Hoosier Tim

Tuesday morning we woke up safely nestled behind Lennox Island in Chile. Later that morning we raised the anchor and sailed around Cape Horn. Conditions around Cape Horn were pretty bleak, but considering the weather it was amazing we were able to do it at all. Later Tuesday afternoon we started our transit up the Beagle Channel. One of the first things we saw was the shipwreck of the bible study ship Logos. Had we not left Antarctica early to beat the storm we would not have been able to see the scenic Beagle Channel. We were scheduled to sail through here overnight while it was dark. As we were sailing north, everything on the right is Argentina and on the left is Chile. We had to make a stop for customs at Puerto Williams, Chile. ... read more

We spent most of Sunday in the Neumayer Channel and the Gerlache Strait. The Gerlache Strait is a channel/strait separating the Palmer Archipelago from the Antarctic Peninsula. Neumayer Channel is 16 miles long and about 1.5 miles wide, separating Anvers Island from Wiencke Island. There were countless icebergs of all shapes and sizes. It wasn't a very clear day, but the landscape was no less impressive. The overcast skies brought out the deep blues in the glacier ice. I spent most of of the day outside on the open decks. I had on about six layers of clothes. Neumayer Channel is known for its majestic cliffs. It is said to be like a maze with no visible exits because of its inverted S-shape. Its entrance and exits both have sharp bends. I would love to return ... read more

Friday morning we arrived at our first scenic stop in Antarctica, Elephant Island. This is my second visit to Antarctica. On New Years Eve 2006 I took a 12-hour scenic flight out of Sydney, Australia. We spent four hours circling the frozen continent aboard a Qantas 747. The plane never landed though, so this is my first time here at ground or sea level. Elephant Island is an ice-covered, mountainous island off the coast of Antarctica in the outer reaches of the South Shetland Islands in the Southern Ocean. Its name was given by early explorers sighting elephant seals on its shores. It lies 581 miles south of the Falkland Islands. The island has a maximum elevation of 2795 feet above sea level at Pardo Ridge. The island supports no significant flora or native fauna although ... read more

We sailed into the Port William, a large inlet on the east coast of East Falkland island, shortly after sunrise. The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located 300 miles from the coast of Argentina. They consist of two main islands, East Falkland and West Falkland, together with 776 smaller islands. Stanley, on East Falkland, is the capital. The islands are a self-governing Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom. In 1982 the islands were invaded by Argentina, precipitating the two-month-long undeclared Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom, which resulted in the defeat and withdrawal of Argentine forces. To visit Stanley we tendered through a strait called "the Narrows" into Stanley Harbour. Stanley is the capital and only true city in the Falkland Islands. It is located on the isle of ... read more

This Monday was the first of two sea days on the way to the Falkland Islands. It would also be the last warm day as we were heading for a MUCH cooler climate. I spent a lot of the day out on deck relaxing in the sunshine. Early in the day as I was doing my laps around the prominade deck, I saw literally hundreds of dolphins flying through the water. In the evening it was the first formal night and the Captain's Welcome Reception.... read more