GPS 08.00 Position: 056°24.’S / 065°41’W
Weather: Wind: W 6. sea State: rough. Weather: overcast. Temperature: +3°C
Today was the day that we really set sail! Shortly after 08.00 the captain decided to heave the anchor and by 08.30 we were moving towards the eastern end of the Beagle Channel. From there we headed south but as we steamed farther and farther from land the waves got bigger and bigger. Although the wind had dropped considerably, the waves created by the storm were still rolling in from the west. Some of us found things a little uncomfortable.
For those of us brave enough to go outside there was plenty to see in the form of birds – Sooty Shearwater, Imperial Shag, White-chinned Petrel, Wilson’s Storm-petrel, Southern Fulmar and the first little, grey, prions. There were also five species of albatross – Black-browed, Grey-headed, Light-mantled Sooty and, largest of all, Wandering and Southern Royal. (In the afternoon Simon spoke about the birds of the Drake Passage and Antarctica). Some people were lucky enough to see some marine mammals too, which came in the form of five playful Peale’s Dolphin, a disappearing Antarctic Minke Whale and two rarely-seen Southern Bottlenose Whales.
Next stop – Antarctica!
GeoWorld Travel Diaries 