voyage leaders such as Quark
Expeditions. On an eleven-day,
introductory Antarctic Explorer
cruise, Quark’s Sea Adventurer was
my home away from home. The ship
had a wide range of creature
comforts for its 117 guests plus
crew, including compact cabins; a
spacious, window-walled observation
lounge; main dining room; bar; small
library; mini boutique; several
storage areas; ample open deck
space and, of course, the bridge,
or navigational hub.
It takes two days to reach
Antarctica from Ushuaia and involves
crossing the infamous Drake Passage.
This is the body of water between
South America and Antarctica that
serves as a connecting point
t
n th t anti an a i
Oceans. Frequented by icebergs
and huge waves and plagued by
gale-force winds, this legendary
passage can often be violent,
chaotic and unpredictable.
If Mother Nature is in a relatively
calm mood, you’ll get to experience
“The Drake Lake” with just a bit of
rolling and pitching about – maybe
only a one-Dramamine kind of day. If
not, you’ll be at the mercy of “The
Dreaded Drake,” where you’ll feel like
you’re on a bucking bronco that
thr at n to in yo ro th hi
or tho r a y aff t
y th
severity of the motion, the safest
course of action is to remain prone
in your bed. You won’t be able to
read, watch videos or concentrate
on much of anything except your
appreciation for being in a stalwart,
sea-worthy vessel with a veteran
captain and crew -- and for having
access to the ship doctor’s arsenal
of motion sickness medication.
Rough seas are not fun for most
folks. Just know there’s light at the
end of the tunnel and this, too, will
pass. The discomfort is well worth
the rewards.
If the situation is manageable, take
advantage of all the fascinating
educational presentations given by
the expedition team on their areas
of expertise, from marine biology
and ornithology to geology and
history. Spend time bundled up
outside on the deck watching the
albatross circling the ship; go up
to the bridge and learn about the
navigational equipment; visit the
gift shop and get yourself some
Antarctica-themed merchandise;
eat lots of cookies in the lounge and
get to know your fellow passengers.
On my cruise, there were people
from all over the world – a mini
United Nations of sort – who were
well-seasoned travelers. For many,
Antarctica was their seventh and
na ontin nt o
a o
engaged in a variety of mandatory
activities such as picking up your
boots and parkas, learning about the
environmental protocols for shore
landings, participating in safety
drills and vacuuming your outer
clothing and equipment to prevent
spreading any invasive species.
The two-day crossing really serves
to gain not only physical, but
psychological distance, from
civilization. You can’t really
appreciate how far removed
Antarctica is until you sit on a boat
for two days with not much to view
except steel gray rolling waves as
far as the eye can see. And that
makes it all the more incredible when
yo
y yo r r t i
r an
t
yo r r t i
o t rra r a
Then the excitement builds as
gradually the ship is surrounded by
more ice sculptures and jagged
mountains covered with snow and
glaciers, presenting a photo directly
out of the pages of a National
Geographic Magazine.
Visitors to the Great White
ontin nt i
n
n o
ran
r an
a ni
n
a on
with abundant marine life. The
variety of ice will astound you, and
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