Antarctic 4th of February 2017
Our Antarctic trip has come around very quickly. Before we know it, we are boarding out ship Midnatsol in Punta Arenas the Port of Muelle Prat. It was a cold but clear evening to set sail. On the first evening the Captain presented his officers and expedition team, we had a collective group from Biologist, to Geologist, ornithologist, wild life photographers, expert in Climatologists. There was a wealth of knowledge in the room so this was shaping up to be an exciting expedition. The team promised to do their very best to make the expedition as exciting as possible. The main message they tried to prevail was that this expedition relied heavily on the weather. The weather predicted if, where and when we could land. The guest on board were made up of an interesting group of people, Norwegians, Germans, English, Irish, Japanese’s, French, Swiss and Polish, all from different walks of life and different ages. There was only one kid on board who was the son of one of the expiation team, and he was about 12. Our Cabin was very nice, we had a mini suite, we would have liked a cheaper room but because we only booked the expedition 10 days before it left, we did not have a choice. Other passengers had booked a year prior, so we could not complain as we were very lucky to get a spot-on board at all.
Beautiful Sunset first night on board
Day two: Our first night sailing was very clam we slept very well. The weather was beautiful, cold but sunny. We had a safety briefing that explained how to get on and off the zodiacs and an overview of the journey out to the Fjords at noon. As the weather was good we could do our first zodiac outing, we sailed down the O Brien Channel and then got the zodiac into the Garibaldi Fjord. The Fjords are beautiful, we had been to the Fjords in New Zealand and these ones were just as impressive. On our trip, we saw Patagonian Sea lions, and lots of birds, Flying male and female steamer ducks, Cormorants, Southern crested duck and Tern’s. It was a wonderful day trip, and we had no issues getting in and out of the zodiacs. That evening it was beautiful sitting out on deck with a glass of Champaign, watching the Fjords pass by, how lucky Martin and I are to have been able to do this trip, it is a once in a life time journey.
The Zodiac’s
First Glacier Wow
Day Three: this was a big day for us, weather permitting we would be able to land on Cape Horn. This is one of the most treacheries places to land, before the Panama Canal all boats going from Europe to Asia or from the west cost of America to the east coast had to sail around cape horn. One of the greatest graveyards for ships anywhere. Crossing Cape Horn is a rite of passage for all sailors the world over . We were extremely lucky as the weather was very calm. Therefore, it was all go for the landing on Cape Horn. We had a safety briefing, then started our zodiac journey to Cape Horn, there is one family that live on Cape Horn the family man the light house and maintain the Island. As Cape Horn is so remote the family stay for one year then a new family will arrive. The family that are caretaking cape horn currently is a Lieutenant from the Chilean Navy, his wife and 3 children, the Lieutenant was there to greet us when we arrived, which was very nice, the landing went very smoothly. The weather was cold with a bit of rain. We visited the memorial at the top of the hill, it is a sculpture of an Albatross in flight, it commemorates those lost at sea. A poem by Sara Vial is engraved on a metal plaque near the monument. The first lighthouse that was built on Cape Horn was in 1902, since then a new one has been built, the new lighthouse was built around the old lighthouse to maintain the original one. The home of the family taking care of the Island is attached to the light house, this works well, it means there is no issue getting to the lighthouse in bad weather. There is a beautiful small, but elegant church on the island. It is a Catholic Church and had a lovely feel to it. Horn Island is eight kilometres long and the cape rises to 424 meters with striking black cliffs on its upper parts. It was wonderful to be able to land on Cape Horn.
I, the albatross that awaits at the end of the world…
I am the forgotten soul of the sailors lost,
rounding Cape Horn from all the seas of the world
But die they did not in the fierce waves,
for today towards eternity, in my wings they soar,
in the last crevice of the Antarctic winds. by Sara Vial
There are several educational seminars on the ship each day, one interesting one we went to was Atmosphere bridges and ocean tunnels, it was an introduction to winds and surface ocean currents. Kiki Kleiven was a great presenter and was very passionate about her subject. Kiki had a great way of making a complicated subject simple. Each evening we had a briefing on the next day’s journey and activities.
Monday night we started our trip across the Drake Passage, we were all a bit apprehensive as we had heard this could be a very rough crossing, it would be Wednesday morning before we completed the Drake passage.
Day four: So far, the crossing has been very smooth, how lucky are we. Today we continued to cross the drake passage. It was compulsory for everyone to attend a IAATO briefing before we land on the Antarctic. I was very happy to hear that they are very strict on what you can bring onto and off the Antarctic, no food is allowed on, all clothes, bags and shoes had to be vacuumed to make sure we were not bringing anything that would harm the eco system or the animals on the Antarctic. Basically, anything that was taken onto the island had to come back on board the ship. The expedition team explained how far away from the animals we had to keep and when taking photos of the animals no flashes are allowed. On each island, there are only certain places we are allow to go, this again is to protect and not to disturbing the animals or the eco systems. A very important rule is that not more than 100 people can go ashore at any one time. The Antarctic is pristine and this is the way we need to keep it. All of this was music to my ears.
Day five: Last night we continued with a smooth crossing through the drake passage. Today we arrived at the Northern side of the South Shetland Islands. The aim is to get to half-moon Island so we can go ashore. We arrive at half-moon around at 8am. The weather was very nice clear, sunny but cold. The cruise on the zodiac was very beautiful, we are starting to see snow on the mountains it makes for some very picturesque photos.
Our landing on half-moon was amazing, we saw the most beautiful playful penguins, lots of Chinstrap, a few Gentoo, and one king Penguin. I had never been this close to penguins before, I could sit and watch them for hours. How they waddle and jump over rocks is really something to see. The three different types of penguins we saw are quite distinctive in how they look, it is easy to tell them apart. We also saw some fur seals. But the penguins were the winners today. We were given the opportunity to go for a swim in the Antarctic and as I love the sea water I could not miss this chance. It was very cold but also invigorating. Martin also took the plunge. Wow what an experience. We received a certificate for our valiant efforts. Well we guessed we will only be here once, so why not. That evening we had a presentation on penguins, I never realise how many different types of penguins there are, and so very cute. What a great day.
Day six: We enter the Neumayer Channel at 6am and by 8am we arrive at Damoy Point. In 1975 this island was used to land planes. The hut that remains on the island use to houses the men that stayed behind to organise the transfer of freight from the ships to the skiway by toboggan. They would also radio any vital weather reports to the Aircraft. In 1994 it was no longer needed as flight could now fly directly to Rothera. The Hut is now designated as an Antarctic historical site. Something I did not know was that the Australian Aviation pioneer Sir Hubert Wilkins made the first flight in Antarctica in 1928. Go the Ozie’s.
Today was all about Glaciers and Snowshoeing. We first went out on the zodiacs to cruise among the Glaciers. Glaciers to me are natural forming ice sculptures that constantly change within min and hours this is what makes them so unique, the photo you get of a glacier is unique for that one moment in time. They truly are amazing here in the Antarctic.
It was time to go on land and try snowshoeing. We were greeting by lots of Gentoo Penguins. The snow was quite deep so it was great having the snow shoes as they keep you on top of the snow rather than sinking into the snow, we got use to them quite quickly and did some great hill walks in them. We also went to visit the Hut to get a glimpse of what life would have been like for the men that looked after the skiway in 1975. That evening we had a beautiful scenic cruise through the Lemaire Channel.
Day seven: Everyone was very exciting, as today we actually land on the Antarctic. We arrived into Neko Harbor at 8am. By 10am we were on land, there was lots of snow and ice, we had a welcome party of Gentoo Penguins, and Weddell Seals. I took a few minutes to just look around in awe at this pristine area. No humans have lived here, only the animals and plant life (the little that there is). The air seemed so fresh, although cold, it has no pollution I took in as many deep breaths as I could when I was in the Antarctic, I recon it is the cleanest and purest air I have ever had the pleasure to breath into my body. It is the sort of place that takes your breath away.
The afternoon was spent Kayaking around the Glaciers and icy sea water, I loved the Kayaking as you really felt part of it all, the seals swam by, the penguins surprised us several times by popped out of the water, they seem so awkward on land, yet in the water so graceful and playful. It was wonderful to see the seals sleeping on the glaciers in the middle of the ocean and then to see them slide back into the icy cold water. My other observation was how quite it was, while kayaking we could constantly here the ice cracking in the sea, and we were lucky enough to see a chuck of ice come away from a Glacier that sounded like thunder and created a wave that lifted our kayaks up in the water. This is a day I will not forget for a long time.
Day Eight: We arrived at González Videla at 7am, it is on the Antarctic mainland at Water Boat Point in Paradise Bay. It is named after Chilean President Gabriel Gonzalez Videla, who in the 1940s became the first chief of state of any nation to visit Antarctica. Thomas Bagshawe and M.C. Lester, had been part of the British Imperial Expedition, and spent a year 1920 to 1921 on a project that was too involve flying a number of aircraft to the South Pole, this was aborted. Their time was not wasted, however, because Bagshawe wrote the first scientific study of penguin breeding development. The station was active from 1951–58. It is now an “inactive” base. The Station was built amongst the Gentoo penguin colony, when we went ashore there were hundreds of penguins to greet us, but although these penguins look very sweet and are great to watch they stink like hell. We got some great photos of them, we also met the 6 staff members that are based at the station for the summer. We did a cruise around the Glaziers in the afternoon and saw Crabeater Seals and Fur Seals. That evening the Captain did a cruise down the Lemaire Channel, we were visited by several humpback wales. It was great to see so many of them. The evening presentation was presented by one of the British Antarctic Trust members, it was very interesting to hear what the trust did and how it was preserving all the British historical research building in the Antarctic
Day 9: It was too windy to go into Orne Harbour this morning so instead we continued to Cuverville Island. We did a landing here, again we were greeted by Gentoo Penguins, fur seals, cormorants and shags. In the afternoon, we cruised to Wilhelmina Bay. Wilhelmina Bay is a sheltered bay, right off the Gerlache Strait named by Adrien de Gerlache, a Belgian explorer. He named the bay after Queen Wilhelmina, the 18-year-old Queen of the Netherlands who just had been crowned at that time. Thanks to its sheltered location, the water is mostly calm and perfect for reflections in our photos. We also had a visit from a group of humpback wales. That evening we watched the first part of the move Shackleton part 1.
Day 10: At 7am we got to the entrance of the Caldera and very soon after we arrived at Whalers Bay/ Deception Island, it is an island in the South Shetland Islands archipelago, with one of the safest harbors in Antarctica. This island is the caldera of an active volcano, hence the name Deception island. The island previously held a whaling station, in 1912 the Hektor Whaling Company was issued with a license to establish a shore-based whaling station. Approximately 150 people worked at the station during the austral summer, producing over 140,000 barrels of whale oil. The whaling station was abandoned in April 1931, when whale oil prices slumped. It was seriously damaged when the volcano erupted in 1967 and 1969 and the local research station was destroyed. It is now a tourist destination and scientific outpost. It is a very interesting place with lots of History, there are lots of remains from the Whaling station and the research station. While there it is surreal to think, you are in a Volcano. That evening we watched the second part of the Shackleton movie it was very apt, as we had started our journey back across the Drake passage and the sea was starting to get very rough.
Day 11: This was a sea day, and oh boy what a day. I spent the morning in bed as I felt that lying down was the best position for me to be in when the sea was so rough. We nicked name it the Drake shake as we had gusts over 33m/sec and waves up to 12-15 meters. Thankfully by that evening we had passed though the worse of the Drake shake. As the weather, had been so bad the Captain had to cancel the visits to the bridge.
Day 12: We had a half day at sea and at 12.30 we arrived at Puerto Williams. Puerto Williams is a Chilean town, located on Isla Navarino facing the Beagle Channel. It is the capital of the Chilean Antarctic Province. We visited Museo Antropológico Martín Gusinde. Renovated in 2008, the museum houses artifacts from the local Yagán and Selknam peoples. We did an 8K walk around the bay and through El Parque Omora also passing the Yacht Club Micalvi, an ex-navy supply ship docked at a local pier. It was nice to get back on dry land for a while.
Day 13: At 11am we had a Scenic Sail through the Gabreil Channel on our way to Tucker Island. For the last time, we boarded the zodiacs to cruise around Tucker Island, we saw some playful dolphins that liked to swim alongside the zodiacs. We saw lots of cormorants, skuas and Magellanic Penguins. That evening we had last drinks with our Newly made Australian friends, what a lovely group of four (Leica, Sandy, Robyn and Kieran). We will miss them, but promised to catch-up with them when we return to Australia.
Our New Australian Friends
Day 14: All too soon the amazing trip to the Antarctic was over, we disembark Midnatsol at 9.30am in Punta Arenas Chile. This was a very special part of our trip, we will never forget this. It was better than we could ever have imagined.