Through the Drake Passage to Paradise

It's another sea day and we're headed to Paradise. (Paradise Bay that is, in Antartica). There has been a slight change in our itinerary but nevertheless we're excited about seeing a continent we haven't been to before.

In order to get from South America to Antarctica we must go through Drake Passage, which will take about 24 hours. We've heard a lot about this part of the world's ocean, but what makes it so famous? Well, first a little geography and history lesson. The Drake Passage is a deep waterway, 600 miles wide, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. It is named after the 16th-century English explorer and privateer Sir Francis Drake, who, although he did not travel the passage himself, was the first to prove the existence of an open water route south of South America and the second seaman to circumnavigate the globe.

The passage is famous for its challenging conditions, making it one of the most difficult voyages for ships to make. The passage is known for its often turbulent seas, strong currents, massive waves, and rough weather, with wind speed and direction playing a part in a rougher crossing. Swells can reach up to 8 meters, enough to cause discomfort to most, and the changeable nature of the crossing brings the most trepidation. The Drake Passage can be challenging to cross at any time, but conditions are generally milder during the Antarctic summer. In fact, as I write this we are just at the tip of South America. Our captain told us we will begin to feel the effects of the passage around 9 AM - 4 hours from now. Currently, we have waves of 3.8 meters (considered "rough" on cruisemapper.com) and we have moderate gale force winds at 14.6 m/s. Here's a the Beaufort Wind Scale to show just what m/s means to the layman - we're currently at #7:

Jeff just went to get us coffee and said, "This is why they have hand rails in the halls of the ship." I don't believe I'll be walking my mile on Deck 12 today!

The Serenade of the Seas is equipped with a sophisticated stabilization system which helps a lot to minimize our rocking and rolling. Although the drawers in our cabin are currently sliding in and out. We've been assured we have the finest equipment, safety procedures are closely followed, we have 3 experienced ice captains onboard, plus this ship was specifically chosen for this part of the journey. I expect going through the Drake Passage will be a remarkable part of this polar voyage!