Chapter 5: The Roughest sea in the world.





The Roughest sea in the world is no joke. The sea between South Americas Cape Horn and South Shetland Islands of Antarctica is called the Drake Passage and it is the roughest Sea in the world and the shortest route to reach Antarctica from South America. Drake Passage gets its name from Englishman Sir Francis Drake, whose ship was accidentally blown away far south on one stormy night of September 1578 leading to discovery of a sea beyond South America. It is indeed ironical that most discoveries are a matter of accident and when in Sea, accidents and weather can swing any way.

What started as a tiny shake of tables had turned into a full blown turbulent shake. I woke up at midnight to stuff falling around my cabin. I had heard about the infamous Drake Shake and had secretly wished that I get to experience it. I tried to step out of my cabin but it was a very difficult task to stand straight as the ship was swaying wildly and I could hear clanks of tables, chairs and computers falling apart.  Holding on to the rails I somehow made my way to the deck and was instantly stuck by thunderous sounds and biting winds. Braving it all, I stood outside, strongly holding on to the rails, and catching my breath. Once I calmed down, what I saw was unbelievable. 20 feet waves were crashing on the 4th floor windows of the ship with the wind blowing in its full fury and the ship was dancing on the swells of the waves .If the world came to an end at that moment, then I was in the midst of a very powerful opera.

Drake Passage is known to stir emotions even in the most stoic creature. While some will question their sanity, some will savour the adventure and some will find it poetic. I stood there for a while till my bones could handle the chill and then made my way to a safe seating corner. I was awestruck by what I had just experienced. The ocean was so powerful and its fury was so consuming. I was left with a thought that we all ride on the waves of life and our survival is a matter of chance. Back then, I did not realize that this thought of mine would be so relevant to the world when I came back to civilization.

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