At Sea near the Drake Passage, Dec 7 2025

 Last night we slept like babies as we were rocked to sleep by the ocean waves.  It was apparently a rough night for some people as we saw stacks of sea sickness bags available randomly around the ship including the elevator.  All of the bags were gone by the end of the day.  Sailors refer to the waves here as the "Drake Shake".  The captain expects the waves to peak around 8:00 am tomorrow morning.

After breakfast Laura went to the gym and I went to a presentation on Mars.  The speaker was heavily involved in the Mars program and was one of the leading people to remotely "drive" several of the Mars rovers.

Laura and I met at the spa and swam in the indoor pool.  The rocking of the ship was even more noticable in the pool as the water washed from side to side.  Laura had to take a rest to settle her stomach before getting back into the pool.

After lunch we attended an Order of the Drake Ceremony.  It is a maritime tradition for those crossing the notoriously rough Drake Passage   The tradition involves a "cleansing" with ice water, a dab of cream on the nose and a shot of whiskey to honor the historic voyage and tough seas crossing the artic circle.  Laura couldn't resist participating in the ceremony.

Our next lecture was titled The Explorers of South America, highlighting Ferdinand Magellan and Sir Francis Drake.  The last lecture covered the Chilean Fjords and Glaciers.  We saw pictures of the Avenue of the Glaciers and the specific glaciers we expect to see.  Our journey will take us on the Drake Passage, Beagle Channel and the Strait of Magellan.  The farther south we go the longer the hours of daylight are with sunrise tomorrow at 4:39 am and sunset at 9:27 pm.