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Published: April 3rd 2009
I have been looking forward to this trip for so long now and it was quite a relief once I jumped on board the Ushuaia on the 26th Of February. I arrived in Ushuaia 2 days before and kept everything pretty low key as I was constantly glancing towards the harbour and the waters that lay further south. Just from gathering comments from a few people who obviosuly didn´t like it there they painted a dull boring town at the end of the earth. Well I found it to be quite charming like a little toy box town and the view when you flew in was breathtaking to say the least.
I did a beautiful trek through the Parque Nacional in Tierra Del Fuego with a Swiss guy and it was a good prelude to what I hope to experience when I go to Torres Del Paine and to El Chalten. The colours of the landscape were amazing and the fresh crisp air made it all the better. So after 2 anxious days of waiting I boarded the boat at 4pm in the afternoon and finally felt the excitement. Everyone else on board was feeling the same as me and
as we left the port we all wondered what experiences lay ahead.
I was quietly surprised when I found out I had been given an upgrade from the bottom bellows of the boat to the next floor up which had a nice porthole. I shared my room with an older American guy Mark, who shared my enthusiasm for this journey. I was surprised at how many young people were on the boat considering I thought it would be full of older American tourists. 84 passengers occupied the vessel from all different nationalities with the biggest contingent coming from the Japanese Peace Boat which was doing an around the world journey. 32 of them joined us for this trip.
After our first night of introduction lectures, safety drills, champagne and a wonderful 3 course dinner an early night was had by most as we made our way through the Beagle Channel and into the open waters of the infamous Drake Passage.
Day 2: The Drake Passage On my first morning I was greeted with the slight swaying motion of the boat which felt like I was a baby in a cradle being rocked to sleep. I
gazed through my porthole and saw that we were now in the Drake passage and only open water separated us from the 7th continent. My baby sleep did mean however that I slept in for breakfast. Today consisted of more lectures on wildlife and the conditions that we would be facing over the next 48 hrs in the Drake.
After walking around the ship for a day I realised that as usual I was gravitating towards the Australians to pass the day just having a chat. I haven´t seem to many to be honest on the entire trip so it was great to try and get my Australian ´twang back again. I also socialised with the other passengers and did the nice "small talk" routine that became quite repetitive by the end of the day. Basically we all laid around in the lounge, reading books, playing cards and anything that would occupy ourselves before we stuffed ourselves at the weight gain centre called the dining room. Three or four course meals awaited us everyday and afterwards I think everyone was ready to skip a few meals to shed the pounds gained.
We had really good weather the entire
day on the drake, which is meant to be one of the roughest seas in the world. The winds reached only about 20 knots and the swell wasn´t as big as we were expecting. The crew returning from the last expedition experienced 10-15 metre waves coming back from Antarctica: we were lucky.
Day 3: The Drake Passage Overnight the seas picked up slightly and we all noticed the change as we attempted to juggle a plate of scrambled eggs in one hand a juice in the other whilst trying not to lose our balance. About a dozen or so on board were really feeling the seas whilst everyone else were feeling slightly different. Today more lectures were held and everyone was excited to be landing in the South Shetland Islands tonight and disembarking for our first landing tomorrow.
Luckily I had found 3 other willing souls who loved to play the card game 500, which is a popular pastime in my family. This made the days pass rather quickly when we weren´t in the dining hall stuffing our faces. I felt like I was in boarding school with the rigorous time schedule and the fact that
everything revolved around meal time. However, this was 5 star boarding school as the meal were amazing.
Today was also a glimpse for what we would most likely expect all around the peninsula: whales. We had our first sight of humpbacks in the sitance and were even lucky enough to see them breach twice. Thos was the season for whales and we were hopeful taht we would see killers and minke´s over the next week. A number of different species of birds were also seen around the ship with our ornitholgist identifying them as giant petrels, cape petrels, sothern fulmars and Wilson´s storm petrels.
I was also reading Ernest Shackeltons account of his attempt to cross the south pole and the subsequent heroic adventure that ensued. It really got me in the mood for what would be our first time on land in the Antarctic region tomorrow. Everyone was saying a prayer or two that the good weather continued...
Day 4: Hannah Point, Livingston Island Lat. 62.39´S, Long. 60.37´W A beautiful sunny morning greeted us as our boat lay about 1km off the shores of Livingston Island and Hannah Point, our first landing site. The enthusiasm
was evident on the boat and all those souls who had been confined to their rooms over the last two days with sea sickness emerged with a smile from ear to ear. Breakfast was busy again and everyone waited with anticipation as the zodiacs were lowered into the water and were ready to ferry people to the island.
As like most of the landmarks on these islands, Hannah Point was named after a shipwrecked sealing vessel from Liverpool that came aground in 1870. It seemed like a great place for our first landing as there was a large gentoo and chinstrap penguin polulation accompanied by elephants seals and a few different species of birds. A blue sky and crisp morning air greeted us as we planted our feet on the island and started to explore. We were quite free to roam the island as we liked with a few boundaries set in place and the rules about distances to be kept from the wildlife. The colours on the island were amazing with green algae and antarctic grass covering the rocks that were inhabited by the thousand or so penguins.
Being so close to the penguins was
a good feeling. At this time of year they were all shedding there fur so it was quite messy with the scent of penguin poo also in the air. We were lucky enough to see two macaroni penguins among the thousands of chinstrap´s and gentoo´s. Macaroni penguins are seen as the radical type with yellow hair sprouting out around its ears to make it look really funky and cool. I found the gentoo´s to be the coolest as they were always running around and playing in the water and looked quite funny when they waddled up the beach with their wings flapping behind them to keep them balanced.
A nice glacier lit up by the morning sun was on the other side of the beach and a large colony of elephant seals were lying in a harem on the beach. Two of the younger males were practicing their fighting skills which was quite interesting to see. A few of the Japanese got a bit too close to some of the seals and were subsequently chased away to the disapproving eyes of the tour leaders. I think everyone realised that the distances we had to keep were primarily for
our safety as well.
After 3 hrs of wandering we all loaded back into the zodiacs with big smiles and lots of laughter. Being active after 3 days on the boat was also a good feeling and everyone felt like they had earnt their lunch today after moving around a bit. Our journey couldn´t have had a better start.
Whaler´s Bay, Deception Island Lat. 62.59´S, Long. 60.34´W My English friend on the boat, Paul, had set up his office in the best location on the ship. The front of our ship had a nice platform where you could do the “Leonardo DiCaprio” on titanic or just enjoy the scenery with the full force of the vessel behind you. Paul called this “his office” and over the next 8 days we had a number of meetings there to enjoy the natural beauty of Antarctica. Feeling the cold wind against your face with the blue waters and glaciers ahead of you was one of the most enjoyable parts of the trip. The gentle hum of the engine and the ship gliding through the water gently broke the silence but not enough to disrupt us from soaking
in this pritine environment.
It was a good spot to be as we crossed through Neptune´s Bellows, the entrance to the volcanic island named Deception Island. Port Foster was where the ship came to a halt and the scenery was a long volcanic beach filled with past memories of the whaling industry: boilers, sheds, houses and a cemetery. The Norwegians were the occupants here and the Hektor Whaling Station was in order from 1910-1931. An eruption in 1969 had left the equipment in a mangles mess and supposedly nothing has really changed since.
The sun accompanied us to shore and everyone went their own ways to explore the island. The remains of the boilers and the heavily warped houses were accompanied by whale bones spread over the island. A few crosses popped out of the ground in the distance to reveal the cemetery containing the Norwegian whalers.
A number of small elephant seals lay amongst the wreckage as it provided good shade in sunny weather like this. Neptune´s window was the other main point of interest on the island which looked like a cut out piece of rock where the Antarctic Peninsula could be
seen about 50nm away. Fortunately with our clear weather we could see the Peninsula and the adventures that lay ahead.
Because of the volcanic nature of the island near the shore there was maybe what you would call a 'hot spring'. Yes, the surrounding water was freezing but in a small piece of the shore some hot water was rising up through the sand. I was among about 20 people who were game or stupid enough to jump in the water. In one spot in the sand the water was boiling hot, but after wading out and diving into the freezing antarctic waters there was not one warm thought in my mind. Instantly my extremities were frozen numb and a few minutes in the boiling hot water started my blood circulating in these regions again. The cold wind only made matters worse but it made me feel alive that is for sure.
The mood on the boat in the evening was one of excitement and contentment. After being stuck on the boat for 3 days we were all very happy to have made our first 2 landings with magnificent weather and abundant wildlife. There was a
buzz and everyone had an early night ready for tomorrow's exciting landings.
Day 5: Useful Island, Gerlache Strait Lat. 64.43'S, Long. 62.52'W The buzz was still evident the next morning as we all piled into breakfast like the morning rush on the London tube. The boat had stopped and we lay only a short zodiac ride away from our morning landing: Useful Island. Their was slightly overcast conditions so but there was no wind outside which made it all the more comfortable. At that stage we all had no idea how amazing the afternoon ahead was going to be.
We all still felt the chill as we cruised across the water to land on Useful Island. There was quite a large gentoo population that included a lot of chicks that were born last season. Our solitary route for this island was to climb the rocks where we would get a nice view of the Gerlache Strait and the numerous icebergs that were starting to grace us with their presence. This however was easier said then done. Due to the number of gentoo´s on the island we had to take a specific route up the mountain that came
across some slippery patches of ice and some tough rocks to scramble up in our wellington boots. One lady fell down and broke her wrist whilst another lady came away with a black eye. Everyone was treading extra carefully on the way back down.
The view from the top stretched the length of the Gerlache Strait with the morning sun still trying to come out of hiding. There were some little ponds on the top of the island that had a few small "crill-like" species that would have been carried unknowingly up the hill by the penguins. Because of the colder conditions approaching the ponds were freezing over and the little creatures were freezing to death. They were not any bigger than the nail on my little finger.
It was quite exposed on the hill and the wind was starting to pick up so I found myself a little shelter amongst a few rocks and passed the time in the relative peaceness of the Antarctic waters. It was nice to feel all alone in this part of the world and was a great place to gather your thoughts. On the way back down Paul and I found a
Neko Harbour
This was the most amazing day of the trip. Not a cloud in the sky and the colours were stunninglittle cove where we watched a female elephant seal try and make her way out of the water and up the beach. A gentoo penguin was only metres away and gave a few inquisitive looks at the difficult the seal was having. On the way back I succumbed to the ice and fell in a puddle but only hurt my pride. I swear the penguin laughed at me!!
Neko Harbour Lat. 64.50´S, Long. 62.33´W As the morning progressed the sun started to shine brighter and brighter to the point where there was no longer a cloud in the sky and it was the most stunning day I have ever seen. The water was the kind of blue that you only dream about and the icebergs and zero wind only made it better. This was what we were waiting for. The captain announced on the PA system "this is as good as it gets." This was Antarctica at its best and we were lucky enough to be a witness. After lunch I spent the entire afternoon in "the office" at the front of the ship soaking in the sun and this wonderful day. We were now heading towards Neko
Harbour and the boat was slow going due to the number of icebergs in the region, but there were no complaints from anyone on the boat: we wanted this to last forever.
After finally coming to a halt the line to get onto the zodiacs was as hectic as ever!! Everyone wanted to get on the island first and enjoy it as much as they could. Luckily I was in the second boat and got ashore rather quickly. There are a lot of "penguin super-highways" on this island which is where the penguin´s make a track by walking through the same snow over and over. As we approached the island I noticed a gentoo sliding down the highway on its belly, knocking into a few other penguins along the way. They are so funny!!!
This was our first and only continental landing. Neko Harbour is located on the west coast of Graham Land and was named after Christian Salvesen´s big floating factory ship, which operated in the South Shetland Islands and the peninsula from 1911-1924. This made it easier to slaughter the animals captured instead of transporting them back to places such as Deception Island.
Stepping foot
on the continent was quite enjoyable. We had come a long way from Ushuaia and it was nice to be finally on the 7th continent of the earth. Neko Harbour is beautiful in many ways: big glaciers, beautiful mountains, great body of water and the associated wildlife. We trekked up the hill for around 30 minutes where we had the most amazing view of the harbour. I won´t even attempt to describe it as the photos tell a great story.
Our two hours there seemed like an eternity and no-one wanted to leave when the time came. This is why we had all come to Antarctica and we were not disappointed in the slightest. The journey back out of the bay was equally as impressive and as the sun ducked behind the mountains and filled the bay with every colour imaginable we felt truly privileged to be a witness of nature at its very best. A few glasses of champagne were had to celebrate and for the rest of the evening the boat was running on pure adrenalin from what we had experienced. Magical!!!
Day 6: Paradise Bay Lat. 64.54´S, Long. 62.52´W An overcast morning greeted
us as the ship lay afloat in Paradise Bay. Maybe everyone thought that yesterday was really our "paradise" but this was still beautiful with wonderful mountains and glciers surrounding us. We were not landing this morning, just cruising around in the zodiacs looking at the glaciers and the wildlife.
This still wasn´t a disappointment at all. We went out in two groups and as the first group came back they informed us that there were minky whales in the water and that on one boat the whale swam underneath them and surfaced within a few metres. I only hoped we would be that lucky. We located the whale within a few minutes but didn´t get the close encounter that the other group had experienced. The whale swam up to within 20 metres of us then swam away and wasn´t seen again. A few people were disappointed but I was very happy with this. A few gentoo penguins were also jumping around in groups which is quite a funny and enjoyable sight.
We cruised past the Almirante Brown Station where the Argentinians were outside ready to be met by their ship to escape the Antarctic winter. They were obviously
all in good moods to be going home and waved furiously and greeted us as we cruised on by. Alot of birds around the surrounding islands were seen, but to be honest I am not really that much into birds. I paid enough attention to know the different kinds but wasn´t too enthusiastic.
The highlight of the zodiac cruise was the glaciers that we got to see. We still kept a fair distance but these glaciers were enormous and everyone stared at them in awe. We were lucky enough to see one of the glaciers calve and plunge into the water creating a slight swell. The noise was like an eruption and everyone spun their heads and cameras to see a small ice shelf plunge into the water. We had all witnessed an avalanche the previous day at Neko Harbour that was equally as spectactular but to be in the boats and feel the accompanying swell was a bit better.
Yalour Islands Lat. 65.14´S, Long.64.10´W In the morning when we left for our zodiac cruises around Paradise Bay I left the boat with a smile on my face and was thoroughly looking forward to lunch. the chef
had fired up the giant BBQ on the deck and for people who haven´t been to Argentina on thing is for sure: they know how to have a BBQ. A delicious feast was had with pretty much all you can eat meat on offer. Even though I had been eating non stop since I jumped on board this offer couldn´t be turned down. I had to cool off after this hefty lunch and luckily we were going through the Lemaire Channel which the captain also called "kodak channel". Everyone had their cameras at the ready...
There was a large amount of free ice as we passed through the channel with the boat going "thud" every now and then when we hit a large chunk. The scenery weas nice especially with the channel being quite narrow and cliffs and glaciers were on either side. After traversing through the channel we pushed ahead to the Yalour Islands and our first big bunch of icebergs. We took turns of landing on the island and cruising around in the zodiacs to see the icebergs.
On our zodiac cruise we were lucky enough to spot a leopard seal just chilling out on an
iceberg. It was great to get real close to it, so close we could nearly hear it breathe. A few good photos were taken and then we explored the rest of the funny shaped icebergs. They were amazing: the colours, shape and blueness of the surrounding water. A few of the bergs had icycles hanging off them that we subsequently broke off and sucked. Tasted good.
The island that we landed on was nothing special but it contained Adelie penguins which we hadn´t really encountered yet on this trip. Being used to the playful gentoo´s everyone was disappointed when we found the adelies to be playing a game of statue and not providing as many laughs or entertainment that we came to expect. I think as everyday went by we expected more and more but it was nice to see a different species. We did however see one young Adelie practice the art of collecting stones to build a nest for breeding purposes. That was about as exciting as it got.
Day 7: Vernadsky Station & Wordie House, Argentine Islands Lat. 65.15´S, Long. 64.16´W This morning was a slightly different expedition than what we had encountered
The landcape around Wordie House and Venadsky Station
This was our most southern point of the journey: Lat. 65°15’ S on the last 3 days. We were going to visit the historic Wordie House which was used by the British but is now a museum and also the functioning Ukranian Station Vernadsky. There was a slight hint by the captain that we might have some time to have a drink at the bar in the Ukranian Station. Everyone was slightly on edge to say the least.
Wordie House was "smartly" set in a small alcove in an area called the Argentine Islands. It was as protected as could be in this region and served the British well in their scientific interests, especially the discovery of the hole in the ozone layer which I will cover shortly. It is now a museum and still looks like it would of when it was a functioning station: typewriters, instruments, food stores and outdoor equipment. It looked like an english cottage in the Lakes District but it obviously worked well in these extreme conditions. There was no animal life to speak of so a bit snowball fight was had between willing nations and an ensuing battle between the Israeli contingent and the "commonwealth" so to speak had everyone in raptures of laughter.
The Ukranian Station, Vernadsky, is a big contrast to the little Wordie house. The Ukranians purchased the station from the British in 1997 and the exterior looks kind of Soviet looking if you don´t mind me saying. The Vernadsky logo is kind of cool though. This is a famous station because in the 1970´s it and another station discovered that there was a big hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica. Both of these stations (the other being British Halley Base in the Weddell Seal) never realised this until they compiled their results and realised that this was the case. Both thought that their instruments were falty. Research in the Vernadsky station is still highly dedicated to mapping the hole and monitoring its progress.
So after being shown around by one of the Ukranian staff we all headed up to the bar. The personnel do a one year stint there and are then sent back to Ukraine to continue their work. These boys were all heading home in one week and I think they were all craving for some female company. A few of the girls in our group were offered the chance to live there if they wanted:
they were joking at first but you could see that they were serious!! The weights room was filled with playboy style pictures and I can only imagine what was underneath their beds. The bar was really cool and was decorated accordingly with all sorts of memorabilia picked up along the way. There was also a clothesline where a woman could leave their bra and receive as many vodka shots as they like. Like I said, they were craving for some female companionship.
They make their own vodka in the station from the glacial ice and sugar so it was good stuff. Kind of tasted slightly like tequila. Everyone was enjoying a few shots, even the captain who I reckon had at least 10 shots. Most of us had about 5 shots each with a method of shooting the vodka followed by sucking a piece of lemon that was covered in sugar and instant coffee! Wow, it certainly hits you and wakes you up if you were tired. Alot of fun was had and everyone went back to the ship charging. At lunch a few brave souls backed it up with some wine but most of us just had a
nap so we could continue later on. Because the vodka was so pure it didn´t really leave anyone with a headache anyway so after a nap everyone was ready to land in the afternoon.
Lemaire Channel Lat. 65.04´S, Long. 63.57´W The afternoon itinery was supposed to be cruising around in the zodiacs around "Iceberg Channel" where some nice icebergs were meant to be floating around. However, considering the weather picked up and the seas were getting rougher we headed for the Lemaire Channel instead. We got to see some glaciers up really close and saw some calving as well which was really exciting. The icebergs were amazing up close and the blueness and shapes that were formed had everyone in a trance. Our ship was also making its way through the channel but the seas really picked up and we had the next 45 minutes trying to catch the boat to find a calmer place to jump aboard. It was like being on a surf lifesaving boat back home as we were constantly crashing the waves and jumping up and down. Everyone had a bit of fun but were freezing cold once we hopped back
on the boat. The next group was cancelled and a few people were disappointed but everyone had a cup of tea and soon forgot about it.
Everyone was in high spirits after an adventurous day and drinking quite early on the Ukranian Station so dinner was what I would say "alcohol charged". There was also a talent contest tonight where all the different nations on the boat would perform a piece and entertain the crowd. Everyone was quite apprehensive at start but the night ended up being a huge success. The Aussie guys performed a few songs, the Japanese did some dancing and singing; the Israel contingent did some singing and the crew of the ship had some funny numbers that have obviously been performed before. Paul and I ended up drinking 4 and a half bottles of wine between us and ended up swaying our way to bed despite the ship being in calm waters!!
Day 8: Yankee Harbour, Greenwich Island Lat. 62.32´S, Long. 59.47´W Slow movements. That was the order of the morning after waking up with the mother of all hangovers. The boat was rocking slightly and my
head was making matters only worse. Luckily for us we weren´t doing anything this morning, just cruising through the Bransfield Strait and towards our final landing sight for the trip, Yankee Harbour. The weather conditions outside were awful and it started to snow heavily which made the deck quite slippery. Lounging around was the order of the day before we mustered up enough strength and enthusiasm to set foot for the last time on the islands.
The weather had cleared for the afternoon and was quite peaceful when we landed in Yankee Harbour. This place was used by American sealers in the 1820´s and there are still a few instruments including a tripod that is left on the island. It was a beautiful place with a big glacier feeding into a calm lake with rough seas on the other side of the sand. Lots of gentoo penguins and elephant seals welcomed us and made sure our last landing would be unforgettable. The seals were all quite territorial today and even though we kept our distances they made their presence felt.
The cool breeze and the serenity of the island was the perfect medicine for a hangover and for
winding down the trip. I sat in a quiet corner of the island for 1 hour just absorbing it in and regretting the fact that we had to make our way back to civilisation tonight. This trip had exceeded all my expectations and had opened my eyes to this icy continent.
Everyone was sad but content as we disembarked the zodiacs for the last time. We were so used to the daily routine of eating, expedition, eating, expedition, eating.....that it would be hard to sit still for the next two days. The cards would inevitably be thrown around and books that had been neglected will have their pages turned again, but the excitement level will be down a few notches. A few people were celebrating with some wine over dinner, but I couldn´t even handle the smell of alcohol at the moment after last night´s effort. We began cruising towards the mainland straight away and later that night we would be in the open waters of the Drake Passage again: lets hope it will be kind to us again.
Day 9: The Drake Passage In the middle of the night most of the passengers noticed the
Gentoo penguin feeds her chick, Neko Harbour
It was funny watching this because the chick would chase the mother constantly harrasing her for food. The mother would sometimes jump into the water knowing the chick couldn´t follow just for some peace and quiet!! transition from the calmer waters off the South Shetland Islands into the Drake Passage. I certainly had a rough night trying to sleep and decided that skipping breakfast and trying to catch a few more winks was a better idea. Chairs had gone flying through the night and our room was a bit of a mess.
The agenda for the day was more lectures but by this stage I just wanted to unwind and reflect on everything that we had done in the last week. A few marathon games of 500 were played and the competitive spirit returned. The most exciting part of the day was probably the rush to afternoon tea in the lounge area which resembled 100 vultures who had been starving for weeks: it was a long way from the truth.
Day 10: The Drake Passage The weather was calmer today and everyone was ready to disembark onto the mainland and get back to daily life. The afternoon provided a few highlights with Minke and Humpback whales being spotted and the most exciting part being dolphins playing at the front of the boat for around 20 minutes: they were guiding us back to Ushuaia.
In the evening the staff presented a DVD from the entire journey and included photos from all our landings. It was a nice way to sign off and we were all presented with certificates to state that we had stepped foot on the continent. The Captain´s Dinner was had that evening and the crew and passengers socialised well into the evening.
Day 11: Ushuaia As everyone woke up on the final morning we were already docked in Ushuaia. Everyone said their goodbyes and planned to meet at the Irish Bar later on in the day where we would have a final celebration. It was a great time had by all.
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Suzanne
non-member comment
Hi There, I will be heading to Usuhia in March 2010 to go to Antartica. I have been to Ushuia before and they had "walk on" prices for a research vessel, but I had missed it by 2 days. I was wondering if you could reccomend a company to use, or which one you went with. Your blog is great and I can't wait to go myself. I hope you're having fun and look forward to hearing from you cheers Suzanne