highplanesdrifters

Will see what I can find out for you Wes. They haven't posted the Expedition team bios yet. In the meantime here's the group from Apex. Already had a top knotch lecture from Jonathan.

Good Day Everyone Last night we cleared out of our docked position and anchored not long after. Happy to make room for the Wind who patiently waited for all our guests to arrive. We set sail sometime after lights out. This morning gave us blustery overcast skies, 2-3 meter swells, and a following seas. We now make our way to The Falklands. Our route. Stops in Falklands. Hopes for South Georgia. And Tristan de Cunha The Expedition Team And Pizza

I'm going to give my plane a paint job like that when I get home.

Welcome aboard to all those who had a long day getting here. What till you see the plane! 20240301_184222.mp4

With your adventurous spirit you would have enjoyed! And PSA courtesy of @Port Power don't forget the tops flip on the toiletries! 😁

We have really enjoyed this palette cleanser of a stop in Puerto Williams. Silversea offered a few morning hikes and an afternoon of snacks and cocktails at a lodge. We chose a free roam. Had a little hike in the park, wander around town - without the stampede this time. Some local grub topped it off. Heaven. Love that flag. Ferry to Puntarenas Thats my boat. End of the World Ukika park It was so nice to smell the Earth. And then we ran into this crew! Expedition team ready for the next leg. Needed some local food and Dientes de Navarino did not disappoint! Mmmmmm, crab legs. Beer made with their Calafate berry. Oh yum. A lager and dark available. They also do a Calafate Pisco. English menu available with QR code.

Thanks RT! And thanks for keeping the rally going. You headed out soon?

Melissa is a superstar. We have Enrique behind the bar, also in the superstar camp. There are so many who fit in that camp on this trip, it's like the old days. We have been incredibly spoiled by staff. Granted there are some beancounter issues, but we have moved on.😁

Opps forgot this fun bit. Last nights auction. A nautical map with custom art by a crew member. 20240229_183507.mp4

Puerto Williams Customs cleared around 2:30 and we had time for a quick stroll about this town of 3,000. First stop Anthropology Museum. Well done and worth a look see. It is all in Spanish. Google Lens was easy to use for translation. Finally a good shot of a brown browed Albatros. Interesting marker/grave(?) for an Argentine industrialist. I wonder why it's here. I'm calling it early Celtic Spanish design. Somebody is good at something A large military presence. Penguins have a dark side not often seen. We were told about the wild horses roaming about town. Quite a population. Um ya, lapped around Antarctica with no problems but almost got trampled by a herd if horses. How do you explain that one? 20240229_164305.mp41709253106300.mp4 So very sad to bid Farwell to a good friend who is leaving after this leg. But we did it well. P.S. A bargin on the revenue list.

Sail in to Puerto Williams. What we missed in the convergence we got at the sail in. Dozens of humpbacks, hundreds of seals, porpoise, so many birds, and magellianic Penguins. OK, so maybe the Penguins were just little dots, but technically I saw them. OK, maybe I didn't know the dots were Penguins, but technically I saw them. 🤣 Good Morning! Looks liked we just cleared so time for a stroll about the town. Humpback close to the boat. 20240229_115705.mp4 So many seals feeding in groups of 5-10. 20240229_120045.mp4

Before we swap out part of the Expedition Team tomorrow, I thought I would post details of the cracker jack squad that made this a stellar first leg. Thanks to all!!!

Seriously impressive! 🤣

Lol, great minds. This is what we swapped it out for. Sublime.

As we round Cape Horn and enter the Beagle Channel I'm starting to wonder if that lap around the northern reaches of Antarctica really happened. We have been to a few expedition rodeos before and except for the zodiac cruise hiccup (more on that later) it was sublime perfection. Hats off the Captian Koev and EL Michael. While they didn't take us to "where no man has gone before" they certainly took us to places rarely visited which were visually spectacular and afforded us unique wildlife experiences. We had hesitation booking this trip because our first Antarctica was perfect. This journey surpassed it. Captian Koev presenting and award to one of the engineers. We were lucky to have dinner with Captian last night. Having sailed with him in PNG and Kimberleys last year it was no surprise he is full of stories which he is happy to share. We particularly enjoyed hearing about the process to get us to the places we went. Using: Ice charts from 3 different sources. Multiple Wind, swell, weather charts. Communication with other vessels, although he was the path breaker in many cases. The risk of getting somewhere and being blocked by ice that wasn't there the day before. So many factors. It's not a dynamic video game, it's reality. And we WON! One lecture was about Penguin poo and how some PHDs wrote a paper on it. And then a few years later another group of PHDs revised it. Hilarious. Comfort food Lunch at The Drake grill. Rubin and fries. Yum. Rounding Cape Horn Good Morning. Going to a balmy 58 today. Maybe they'll fill the pool!

Have to agree, the Pinot was a tad light. Not much in the convergence except a nap or two and some excellent lectures. We have met some wonderful people and have been closing down the restaurants. 😅

An easy crossing so far with gentlest of rocking. We are solidly in the Drake about to enter the Convergence. This area is nutrient rich due to the mixing of the different oceans and upswelling. Critter buffet. Eyes open for wildlife. Not an exciting scene, but something we long for when landlocked. How's this for following seas? 😁 A little food porn from Flavors of India night. Potato cakes with lentel Curry. Oh yum! Chicken something or other. Salad Nicoise Lobster Salad. Chef has been doing an amazing job with Lobster. Always perfecty prepared in any dish we have ordered.

Oh how kind, thanks so much JP. I was hoping to find a way to give the real feel and experience. When we return home we string everything together and put it on the TV for background entertainment. OK so maybe we aren't the most exciting.🤣

Slipping into the Drake with some crazy cool tabular icebergs. A little rock and roll, but no biggie. Scroll on if you've had enough. 20240227_181222.mp4 20240227_175027.mp4 20240227_180959.mp4

Charcot Bay, Antarctica Well I guess we won't be getting in any Zodiacs today.🙂 on to the Drake! Nothing terribly exciting. These are Moment of Zen sound on videos. I like the reveal of how the waves carve the bergs. 20240227_082225.mp4 20240227_083114.mp4

Neko Harbour, Charlotte Bay Home to the largest Getoo colony on the continent. They did not have to tell us this as you could smell them even before you opened the door.😄 A little Iceberg tour before landing. That's going to make a proper Gin and Tonic. Don't even think about coming up this path! 20240226_171041.mp4 Iceberg Oragami gone wrong. The Colony Drop off your dirty chicks here. He did an extra leg through the fluffer. Who is going to power wash this for next season? The little dude wanted to High Fin Me. 20240226_175040.mp4 Another FEED ME video. 20240226_175111.mp4 Little swimmers returning from snack time. 20240226_174642.mp4

Evenings keep us busy too. I've been remiss in my food and libation posts. Food remains exceptionally tasty. Service top notch. Cocktails perfectly mixed. Included wines have been more than drinkable. Revenue wines very reasonable. Dolce Vita Dinner at LT. What a view. Another pinch me moment. Grouper And Sunset

Portal Point The earlier scene of the seal party. A relatively easy landing for guests, but staff were in waist deep water. Hats off to them, stellar crew. One guy got the surprise of his life when a crabeater seal swam up next to him. Eeeek. We had an easy but slightly slippery climb to the top of a snow hill which afforded 360 views. Reminds you how insignificant you are. A moment to tuck in you back pocket. Landing He's still king of the hill! A base of Granite rocks. I was already standing for these bergs. Green algae Lots of Lenticular clouds down here. More rocks, me likey. 360 video from the top of the hill. 20240226_160058.mp4

Charlotte Bay Some truly scenic cruising on another gorgeous summer day. Folks are beginning to get jaded. Rating icebergs - is it really worth getting up to take a picture?😄 20240226_111853.mp4

This showed up in today's Cronicle. It leads one to believe there is more available than just an iPhone class. Once we hit the Drake it will be easier to have a chat with the photo guy.