Ambush in the Drake Passage

On the way back to Ushuaia we ran into the mighty fury of the Drake Passage. We were expecting a rough passage with 30 knots winds and 5 meter waves. We were served with 60-70 knots wind and 8-10 meter waves. Hurricane class winds and waves at Force 11 to 12! On the first day, the waves came head on, making the ship pitch from front to back. Then the wind changed direction and started coming in from the side, forcing the ship to roll from side to side, as well. From the bridge you can see the ship’s bow arching up and then plunge deep into the wave, while the ship is rolling from left to right. The resulting effect is a white plume of water spray about 30 meters into the air, all around the ship.

The waves were crashing all around the ship. The waves from the side were the worst. They were forcing the ship to roll at 45 degree angle. At 48 degree angle, the ship would tip over!!! Walking around the ship was near impossible without crashing into something. Everyone was forbidden from going out on the deck. One of the 10 meter wave that came in from the side scared the hell out of us. It crashed onto the deck with great force, and everyone that was sitting in the lounge got thrown from the chair and squashed into the opposite wall, along with the furniture.

None of us could sleep, as the violent rolling of the ship almost forced all of us from our beds. I barely stayed on the top bunk of my cabin by pushing myself against the ceiling with one hand and holding on to the side rail of the bed with my other hand. Many tried to sleep on the floor, to avoid being thrown from the bed. They were thrown around the four corners of the room as Drake put on a full fledged show of might. The rough seas lasted over 36 hours, keeping many of my team mates in their cabins. One member on the expedition team broke her angle as she got thrown across the lounge. The captain told us that it was the second worst Drake Passage he ever had, with the worst Drake passage coming 6 years ago. I am glad for the memorable experience, but I don’t want to experience that again.