Most Antarctic Cruises involve crossing through the dreaded Drake Passage. It starts once you leave the Beagle Channel and covers the landless body of water until reaching the Antarctic Sound. It comes in two extremes, the Drake Lake when the water is calm and the Drake Shake when the seas are rough. Typical crossings are 24 hours or less in calm waters and can be as long as 72 hours in rough seas. Thankfully it was calm on the trip south. This way we didn't spend the the remainder of the trip dreading the return crossing. On the return, we hit moderately rough conditions with 150 km/hr winds and 6 m high waves. Many have experienced much worse conditions but this was enough to significantly alter life on board.
Steve discovered that he is not a seaman. He spent 3 days in bed reading as lying down was the most comfortable position for him. The calories that he thought he would need to work off after 11 days at sea haven't been consumed. Jackie faired much better. She was able to move around, attend lectures and still had an appetite. She has calories to burn!!!
These little guys were not at all phased by the weather. When they are not on shore mating and taking care of eggs, they can spend months at a time on the open ocean without ever touching land.
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