Wed. 11-30-16.
As threatened, we had 6:30 AM wake up to watch entrance into the Deception Island passage into the bay. We had breakfast then set out to land in a combo of sleet and snow. We were at Walkers whaling station which offered fantastic photo ops of old whale boats, buildings, whale oil drums and large for furnaces. There were whale bones strewn about that were so neat against the black volcanic beach, dusted with snow. We then hiked up a bit to a beautiful view over a snow fringed volcanic crater. It was tough photographing with the wind and sleet, but I think I managed to capture the essence of the area. We got back around11:00, ate lunch noon, then headed out to a different part of the bay - Telephone island around 2:00 for a couple of hours. Still a bit drizzly outside. We wandered a bit of the marked path I guess, and made quick tracks back when the cliff we were walking beside started to slide toward us, it really got our attention ! The cliffs were marbled with tons of white snow, gray and black volcanic rock. I was photographing a lone sailboat we have seen who also pulled in to the harbor. We ended up meeting the young couple on board who started in the Falklands, went to Elephant Island, then Deception, and will be heading up to Ushuaia where they drop off the boat. Their trip is one month. They told us they are staying put in the bay for a couple of days because there is a terrible storm in Drake Passage with 30 foot seas. We are scheduled to head back in two days, sure hope that has passed ! We had our usual daily recap, and plan for tomorrow. We ate dinner, then they scheduled the Captains cocktail party for 9:30 PM which we skipped because of the time.
Hiking up
Walkers Island - an Old whaling station
Island mostly volcanic black rock
Whale boat skeleton, and piece of whale bone skelton
Old whaling station building
From beach looking out to boat in the bay
Jon
Whaling boat
Seagull ball - trying to stay warm !
Whale vertebrae
The cold does not bother the Gentoo penguins
Laughing Gentoo
Nesting Gentus
Chinstrap on the run
Walkers bay
Sleepy seal ion
Gentoo in the colorful seaweed
Rusty old whale oil tanks
Landing area
There actually was a sailboat - met the young couple on board - very adventuresome !
Old furnaces used to melt whale blubber
Road coats hiking up the island
View from top of Island
Looking down at the old whaling village center
Mike, Jon, Me and Jana
Inside of one of the deserted buildings
Trying to dry gear off during lunch before the afternoon's expedition
Cruising
Jon and me
Landing Telephone Island
Black volcanic, lightly snowing, beautiful
the cliffs were marbled with snow and black volcanic rock
Snowball time
Happy Feet Gentoos
New pedicure ?
Listen !
Mr. and Mrs.
Thurs. 12-1-16
We woke up to brilliant sunshine this morning which was very welcome after the last couple of gray, snowy wet days. Our first outing was to Esperanza Bay where the Argentinians have research center. They have about 45 residents including 9 kids. They have a school with 3 pre kindergarten, 3 primary, and 3, secondary classes. The secondary kids study via the internet from courses on the main land. We saw our first Adeli penguins today which are noted by a white ring around their eyes. The buildings were all painted bright orange. It was a really great visit to see how people live in such a remote environment. We came back for lunch, then made a short stop at brown ledge. Jon and I stayed on board and sat outside and watched the Penguins darting around and ice bergs floating by. Afternoon tea was held outside on the deck it was so beautiful out. We then had a group picture taken, followed by cocktails and dinner. We had our daily recap then briefing for tomorrow at 9:00 PM. We stayed up to watch the sunset at about10:30 PM . It never gets completely dark and luckily all of the cabins have darkening curtains. Tomorrow there are plans for two outings, then we start our passage back north through the Drake Passage. It is hard to believe that a trip we have been looking forward to for so long, has now come and is almost done......
Thurs. 12-1-16
We woke up to brilliant sunshine this morning which was very welcome after the last couple of gray, snowy wet days. Our first outing was to Esperanza Bay where the Argentinians have research center. They have about 45 residents including 9 kids. They have a school with 3 pre kindergarten, 3 primary, and 3, secondary classes. The secondary kids study via the internet from courses on the main land. We saw our first Adeli penguins today which are noted by a white ring around their eyes. The buildings were all painted bright orange. It was a really great visit to see how people live in such a remote environment. We came back for lunch, then made a short stop at brown ledge. Jon and I stayed on board and sat outside and watched the Penguins darting around and ice bergs floating by. Afternoon tea was held outside on the deck it was so beautiful out. We then had a group picture taken, followed by cocktails and dinner. We had our daily recap then briefing for tomorrow at 9:00 PM. We stayed up to watch the sunset at about10:30 PM . It never gets completely dark and luckily all of the cabins have darkening curtains. Tomorrow there are plans for two outings, then we start our passage back north through the Drake Passage. It is hard to believe that a trip we have been looking forward to for so long, has now come and is almost done......
Passage in to Esperanza Bay
We passed this research center on our way to the Argentinian research center.
Beautiful icebergs on route
At anchor at the Argentinian research center
Adelie penguins
Adelie penguins everywhere !
the orange beaks are the Gentoo penguins
Equipment lined up at the shore
Gentoo penguins
The community center and church in background
Our boat off shore
My guy and me
Inside of the schoolhouse
the church
Inside of the community center
Adelie penguin
Places to go, penguins to see......
Hey - who is the penguin looking up at me ?!
As a matter of fact, I am quite dashing.....
Getting back in our tender to head back to our boat
Back on board, we spent the afternoon just relaxing on the deck and taking in all of the beauty.....
Afternoon tea on deck
Jim and me
Me, Danette, Jim and Jon
Jon and me
Afternoon swimmer
The beauty and serenity was astounding
Danette, Jim, me and Jon
Chris, one of our expedition leaders and me
Jon and me
Jim and me
Jon and Jim
Me, Jon, Jim and Danette
Danette and me
the whole gang
Fri. 12-2-16
We accomplished both of our landings today. Our first landing was at a Polish research center. The landing was a great combination of penguins and life in a remote outpost. We were able to mail some postcards here which we were told would be mailed 'sometime'. Back to the boat for lunch then cruised for about four hours to our next and final destination, Deception Island. It was a perfect last landing. There were black lava beaches, snowy hills, and areas of lichen green carpets. We saw Gentu penguins and a scattering of chin straps, enormous elephant seals. We got back on board with time for quick showers before our 7:00 PM daily wrap up, and a lecture on vegetation by Ma. We then had a long leisurely dinner and back to our cabin around 9:30 PM. We had our last sight of land and have entered the Drake passage where we will cross for about two days. They are predicting a smooth passage, and we are hopeful that is the case. They are predicting weather to start turn by Sunday afternoon, so the Captain has put the pedal to the metal.
Fri. 12-2-16
We accomplished both of our landings today. Our first landing was at a Polish research center. The landing was a great combination of penguins and life in a remote outpost. We were able to mail some postcards here which we were told would be mailed 'sometime'. Back to the boat for lunch then cruised for about four hours to our next and final destination, Deception Island. It was a perfect last landing. There were black lava beaches, snowy hills, and areas of lichen green carpets. We saw Gentu penguins and a scattering of chin straps, enormous elephant seals. We got back on board with time for quick showers before our 7:00 PM daily wrap up, and a lecture on vegetation by Ma. We then had a long leisurely dinner and back to our cabin around 9:30 PM. We had our last sight of land and have entered the Drake passage where we will cross for about two days. They are predicting a smooth passage, and we are hopeful that is the case. They are predicting weather to start turn by Sunday afternoon, so the Captain has put the pedal to the metal.
Adelie penguin
Whale bones were all over....
Peguin prints
Whale bones
Gentoo leader being followed by Jim and Jon
Gentoos
My new gentoo friend
Whale bones
Our final landing - Deception Island. We were greeted by Gentoos and whale bones
Gentoos and an elephant seal
Gentoo being eyed by the elephant seal
Gentoos, elephant seals and our ship
This was a mix of chinstraps and Gentoos. The Gentoos have the orange beaks
Hmmppphh.. One of these things does not look like the other ones.....
Gentoo on the run
Danette, Me, Jon and Jim
Sat. 12-3-16
So far, smooth passage through the Drake. We attended several lectures today, organized equipment we need to return, and looked through the the 4,321 photos we have taken. We then interviewed Anya, the expedition leader, and Romeo the second officer, to help get some info. For an article we are going to write for our MTOA magazine. We attended another lecture by Adam who lived in South Georgia for a year. Tonight after dinner they had a fun quiz night for teams of 6 - suffice it to say we did win. Hard to believe tomorrow is our last day.....
Sat. 12-3-16
So far, smooth passage through the Drake. We attended several lectures today, organized equipment we need to return, and looked through the the 4,321 photos we have taken. We then interviewed Anya, the expedition leader, and Romeo the second officer, to help get some info. For an article we are going to write for our MTOA magazine. We attended another lecture by Adam who lived in South Georgia for a year. Tonight after dinner they had a fun quiz night for teams of 6 - suffice it to say we did win. Hard to believe tomorrow is our last day.....
Racing chinstraps
2 chinstraps, and Gentoo in the foreground
Elephant seals and gentoos
Jon and me
Chinstrap penguin
Our last time heading back from land on the tender to the boat.
Jim, Danette, Jon and me
Just watching the icebergs float by, and the penguins zipping through the water
Penguins on an iceberg, and then frolicking in the water
This is at about 10:00 PM, the sun is starting to set
Sat. 12-3-16
So far, smooth passage through the Drake. We attended several lectures today, organized equipment we need to return, and looked through the the 4,321 photos we have taken. We then interviewed Anya, the expedition leader, and Romeo the second officer, to help get some info. For an article we are going to write for our MTOA magazine. We attended another lecture by Adam who lived in South Georgia for a year. Tonight after dinner they had a fun quiz night for teams of 6 - suffice it to say we did win. Hard to believe tomorrow is our last day.....
So far, smooth passage through the Drake. We attended several lectures today, organized equipment we need to return, and looked through the the 4,321 photos we have taken. We then interviewed Anya, the expedition leader, and Romeo the second officer, to help get some info. For an article we are going to write for our MTOA magazine. We attended another lecture by Adam who lived in South Georgia for a year. Tonight after dinner they had a fun quiz night for teams of 6 - suffice it to say we did win. Hard to believe tomorrow is our last day.....
Enroute home - the bridge
This was another one of our expedition leaders. I actually forgot his name because I called him Billy Martin
Sun. 12-4-16
So much for the calm passage we were thrown around all night by 15 to 20 foot seas, and steady 35 knot winds. We attended a lecture by Samantha who lived in a remote research outpost for a year, then gathered all our equipment to be returned. In the afternoon, we got our bags packed, then attended a session with Anja that reviewed all of the boats upcoming expeditions, there are some pretty enticing itineraries ! We arrived back to the Beagle channel around1:00 PM. We will anchor here till about 2:00 AM when a pilot boat will come out to escort us back to the dock. At 6:00 PM we had a cocktail hour with all of the staff, received our certificates for the polar plunge, then got to see a video presentation of our whole week. Afterwards was our final dinner, and farewells to staff and other passengers. We have a 6:30 AM wake up tomorrow, then the bus picks us up at 8:30 AM to bring us back up to the Arakur Resort for the night.
Sun. 12-4-16
So much for the calm passage we were thrown around all night by 15 to 20 foot seas, and steady 35 knot winds. We attended a lecture by Samantha who lived in a remote research outpost for a year, then gathered all our equipment to be returned. In the afternoon, we got our bags packed, then attended a session with Anja that reviewed all of the boats upcoming expeditions, there are some pretty enticing itineraries ! We arrived back to the Beagle channel around1:00 PM. We will anchor here till about 2:00 AM when a pilot boat will come out to escort us back to the dock. At 6:00 PM we had a cocktail hour with all of the staff, received our certificates for the polar plunge, then got to see a video presentation of our whole week. Afterwards was our final dinner, and farewells to staff and other passengers. We have a 6:30 AM wake up tomorrow, then the bus picks us up at 8:30 AM to bring us back up to the Arakur Resort for the night.
Jim, Danette, Me and Jon
Cheers to a great adventure....
Anja and Jon
Anja and me
Certificate for my polar plunge
Early AM arrival back to Ushuaia
That is the resort, The Arakar, that we stayed at in Ushuaia way up on the hill
Arriving back at the port in Ushuaia
Thurs 12-8-16
Back in the good ol USA -
Monday we returned to the dock in Ushuaia. We were able to early check in back at the Arakur. We spent time getting organized and repacking for our flight back. Not easy with the addition of our heavy expedition jackets we were given to keep. On Monday afternoon we wandered around Ushuaia and did last minute shopping. We met Jim and Danette for our last dinner together.
Tues we flew to Buenos Aires and checked into our hotel in the Palermo Soho district. We spent the afternoon walking all over and enjoying the area. At night, we ate next door at the Don Julio steak house which is rated to be one of the top ten steak houses in the world - it did not disappoint.
Wed. we spent a good a part of the day walking and toured around the Recoletta. We spent several hours in the Recoletta cemetery where Eve Perron is buried, and many other famous Argentinians. It was really a fabulous experience - could have stayed longer if time permitted. Luckily we ahd scheduled a 4:00 PM pick up to the airport for the 9:00 PM flight home. It took us about two and a half hours to go about 60 miles becuase the suway drivers were on strike, so the traffic was insane. We had an uneventful red eye flight home, luckily we were first class so it was bearable.
We have had quite an adventure. Jon said he was glad that now we had accomplished visiting all seven continents, we coud finally slow down on travel. I infomred him I had a new bucket list which is to visit every county in the world beginning with the letter "A" - you could have heared a pin drop.........
Thurs 12-8-16
Back in the good ol USA -
Monday we returned to the dock in Ushuaia. We were able to early check in back at the Arakur. We spent time getting organized and repacking for our flight back. Not easy with the addition of our heavy expedition jackets we were given to keep. On Monday afternoon we wandered around Ushuaia and did last minute shopping. We met Jim and Danette for our last dinner together.
Tues we flew to Buenos Aires and checked into our hotel in the Palermo Soho district. We spent the afternoon walking all over and enjoying the area. At night, we ate next door at the Don Julio steak house which is rated to be one of the top ten steak houses in the world - it did not disappoint.
Wed. we spent a good a part of the day walking and toured around the Recoletta. We spent several hours in the Recoletta cemetery where Eve Perron is buried, and many other famous Argentinians. It was really a fabulous experience - could have stayed longer if time permitted. Luckily we ahd scheduled a 4:00 PM pick up to the airport for the 9:00 PM flight home. It took us about two and a half hours to go about 60 miles becuase the suway drivers were on strike, so the traffic was insane. We had an uneventful red eye flight home, luckily we were first class so it was bearable.
We have had quite an adventure. Jon said he was glad that now we had accomplished visiting all seven continents, we coud finally slow down on travel. I infomred him I had a new bucket list which is to visit every county in the world beginning with the letter "A" - you could have heared a pin drop.........
Driving up to our resort - The Arakar in Ushuaia
Downtown Ushuaia
Downtown Ushuaia
This adorable woman made a Christmas ornament for Jon and me
Our last night with Jim and Danette
Walking around the Palermo Soho district of Buenos Aires
Neighborhood bar
Walk through a beautiful park
An active afternoon of chess at the park
Fruit and veggie store
A nourishment break
Jon and me at the Don Julio Steakhouse - fantastic !
We signed our wine bottle and it was placed way way up, with 1,000's of others !
Flower stand
Obviously - a dog walker, or at least I hope she did not own all of these dogs
I could have spent a week at the Recoletta cemetery - so surreal, spiritual and beautiful !
Eve Peron vault -
"Don't cry for me Argentina"
Looking inside one of the vaults
Loved the photos in this vault - there was man, a woman and a dog....
Walking back to hotel - newsstand
Right around the corner form our hotel was the a big apartment building fire, it got bigger as we watched - scary.
Just because.......
Below is the article that I wrote for our Magazine for MTOA......
In November of 2016 we embarked on a 12 day cruise to Antarctica on “Sea Spirit” with fellow MTOA members, Jim and Danette Potochick.
We spent time during our cruise interviewing Anya Erdmann, our ship's Expedition Leader, and Romeo Antonio, who was the second office and safety officer.
There are currently 46 ships authorized to operate in Antarctica. The ships are divided into three categories. Level one is a ship with 1 to 199 passengers. Level two is a ship with 200 to 499 passengers. Level three is a ship with 500 or ore passengers. Ships with 500 or more passengers are not allowed to make any landings, and are strictly cruising. Other ships are only allowed to have a maximum of 100 passengers on shore at one time. Annually in July, the schedule opens and all ships must pre register their itineraries for the upcoming year. Anya stated that the minute the schedule opens, all boats are vying to schedule their trips, with a limited number of landing options available. Anya stated that with Antarctica cruising, you never know exactly what comes, sometimes ice bergs come in quickly, and it takes some time to get out. Flexibility is mandatory, and on our cruise, that certainly was the case.
Romeo provided us some facts about our ship. The ship was 135 feet long with a 50 foot beam. The ship was equipped with two 2360 HP diesel engines with a top speed of 14.5 knots, and a cruising speed of 11.5 knots. The ship cruised at about 720 RPMs and carried approximately 235 tons of fuel and oil for our trip.
Romeo explained that they receive two day weather forecasts that are updated every 6 hours. They compare three different weather report sources to obtain information to help plan the safest passage possible.
Romeo indicated they use passageweather.com, windyty.com and grib.com for internet sources of weather forecasts. They also received information from other ships in the area concerning weather and icebergs.
Navigation was done using GPS and charts, along with iceberg tracking that was started after the sinking of the Titanic.
Romeo indicated that the decision on whether to proceed with a crossing is based on the size of the waves and wind speed. The ship will not leave port, or will seek shelter while at sea if the seas are over 6-8 meters or winds increase to between 50 to 60 knots.
On our return trip we made a course deviation so we could head closer to the winds when the seas picked up and the winds increased to 30+ knots.
We were on the first cruise of the season, and as we headed south, it was determined that there was still too much ice, so our entire itinerary was changed. Of course with the change of itinerary, you first have to check with other ships in the area to ensure that your new schedule of landings do not conflict with other ships in the area.
We were surprised by the number of younger passengers on our trip. Anya confirmed that the average passenger ages are from mid 50's to mid 60's.
Anya commented that no matter how rough the trip may be through Drakes passage, once through, you forget about it and are amazed at all of the wildlife and spectacular scenery. Anya informed us all at our first meeting that we were not on a cruise, but an expedition. She advised to take all of our planned agendas, and throw them out the window. This proved to be good advice as Antarctica is wild and unpredictable. You can’t make it happen, you just have to sit back and let it happen.
We set sail from Ushuaia Argentina, on a Friday evening around 7:00, and arrived at our first landing mid afternoon on Sunday. Although most passengers were sea sick during the passage, it was considered a comfortable trip with 12 to 15 foot swells. We were wondering what we would do to pass the time on the passage, but there were no problems there. Between safety drills, zodiac landing instruction, picking up our expedition parka, camping gear and muck boots, and numerous lectures from lichens to all the potential penguin species we may encounter, we were busy!!
Before each landing, the expedition team sets out to ensure a safe landing, and to mark the area/trails you can explore. On Sunday we started to "gear up" once we were told the landing would be a go. Gearing up entailed a base layer, followed by a fleece layer, a base sock, followed by two more layers of socks, a base glove topped with a waterproof glove, a neck warmer, then the muck boots, followed by waterproof ski pants, the. The expedition parka, topped off with your safety vest, and last but not least, sun screen and polarized sunglasses. The whole process took us about ten minutes, and left us resembling a cousin of the Michelin Man. Non deterred, we headed down to the marina, and set off on a Zodiac with 8 other passengers for our first Antarctica experience at Half Moon Bay. On our first landing we were treated to a beautiful sunny day, and sightings of four varieties of penguins, the Gentu, chinstrap, Maronite, and the Emporer. The Emporer penguin sighting was very rare and we had to be brought by zodiac to view one lone Emporer penguin. On our zodiac trip back to the ship, I told Anya I was disappointed that the Emporer penguin was laying down, when every one else had reported viewing the penguin standing. Anya responded, " But think how lucky you are, most people saw him standing, but only a few of you got to see him laying down !"
The next morning, Monday, we landed on Mikkelson Island. It was gray skies with mixed periods of rain and snow. We were told how fortunate we were to have gray skies because the colors would really pop in our photos. This proved to be especially true with the blues in the ice bergs that ranged from a light turquoise, to a deep violet, that would not be as brilliant in full sun. We explored the island that provided us with more penguin sightings, some seals, and spectacular scenery. Our afternoon adventure which was one of our favorites was a two hour zodiac cruise on Cierra Bay. We slowly forged our was through an ice laced bay full of ice bergs and ice sheets. We really felt like explorers in our zodiacs as we were serenaded with the sounds of ice popping and scraping the bottomed our zodiac. It was hard to comprehend that the enormous icebergs we were viewing were only 10 % of the actual ice berg as 90 % of the iceberg remains below the water surfaces. We were also treated to the delightful antics of the Penguins swimming by, and penguins climbing on to, then diving off of the iceburgs. We returned to the boat and at about 5:30 PM. 30 of us took part in the Polar Plunge which involved jumping in to the ocean from a zodiac, and yes, it was freezing cold ! Luckily the ship’s doctor who was standing by was not needed. The evening was topped off by 2 humpback whales putting on a performance for us.
Tuesday morning we were unsuccessful in trying to make a landing on Cordville Island due to wind and ice. We moved on to Orne Harbor where we made our first landing on the continent of Antarctica. We finally obtained our goal of visiting all 7 continents ! It really was overwhelming as it had long been on our bucket list. We were informed on Tuesday night that due to the amount of ice we would not be able to make our scheduled landings. It was decided that we would change positions and instead of continuing head south down the peninsula, we were going to head north. Thus, our initial planned itinerary was thrown out the window. We headed north toward the Shetland Islands.
On Wednesday we had two separate landings on Deception Island. The first landing was at an abandoned whaling sight. Walkers whaling station was eerily beautiful with the skeletons of old whaling ships, rusted out boilers and oil tanks, and buildings with patches of faint paint. Broken windows and missing doors afforded us a view inside of the buildings and an invitation to imagine what it was like to live and work in such a remote area. Our afternoon landing was in Telephone Bay, another area racked with scenery and wildlife. The beach was black from volcanic rock which was marbled with white snow and black volcanic cliffs - one word, “spectacular”.
Thursday morning was a landing at a working Argentinian outpost that was complete with 8 school aged children and approximately 50 residents. Really an education on how a small community lives in such extreme weather conditions. The afternoon was bright and sunny with a landing at Brown bluff. We chose to stay on board and sat at the stern with our feet on the railing, enjoying the peace and quiet. While basking in the sun we watched ice bergs float by, and penguins darting about. We then had a memorable afternoon tea which was set up outside, complete with a waffle bar, ice cream sundaes, and cocktails !
Friday our morning landing was at a Polish research center which included more wildlife and endless scenery. We were able to mail postcards which we were promised would be mailed, "sometime". Friday afternoon was our final landing on Barrientos Island. The final landing was similar to our first, a landing with penguins, seals, and endless scenery. After we returned to the ship, we set off for our northern trip back toward the Drake passage. As we watched the last view of land slip away, it was then that we realized, that yes indeed, to truly experience and enjoy Antarctica, you have to just let it happen.
Below is the article that I wrote for our Magazine for MTOA......
In November of 2016 we embarked on a 12 day cruise to Antarctica on “Sea Spirit” with fellow MTOA members, Jim and Danette Potochick.
We spent time during our cruise interviewing Anya Erdmann, our ship's Expedition Leader, and Romeo Antonio, who was the second office and safety officer.
There are currently 46 ships authorized to operate in Antarctica. The ships are divided into three categories. Level one is a ship with 1 to 199 passengers. Level two is a ship with 200 to 499 passengers. Level three is a ship with 500 or ore passengers. Ships with 500 or more passengers are not allowed to make any landings, and are strictly cruising. Other ships are only allowed to have a maximum of 100 passengers on shore at one time. Annually in July, the schedule opens and all ships must pre register their itineraries for the upcoming year. Anya stated that the minute the schedule opens, all boats are vying to schedule their trips, with a limited number of landing options available. Anya stated that with Antarctica cruising, you never know exactly what comes, sometimes ice bergs come in quickly, and it takes some time to get out. Flexibility is mandatory, and on our cruise, that certainly was the case.
Romeo provided us some facts about our ship. The ship was 135 feet long with a 50 foot beam. The ship was equipped with two 2360 HP diesel engines with a top speed of 14.5 knots, and a cruising speed of 11.5 knots. The ship cruised at about 720 RPMs and carried approximately 235 tons of fuel and oil for our trip.
Romeo explained that they receive two day weather forecasts that are updated every 6 hours. They compare three different weather report sources to obtain information to help plan the safest passage possible.
Romeo indicated they use passageweather.com, windyty.com and grib.com for internet sources of weather forecasts. They also received information from other ships in the area concerning weather and icebergs.
Navigation was done using GPS and charts, along with iceberg tracking that was started after the sinking of the Titanic.
Romeo indicated that the decision on whether to proceed with a crossing is based on the size of the waves and wind speed. The ship will not leave port, or will seek shelter while at sea if the seas are over 6-8 meters or winds increase to between 50 to 60 knots.
On our return trip we made a course deviation so we could head closer to the winds when the seas picked up and the winds increased to 30+ knots.
We were on the first cruise of the season, and as we headed south, it was determined that there was still too much ice, so our entire itinerary was changed. Of course with the change of itinerary, you first have to check with other ships in the area to ensure that your new schedule of landings do not conflict with other ships in the area.
We were surprised by the number of younger passengers on our trip. Anya confirmed that the average passenger ages are from mid 50's to mid 60's.
Anya commented that no matter how rough the trip may be through Drakes passage, once through, you forget about it and are amazed at all of the wildlife and spectacular scenery. Anya informed us all at our first meeting that we were not on a cruise, but an expedition. She advised to take all of our planned agendas, and throw them out the window. This proved to be good advice as Antarctica is wild and unpredictable. You can’t make it happen, you just have to sit back and let it happen.
We set sail from Ushuaia Argentina, on a Friday evening around 7:00, and arrived at our first landing mid afternoon on Sunday. Although most passengers were sea sick during the passage, it was considered a comfortable trip with 12 to 15 foot swells. We were wondering what we would do to pass the time on the passage, but there were no problems there. Between safety drills, zodiac landing instruction, picking up our expedition parka, camping gear and muck boots, and numerous lectures from lichens to all the potential penguin species we may encounter, we were busy!!
Before each landing, the expedition team sets out to ensure a safe landing, and to mark the area/trails you can explore. On Sunday we started to "gear up" once we were told the landing would be a go. Gearing up entailed a base layer, followed by a fleece layer, a base sock, followed by two more layers of socks, a base glove topped with a waterproof glove, a neck warmer, then the muck boots, followed by waterproof ski pants, the. The expedition parka, topped off with your safety vest, and last but not least, sun screen and polarized sunglasses. The whole process took us about ten minutes, and left us resembling a cousin of the Michelin Man. Non deterred, we headed down to the marina, and set off on a Zodiac with 8 other passengers for our first Antarctica experience at Half Moon Bay. On our first landing we were treated to a beautiful sunny day, and sightings of four varieties of penguins, the Gentu, chinstrap, Maronite, and the Emporer. The Emporer penguin sighting was very rare and we had to be brought by zodiac to view one lone Emporer penguin. On our zodiac trip back to the ship, I told Anya I was disappointed that the Emporer penguin was laying down, when every one else had reported viewing the penguin standing. Anya responded, " But think how lucky you are, most people saw him standing, but only a few of you got to see him laying down !"
The next morning, Monday, we landed on Mikkelson Island. It was gray skies with mixed periods of rain and snow. We were told how fortunate we were to have gray skies because the colors would really pop in our photos. This proved to be especially true with the blues in the ice bergs that ranged from a light turquoise, to a deep violet, that would not be as brilliant in full sun. We explored the island that provided us with more penguin sightings, some seals, and spectacular scenery. Our afternoon adventure which was one of our favorites was a two hour zodiac cruise on Cierra Bay. We slowly forged our was through an ice laced bay full of ice bergs and ice sheets. We really felt like explorers in our zodiacs as we were serenaded with the sounds of ice popping and scraping the bottomed our zodiac. It was hard to comprehend that the enormous icebergs we were viewing were only 10 % of the actual ice berg as 90 % of the iceberg remains below the water surfaces. We were also treated to the delightful antics of the Penguins swimming by, and penguins climbing on to, then diving off of the iceburgs. We returned to the boat and at about 5:30 PM. 30 of us took part in the Polar Plunge which involved jumping in to the ocean from a zodiac, and yes, it was freezing cold ! Luckily the ship’s doctor who was standing by was not needed. The evening was topped off by 2 humpback whales putting on a performance for us.
Tuesday morning we were unsuccessful in trying to make a landing on Cordville Island due to wind and ice. We moved on to Orne Harbor where we made our first landing on the continent of Antarctica. We finally obtained our goal of visiting all 7 continents ! It really was overwhelming as it had long been on our bucket list. We were informed on Tuesday night that due to the amount of ice we would not be able to make our scheduled landings. It was decided that we would change positions and instead of continuing head south down the peninsula, we were going to head north. Thus, our initial planned itinerary was thrown out the window. We headed north toward the Shetland Islands.
On Wednesday we had two separate landings on Deception Island. The first landing was at an abandoned whaling sight. Walkers whaling station was eerily beautiful with the skeletons of old whaling ships, rusted out boilers and oil tanks, and buildings with patches of faint paint. Broken windows and missing doors afforded us a view inside of the buildings and an invitation to imagine what it was like to live and work in such a remote area. Our afternoon landing was in Telephone Bay, another area racked with scenery and wildlife. The beach was black from volcanic rock which was marbled with white snow and black volcanic cliffs - one word, “spectacular”.
Thursday morning was a landing at a working Argentinian outpost that was complete with 8 school aged children and approximately 50 residents. Really an education on how a small community lives in such extreme weather conditions. The afternoon was bright and sunny with a landing at Brown bluff. We chose to stay on board and sat at the stern with our feet on the railing, enjoying the peace and quiet. While basking in the sun we watched ice bergs float by, and penguins darting about. We then had a memorable afternoon tea which was set up outside, complete with a waffle bar, ice cream sundaes, and cocktails !
Friday our morning landing was at a Polish research center which included more wildlife and endless scenery. We were able to mail postcards which we were promised would be mailed, "sometime". Friday afternoon was our final landing on Barrientos Island. The final landing was similar to our first, a landing with penguins, seals, and endless scenery. After we returned to the ship, we set off for our northern trip back toward the Drake passage. As we watched the last view of land slip away, it was then that we realized, that yes indeed, to truly experience and enjoy Antarctica, you have to just let it happen.