Sunday 20 December 2009

Drake shake

Yes, this morning we experienced the wilder side of the Drake Passage: at dawn we were awoken by the violent thrust of stormy winds that almost threw us out of our beds! We had a respectable 10 in the Beaufort scale, which means we were treated to gusts of wind of up to 100 km/h, and waves of 9-12 metres. In other words, a decent storm.

Luckily, in the course of the day the seas calmed a lot, and by noon the sun came out – and with it, everybody on board MS Fram. Indeed, people were happy to be able to venture out to the open decks and get a bit of fresh air after the jumpy ride of the morning. And yes, we were accompanied by the ever fascinating birds that roam these waters.

At the end of our voyage of discovery we approached Tierra del Fuego on a wonderfully sunny afternoon.