After dinner we greatly enjoy today’s gorgeous never-ending sunset, lasting longer and longer as we get southwards and the daylight hours increase.

After dinner we greatly enjoy today’s gorgeous never-ending sunset, lasting longer and longer as we get southwards and the daylight hours increase. Big tabular icebergs shine under the soft twilight as the sun deeps over the horizon with a background of warm evening light. Light Mantled albatross soar close to us in the orange coloured skies, together with several Giant petrels and Prions.

Making our way under sail on those high southern latitudes, dealing with different weather situations including strong winds, light breeze, rough seas, snowfall and drifting icebergs and sea ice, makes us look in the past and wonder and marvel on how the old expeditionary-whaling-sealing sailing ships managed to sail those waters. Europa offers all commodities on board; eventhough she was launched in 1911, she has been refurbished and conditioned for modern times sailing on those latitudes and counts with modern technology. But on the old sailing times cold, wet, hunger, peril, uncertainty about ice, positioning, depths and ecostal contours were everpresent.

We can only approach some of the feelings of those times, while we sail on the most traditional way we can our beloved Europa on those difficult waters: Working on deck under rough seas and strong winds, then also waiting for wind, drifting, being busy on deck and aloft, steering the ship on the old fashion and programing our route with what the weather and the elements offer us. That is the beauty of this kind of trips!