Google have a lot to answer for! I was blocked from logging into my gmail account on the boat, so here (finally) is a post for all of the Antarctica trip, done jointly by Kitty and Gillian.
Jan 19
A short taxi ride took us to the boat. The cabin is small but well designed with lots of hooks and reasonable cupboard space. There is a open bridge policy so we can go the bridge whenever we like, There is a team of scientists on board who are passionate about Antarctica. There are also several expert photographers with very hi-tech equipment. One of them is an Argentinian professional making a book on Antarctica. This is his third trip on the same boat which he says is the absolute safest of all the expedition boats. This time they have given him a free trip and a huge private suite.
Jan 20
About midnight, a few hours after boarding, we left the Beagle Channel and entered the Drake Passage. The boat started rolling from side to side, and so did we (in bed). In the middle of the night about 3 am the swell apparently increased from 4m to 8m (briefly). At the height of the swell Gillian got up to get a drink but before she could get it she was hurled against the wooden side of the upper bunk, causing her to see stars. Other passengers suffered similar fates with one sustaining a lower back injury having to be rescued from the bathroom floor by crew members, and one needing stitches in his scalp.
Then came a further day and a half of Drake Passage crossing with a pretty constant 4 m swell. Albatrosses and petrels followed the stern of the boat as it churns the water bringing food for them to the surface. We took our travel sickness meds and all 4 of us felt fine. Not so everyone else - a few succumbed badly. There are grab rails everywhere, even in the shower and next to the toilet. Men have to wee sitting down to avoid making a huge mess. Showering is a challenge; too much for Gillian who made do with Wet Wipes until calm waters returned.
Jan 21
Finally the boat rolling stopped as we reached the South Shetland Islands. Our first shore excursion was to Half Moon Island, home to a large colony of Chinstrap penguins, and some Weddell seals. The penguins are so cute! The chicks still have their downy coat; they’ll fledge in late February.
Getting ready for the shore excursion involved wearing the following (for Kitty):
1 pr over the knee socks, 1 pr knee hi socks, 1 pr calf hi socks, 2 prs thermal long johns, foot warmers, waterproof pants, 1 short sleeved merino, 2 long sleeved merinos, 1 down coat, 1 Goretex, a wool beanie, the hood from the down coat, a neck warmer, a life jacket, possum gloves inside fleece gloves inside ski mittens, supplied gum boots. Gillian wore less.
Gillian’s first foray outside was to test the warmth of her clothing. The minute she stepped on deck she was treated to the sight of a whale’s tail flipping out of the water right in front of her. Shortly after she saw a whale pod breaching the water and blowing water from their blowholes. This was followed by penguins leaping out of the water.
Jan 22
The morning excursion was to Hydrurga Rocks named for leopard seals which are no longer on the island. The scenery was spectacular - interesting rock formations and icebergs in fascinating shapes. We saw more Chinstraps, and more Weddell seals, two of which blocked our path so we couldn’t see the cormorant colony as we are not allowed to get too close. We have to be very careful not to disturb the animals or block their path when they are moving. We also saw a fur seal which can inflict a nasty bite if disturbed, and some Antarctic Sheath Bills which do their bit for the environment by eating seal poo.
We then navigated the Gerlache Strait to reach Cuverville island, home to 5000 Gentoo penguins; it was our afternoon shore excursion. The Gentoo penguins are really friendly. There were chicks in various stages of development. The scenery was stunning - so many icebergs in weird shapes, with mountains in the distance and sun breaking through the clouds. On the way back to the boat we were lucky to see a leopard seal asleep on a small iceberg. Leopard seals are at the top of the predatory chain in Antarctica; any other species is fair game (including humans I’m sure).
Jan 23
We were woken early to see the spectacular trip through the Lemair Passage, only 600m wide. We could not get all the way through due to a large iceberg so backtracked and went to Flandres bay instead. With the sun shining on the nearby hills and, glaciers and walls of ice at water level, it was truly spectacular. There are not enough adjectives to describe this beautiful scene. As well as the ever-present penguins and seals, the latter sunning themselves - seemingly on every second iceberg, we saw a couple of whales. We also saw a large lump of black ice (ice that has had the air compressed out of it) which we thought at first was a whale.
The afternoon trip was to a Chilean research base (summer only); finally we set foot on the Antarctic mainland! There were 13 people on the base: 12 men and one woman, the medic. The base is surrounded by Gentoo penguins on all sides, including a ‘false albino’ much paler than all the others. Lots of chicks too, at least one penguin sitting on an egg and several Snowy Sheathbills doing their best to snaffle a chick or egg for dinner but the parents were ever vigilant.
Jan 24
The morning excursion was a Zodiac cruise at the Melchior Islands, where there were beautiful icebergs and fascinating rocks. Plus of course seals (now very ho hum).
The afternoon trip was our 2nd continental landing, at Neko Harbour, where we trekked in the snow up to a great lookout. From there we had amazing views of the harbour, penguins below, and glaciers right next to us. We heard several mini-avalanches but didn’t see them.
It was so warm hiking up we had to shed multiple layers of clothing.
Jan 25
At 730am we entered the caldera of Deception Island, through a narrow opening. Although the wind dropped from the 30 knots (60kph) outside the caldera, it was not safe to use the Zodiacs so the morning excursion was abandoned. Those wanting to do a polar plunge into the icy water were disappointed. We have actually been really lucky with the weather in that no other planned landings have been aborted.
Our final shore excursion was to Hannah Point, a volcanic rocky area, home to chinstrap penguins (plus 3 stray Macaroni penguins), and a large herd of Southern Elephant seals. Grass of some sort was actually growing on the slopes there.
Jan 25th was Jan 26th in Australia and we celebrated Australia Day on board with the other Aussies - about 15 of us including a few we decided to make honorary Aussies. The kitchen crew helped by baking us a cake!
Then we had the 2-day Drake Passage crossing, a very gentle one compared to the way over. Apparently all of these cruise boats have the occasional death on board when people don't obey the rule of "leave one hand free for the ship" and fall down the stairs breaking their neck :(. The staff described our return Drake crossing as "a lake". Could not have been better probably.
That's it folks - hope you enjoyed this handful of photos from a truly memorable trip.
