

So, as the National Geographic Orion came to life the next morning we found ourselves far from land and surrounded by vast ocean on all sides. Luckily, we had following seas and relatively light winds, so the ride was fairly smooth, although there may have been a few on board that would have disputed that!
Even though we were in this massive open ocean, we were not alone. There were numerous sea birds traveling along with us as we made our way south, petrels, prions and a number of large albatross, including the Wandering Albatross, the largest bird of flight in the world! It can be a mesmerizing experience to watch these incredible aerial masters flying almost effortlessly across great distances for days, weeks and months at a time!
During the day there was also a series of lectures given by the expedition staff which enlightened us and hopefully inspired us also! Topics ranged from Antarctic geography, to sea birds, to krill, to the whales which make a living in these cold waters. All-in-all, a very full day on the Drake Passage, ending with the Captains Welcome Aboard cocktail party, and another delicious dinner. A great start for our voyage to Antarctica!
My notes:
Sat Dec 19
-funny day. We left with a pile of luggage and a calm seas. As the night developed we had a swell. We slept for the first part of the night and then I became restless. Finn kept sleeping well.
-the waves had come up in the Southern Ocean. Imagine that. If was still a favorable swell but made ur belly feel ill.
-I got up at 5:30 and unpacked our luggage. It made my stomach sick but I powered through. Eventually our cabin looked clear and I went to check out the gym.
-I had to get off the elliptical machine every 3 minutes to settle my stomach
-at one point I went outside to see the weather. I nearly got knocked off my feet by the wind. Crazy.
-seasick Finn
-lectures
2025-02-06