twangster

Noon update: We've come full circle or nearly so. My boarding pass for the charter flight back to Santiago was dropped off this morning. Window seat on the left side. My luggage is packed and I made it under the 23 kg weight limit.

I have done Northbound and Southbound transits of the Panama Canal. There is no forward or backwards to the canal. It has always operated in both directions.

Day 18 Chronicle: 5 JAN - At Sea and Puerto Williams Chile.pdf

Day Eighteen - Drake Passage and Puerto Williams Position report: Balcony observations: The seas have settled considerably and most of the ship's motion is gone.

Just before bed our position:

In the early evening the Captain hosted us in the main theater for some final words. As well as a parade of the crew.

Information posted for our consumption:

Our position using the windy.com swell forecast.

Photo statistics: 14,235 pictures and/or video clips captured 781.21 GB on disk 1,960 images processed for posting. Photos have been reduced to 1,200 maximum pixel width to make them easier to upload over ship internet.

The Silver Wind has a complimentary laundrette on deck four forward. It's a compact space with 3 sets of washers and dryers. There are complimentary laundry pods available containing powdered laundry soap compatible with the ship's bioengineering systems. The trick is finding time when 200+ other guests are also vying for laundry resources.

Next cruise to have 245 guests. This sailing had 229. Maximum capacity was stated to be 277.

Captain's noon address just now. Seas at 3m are expected to remain until 1am at which point they will improve. In the Captain's words it's a relatively good day in the Drake. I'm kind of disappointed. I guess I'll have to come back to experience the real Drake Passage. Live from the Drake Passage aboard the Silver Wind.

Waiting for me after breakfast: Departure information:

Down for breakfast in The Restaurant I had the venue to myself so an opportunity for some photos. Which window seat shall I pick?

Day 17 Chronicle: 4 JAN - At Sea.pdf

Day Seventeen - The Drake Passage Position report: Balcony observations:

Our final daily recap and briefing was held this evening. Among a number of topics Sara reminded us again about the IAATO Antarctic Ambassador Expedition Challenge. The guests that completed the challenge on board were called on stage and presented with certificates. You can also complete the challenge on the IAATO website. Just before dinner I captured our position and track through the Neumayer Channel. At 21:45 it was the crew talent show. Amazing talent among the crew. Impressive. Just before bed it was one last position report now that we have made the turn North. Ready or not, Drake Passage here we come.

Incidentally my 360 camera discovered two more Starlink antennas in the forward area above the Panorama Lounge. That makes at least three Starlink systems on board with a theoretical aggregate bandwidth of 1.5Gbps for the ship.

The Silver Wind in The Neumayer Channel in 360. Silver Wind in the Neumayer Channel in 360 - Midship Silver Wind in the Neumayer Channel in 360 - Forward

Here are some pictures from my 360 camera during the Neumayer Channel transit.

The wind was howling and it was getting difficult to take photos but dressed for the conditions it wasn't cold.

Enough about whales! I've refrained from posting more whale pictures but rest assured there were many more sightings. The coastline appeared to be one very long glacial face birthing icebergs hourly. This recently calved growler was finding its equilibrium rolling before our eyes. So many interesting icebergs. The bridge team brought us closer for a better look.

This pair stuck close to each other. Earlier today Andrew presented an enrichment talk about Humpback whales. He mentioned that often when you see a pair of whales with one larger than the other staying close to each other it may be a mother with a calf. I'm not certain that is the case with these two but it makes for a nice story so I'm going with it.

As we left the channel the bay was littered with icebergs.

Whale sightings were frequent. A Chilean naval ship. I've submitted these photos to the Happy Whale project. https://happywhale.com/ Perhaps it will help to track the migration path of these magnificent creatures. Each fluke is unique but other characteristics of the hump and other areas are also unique to each individual whale.