There and back again...

After an unforgettable week exploring the Antarctic Peninsula, we are back to the open water. We are sailing the infamous waters of the Drake Passage once more, this time northbound towards Ushuaia. We started the day with calm and smooth seas. The Drake Passage was treating us nicely.

As always, the expedition team had a wonderful presentation program prepared for the sea day. Sophie started the day’s presentations with a talk about the evolution of whales. It was so fascinating to learn that once, the ancestors of whales walked the earth and they evolved from artiodactyls, even-toed ungulates. Then Kelly continued with the untold stories of the Women in Antarctica. For decades, Women were excluded from polar exploration and science. To learn in detail about women’s ongoing struggle for representation in polar regions made us appreciate even more the opportunity to travel to this special place in a vessel skillfully mastered by a female captain, Heide Norling. Having a strong presence of skillful women in all departments on our vessel is simply empowering.

Our hotel department had a wonderful wine tasting prepared for us during the afternoon teatime. We had a chance to taste so many beautiful wines from different regions of the world, accompanied by a great cheese selection.

Many of us also took advantage of the sea day to explore the various spaces we have on board. Both the spa and fitness center were frequently visited, as well as our library for those who preferred to sit and read more about polar history.

Our day, as always, ended with a delicious meal prepared by our galley team. It was a great ending to a great day.