As we leave the icebergs and penguins behind, we plan ahead for the Drake Passage. We expect to fasten everything (including our stomachs), considering last time was an average experience. We wait for the rough waves, the swaying, the sleepless nights - but it never comes.

We write this as the sea surface temperatures have risen from the near-freezing waters of the Drake Passage to over 10 degrees Celsius - we're in the Atlantic Ocean. We had the mythical calm "Drake Lake" experience.