Below is a voyage update from Expedition Guide, Diane Erecg. Diane is currently aboard the Sea Spirit, on Quark's Crossing the Circle, Southern Expedition:
At 5pm, the Oceanus Lounge hums with the collective energy and anticipation of 110 intrepid travelers embarking on their dream adventure – a voyage to the Antarctic Circle. Following warm words of welcome from Quark's expedition team and the crew of the M/V Sea Spirit, Expedition Leader Shane Evoy rallies the group with a simple question: ‘Who wants to go to Antarctica?' The answer is an immediate, boisterous and resounding cheer from each and every person in the room.
With this, our ropes are thrown, we depart the Ushuaia dock and our adventure of a lifetime begins. Spilling onto the ship's outer decks, we mingle with fellow travelers, steal glimpses of passing Peale's dolphins and South American terns and reflect on the civilization we're leaving behind. All this while admiring the stillness of Darwin Range silhouettes against a dusky Tierra del Fuegan sky.
Later in the evening, we've settled in, been fed like kings and queens and are geared up in iridescent yellow Quark parkas. We tumble into our beds and are rocked to sleep by the gentle rolling as the Sea Spirit steers us forward. At midnight, leaving the Beagle Channel behind us we make our turn into the Drake Passage and a sea of endless possibilities. Our next destination is 700 nautical miles to our south - the Antarctic Circle.
For more information on this amazing Antarctic voyage, visit: Crossing the Circle, Southern Expedition