We are in the Drake Passage! This 500-mile watery-moat between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands is the shortest crossing from Antarctica to the rest of the world's land. The boundary between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans is not well defined on maps. Sometimes it is taken to be a line drawn from Cape Horn to Snow Island or the meridian line that passes through Cape Horn; either boundary lies entirely within "The Drake." This day the Greek God of the Sea, Poseidon, has looked most favorable on our vessel by laying his trident aside, allowing smooth passage on the “Drake Lake.”
There are four phases when exiting the White Continent by sea. The first occurs when you see the last piece of terra firma disappear from sight. For us on National Geographic Explorer, the north end of Anvers Island slipped from our view around midnight last. The second comes when one views the last floating vestige of blue-white ice upon the cold grey seawater. The third comes as we cross over Antarctica's natural biological boundary, the Antarctic Convergence. Finally, it is the political boundary or the 60 degree south latitude line, which was crossed today at 15:28:48 ship time.
Today is a day of reflection. During a quiet time aboard our vessel, a few guests sit by windows, gazing out over the vastness of the Southern Ocean, perhaps contemplating their Antarctic experiences or planning their return home during this festive holiday season. From our shopping trip at Port Lockroy many a lucky young grandchild, niece, or nephew will be receiving a stuffed toy penguin in their stocking on Christmas morning.
We are also kept busy. Many sort through and edit the thousands of images taken on this journey. There are also presentations. This morning Naturalist Steve MacLean provided a thought-provoking talk on global climate change in the Polar Regions followed by an open invitation for discussion. In the afternoon “Ice-Man” Eric Guth brought ice to life with stories of his photo expeditions to the glacial ice fields of Southern Patagonia in his quest to create amazingly beautiful images of ice caves. After tea time David Griffin, past executive editor of photography at National Geographic and current creative director at The Washington Post, enlightened us with a most informative discussion on editing and design in the field of photo journalism.
After dinner we enjoyed a special screening of Chasing Ice, an award winning documentary film released in 2012 that fallows National Geographic photographer James Balog across the Arctic as he deploys time-lapse cameras designed to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers. This film features the song “Before My Time,” performed by Scarlett Johansson and Joshua Bell, which was nominated for an Oscar in 2012 for Best Original Song.
Tomorrow we will complete our northbound voyage arriving just offshore of the southernmost point of land in the Americas. Our journey to the White Continent will end at first land sighting. Changed and inspired by our experiences, each one of us will continue forth on new journeys, aware that behind us in Antarctica, the summer continues. The eggs of the penguin, the blue-eyed shag, and the skua will hatch, in turn each set of parents will feed their chicks, the humpback whale will feed on krill, the leopard seal will bask in the sun’s rays on a small patch of floating ice, the albatross and petrel will soar effortlessly over the waves; life will continue, unchanged by our brief visit.
