V9 Antarctic Peninsula_Voyage_Log

Rolling Our Way South
6 January 2020 – Drake Passage
By Heidi Ahvenainen
8
It was the first morning of our expedition, a time
many have been waiting for. The adventure had
started! Some of us were awoken by Jamie’s
wake-up call at 7:45 AM, but others were already
up and about, enjoying the infamous Drake
Passage and trying to spot the wandering
Albatross and other sea birds. The Drake treated
us like an old friend on our first day and the sailing
was as smooth as Jamie had promised.
The day ahead was full of lectures and briefings
on what we could look forward to during our
expedition to Antarctica. The first lecture was
given by our resident ornithologist, Gui. He
educated us on seabirds of the Drake Passage,
and even the people who were not experienced
with bird identification were inspired to admire
the majestic seabirds of the Southern Ocean.
The briefing was followed by an opportunity for
all guests to bring their outer wear for inspection
and cleaning by the expedition team to ensure
that no seeds or foreign matter would
contaminate our landing sites. All throughout the
day’s activities, the Albatros team kept a lookout
from the bridge in the hope of spotting marine
life.
Afternoon tea time brings a break to the day and
a chance for even more delicious snacks. We
were beginning to realize that we would not go
hungry on this expedition. For those of us
interested in kayaking, a preliminary briefing was
held in the Viking lounge to explain how the
program runs.
Our second lecture of the morning was given by
our resident photographer Renato. He equipped
many of us with the skills necessary to capture the
wildlife and scenery of Antarctica on our cameras.
After a delicious lunch, afternoon activities began
with a mandatory briefing about visiting
Antarctica, where we were all reminded of how
we are expected to behave in this fragile
environment and how to leave it pristine.
It’s always nice to meet the most important man
on the vessel, and in the evening Captain Mykola
invited everyone to the Viking lounge for a
cocktail and a chance to introduce himself and his
senior officers. Champagne and canapés were
enjoyed before a delicious dinner in the Vinland
restaurant. To wrap up the evening, we finished
with a screening of the Frozen Planet
documentary series in the Viking lounge, with
popcorn!
5 JAN 2020 – 14 JAN 2020
Volume 2, Issue 9