Returning Via The Drake Passage

 Day two on the Drake Passage began on the bridge of the boat with Fram’s Captain, Arild Hårvik. This is the brain of the ship, where navigation is carried out, decisions about speed and weather conditions are made and communication with other nearby ships happens.

On the ship's bridge

Passengers took turns learning about the ship’s Radar, compass’ and the importance of the coffee machine that keeps the crew awake through their 12-hour shifts.

A lecture on living in Antarctica in the winter by Tomasz Zadrozny

We learned about the ship’s features that were inspired by Antarctic animals, like stabilizing wings on the hull that extend like penguin wings to balance the ship against big waves.

In the afternoon we participated in lectures about everything from living in Antarctica in the winter to the myths of Cape Horn. We built puzzles, played cards and drooled over all of the fantastic photos and videos that were made during this trip.

The map from our journey

  In the evening we all met on the deck seven lounge to have a farewell toast with the captain. We auctioned off the ship’s flag, signed by the expedition team as well as a map used to guide us along the trip. The 2,100 Euros we collected will be donated to the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, meaning we can continue to leave an even greater legacy in Antarctica. 

On our way back to Ushuaia through the Drake Passage