This was our home throughout the entire the expedition. When we weren’t kayaking in the water or exploring the shores of Antarctica, we were on board the ship enjoying the food, warmth and company! The Ocean Endeavor is 137 meters long and 11 meters wide with a cruising speed of 15 knots. It has a horsepower (hp) of 17,420 hp.
We traveled short distances by zodiac. On board the ship was a fleet of zodiacs. These are small inflatable boats that allow us to get to places where the ship couldn’t go. They were lowered off the side of the ship using cranes. We used them to get to shore and to deploy into the sea kayaks.
A big part of our expedition was traveling by sea kayak. Every day we were down in Antarctica, we had at least two kayak adventures. To be in the kayaks, we were required to wear dry suits to keep us warm and dry. We also had to wear life-jackets and "skirts" to keep water from getting into the kayak.
Finally, we traveled by foot. Each day after kayaking, we would have the chance to explore on land. The zodiacs would pick us up from our kayaks and drop us off. We had to take great care while walking around and scrub our booties clean of any penguin poop before heading home.
We were very glad to be traveling by ship! On board, we had everything we needed and could go out exploring for the day before returning to somewhere that was warm and dry. To get down to the Antarctic Peninsula, we had to cross the Drake Passage, which is the roughest sea in the world! We experienced a taste of this on the way back with 8-meter swells (waves) and high winds! I was certainly grateful that I don’t get seasick.
