Antarctica log 1 - first 24 hours at sea
- By Richard Branson -
- Jan 30, 2012
Heading from Ushuaia (which is often referred to as the end of the world) through the protected Beagles Channel into the notorious Drakes Passage where the seas can be ferocious.
Important to make this journey a transfoming experience for all of us in our quest to help solve the problem of climate change.
The first 24 hours at sea, the Gods have been kind to us. The captain says one of the most calm crossings of Drakes Passage ever. Could this be the lull before the storm?
A beautiful pod of eight minke whales playing alongside the boat for half an hour with a solitary fin whale taking the lead. An unusual sighting since they're still fearful of boats from the days of whale hunting in this region. Delightfully their numbers are returning. As they leave the water they expose their beautiful pink underbellies coated with algae. One wondering albatross swooping above them.
The whales biggest threat today is from the vast fishing fleet that lands thousands of tons of krill to be used as fertiliser. The whales live off krill and most other species in the Arctic do too. Without it most will be in peril.
So at our next OceanElders meeting we will debate how the climate can be policed better and how krill can be protected.
Image by Aah-Yeah on Flickr
By Richard Branson. Founder of Virgin Group
