Every journey begins with expectation. Boarding National Geographic Orion, our guests were made aware of the notorious and quite finicky nature of the Drake Passage, and yet we awoke to calm seas. With a fair wind at our back and a rainless sky, the guests and staff lingered on the aft decks following the myriad of sea birds with their camera lens.
Sightings of wandering albatross are always a treat, and yet we were quite sure that one specific bird was journeying with us ever since we pointed south from the Beagle Channel. Other albatross species followed along, as well as petrels both large and small. With a talk from our resident Argentine naturalist, Santiago, the guests were privy to much information helping them to identify the different birds while understanding how they live nearly the entirety of their lives at sea.
It is no small feat to cross the Drake, but on days such as this one can count themselves lucky to be lead so kindly south in preparation for the majesty of ice and wildlife to come. Enjoying three other talks on the penguins, photography, and the history of Antarctica, our guests went into dinner well learned, and better yet, expectant of the days to come.
