Navigating the Drake: Our Journey Toward Antarctica

With a low pressure squeezing itself up against Cape Horn, we surrendered to the forecasted force 9 southwesterlies and called in to Estancia Harberton on the Beagle Channel. We made it to Harberton by Wednesday afternoon, giving us time for a walk in the forests, vegetation, and thunderstorms of Tierra del Fuego. All things enjoyed before our senses will be soaking up a different type of environment.
After some climbing instructions to start off our Thursday morning, it was time to invite the pilot on board and head out onto the Drake Passage. The morning was spent preparing for the conditions to come, rigging safety nets and lines around the decks and sea-stowing everything we wanted to be in the same condition upon arrival in Antarctica.

Time passed quickly as we busied ourselves. Before lunch, we waved the pilot off and then began bracing and setting sails. Testing the newly learned techniques for line handling, we started with the topsails and the fore course. The evening light gave a beautiful orange glow, lighting up our set sails and silhouetting passing black-browed albatross.

We enjoyed the feeling of the waves beneath our feet and the sense of accomplishment after the crew had all worked together to let the sails catch the wind. The collective achievement left a buzz in the deckhouse as we raced south towards Antarctica. We kept a pace of about 6.5 knots, propelled by southwesterlies.

By Thursday evening, the dwindling wind encouraged us to add more sail. We responded first with the t’gallants, then royals. We adjusted the staysails to try and keep our speed above 5 knots. We eked everything out of what wind there was before eventually resorting to using the engines and packing away any set canvas.

By Friday night, the wind was backing from weak northerlies to westerlies and began to pick up speed. The lack of wind had allowed the swell to dominate the movement of Europa, giving a rolling motion, leading to our eagerness to set some sails and hold us steady once again.

The decision was made to keep the pace up and push for reaching the South Shetland Islands as soon as possible on Sunday, before some bad weather came through on Sunday night. Sail handling and bird watching were plentiful in the final 24 hours of our Drake crossing. Seasickness was slowly being overcome, and the sail training was falling into place.

Rich Simko