As the National Geographic Explorer stirs to life, we find ourselves once again in the Drake Passage, heading north this time. The conditions are about average, some wind with a relatively benign sea, maybe ten foot waves.
It was a morning to sleep in a little, and to catch up on some of the sleep we missed out of while on the Antarctic Peninsula. A later breakfast helped make for a leisurely morning!
Even though we were on the ship all day, there was still plenty to do: lectures, photo collections, boot return, recap and a film about Cape Horn. Or, maybe just checking email and looking at the thousands of photos we took during this amazing journey!
Another source of entertainment was the plentiful sea birds following along with us, riding the winds around the ship as we steamed north. Cape petrels, giant petrels, Antarctic petrels, along with two species of albatross (wandering and light-mantled) were seen during the day gliding around the ship. A wonderful send-off after a special voyage to Antarctica!
