Seen today on the scales in the ship’s fitness room: “Travel is not about where you’ve been, but what you’ve gained.” Haha. To be sure, I have gained an awful lot over the last 10 days, in every sense – … Continued

Sunrise 0443, Sunset 2203 Position 64 degrees 35.60′ South, 62 degrees 41.54′ West This lunchtime I took the plunge – literally. All passengers on board the Explorer were invited to do the “Polar Plunge”, a quick leap into the 32 … Continued

Sunrise 0427, Sunset 2252 Longitude 66 degrees 51.67’ South, 66 degrees 47.79’ West Today at about 5am we crossed the Antarctic Circle. I thought I felt a bit of a bump as we ran over it (not really), but it … Continued

Sunrise 0428, Sunset 2217 Paradise Bay, 64 degrees 53.9′ South, 62 degrees 52.7′ West Today was simply too gorgeous for words. I spent much of the day with my mouth hanging open, in complete awe of our surroundings. I hadn’t … Continued

Tonight I gave the first part of my two-gig presentation. After all, that is why I am here. I was just showing the Part 4 of my Atlantic video, the triumphant arrival in Antigua, when a member of the professional … Continued

63 31.09 degrees South, 58 52.65 degrees West Sunrise 0416, Sunset 2145 This morning I woke to the sight of icebergs outside my cabin window. We were entering the Weddell Sea, and seeing for the first time the great white continent … Continued

Who knows why we find penguins so endearing? Maybe it’s because they walk upright like we do. Or because their waddling walk is so klutzishly cute. Or because their faces seem so expressive. But whatever the reason, they are adorable, … Continued

The Drake Passage has a scary reputation, and that’s not surprising (glad it wasn’t like this!). It’s the narrowest point between Antarctica and any other landmass, so all the formidable force of the Southern Ocean gets squished into a narrow … Continued

Last year’s TED Mission Blue conference in the Galapagos Islands took place on board the National Geographic Endeavor, in association with Lindblad Expeditions. After the conference I wrote to Sven Lindblad, suggesting they might want an ocean rower to come … Continued