South Shetland islands

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We spent Sunday sailing across Drake's passage. The seas were rough and stormy, with waves reaching 6-8 metres at times. There were not many activities and it was difficult moving around. We organised and orientated ourselves to our new environment. We purchased the premium drinks package as this gave us a better choice of wine and drinks at the bar. We also made friends with Poy, the head barman in the only bar, The Explorer's Lounge on the 10th floor. This has panoramic views and very comfortable seats from which to view the scenery. We found out we were in the Black-Browed Albatross group for our excursions and in the afternoon we were issued with our rubber boots. These are large and heavy and essential for when we go out onto the land. We had already received our bright orange and yellow jackets when we boarded. The main dining room is the Aune and we had breakfast, lunch and dinner there with a variety of food and plenty of choice. However, Fletcher had had some smoked fish at breakfast which did not agree with him and was feeling off until he was able to get rid of it and then he came good. It was the fish , not sea sickness, though we heard many people were suffering from the stormy weather. We met a few more people and reacquainted ourselves with Robyn and Steve whom we had met in the lounge at Sydney Airport. We were surprised after dinner that there were so few people in the bar. This is different from most cruise ships as Hurtigruten emphasise they are an expedition and scientific cruise rather than a party one. A quiet day, needed to orientate ourselves.

We woke early on Monday and found that during the night we had passed through the Antarctic Convergence hence the seas were much calmer as we headed for the South Shetland Islands. After breakfast, (Fletcher stuck to cereal) we attended a briefing about the activities for the day. We were told that in the afternoon we would reach the South Shetland Islands where we would have our first on shore excursion. The Hurtigruten App which I downloaded to Fletcher's phone, gives the daily program so we knew that we were due to leave the ship at 2-10pm. I had booked us in for dinner at their specialty restaurant, the Lindstrom, which is free for guests who have suites, but is an extra 25 euro for us hoi poloi. We thought we should at least try it. The WiFi on board is pretty good so we can connect and check Facebook and email etc. For lunch we decided to try the Friedhom restaurant which was designated as a more casual lunch venue. This had a range of burgers, hot dogs, pasta etc. Mainly aimed at American guests methinks. Fletcher opted for salmon quesadillas while I tried the King Crab Roll. This was OK but not as good as the pies we had had in Ushuaia. Fletcher enjoyed his quesadillas. We ordered a sauvignon blanc from the premium list but when I tasted it I knew it was off. It was a NZ sauv blanc but it tasted musty. We called the waiter to explain and then there was much discussion though he agreed to get us another. The wine waiter came and he had gone to find a new bottle. We appreciated his diligence and thus we finished the bottle. Couldn't let others suffer the same fate!!

After lunch we changed into our new waterproof gear. We had both purchased ski pants, gloves, thermal underwear and new beanies so these came out of their boxes and proved to be all OK. When we were appropriately outfitted we headed to the 3rd level where we had to disinfect our boots before boarding the rubber boats which would take us to the shore. The crew were very helpful, assisting our embarkation which caused a little embarassment and much hilarity as we all stumbled into the vessels. Then we were off, heading into the shore where we had to step out into the shallow water and make our way up the pebble beach.

We were given walking poles to help and we were then able to wander for an hour. The expedition crew had marked out where we could and couldn't go with flags. We first went to see a huge elephant seal which was sleeping in one part of the narrow peninsula. It didn't move! Then it was the activities of the Gentoo penguins that gave us the most delight. The penguin parade along well marked tracks was fascinating to watch but they didn't seem to understand the 5 metre rule where we had to stay that distance away from them. However, it was a great hour spent watching their antics. This is mating season and the males were preening and vocalising to attract a partner. They look so awkward but so suited to their environment.

After the hour we went back to the boats and were helped on. We were the last on our boat which meant we were sitting in the bow. This proved rather uncomfortable as we were heading into the wind and the water splashed up and over us. By the time we got back to the ship my gloves were saturated and water was leaking into one of my boots. I was drenched but the waterproof jacket and trousers did keep out most of it. We returned to the ship where we had to clean our boots through a brush device and disinfectant before returning to our cabin to divest ourselves of the wet clothes. Fletcher helped me off with my boots but my hands were too weak to pull his off. He went in search for someone stronger to help him. Some random passenger provided the assistance. We dried off and then headed to the bar for some after excursion refreshment. We chatted to Robyn and Steve but there were very few there.

At 7-30 we went to the restaurant. This is certainly more swish than the Aune and we were ushered to a two person table. We were given an Amuse Bouche as a starter and we then ordered from the Menu. I had the shrimp cocktail, followed by the lamb shank and then Peach and Strawberry tart for dessert. Fletcher opted for the Bouillon soup with scallops and then beef ravioli followed by icecream. The food was OK but nothing to really rave about. I was disappointed with the lamb as usually shanks are slow cooked and the meat just falls off the bone. This was tender but took some cutting. The ravioli was rather hard. We had the premium wine which was OK but decided that it might not be worth the extra money to go again. We returned to the bar for nightcaps and were rather pleased that there were many more people there. Looking forward to the next few days and more fun on shore.

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