This is it, we're here! Years of dreaming about it, months of preparation, the last hectic weeks with all the logistics... 600 miles in 4 days to
cross the Drake Passage, decent weather conditions with max 35 knots of wind and only albatrosses and petrels for company... And on Monday, December 11
in the morning, under snowfall and accompanied by whales and icebergs, we emotionally discover the white continent. Snow and ice cover everything, and the
sun, which had been avoiding us for days, appears as we anchor between Eta and Omega islands in the Melchior archipelago. What joy to have arrived, and
despite the fatigue, we can't resist a snowball fight. The girls are happy to let off some steam after this Drake crossing. We
had initially planned to stop further north in the South Shetlands, but a strong easterly wind as we approached the western tip of Livingston Island
forced us to continue to the peninsula. After a good and much-needed shower, a hearty meal, and most importantly a full night's sleep, we went
to greet the crabeater seal colony just meters from Libertaire this morning, then after a nap, we visited the uninhabited Argentine base
Melchior under a beautiful blue sky. We still can't believe the reality of all the stunning landscapes before our eyes... We have 3 months to get used to it!
Not easy
either to explain to Nina and Diane that it's daylight at night, that it's summer but it's snowing...