January 2, 2022
COVID UPDATE
All passengers tested negative once again! Five day streak is very comforting. I’m not so sure about the status of the crew. They are not being very transparent on that topic and I am questioning. Turns out that Argentina government changed their requirements starting January 1st and now we are required to have a molecular PCR test by an Argentine official before we can disembark the ship. Very likely that we will miss out flights out of Ushiaua tomorrow. Lot’s of uncertainty.
We thought Day 1 of Drake Passage was rough, turns out it can get much worse. Our last day at sea was extremely turbulent. Cyclone winds of 58 knots (67 mph) with gusts up to 76 knots (88 mph). Waves were 25-30 ft. blowing sea water over the deck. Our cabin is on the 4th level and the swells were so strong we had sea spray hitting our cabin window. Watch the video, especially at 18 sec mark.
Ship’s Radar
We took a snapshot of the ship’s radar screen. Pink/Purple is BAD.
The ship captain is re-routing to get into safer waters until this storm passes by. Pretty much everyone is seeking refuge in their cabins due to rough conditions. Chairs are getting tossed around. All of our electronics have been put away for safe keeping. I am using carabiner to tie down some personal belongings. In fact, no dinner meal service today. They passed out ham and cheese sandwiches and a piece of fruit to our cabins and told us to hunker down.