We know you are all wondering how we fared in the Drake Passage. We would say, remarkably well. It wasn’t as calm as a lake, we had a rocky first night, but it improved from there over the next two days. As is usually the case, we have a team of experts from New Zealand on board, who will be providing lectures and scenic commentary during our 4-day adventure in Antarctica. The Captain provided a briefing, which laid out the proposed path of our journey, recognizing that everything is subject to weather and ice conditions.
We arrived in Antarctic waters on Saturday night, pausing overnight off the coast of Anvers Island to begin our adventure the next morning. We were then off to a spectacular start! Our first destination was Palmer Station, part of the US Antarctic research contingent. It is a small complex of buildings that houses only 46 people on a rough clearing, surrounded by penguins, icebergs, and a massive ice field behind it.
We have been in these waters quite a few times. But it is never the same experience twice and it never gets boring, as evidenced by our next stop.
We had an up close and personal visit with a huge iceberg. Our Captain brought us remarkably close to it and we were so fortunate to see several large chunks of ice calve off in front. There was whale and penguin activity around it to add to everyone’s delight. And that was all before 10:00 am on our first morning!
SELECT & REPLACE WITH ANOTHER TEMPLATE
SELECT & REPLACE WITH ANOTHER TEMPLATE
Our next destination was Lemaire Channel, a narrow passage that is notoriously difficult to get through. It sits between the Antarctic Mainland and Booth Island. Our Captain was excited for this one, as he has been here before and was never able to enter. This was his and our lucky day. Although we didn’t make it all the way through, we did get in and were able to turn. Happy colonies of penguins were swimming all around our ship and others on board saw whales. The combination of walls of ice and snow between dramatic snow dotted peaks was spectacular, although low hanging clouds kept us from seeing the tops of those peaks. It was a great first day.
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SELECT & REPLACE WITH ANOTHER TEMPLATE
SELECT & REPLACE WITH ANOTHER TEMPLATE
SELECT & REPLACE WITH ANOTHER TEMPLATE
We have many passengers who are here for the first time, and we can tell they are dazzled. We spent the night circling out in the open waters of the Bellinghausen Sea, so we could make an early approach to the Neumayer Channel the next morning. It is situated between Anvers and Wiencke Islands. Our second day started with a 7:00 am wakeup call from the captain. We were chasing a pod of orca whales, clearly visible off the starboard bow. He managed to keep the ship close to them in time for many of us to get out and see them playing and feeding close by.
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SELECT & REPLACE WITH ANOTHER TEMPLATE
The Neumayer Channel was beautiful. The sun came out, the temperature moderated, and the ice was magnificent. Pictures will never do it justice. That was the morning. Then with a slight break, we headed to Paradise Bay. So appropriately named, it was spectacular. Penguins by the hundreds in the water, seals floating by on icebergs, wonderful humpback whales putting on a show, and a magical view of icy mountain peaks in every direction. There are two research stations here that we were able to see quite clearly.
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SELECT & REPLACE WITH ANOTHER TEMPLATE
It was a gorgeous day and many of us lingered outside to take in every moment. The captain had originally planned to move on to Cuverville Island to see the large colony of gentoo penguins there. But it was getting late, and it would take a while to get there, so it was postponed until the next morning.
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SELECT & REPLACE WITH ANOTHER TEMPLATE
Day 3 - Fog! Thick, gray, overpowering fog! What a change from yesterday! As veterans of this part of the world, we were not surprised or disappointed. If we see nothing else after our first two days, we have been so fortunate to be here and share this experience.
At around 9:00 am we spotted a pod of whales, close to the ship - bubble feeding. This is a technique the whales use to concentrate their prey to make feeding more productive. The captain was able to maneuver close to them for about 20 minutes and we were able to watch, despite the severely reduced visibility.
A revised schedule for the morning included some new lectures, with the hope that by lunch time, we could resume our scenic tour. Noon came and went and the fog persisted all afternoon. So, no scenic cruising for the rest of the day, but some special activities to entertain. There was a Murder Mystery program as part of Afternoon Tea in the Dining Room. For the late evening crowd, a Masquerade Party to celebrate Mardi Gras. Lots of green, gold, and purple beads could be seen.
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SELECT & REPLACE WITH ANOTHER TEMPLATE
If that was not enough for the day, another special dinner that evening focused on the Indonesian heritage of our fabulous crew. It felt like a measure of support for them to attend the “Rijsttafel Dinner,” presented in the Pinnacle Restaurant. Rijsttafel literally means rice table. We were warned to be careful of those dishes which included Sambal in their names, as that is their hot sauce, and we definitely do not do hot! But we discovered we could ask them to hold the spice, and they did. We looked at the very extensive menu and wondered how we would choose among all the mouthwatering items, only to discover we would get them all! All the dishes we know and have enjoyed in the past were included, like Nasi Goreng and Pork Satay with Peanut Sauce, and a whole bunch more - steamed fish, beef, chicken, potatoes, and more. Dessert was an artistic presentation of fried bananas with chocolate sauce and ice cream. Are you hungry yet? What a fun dinner!
Day 4. Fog again, and snow as well. The outside decks were covered in a layer of white. We were on our way to Elephant Island, which is off the coast of Antarctica in the Southern Shetlands. It is historically famous as the place where Shackleton’s men spent 4 ½ months in the most extreme conditions, waiting to be rescued - and they were. It was suggested the name either comes from the shape of the island that looks like an elephant or the fact that there are elephant seals that live there. It is mountainous and covered in glaciers and ice, which we discovered when the fog lifted - remarkably beautiful!
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SELECT & REPLACE WITH ANOTHER TEMPLATE
We sailed along the southern coast, with glaciers on display all along. The fog was gradually lifting. In the middle of all this, there was an Antarctic plunge going on at the pool. The crew spent an hour filling the pool with ice and a few dozen hearty or maybe crazy guests, as well as our captain, jumped in the water!
Our destination was Point Wild, where there is a monument commemorating the Shackleton crew rescue. It is a bust of Captain Pardo, who commanded the boat that performed the rescue. We got very close and could also see the thousands and thousands of gentoo penguins that make their home on these rocky cliffs. The waters around the island are full of whales that graciously let themselves be photographed with sea birds all around them. It was a big day for natural phenomena, wildlife, and history. What a great finale to our 4-day Antarctica experience.
Next scheduled stop is the Falkland Islands!
Fondly,
Wendy and Steve
Continue Reading:
A Bon Voyage! | Costa Rica & Panama | Ecuador and Northern Peru | Wendy's Adventures in Peru | Steve's Adventure in Machu Picchu | Arica and San Antonio, Chile | Robinson Crusoe & Southern Chile | More Chile & Argentina | Antarctica | Falkland Islands | Montevideo & Punta del Este | Brazil | The Amazon | Salvation Islands | Arriving in Africa | Canary Islands & Morocco | Gibraltar and Barcelona | Spain & Portugal | France, Belgium and The Netherlands | Scotland and Norway | More Norway | Iceland | Greenland | Canada & New England | Voyage Summary
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