Return to the Drake Passage
Day 9 – 10 January 2023 Today we found ourselves in the Drake Passage, well underway on our journey north away from the Westerm Antarctic Peninsula and heading back towards Ushuaia. Despite waking up to a rough sea,…
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Flexibility is key!
Day 9 – 10 January 2023 The day began with a plan to visit an Adélie penguin colony, but the weather wasn’t cooperative. Instead, we went out with the science team for a Zodiac cruise around Gerard Bay to drop a…
Polar weather and more adventures with penguins and plunge
Day 8 – 09 January 2023 Our day was supposed to start as usual with breakfast at 07:30 am and us ready for the first observation shift soon after. However, it seemed that most of us were glued to our beds as only the…
Antarctica in full swing – Two sites in a day and humpback whales next to the ship
Day 7 – 08 January 2023 During the previous night some of the team had sighted the first Antarctic minke whale of our expedition. This lead to an extended late night stay of most team members on the outer deck (some…
Plan E for Echo
Day 6 – 07 January 2023 A message from the tannoy announcing the fifth potential landing site nicely sums up the weather in the early part of today. Shifting ice at Orne Harbour (off the Gerlache Strait) blocked any…
The day we took our first steps in Antarctica and almost lost our toes!
Day 5 – 06 January 2023 Our day started early at 06:30 am with marine mammal and seabird surveys. It was a very cold morning, probably the coldest yet. Sighting conditions were poor due to fog and we recorded no marine…
Antarctica Ahoy!
Day 4 – 05 January 2023 Today was a day of milestones for most of us. During the night we had crossed into Antarctic waters (South of 60°)! We awoke to a much smoother sailing than yesterday with seabird and marine…
Rocking the Drake’s Passage
Day 3 – 04 January 2023 Today, we woke up in the famous Drake Passage. While some of us had chosen to take seasickness medication the night before in preparation for the fearsome crossing, others decided to wait and…
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…
Reunion in Buenos Aires
Day 1 – 02 January 2023 The first day of our journey saw us, 14 students and two staff from the University of St. Andrews, come from all over the world, from the UK, the US and even close by Sao Paulo, to Buenos Aires.…