To the end of the world….
Day 2 – 03 January 2022
This morning the alarm went off definitely too early for the explorers due to our first meeting at 2.30am in the main hall of the beautiful Hilton hotel in Puerto Madero. After a much needed coffee and some typical Argentinian breakfast pastries, our bus left for the airport at 3am. Luckily we passed through security relatively quickly, but our flight was unfortunately 1h late. Despite a few clouds, we managed to admire stunning views of the mountains during our landing in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world.
We all happily witnessed that our luggage arrived safely in Ushuaia, apart from one student whose suit case had already been lost in Europe and couldn’t be delivered in time for our departure. After a nice bus tour of the city centre and a few restaurant recommendations, we got a couple of free hours to walk around, during which some of us decided to search for souvenirs, while others had some typical lunch.
We then got back on the bus and directly on board our astonishing ship. A quick check-in and we made it; we’re on board! Some more free time helped us to settle in our rooms and discover the secrets of our floating home, like the outdoor swimming pool and jacuzzi on the top deck, the gym, or the many restaurants on different decks. Some of us decided to spend some time in the eating area, chatting with some really nice Filipino waiters, while others took a small nap, trying to recover as much rest as possible after the past short night. The ship’s alarm sounded for the mandatory safety briefing and called us all to the muster stations where we were introduced to the life jackets and emergency procedures on board. Donning the survival suits looked like no small feat so here’s hoping that we don’t have to put any of those instructions into practice.
We then met up for dinner which consisted of an excellent buffet including chicken, fish, multiple vegetarian options and an incredible variety of desserts. While eating and talking about the fantastic views from the windows we waited for the ship to cast its lines and start sailing into the Beagle Channel – how exciting!
And then we were finally off. We spent some time outside on deck familiarising ourselves with the binoculars and the equipment that would help us during the surveys process. Sailing east in the Beagle Channel provided our first marine mammal sightings! We spotted South American sea lions hauled out on some islands and also our first 
penguins (Magellanic). However, the best moment of the day for sure was when we spotted our first whale of the trip. A young humpback whale put our identification skills to a test, and then some fast moving dolphins showed up. Here we needed a photograph to help identify the species – Dusky dolphins! What an amazing start to the trip!
Now we’re getting ready for the Drake’s Passage and the sightings ahead. A good night of sleep was definitely needed after all this travel and excitement!
written by Laura