Turn South

I awoke that morning feeling not quite right. The sense of trepidation I had been feeling was still there, but this was something else. I felt ill. I dismissed the thought and left my cabin to have breakfast. The beauty and wonders of the Tierra del Fuego were behind me as we sailed south for Antarctica. The body of water between South America and Antarctica is called the Drake Passage. It was named after English Mariner Sir Francis Drake who passed through these waters in the sixteenth century. It is also said to be the roughest sea on Earth.

Growing up in inland Australia I had little experience of the sea. Having not spent more than an hour on a boat, the next eleven days on board a ship seemed daunting to say the least. Thanks to my Father I inherited not only his quick wit at the card table, but also his seasickness. For the next two days my time was split between standing on the deck of the MV Antarctic Dream and in my cabin, feeling sorry for myself. At some point I was asked if I needed anything. As I lay in my bed, my muffled response was for a helicopter.

Once we entered the sheltered waters of the South Shetland Islands, the sheer brilliance and majesty of this untouched wilderness became apparent. The towering peaks, azure glaciers and incredible wildlife were all around. Penguins, seals, whales and seabirds were at every turn. The expedition had truly begun.

Despite the seasickness I loved being on board the ship. I was able to immerse myself in the culture of our Chilean crew and even learn some local card games. The Antarctic Dream is definitely not a cruise ship. The hull is ice strengthened and everything is open – including the bridge. This became one of my favourite places to view the incredible surroundings and to practice my very broken Spanish.

It was inevitable that the ship would once again turn northward. Our last landing was to be at Deception Island. The horseshoe shaped island is a dormant volcano and it is possible to sail ships into its flooded caldera. It was here that the more daring of us took the plunge into the 0o waters. We certainly weren’t in there long and the hot water on the ship was in short supply that night.

We entered the Beagle Chanel and took on board a pilot which would guide us into the Port of Ushuaia, Argentina. Arguably the southern most city in the world, Ushuaia sits below the Martial Glacier which flows down from the monumental peaks of the Andean Mountains. Noticeably skinner than when I had left; I’d lost 6 kilograms in the short time I was at sea. Later, I was reflecting on the experience with some would be travellers. I told them after all the sickness I would have turned around and done it all again. It was truly the best experience of my life.