Antarctica! - Days 3-5 - Drake Passage, Polar Circle and Detaille Island

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We set off from port a little after 6 in the evening, heading down the Beagle channel. First, we had a safety drill, getting to our muster stations and putting on our life jackets. Then we had a briefing in the auditorium where we got to meet the main members of the crew as well as the expedition team. While in the auditorium, we felt the boat starting to move, so we missed the actual departure. However, instead of having the 'meet the neighbors' in the hall, they had it in the Dome area on Deck 7 because it was a pretty nice day.

That evening we were among the first to try dinner at the Madeira restaurant. It was a very nice experience that we continued to have throughout the trip. L had the scallop starter, which looked delicious, while I had the cod and potato fried roll. Each night they had a changing menu, a vegetarian menu, a consistent menu, and a portuguese 'alma' menu. That night I had chosen the alma menu, which meant my main was steamed clams, which was decent and L had the hazelnut crusted trout. The desserts were delicious though (baked apples for me, and strawberry cheesecake for L)! Generally, they were small portions which the maitre d told us was so there was less food waste and we could always order more of whatever we wanted. This got us into trouble a couple of times!

Drake Passage

In the morning, I was still a bit sick and L got us some hot chocolate while we cruised along the Drake Passage. We had a couple of scheduled meetings that day where we had a mandatory briefing to discuss the zodiac boarding procedures. We were not allowed to drink on the day of excursions for safety. Also, we had to go through cleaning process upon return to the ship. There were 6 groups of about 28 people, ABCDEF; we were in group D. Three groups would go at around the same time, as the maximum number of people allowed on land is 100. They would then rotate the groups for each excursion, meaning we would be the first of the second set this time, but the next we would be the third group of the first set.

This session was followed by a briefing for those interested in kayaking. We stayed for that just to see, but the extra cost versus what it seemed like we would experience on the excursions made us opt not to kayak. We also had to sit with the expedition crew later to show them the items that we would potentially be wearing or bringing to the land excursions. They had discussed the virus that was affecting the birds that had migrated down to Antarctica. So, to minimize any impact, they checked our clothing and items for anything that may contain organic debris plus to make sure we had sufficient clothing to wear in the cold conditions. They gave us a parka as well as a buff and toque, and we tried on the knee high boots we would wear while on excursions.

That afternoon, we attended a briefing from one of the team members that discussed the types of birds that we may encounter, either on the passage or in Antarctica itself. I missed the session on 'what to expect' because I needed to rest - still quite sick - but L said I did not miss much. There was the "Captain's Welcome" at 7pm and we were shocked to see that the Captain closely resembled one of our coworkers. Dinner the second night was not my favorite: very salty mushroom soup and very salty braised cabbage, which I did not finish, but enjoyed the ice cream dessert.

The next day after breakfast, we had another session to discuss the IAATO, which covered things like encountering wildlife and the environment. Later, there was a briefing to cover the marine animals that we may encounter, which we were able to watch from the room; the auditorium was one of the video channels on our TV. We had a briefing at 6:30pm as well to discuss the next day's activities, which hopefully included our first landing!

However, the highlights of the second day on the passage were that I saw my first iceberg and saw my first humpback whales! The first iceberg was huge and we could see right from our stateroom early in the morning. The whale we saw in the upper lounge while enjoying a drink after the marine animals session. L spotted it first, the spout in the distance and then we got a bit closer. We never got too close though, but it was still exciting for me! We saw many more icebergs throughout the day. Thanks to the previous day's bird session, I also noted the birds I saw: Soft-Plumaged Petrol, White Channel Petrel, and Wilson's Storm Petrel.

Otherwise, the Drake passage was fairly calm - I was disappointed which no one seems to understand...

Antarctic Circle

The next morning, I was looking forward to see the map when we got our hot chocolate from Paula's Pantry. So close to the Polar Circle! That morning (the 10th), we spent much of our time in the Dome Lounge. From here, we saw more icebergs, ice floes, whales, and even orcas. They were setting up the celebration for crossing the Antarctic Circle, which we did at 11am. They had juice (no alcohol served because we expected zodiac excursions later). Pretty much everyone was up and we all took photos of the map of where we were crossing. Then as we approached the actual coordinates, the Captain started the countdown "7. 6. 4.... I mean 5! Oh my gosh..." We cracked up and then cheered.

Detaille Island

After our lunch of burgers, we had arrived at our first excursion location: Detaille Island. The first wave of groups went so we waited until our turn at 2:55pm. We first met in the Atlas Lounge and then down to the mudroom where we put on our parkas, boots, and life vest. Then we waited in a short line to board the zodiacs, each driven by one of the expedition team, AJ from Alaska being ours today. I was a bit nervous, not sure why, but it was so easy and very well organized. Really, nothing at all to be nervous about. They scan your individual card (also used as your room key) and then you are taken one by one to the zodiac, always with a wrist-to-wrist grip on a crew member or holding the railing. Sometimes the boat can be rocking a lot due to the waves, but someone is always holding you so you feel mostly stable.

Then we were on our way. While waiting for the rest of the first wave to depart the island, AJ drove us around some of the ice floes where we saw a few crabeater seals and penguins in the distance. Then we were on land, heading up a short slope which was covered in ice in places. I grabbed a pole to help me walk around. Getting to the top, we saw amazing views of the ocean and the scientific station we were there to see, plus we had seen a fur seal near us. I was just in awe that I was actually in and on Antarctica! Really? This is my life?

So, yes, the main draw was the scientific station that was established and abandoned here in the 1950's. It was established by the British Antarctic Survey and was a base during the International Geophysical Year project. Once that project was over, the base was not needed and was actually cut off due to the ice buildup within the sea. The men who manned the station, packed up a few belongings and used sleds to take them across the ice to the nearest ship about 50km away. Therefore, there are many items that remained behind to give you a glimpse into their lives here. There was a mud room, kitchen area, small office, and what seemed like a group rest area with beds, books and some pictures of sexy women. Only 12 people were allowed in the building at a time, so we calmly waited our turn.

After walking through the station, we walked up a short little hill for more views. Then we walked down to join our group again as our departure time was approaching. As we were waiting for zodiacs, we had a clear view of a large iceberg calving! First, one side, then more on that side, then a huge chunk on the back side! It then started to rise up and some people thought it would flip, but it basically was now sitting at a 45 degree angle from its previous position. So cool! One of the zodiacs (driven by AJ actually) was somewhat nearby, so she had her people jump into the floor of the zodiac to ride out the wave.

When we got to our zodiac, driven by Gino, we had a 30-minute drip around the water to get closer to the penguins and crabeater seals. It was so cool! Just amazing.

Back on board

We had our daily briefing at 6:30pm where we discussed what we did and saw that day, including the iceberg calving. Then what the plans were the next day. The key word is "flexibility" because the conditions change rapidly here, so the plan in the evening may be different from the actual plan, which was indeed the case for the next day.

For dinner, we went a bit late and were asked if we were willing to share a table with another couple. Sure. The maitre d smiled and said they asked for 'someone cool' to join them. We got along quite well and I was so shocked that he knew where the teeny tiny town I grew up in NJ was - no one has ever heard of it! She was from Uzbekistan and was ecstatic to meet people who had not only heard of it, but who had been there. So we had a very fun evening with them! We actually wound up going to the Dome to drink after dinner. It was happening and was by far the most social we had been.

What a fantastic start to Antarctica!!!

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Photos

Iceberg calving tilting up
the far side had fallen as well

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Indescribable Antarctica
I'm sorry you missed out on your wicked Drake Passage experience. Enjoy the serenity and isolation.

[Ake Och Emma]

Probably an urban legend
I have heard a story that there somewhere in Antarctica is an abandoned station where they left hundreds of movie reels behind when they left. Supposedly those films are really valuable since many of them are rare movies from early 20th century. That's probably an urban legend though. It sounds too good to be true. But reading about the scientific station it makes me understand why such a legend has appeared in the first place. /Ake