Chronicles from Antarctica (III): A Patagonian barbecue to prepare us to the fearsome Drake Passage

Professor Pablo Tejedo is taking part in his second research campaign in Antarctica. Through this blog, he will share his thoughts on his experience. 

After a few days of being left incommunicado, I have been able to get back to this blog. And I say left because it was two days in the cabin surviving only on water, some fruit, and motion sickness tablets. But let’s not rush events..

On Thursday the 20th, we enjoyed the crossing between Punta Arenas and Ushuaia. Just as we had been told, the landscapes along the journey are spectacular: hanging glaciers, Lenga Beech forests, giant waterfalls… it was an amazing sight. The crew of the Oceanographic Research Vessel Las Palmas prepared a barbecue to celebrate the beginning of the third phase of the Antarctic Campaign, we couldn’t ask for anything more. At 20:00 we left Ushuaia behind us and we headed towards the Mar de Hoces, better known as Drake Passage. This strait connects Cape Horn with Antarctica, and more precisely with the Southern Shetland Islands. It’s a zone where the circumpolar current shows all its power, which makes it one of the most complicated straits to navigate on the planet. A sailor’s saying goes “Below 40 degrees South there’s no law, below 50, there’s no God.” And the Drake Passage is between 56 and 60 degrees, so there’s not much more to say to get an idea of how terrible it can be. The passage was discovered by the Spanish sailor Francisco de Hoces in 1525, when his boat was dragged away during a strong storm, which forced him to hug Cape Horn in order to arrive to the Pacific Ocean. As so often happens, History was not accurate and Sir Francis Drake got the glory of calling the passage after himself, although he was not even the first sailor to cross it (it was Willem Schouten aboard the Eendracht).

The fact is aboard Las Palmas this crossing is always difficult. You have to bear in mind we’re talking about a modified tugboat, so speed was sacrificed for power. This means that instead of a day or a day and a half, this ship needs two and a half days to complete it. If The Drake Passage gives experienced sailors a hard time, you can only imagine how it was for us scientists. Everyone just tries what he thinks will work best: biodramina, seasickness patches, drops, home remedies etc. It’s worth trying everything, even if in the end it’s just a matter of luck. This year, I can’t complain: I managed to stand up and film a few videos, eat some fruits, and see the petrels and albatrosses flying over us. And I managed not to throw up, although it’s true it’s been almost sixty hours doing nothing other than lie down in my cabin.

Today, at midday, we finally arrived at Deception Island. We’ve got settled and started to put up the equipment for sample processing. Tomorrow it’s time to start with the field work.

I’ll keep you posted.