Final Crossing

 November 10^th – 14^th, 2023

Our expedition leader Aaron warned us about a fierce storm moving into the Drake Passage.  He urged everyone to take seasickness medicine and secure items in our cabins.  The ship’s crew hurriedly worked to batten down the hatches--they re-bolted steel coverings over the windows of the primary lounge on the third deck and secured the dining room chairs to the floor.  It seemed our incredible luck of fair weather was about to expire.  Winds of 60 knots and fifteen-foot seas were forecasted for the entire two-day crossing.  The captain wasted no time, weighed anchor, and turned north as soon as the last Zodiac was lashed to the deck.

In truth, we were anxious and a bit excited at the same time.  Henry and I were well prepared with our scopolamine patches and looked forward to a little high seas drama.  “Bring it on,” we joked.  But once again, our luck held, and the Sea Spirit outran the storm.  Our crossing was smoother than most of our other open ocean journeys, ending with a “Drake Lake” rather than a “Drake Shake.”   We made exceptional time, and by early Sunday morning we were within sight of land.  This provided a rare opportunity to approach the legendary Cape Horn, known for its violent storms and treacherous currents that have claimed hundreds of vessels throughout the years. There was some intense wind at the Horn—the storm caught up to us--making it difficult to stand on deck, but soon we were making our way through the placid waters of the Beagle Channel that Darwin explored on his famous scientific expedition.

Rounding Cape Horn

Sunday night, our final evening onboard, kicked off with the Captain’s Cocktail event.  Our stoic Ukrainian Captain Yaroslav shared a few words and statistics from our journey.  The lead photographer, Piet shared a video compilation of the entire expedition that had the passengers on their feet with a standing ovation.  Everyone’s spirits were high.  The party continued well into the night on the aft deck with the guide Flipper serving as DJ.  Henry got the dance floor grooving with two German passengers, Ilsa and Kirstin.  Soon, the entire group was shaking it up.  The party rocked on until 2:15 AM when the last stragglers called it a night.  The 6:00 AM wakeup to begin the final disembarkation process was a rough one, but the trip was complete. We packed our gear, gave our thanks and good wishes to the crew and passengers—many new friends among them—and walked the gangplank down to the pier.

Ushuaia Argentina, the Southernmost city in the world

That began our long trek back home.  After wandering the streets of cloudy Ushuaia we made our way to the airport for our flight to Buenos Aires and then on to Santiago for a final night before catching our United plane to Houston and Newark on Tuesday night.  We enjoyed one last day exploring Santiago visiting the Museum of Memory and Human Rights which highlights the atrocities of the Pinochet dictatorship (1973-1990) on the people of Chile. We learned a lot and vowed to always defend democracy. Our final highlight was a lunch at Zarita, an incredible Peruvian restaurant with an eclectic collection of antiques and art as well as great food.

Zarita Restaurant in Santiago, a must visit

Epilogue

Our overall journey lasted twenty-nine days. The early adventures in Santiago and the Falklands feel like ancient history.  On the Sea Spirit voyage we traveled over 3,400 miles throughout the Southern Ocean burning over 40,000 gallons of fuel.  The ship also used over 35,900 gallons of fresh water that was made available through its RO/DI purification system.  We saw many species of seabirds and, of course, fell in love with the penguins--six different species: the Adelie, chinstrap, king, rockhopper, macaroni and the popular gentoo.  We also encountered dolphins and whales and various seals, including elephant, fur, leopard, Weddell and crabeater. Needless to say, the sea, land and ice were amazing. Glaciers, brash ice, and icebergs filled our horizons with dreamy visions of the wildest continent on earth.  

The humans on the trip were also pretty fun and interesting and we made new friends from around the globe.  It truly was a life-changing experience, and our infinite memories will last a lifetime.

Our new friends and fellow kayakers - L-R - Beryl, Chris, Zenia, Dave, Tiffany, Howie, Carla, Henry and me