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Crossing the Drake Passage on My Antarctica Cruise

12/30/2022

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Half Moon Island in Antarctica
We arrived to Half Moon Island on Ocean Victory. A smooth Drake Passage crossing put us ahead of schedule and in good spirits to start our trip with Albatros Expeditions.
By John Roberts
This is the second part of a four-part series of my cruise to Antarctica with Albatros Expeditions on the cruise ship Ocean Victory. During this part of the trip we cross the infamous Drake Passage with fairly calm conditions to arrive a bit early to the Antarctic Peninsula. This gave us a bonus day of exploration on this voyage.


Read Part One: Embarkation Day in Ushuaia
Read Part Three: Out For Plenty of Adventures; What to Pack
Read Part Four: A Big Finish and My Final Thoughts
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Days 2 and 3: We Cross the Drake Passage and Arrive to Half Moon Island 
Where We Were 
These were almost two full days at sea onboard Ocean Victory, but we made such good time across a calm Drake Passage that we were able to get to the peninsula early and have a bonus stop at Half Moon Island.  
What We Did 
During our first full day sailing, we had a few things to take care of ahead of our arrival to the peninsula. This included the IAATO (International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators) talk, which outlines the international rules for visiting the peninsula. There were also kayaking and snowshoeing orientations for cruisers who wish to take part in those activities, as well as a briefing on Zodiac procedures and safety. The briefings are mandatory in order to go ashore and do these excursions.
Zodiacs (inflatable boats) are used to take passengers from the ship and to the shore, with people preparing and loading from the Mud Room at the bottom deck of the ship.  
Expedition guide Ab Steenvoorden also gave a fun talk about the penguins of Antarctica.  

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I used the ship's fitness center and attended a talk about penguins by ornithologist Ab Steenvoorden.
On the second day of this crossing, the Albatros expedition staff conducted the all-important biosecurity check. This is an inspection of coats, boots, trekking poles, gloves, hats and other items that might have seeds or other foreign material stuck on them (maybe on a Velcro strap) that must be kept out of the pristine environment in Antarctica. 
During this time, we also had our "Boots Camp" to get fitted for our rubber boots that we use throughout the trip.  
Each cabin on the ship has an associated locker in the Mud Room, and passengers store their equipment for shore landings in the lockers. This would typically be parkas, boots and the Zodiac life vests (PFDs).  
Albatros assigns color groups that are in place throughout the expedition. These groups go ashore together, and the system of four-color groups works to allow people to prepare in the Mud Room and gather on shore for their excursions in an orderly fashion. 
In the morning before the biosecurity and boot-fitting sessions, I took the opportunity to get a Swedish massage treatment from the wonderful Shanteel, who provided all the massage and other spa services onboard Ocean Victory during our trip. 
It was a great way to rejuvenate my body after all the air travel en route to the ship, and it also was the best time to enjoy the massage before things got really cranking with the activities once we reached Antarctica.
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Cruisers make a landing on Half Moon Island in the late afternoon to have a look at the penguin colonies.
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Chinstrap penguins have the run of this island for their nesting activities this time of year.

Video Feature: Cruising the Drake Passage

What We Saw 
Mid-morning on the first full day at sea, I started to see seabirds, such as storm petrels and wandering albatrosses drifting around the ship and following in its wake. The skies were mostly gray, and a little bit of rain spit on the windows and outer decks. It was windy but not too fierce to keep people from wandering outside to get some fresh air, gaze at the birds and waves and embrace their hearty sailor spirits.  
Just before dinner, we were sailing through the sunshine on an incredibly calm Drake Passage when we spotted pods of fin whales and humpback whales feeding. Our captain adjusted course to get us in a nice position to view these giants gently swimming around on each side of the ship. There were about a dozen in total blowing frequent spouts of mist above the shimmering waters of the Southern Ocean. 
By mid-afternoon, we had arrived to Half Moon Island, with snowflakes gently falling and the skies overcast. This is it! We had reached Antarctica! 
Our groups swapped activities, with two groups going ashore to visit a chinstrap penguin colony (we also saw a lot of gentoo penguins) while the other two groups were on Zodiac rides around the bay. 
The Zodiac tours were awesome. We were able to get fairly close to a humpback mother and her calf and watched them move through the bay and feeding while breeching several times during their dives. 
What I Ate 
Dinner was served a la carte at the main Beagle Restaurant, and the menu for the two dinners on these days included prime rib, oven-baked cod and rigatoni with mussels in white wine. 
Of course, I'm always grabbing a couple chocolate chip or peanut butter cookies each day from the coffee station in the Shackleton Lounge.

Thanks for reading.
More soon,
JR
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The days would continue to get sunnier and more marvelous as the adventure continued south in Antarctica.

Our Other Cruises to Antarctica

My Epic Cruise to Antarctica with My Brother. Saved at the Last Minute!

VIDEO RECAP: Atlas Ocean Voyages Cruise in Antarctica

VIDEO FEATURE: Antarctica Cruise on Ponant Le Lyrial with Abercrombie and Kent
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My Cruise to Antarctica with Albatros Expeditions

12/26/2022

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Ocean Victory cruise ship in Ushuaia, Argentina.
Ocean Victory at the port in Ushuaia.
By John Roberts 
I'm back in Antarctica for my third expedition. It's a little different each time -- but always amazing. On this trip, I'm on a voyage in early December with Albatros Expeditions, and I'm sailing on the 186-passenger Ocean Victory. It's a new expedition ship that I have sailed before in Alaska with American Queen Voyages. 
Albatros uses the ship for the Antarctic season, and this series of posts will show you just how a cruise to Antarctica can unfold day by day. You will get a general idea about what you might see: There are penguins, seabirds and seals, of course, as well as plenty of icebergs and stunning natural landscapes. 
But each trip is filled with surprises, and every company that brings travelers here has its own unique program and expedition guides.  
Here's what we did with Albatros this time in Antarctica. One thing to note: The only thing you can usually count on is turbulent weather surprising you with something each day, so you have to set expectations for that. Our group of 166 cruisers, though, was extremely blessed by the most beautiful weather during our whole time in Antarctica, not something I would have ever counted on. 
Sometimes, the White Continent can offer days filled with sunshine, calm winds and blue skies -- and that is a pleasant surprise, indeed.
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Day 1: We Embark Ocean Victory and Sail Away From Ushuaia 
Where We Were 
I flew into Ushuaia a day ahead of the cruise. This is always recommended so that you have plenty of time to relax and refresh after the long journey to the End of the World. Coming in a day or two ahead of your embarkation also eliminates the chance of you missing the ship if you have a problem with any of your flights because of delays, etc.  
I had an overnight stay at the Hotel Albatros. (A coincidental name but with no relation to Albatros Expeditions.)
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Embarkation time the next day was any time between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., so travelers had several hours to explore Ushuaia during the day. Albatros offers a bag drop-off service at a travel agency building nearby, so you will find your bags waiting for you in your cabin on the ship after you board. This is a nice service to lighten your load as you explore Ushuaia. 
I did a little shopping and had a lunch with a nice Sir Francis Drake red IPA craft beer before heading to the pickup point for the shuttle bus to board Ocean Victory. 
The Beagle Channel: The Beagle Channel is a strait in the Tierra Del Fuego region of South America that includes parts of Chile and Argentina, separating the two countries at the very southern tip of the continent. The first part of the cruise night navigates this channel as it leads away from Ushuaia and passes another port area, Puerto Williams in Chile, on the way to the Drake Passage, which is a notorious and often turbulent stretch of sea that takes about two days to cross before reaching the Antarctic Peninsula.
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What We Did 
This was a day to get familiarized with the ship. Ocean Victory is eight decks high and offers a pair of restaurants, observation lounge, main lounge, bar areas, a small library, gym, spa and outer decks with a pool and two hot tubs.  
Check in went smoothly, as we registered credit cards for expenses throughout the trip. Items like drinks, spa treatments and internet packages come with additional fees. We also had a series of safety briefings and a muster drill. Our expedition team leader Phil Hunter introduced us to the rest of the expedition staff, and we got an overview of what we can expect during our voyage. 
Albatros offers kayaking and snowshoeing in its program for Antarctica. I'm especially excited for this because I have been to this place two other times but never had the chance to do much more than the shore walks and Zodiac tours. This would be great if the weather conditions allow us to go out in the kayaks and trek through the snow to see this place. 
"This is not a cruise," Hunter said. "This is an expedition."
There was a definite air of excitement, as this was the first time to Antarctica for nearly every passenger on the ship (we had 166 passengers on this sailing). I met several people, and the mix is very international. There were 18 nationalities represented, with travelers coming from Canada, Germany, Argentina, Japan, Thailand, Switzerland and the Netherlands, among many others.  
After dinner, the crew held a "Parka Party" to hand out the much-needed warm outer jackets that we will wear out on our excursions each day. Albatros provides the parkas that are yours to keep, or passengers can choose to return them to be cleaned and recycled at the end of the voyage. They do add a lot of bulk to your luggage and probably will be plenty stinky after spending more than a week around penguins. 

What We Saw 
We had calm waters through the Beagle Channel and only mild waves (relatively) during our first night in the Drake Passage. Waves topped out around 10 feet, so there was movement, for sure, but definitely classified as a smooth ride for the Drake. Sunset is about 10 p.m. this time of year during austral summer. 

What I Ate 
A buffet-style dinner was served on this first night. This was to save a little time as we had so many briefings and activities to get us prepared for our time in Antarctica. Ocean Victory and Albatros offer a plated a la carte-style formal dining experience on all other nights during your Antarctica cruise.

Thanks for reading,
JR

Read Part Two: Crossing the Drake Passage

Read Part Three: Out For Plenty of Adventures; What to Pack 
Read Part Four: A Big Finish and My Final Thoughts

Video Feature: The Captain's Suite on Ocean Victory

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