Cruising the Drake passage

Cape Horn is infamous for being one of the most dangerous shipping passages in the world. That is because at 56 degrees south latitude there is virtually no land. This means that when a wave forms, there is no land in the way to break it up. As a result, a rogue wave can grow up to 100 feet high. The winds in the area don't help the situation, so a lot of ships have gone down in this part of the world.

I can verify that the winds in the area are very strong. As usual, I was up at the crack of dawn to get these shots. I nearly got blown over on the deck trying to take these pictures. Even though the sun was shining, the wind chill made it feel like it was freezing cold outside. Below is a close up of Cape Horn.
Now we are heading off to the Palmer research station (on Anvers Island, Antarctica) to pick up a few scientists. They are scheduled to give a couple of lectures on the kind of work that they do at the base.