Cape Horn, Beagle Channel and our return to Ushuaia

It is 12:30 am and I write this as we make our way up the Beagle channel to Ushuaia, Argentina. Earlier today, we passed Cape Horn, the southernmost point of the Americas. This formation is part of the country of Chile, so we can only come within twelve miles because our ship did not register to go within Chilean waters. You should be able to see the Horn in the background.

Cape Horn was encompassed with clouds which gave it an ominous feel. This is a significant navigation point on the map that sailors throughout the centuries have highlighted. It was almost a sign for them that they had passed the oceanic right of passage through the southern ocean on their way to the Atlantic. It is now something I have in common with a select group of ocean fairing people. This is a pretty select bond with these people when you think about it.

The Drake Passage had rough waters for the entire passage. When we were not rocking from bow to stern then it was port to starboard. People were running into the walls of the ship or often times into each other. Now that we are in the Beagle Channel it is very calm. In about half an hour, a pilot boat will guide us the rest of the way into port at Ushuaia. My bunk mate Sean Hannaby and I have our bags packed. The members of our expedition will have a 6:00 am wake-up call. Breakfast will be at 7:00 am and I will disembark with all those expedition members who need to make it to the Ushuaia airport for early flights.

At 5:15 I looked out the porthole window of our cabin and tried to decide whether to brave the cold morning and wind one more time. Going out on deck to capture one more picture, one more experience that I could relate when I arrived home. For a moment, I decided to get back in bed and try to get a few more minutes of sleep. It was going to be a long couple of days flight to get back home. Then I remembered the commitment to myself of getting as much out of this opportunity as possible. I put on my clothes and coat and made the final walk to the top deck. I walked out into the cold wind and watched as the sailors brought us into dock. Watching as sailors pulled the massive ropes to shore that would hold the ship in place. There I reflected on the past few weeks. Everything I had seen, heard and said and tried to develop a mental message to share on my return. As I stood in thought, a shorter figure dressed in black walked up. Robert Swan said, "good morning mate" with that British accent. I asked how he was doing and he responded saying, "Good, this is my time. It is the time I can relax knowing that everyone has returned from the expedition safely." We chatted about the expedition for a moment before he dismissed himself to make final preparations to disembark.

This will be a sad goodbye as we each depart for our small corner of the globe. This expedition has developed some good relationships. We have been able to share a part of the world relatively few have experienced or seen close up. However, I know I will be able to call or send an email to Sean, Jens, Parker or a number of other expedition members and get a laugh or a reflective moment from our expedition memories to Antarctica.

I’m very excited to get home. I have been away from my family and friends for too long and it will be fun catching up. I miss my wife and children. In fifteen years of marriage, I have never done anything like this for myself. My energies have been invested into raising my family and building my career. As I sit and reflect on this expedition, a few things come to mind. I had dreamed of going to Antarctica and having a life changing experience like this expedition, but was never sure if it would happen. I’ve previously mentioned that it is part of my personality to try new things, find new adventures. But there is emptiness when you can’t share it simultaneously with those you love the most. It is great to finally reach that distant goal I set for myself, but it would have tasted better if my wife was there to experience it with me. I will bring home the pictures and rave about Antarctica and how we need to do all we can to preserve it as a global wilderness area, but in the end, I feel the experience may fall short.

Departure Day

Because I spent the entire evening trying to catch up on our Antarctic blog,I was very tired for most of the day. Hopefully you the readers found iteducational. I should mention that we have a rule called Bronco 5. This means when a meeting is called you arrive 5 minutes early. If not, the team will leave you. This expedition is about being a team not an individual.

Today, the morning started early with a 6:30 wake-up (I did not finish the blog until 5:30). I could have slept a little longer, but I have been pushing myself because I do not want to miss anything related to this experience. As I mentioned, my expedition partner and were all packed and had placed our gearbags in the holding area the night before. Therefore, our morning was extremely will managed. Because we were well prepared, we assisted others carrying their bags to the holding area and then loaded the entire expedition gear into the bus which would take it down to the ship. We had two briefing periods after breakfast. The first was with Jumper (yesthat is his name). He is an ex-member of the British Navy. He conducted the Drake's Passage expectation, safety and Dynamic Risk Assessment. He was passionately animated about crossing the passage and being safe. He covered what would happen if someone fell overboard (die). The water is dark, extremely cold and the waves are large and it would be difficult to spot atiny head in that situation. He also covered Dynamic Risk Assessment as aresponse during times of high risk or danger. This means you: 1. Take careof yourself 2. Take care of your team 3. Take care of the task. Avoid changing the order because you then put yourself or others at risk. A member of the expedition made a comment that he didn't need to be animatedand in our face about the whole thing. I stated that it was exactly what was needed to be done so the entire team has no doubt about the expectationand importance of our response. A video was played showing last year's crossing and the waves were huge. From what I understand a number of people became sea sick. David Thorn who is or was with Shell oil spoke to us about the warming affect taking place. He will be presenting other material as we continue over the next couple of weeks. The weather was good, so we were given some free time to go off and exploreor go into town to purchase souvenirs or items for the expedition. We didn't need to worry about our gear since it had been loaded and taken to the ship, so a bunch of us packed into a cab and headed for town. It is amazing how people from such diverse backgrounds and countries can quicklybecome friends. We have come together for an event which will be life changing and so the opportunity is there to forget false pretense and express true identities. Our group did the typical souvenir purchases, ate lunch and headed to the ship.

Our meeting was set for 2:15 pm and with the Bronco 5 rule in placeit meant we needed to be at the assigned meeting place at 2:10 pm. After meeting the expedition team, we went through customs and walked to the ship. The name of our ship is the Akademick Ioffe, a Russian scientific vessel. The weather changed on us. The wind became very strong coming offthe channel and the temperature dropped. We were corralled for groupphotos. You could literally feel the excitement building with the team. Robert Swan has done a great job of making this very personal for each team member. He is constantly walking around asking people how they feel. "Areyou excited? What do you think? What are you feeling?" This takes a tremendous amount of time when I know he has a hundred other things on his mind. He wants this to be a life changing event.

After boarding, we handed over our passports until the end of the expedition. We then were given our room assignments. Sean and I unloadedour gear and bags so the room could be organized and we could enjoy the crossing more. We did not want to be stepping over a messy room for the next few days.We then had another briefing which reviewed ship safety and the process for abandoning ship. It is a maritime requiring all ships to have a drill within two hours after leaving port. I think we did pretty well in our response. We were also allowed to sit inside the life raft which is enclosed. A necessity if anything were to happen in these waters. Afterwards, we were told to return and prepare our room for crossing the passage. We had to take things off our desk and make sure all doors were shut and locked. Dinner was fantastic tonight. I had seafood salad and sliced beef overpotatoes and mushrooms. As a pilot boat took us through the Beagle Channel, Robert had his first leadership briefing with the team tonight. He covered his complete story of walking to the north and south poles and why he is passionate in preserving Antarctica. During his presentation he mentioned that he grew up in a family of seven "much like the one Drew is raising." I'm not sure if he enjoyed being part of a large family, so I intend to ask him. After the briefing a number of us went out on deck to get some fresh air and cool down. It is going on 1:00 am and it is pitch black outside. We are now in Drake's Passage. I'm typing this in my bed and you can feel the entire ship first pitch forward and back and then roll side to side. I can hear cabinet doors from other rooms open and then shut. It is very soothing for me and I want to fall asleep. We should be finding out soon if anyone comes up sick.