The Drake Lake

We are having an unseasonably smooth crossing of the Drake Passage. When
this happens, which isn't often, people refer to the Drake as Drake Lake,
because you just can't beat a smooth crossing. Unfortunately, it also
usually means that the way back will probably be rougher. We've still got
a good deal of sunlight during the day, and so if the clouds cooperate, we
can get some good sunrises and sunsets. Pictures of some of this on
flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/squeedunk.

We'll be crossing 60 degrees south sometime in the early morning, and we'll
hit some good scenery sometime tomorrow. 60 south is the boundary of the
Antarctic Treaty, which is important. We won't be crossing the Antarctic
Circle on this trip, as Palmer Station is located just north of the Circle.

The next few days will be exciting, getting ready for our validation at
Palmer Station and finally seeing the station. I've been looking forward
to this since 1999, when I had to look at it from the deck of the NBP and
couldn't get onto shore.

Stay tuned!