National Geographic Explorer departed Puerto Madryn early in the evening on Monday, March 28th. By Tuesday morning, the ship was well out at sea. While on a long crossing, there are many activities to enjoy on board.
The bridge in the early morning is a great place to slowly wake up. With Chief Mate Aaron at the helm, and Argentinian naturalists Eduardo and Santiago scouring the water for seabirds, there is much conversation to be had. On this very morning many gourds of Argentinian mate (a traditional Argentine tea) were consumed while several eyes looked through binoculars, spotting sooty and black-browed albatross. In the water, Magellanic penguins were seen, as well as a Southern sea lion and a far off whale!
After breakfast, the education begins. The first talk today was from David Barnes, our local Welsh historian. He was followed by ornithologist Santiago before lunch, who spoke about a topic dear to his heart, a certain species of grebe that has been part of an impressive conservation project. The afternoon brought a lecture by Dennis, a man of many talents who spent this particular presentation sharing his knowledge on plants. Dennis taught the guests aboard Explorer that plant biodiversity increases as temperature does, along with the relationship between variety in species and habitat. He showed photos of controlled burns, forestry decisions that have a logical backing and explained why.
For the nightly Recap, the expedition staff showed images of tangled line and spoke about fisheries in Argentina and the Southern Ocean. They discussed issues of bycatch and overfishing, finishing with a talk from expedition leader Jim Kelley on now-extinct megafauna. The night wrapped up with a delicious meal and frothy libation, early to bed and early to rise at sea.
