Feb 6, 2013 - More Antarctica

Monday, February 04, 2013: Antarctica Today was spent cruising in several of the smaller bays and straits. We started about 7:00 AM with a pick-up at Palmer Station. We boarded several of the researchers who would be giving talks later in the morning. We then cruised Paradise Bay, Lemaire Channel (until it was too iced up to proceed), and generally in the northern portion of the Antarctic Peninsula. We managed to get to about 65 degrees south latitude, or about 1400 miles north of the South Pole when we had to turn back due to too much...

Feb 3, 2013 - Antarctica! We made it!

Well, it’s finally here, what we’ve been waiting for ever since we boarded: Superbowl Sunday! Seriously, there are a lot of people on this ship that are really keyed up about the game this evening. We are not among them. Today at about 4:00 PM we began to see the first drifting icebergs and chunk ice. We have spent most of the day listening to the Exploration Speakers telling us about the history of Antarctica, the marine life, the geology, the beauty, and all the wonderful things we came here to experience. You might think that this is...

Feb 1, 2012 - Antarctic Experience

This is the beginning of our last day in the Antarctic. Skies continue to be overcast with an occasional break revealing blue skies and sunshine. The water is relatively calm and not an iceberg in sight. The snow clad mountains across the way are trying to shine through the low lying clouds. Deb spots what appears to be debris floating on the water like small sticks and leaves. It turns out to be a group of penguins swimming by the ship. They are fishing for their breakfast. An occasional head pops up for a gulp of air. Interesting bit of...

Jan 31, 2012 - Antarctic Experience

Deb gets up early to drink coffee and eat pastries outside on the deck and to watch the amazing scenery go by. The weather is so much nicer today than yesterday. The wind has calmed and while cold (around 30 degrees), it is not bad under blankets. We sail on Gerlache Strait following the shores of Brabant Island. We pass Cuverville Island and Wiencke Island. It is late summer here and snow has disappeared in places revealing a very rugged landscape. Less than 5 percent of Antarctica is free of ice and yet the Antarctic is considered to be...

Jan 30, 2012 - Antarctica Experience

Antarctica is defined as “all land and ice shelves south of 60 degree South. During the night, we crossed over into Antarctic waters. This area is governed by the Antarctic Treaty System. The Treaty established Antarctica as a zone of peace and science in 1959. As such, we are no longer on a cruise but have become an Antarctic expedition. Only expeditions are allowed below the 60 degree parallel. The weather is windy and cold (near 32 degrees). Standing or sitting outside is out of the question. We finally spot chairs by an inside window...

Jan 29, 2012 - Heading for Antarctica

Palms trees are a distant memory as the air temperature has dropped into the high 30s and there is a fog. We are heading for the Antarctica Peninsula. It stretches northward from the White Continent (Antarctica) like a giant finger beckoning us to come. We have a series of hopeful spots to cruise near but there are no places where we will be able to go ashore over the next 4 days. As the captain recently said, “we are going to wing it” based on weather and icebergs. Interestingly, an iceberg captain came aboard in Buenos Aires. He spends...

Nov 27, 2011 - Sunday - Yankee Harbor & Barrientos Island

Antarctica - Sunday - Yankee Harbor & Barrientos Island Nov 27, 2011 Today was our last day in Antarctica before we headed north in the Drake Passage. The weather has turned more like we had expected with 32F and snow. Tom set up his camera with a long telephoto lens and dressed in 5 layers. Upon landing from the zodiac we were greeted with, "The weather has gone from bad to worse, so we'll only stay an hour. Keep you life vest on and if you hear the ship's whistle, head back to the zodiac landing." Despite all the worry, the best views...

Nov 26, 2011 - Antarctica Friday - Orne Harbo; Saturday - Port Lockroy & Danco Island

Antarctica - Friday - Orne Harbor Nov 25, 2011 The plan was to follow the Lemaire Channel and have landings on Peterman Island and zodiac-cruise Port Charcot, but the channel was blocked by a lot of ice. Even the larger "National Geographic Explorer" ship had turned back and our captain, despite the fact that our ship is ice certified, went as far as possible and then also turned around and took us into Orne Harbor where the spectacular brilliance of the sun made the glaciers and snow covered hills just glow. A short voyage after lunch...

Nov 24, 2011 - Antarctica - Land Ho Tuesday and Deception & Half Moon Islands Wednesday Thursday - Neko Harbor & Paradise Bay

Antarctica - Land Ho Tuesday and Deception & Half Moon Islands Wednesday Nov 22 - 23 2011 Just around dinner time we sighted our first outcropping of land. The seas had calmed considerably as we had entered the shelter of the South Shetland Islands. These islands are not a part of the Antarctic Continent and are separated from it by the Bransfield Straight which we had just entered. This archipelago is composed of volcanic rock, and their spiky peaks are heavily glaciated. Our first landing took place on Wednesday morning after the ship...

Nov 22, 2011 - Antarctica - Boarding the Clipper Adventurer and the Drake Passage

Sunday - Tuesday Nov 20 - 22 2011 Our suitcases had been delivered to the ship earlier in the day, so all we needed to carry on were our personal items. Of course, Tom's camera pack was brimming over with lenses and at least 3 different cameras - each with a unique application. We boarded by the gangplank and were shown to our cabin where our luggage filled the floorspace. The narrow room seemed like we were in our RV! We had only a few minutes to unpack and stow the suitcases before the first orientation meeting. Everything fit and it was...

Feb 14, 2011 - Into the Belly of the Beast

Abeam Aitcho Island 12 Feb 2011 – 2100 in Antarctica It seems ages since we set out from Ushuaia and now, apart from two days on the Drake Passage, it is all over! Pretty soon, this past week is going to seem like a dream, but what a dream! We have had the most amazing experiences and today did not disappoint, either. When we woke, we were still heading for the first destination of the day, the fabled Deception Island. This island was formed by the collapsed caldera of an active volcano. It is open to the sea at only one point, the...

Feb 13, 2011 - Dramas on the High Seas!

Bransfield Strait 11 Feb 2011 – Midnight in Antarctica Well, the title is a bit melodramatic, but we’ll get to those dramas later. For now, we’ll return to Dorian Bay (that’s a correction to the name I gave it yesterday) and our camping excursion. I forgot to mention that there are a couple of emergency huts right by our camp site, one of which can be visited. It has stores of food and bunks - none of which we could touch or use, of course – and log books from past expeditions that had a genuine need of the huts. Eileen and Gary visited the...