Jaunted

The Antarctic Dream, a Chilean expedition ship that was given a sumptuous refit three years ago, sailed from Ushuaia on a bright and blowy Monday afternoon, carrying me, 77 other passengers, the team of five naturalists who would lead the trip, and around 40 crew members.

In terms of size and amenities, the AD, like the baby bear's porridge, felt just right. There were enough passengers to engender a lively atmosphere, but not so many that excursion opportunities would have to be rationed. (According to the international agreement that regulates tourism activities in Antarctica, only 100 passengers are allowed on shore in any one place at any one time. Some cruise ships carry three to four hundred passengers and use a rota system for excursions; others are more like floating small towns and allow for no disembarkations whatever.)

Since a YouTube clip – even a bad one – is worth a million words, here's a quick video tour of the boat. Apologies in advance for the 'Antarctic Witch Project' camera work and for the bogeys smeared across the lens.

As the boat nosed its way through the spectacular Beagle Channel (it takes about four hours to read the open ocean from Ushuaia), I got acquainted with the ship and with my cabin-mate, David. The latter was a charming lawyer (not, as it turns out, a contradiction in terms) from Colorado; like me, he was traveling alone. He did a great job of rolling me onto my side when I started snoring, a sound that might otherwise have attracted pods of aggressive sperm whales.

His other great virtue was a complete disinterest in alcohol; at every meal he slipped me his wine ration. Never mind getting out of Iraq -- it's selfless gestures like these which will improve the image of North Americans abroad.

After a delicious four-course meal we were told that we would shortly be entering the Drake Passage -- aka the roughest stretch of ocean in the world – and that, if we hadn't already done so, we should immediately begin taking our anti-seasickness medication.

More on the notorious 'Drake shake' tomorrow…

Insider Tip: Don't go to Antarctica without a logbook. The best one is produced by Condor de Plata and is available both at Ushuaia port itself and from here
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Related Stories:
· Go with the floe [Forbes]
· Hotels in Tierra del Fuego & Ushuaia [HotelChatter]
· Jaunted in Antarctica [Jaunted]