Combine that with the fact that the water is super cold and filled with giant icebergs, and you can understand why it took people so long to build a boat capable of making it across!
Today, people take boats--like the Quark World Explorer I'll be on--to reach Antarctica. You may have seen cruise ships before, and these are similar, but they have to be specially made of really strong metal just in case it runs into ice. We don't want a repeat of the Titanic!
Because these boats are so big, they can't get very close to the shore. So once the boat makes it across the Drake Passage, we have to get on smaller boats, called RIBs. This stands for Rigid Inflatable Boats, and they look like little speedboats made of rubber--like a floating balloon. These are fast and agile, and because they're filled with air, they can land right on the ground without getting damaged by rocks.
Once you're on the continent itself, you're using your own two feet to get around, so you have to make sure to pack comfortable (and waterproof!) boots. Some scientists who live in Antarctica full time (there are around 200 people spending winter there every year) need more support, and they have cool science vehicles that can drive around on the ice, like tanks and trucks.
Sleeping on the boat is exciting! The Drake Passage is a little scary, but the feeling of excitement always prevails. It's the RIBs that are a big scarier--they're tiny and harder to control in the rough water, and everybody has to sit on the sides. Falling into the cold water would be terrible.
