Not every trip to the Antarctic requires a baptism by storm. On the contrary, the vast majority of my 80 crossings of the Drake Passage, the narrowest stretch of the Southern Ocean (480 nautical miles), have been downright comfortable. On rare occasions, however, there is no time to wait out a passing storm and we have to dive right into the maelstrom. This was one of those crossings but, with it, came a long list of incredible sights, sounds, and memories very few human beings can say they have experienced. Nor could many vessels have handled the confused seas we rolled through today with such stability, offering an incredible platform on which to embrace the raw power that makes this part of the world unlike any other.