Jan 1-2: Back across the formidable Drake!

 I'd say that the first day back at sea wasn't so bad... As the forecast predicted. I spent the day engrossed in lectures, trying to squeeze in just a little more info, history and awareness of Antarctica. There was always something new to learn and the crew who specialized in areas were so enthusiastic about their topics. 

Just when you thought plankton or krill couldn't be interesting - you found out otherwise. These building blocks to the entire food chain had me captivated. All that I thought I understood was actually a tiny part of the story and I was happy to expand my brain a little.

Our crew mixed it up with games such as "how big is it?" where you may or may not learn something new about the natural world but definitely learned something new about the crew! 

In this particular game, we were in teams. Each team had a peg and when the question was asked, your team put a peg on the rope that was tethered across the room, with your guess on the length. Now sometimes it was "how big is the dorsal fin on an orca?" Other times, you had to guess the height of a ... Rune! (Our Norwegian Viking photographer.) Chaos ensued but hilarity hit its peak when points were awarded to teams coming in 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Arbitrary is an understatement. 1st place could get all of 17 points and 2nd place might be given 675.... A lot depended on what you asked for, if you were a first time winner and what (if anything) was going through the mind of the game host right then and there.

Then there was the charity auction. Donated items ranging from an "Antarctic $5 coin" to original art, souvenirs and THE flag that had flown on the Ocean Endeavor during our voyage. Scattered around the room were crew dressed in penguin outfits known as "champenguins", who were tasked with refilling the Champaign flutes of anyone who bidded. Yep... bidded, not won. It was a riot. Champaign was unashamedly being used to lubricate the bidding arm of anyone who looked like a reasonable bet. Our auctioneer was comical, fabricated details at will and was clearly unqualified. I laughed 'til I cried! In the end more than $11,000 was raised for the World Wildlife Fund. Success!

On top of that, I had photography meetings. I loved my photography group. Like-minded people who were happy to share and learn from each other, very supportive and encouraging too. Our "classes" covered topics like shutter speed and aperture partnership and composition (framing, reflection, contributing fore or background, disorder in order, silhouette, linear perspective, decisive moment, selective focus, panning, rule of thirds and color in a monochromatic scene). Each day we had been asked to lend some attention to one or two of these compositional focuses.

One of my favorite sessions featured a discussion about the word sublime; its meaning and how it could well be the word to describe Antarctica. A place that does exceed the limits of one's capacity to comprehend, describe and interpret. For me Antarctica was a bit on the transcendental side. I experienced it in a different way than a lot of my other travel. 

There's a moment when you realize you are but a tiny part of the immense universe. Where your actions are barely causing a ripple in the grand scheme of things and become almost overwhelmed with a feeling of anonymity. I remember the first time I felt it and every time since. It IS sublime. I actually enjoy this feeling and love the freedom it offers my mind. It's dizzying - in an untethered way.

Ok, so there was another part of this particular class that was also one of the more deep and meaningful take-aways for me. Rune presented a slide show of some of his favorite images - art.  

Let me preface this paragraph by saying all around the ship, hung large photo images taken by a professional. Landscapes of great beauty and isolation. Wildlife that stared into the camera with whiskers sharp and eyes sparkling. Mark and I had been talking one night as we ate dinner under one such piece. I described it (and all of them) as technically great but not very interesting to me, personally.

You can imagine my delight when Rune began his presentation stating that sometimes a picture can be made with focus, lighting and composition all catawampus (my words not his) and still be interesting... or more interesting because of it. It can tell a story, ask a question or just plain captivate you. YES!

We went on to visit some such art and I enjoyed having my eyes opened to all things that I was yet unfamiliar with. This "outside the box" enjoyment of something technically incorrect but compelling, was also freeing for me. His final message was for us to "find the human in the wildlife and find the animal in the human" when taking pictures. Love it!

As for me... 

• I love the wildlife in Antarctica. Finding the quirky faces and awkward postures, weird relationships across species etc is what makes it most interesting for me.
• When it comes to landscapes I tend toward contrast, shadow, reflection and pops of color rather than scale and perfect composition. 
• And as you will have noticed... I loved, loved, loved icebergs and bergy-bits. No good explanation I can honestly give except that every one is different, captures the light differently and has a different story. Maybe 10,000 years of coming to be, right here and now. And tomorrow, it will be somewhere else, a different shape, perhaps rolled over already and for sure will never be captured by anyone else the same way that I capture it right now. I knew penguins floated my boat before I got here... but the bergy-bits and the emotional energy that I found in them, were quite a surprise.

The last day at sea was among the roughest as we neared Cape Horn. The ship made its way through high swells, rocking and rolling dramatically. For most people, walking was "fun" and keeping drinks and food on the table a challenge. For me, sitting upright for any length of time was the problem and I stayed mostly in my cabin - horizontal.

We entered the Beagle Channel after dinner and the seas calmed. I rejoined the other passengers for lively goodbyes and the swapping of contact details. 

It was bittersweet. The images I captured from the deck seem fitting. Salt spray and waves left it shiny and clean. Just in time for sunset, the clouds parted and cast a beautiful light and reflection on it as we cruised through the channel and land came into view once more. The moon was full. 

We were most definitely Ushuaia-bound... This journey soon to be just a memory and tomorrow night a fresh group of excited passengers would be starting out on the Ocean Endeavour. 

I hoped the sun would shine brightly on their voyage and they would laugh 'til they cried with new friends, too. They had no idea of the memories they'd be making and how changed they would feel two weeks from now...    How could they?

Dec 23 - 24: Rocking and Rolling the Drake Passage

 Dec 23rd: Day one on board.

Slept well but knew fairly quickly in the morning that all was not how it should be. 

Laying down was fine, but any attempt to sit up or stand up was met with nausea. I had dosed myself pretty good with meds and was sporting my Relief Band, but alas it was no match for the violent ocean we were on. 

The boat was lurching and swaying pretty mightily. White caps surrounded us. Every now and then a jarring and loud bang like an explosion shook the boat.

By midday reports of flooding on the 5th floor were emerging. Apparently a series of 3 rogue waves had battered the boat, hitting the Bridge (deck 8) full on and forcing water into ventilation shafts around deck 6. Deck 5 got that water in the hallway before it sloshed into a half dozen or so rooms too. 

Passenger JT Drew shot this video in the hallway of the 5th floor.

Passenger Christine Beadle shot this video from the Bridge.

Then it filtered through the floor to deck 4. Passengers were relocated. Electricity was out sporadically around the boat... including our room on the 7th floor most of the day.

It is important to note that no-one felt unsafe, no-one was injured and the caliber of people aboard could be gauged in the response which was mainly taking it in stride, calling it "part of the adventure" and not complaining at all. We heard "post trip" that a discussion was had regarding whether or not to return the ship to Ushuaia following the water infiltration. As the ship was found to have sustained no damage, we continued on. (To this day, I feel incredibly grateful for this!!! You'll see why in the following posts.)

I was still being sick during all this and Mark was doing his best to keep water, Sprite, saltines etc in me. And he attended my very first photography group meeting for me, taking notes and reporting back to my beside with the briefing.

In the late afternoon I took my pasty self to the Nautilus Lounge for the captains introduction and daily briefing. Almost everything else had been postponed due to rough seas and so many folks feeling it. In fact, they did inform us that the weather forecast had been slightly off and not very specific to our location, so the storm we experienced had been a tad underestimated. 

Fun international crew on board though. Canadians, Welsh, English, Australian, NZ'ers, Americans, Russian, Ukrainian, Philippine, and South Africans. 

Our Captain is a spry, older Ukrainian gentleman. He hails from the Soviet Union era and currently has a brother fighting for Russia and a son on the front lines holding back the Russian forces in Ukraine. His complicated life doesn't stop his keen wit and we all gave a nervous laugh when he mentioned his submarine training came in handy today!

Our photography group met again and everyone was super sweet to me... considering I didn't know anyone yet and couldn't stomach the back deck diesel fumes and view through a lens to photograph the albatross that were flying across the boat!

Dinner was a no-show for me. Just the thought of food - or should I say the smell and look of it - sent me scurrying back to my room for a date with my sick-bag also known by the name; Spuckbeutel.  Our room attendant, Jo, was quick to restock these and also to crank up the heat in our room because it was indeed hard to hold body temperature during this time. 

I took a wonderful hot shower in our wee bathroom and fell asleep with my towel still wrapped around wet hair! 

Dec 24: Day two on board.

The next day it appeared my sea-legs had kicked in. Well, the Drake was certainly more cooperative too, so that helped. Today was a good day for new introductions and some seabird photography - which I'll admit right here and now is way more challenging than it looks. The boat moves, the waves move, the birds are speedy! I did my best to trace them through 300mm of lens but it's also ok to say most of my pictures were not worth sharing and I'm here to experience, improve and eventually present more technically competent as well as interesting photos. Standby!

Christmas Eve was a jolly ol' time on board. Our crew could apparently sing, dance and write poetry. They put on a merry show as we laughed and celebrated together... new friends and old. 

This "Ocean Endeavour version" of the Night Before Christmas was recited by a dozen or more crew:

T'was the night before Christmas, when all through the vessel,

Not a creature was stirring, not even a petrel.

The stockings were hung by the bar with care,

In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there,

The explorers were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of icebergs danced in their heads.

and Jonathon in his gill jacket and us in our beanies

We all settled down for a long summer's evening.

When out on the aft deck there arose such a clutter,

I sprang from me bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the curtains and heard a loud splash.

The sun on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the luster of midday to objects below.

When what to my wondering eye should reveal

But a Zodiac being towed by eight tiny seals.

With a Zodiac driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.

More rapid than orcas his seals they came,

And he whistled and shouted and called them by name.

Now DASHER! Now DANCER! Now PRANCER and VIXEN!

On COMET, on CUPID, on DONER and BLITZEN!

To the top of the spa! To the back of the deck,

No dash away! Dash away! Dash away like heck!

As snowflakes blow in and wild seas fly,

They jump over an iceberg and head for the sky.

Then up to the bridge the seals they flew,

With the Zodiac full of booze and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard a loud din,

The prancing and pawing of each little fin.

As St Nick knew all the guests had behaved,

Down the Deck 5 vent St Nicholas came with a wave!

He was dressed all in Gortex from his head to his toes

And his clothes were all tarnished with snow and guano.

A bundle of booze he had flung on his back

And he looked like Shackleton just opening his pack.

His eyes – how they twinkled, his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.

He had a broad face and little round belly,

That shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.

A wink of his eye and twist of his head

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled up the bar, before turning with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod up the vent he rose.

He sprang to his Zodiac, to his team gave a bark

And away they all flew, off into the dark.

But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!

NOTE: videos may link to a private facebook group where they are published. No guarantees they can be viewed by those not in the group... sorry.