Antarctica ~ The Drake Passage Again

“And the purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” Eleanor Roosevelt

That pretty much sums up my thoughts on the Drake. Taste the experience to the limit, reach out and eagerly embrace it to the fullest, and do it all without fear!

Easier said than done! We didn’t have a choice as to whether or not we’d traverse the Drake for the second time, tasting and embracing it so to speak, so it did become the intrepid journey that we bravely faced to the utmost. Fortunately, the ride wasn’t exactly the Drake Shake, but neither was it the Drake Lake. It was something in-between, with fairly rough waters and much rocking of our ship. Our seasickness patches worked wonders, (the person that invented them should be sainted), and we were able to watch the rolling waves break into the side of the ship from the comfort of our cabin. Some of those waves, I must admit, were pretty formidable. (Which is code for “terrifying”.)

And sadly, because of the waves, the polar plunge that was scheduled for 10 am, had to be postponed till tomorrow. Allan and I of course, were very disappointed. (Good Lord…NOT! That experience would have ranked right up there with root canal for us, so that’s a gigantic – Never in a million years!!!)

Room service came with our breakfast, which was fabulous, as we didn’t have to careen through the halls from side to side to get to the restaurant.

We eventually did venture to the upper deck, so we could read for awhile. Yikes!!! The upper deck was really rocking and rolling. It gave us roller coaster thrills by the minute, as well as the realization of what it must be like to ride a mechanical bull, but we were able to endure whatever the sea belched our way. Again, thank you scopolamine!

It is another bright and sunny day. We are so lucky, as having so many days rain-free during this cruise has not been experienced in a very long time.

They were handing out Margaritas when we went in for lunch. They were delicious and one of our favorite waiters offered me a second one, which I graciously accepted. I figured, everyone is trying to stay upright as they walk given the waves, so if I’m a little tipsy, no one will be the wiser.

By afternoon, the waves got even fiercer and walking around was a bit tricky. We made our way to the Aula Theater for the Captain’s farewell address, walking carefully thru the hallways.

The farewell was wonderful, as all of the crew were introduced, primarily the ones we never see, like those who do the laundry and the dishwashing. The crew here – amazing. Always happy, helpful, and fun to be with. We will miss them. They played Tina Turner’s Simply the Best as the crew went up on the stage. And they are!

We had drinks with friends and then off to dinner. I had delicious lamb chops and finished the meal with a limoncello. Tomorrow is our last day on our polar adventure.

The swells weren’t too bad
Breakfast was delivered
Clear skies…but rough waters
Getting a tad rougher
Our amazing crew

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