions were uncharacteristicly calm. This was the calmest the passage has been all season. They rate the swells from 1 to 10 and we were experiencing mostly level one. We all agreed that if this is a one, we couldn't image what higher levels would feel like. Some passengers were thankful there was a doctor on board with a supply of seasick remedies.

Radar maps showed two strong storms on opposite sides of the Drake coming our way, with potentially cyclone-force winds. Nothing to worry about, just something the captain needs to keep a watchful eye on.

Could this be the calm before the storm we wondered?