Back at sea, on our way towards Tristan da Cunha
Drake Passage, Scotia Sea, the famed seas we crossed, now lays ahead the South Atlantic or should we call it the Southern Ocean?
Well, there is actually a question on that matter. For many the Southern Ocean coincide with the political Antarctic Treaty border of 60º South. Though it makes more sense to consider its Biological boundary that lies at the Polar Front. There, cold and dense Antarctic waters sink beneath the temperate Sub-Antarctic ones of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic along an area 20 to 30nm wide that waves around Antarctica between 48°S and 61°S.
An immense body of water of over 20 million square kilometres with unique oceanographic properties, which isolated Antarctica at the South of the globe since the opening of the Drake Passage about 30 million years ago, catalysing its cooling and thus affecting the global climate of our planet.
But there is even another group of geographers that don’t even consider the term of Southern Ocean and would rather consider just the denominations of South Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Anyway, during our voyage we have sailed first the about 400nm of the Drake Passage, then the 800nm of the Scotia Sea to South Georgia, now we are ready again to sail double this distance to try our chances to visit the remote and isolated Tristan da Cunha.
Southern Ocean to the South Atlantic, we still face the volatility of the Furious 50’s and the Roaring 40’s are to come soon.
5 AM is the time when the anchor is hoisted home, engines switched on and the ship starts leaving Royal Bay behind. Ahead all those miles of open ocean. Today steaming northwards, gaining height along the island on light north and northeasterly winds, all before hoping to set canvas when the wind turns to a more favourable northwesterly. Anyway, for a while this afternoon it feels like some sail could hold and give hand to our engines. A couple of headsails, lower staysails and Topsails are unfurled and set, but not for a long time. Not a day for sailing, but a good day to set up the watch system and get accustomed again to be at sea.
As soon as the shallow South Georgia Continental Shelf drops to greater depths, whale blows start to appear around us. We start with one sighting, then two, wait a second, there they blow more of them. A group of Fin whales first, then a handful of Humpbacks.
A Wandering albatross flies by, seems to wave us farewell while South Georgia mountains are still visible amongst the clouds.