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Day 2 - December 29, 1999
BEHOLD THE SEA

We spent last night sailing through the Beagle Channel, out into the Drake passage, or the Drake Lake as the Captain is calling it, because of it's unexpected calmness. Our ship The Ocean Explorer I was built during World War II and served as a troop carrier.

I spent time this morning watching various birds flying behind the ship. I saw Great Petrels, Storm Petrels and last but not least the Wandering Albatross. According to an onboard ornithologist, the Albatross can fly thousands of miles without having to land.

Everyone in our party is in good spirits, Art likened the rocking movement of the ship, to that of a Cello being slowly bowed.  I returned to my cabin, to find all my stuff on the floor. I've been taking lots of photos and will send a full set to Donald to be posted on this website. Two photos I've taken are of a lifebuoy on the side of the ship, in one picture you can see only sky behind the lifebuoy, then in the next you can only see the ocean. We had a lifeboat drill this morning. I'm on the last lifeboat to leave the ship (I must speak to Art about this).

In a few hours we will be crossing the Great Convergence, this is where the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans meet the Southern or Indian Ocean. Because of the different air and water temperatures, the wind and the sea can get pretty rough. Then it's on to 60 degrees south, the official start of the Antarctic waters.  Tomorrow we will be going ashore at Half Moon Island in the South Shetland Island group, weather permitting.

I just bumped into Art, he had just finished rehearsing with Eric Weissberg and the Chieftains, Art and Eric are performing "She Moved Through The Fair" as part of the grand finale of the Chieftains show on New Year's Eve.