Blogs from Antarctica, Antarctica - page 8

If you have never been at sea in a heavy gale, you can form no idea of the confusion of mind occasioned by wind and spray together. They blind, deafen, and strangle you, and take away all power of action or reflection. Edgar Allen Poe. Coffee with Joan - Ushuaia, Argentina One of my favourite books about the early explorers of the Antarctic is ‘The Storied Ice.’ It’s an easy-to-read book with accounts of many different explorers that ventured south during the age of exploration during the turn of the twentieth century. The expeditions of Adrien de Gerlache in the Belgica, Jean Francois Charcot and the Porquoi Pas, and the epic race to the South Pole between the Norwegian, Roald Amundsen and the British, Captain Scott. It’s a great book, one that I use as a ... read more

It would be two days sailing through bad weather to Antarctica or so we were lead to believe, the weather however was so good that we were able to land at an Argentine research station in the rarely visited South Orkney Islands. The base is located in a bay where a Scottish expedition ship was once frozen in the ice and the crew were forced to survive on penguins and seals for eight months. The base has been operating since 1904 and seems to be an Argentine land grab rather than anything else as little scientific research appears to be going in. There are 16 males at the basement during the winter months and they have a small museum, a church and several bars. These islands are remote, cold and harsh but I did see the ... read more

Megaptera novaeangliae means ‘big wings of New England’ more commonly known as the humpback whale. These are the gentle giants of the sea – playful, gentle giants that we had the pleasure of spending a few hours with in Wilhelmena Bay. There were dozens of humpbacks and all the Zodiacs spent time with several individuals. We also had sightings of minke whales, fin whales and a rare glimpse of Arnoux’s beaked whales. Of course you could throw some dusky dolphins and long-finned pilot whales too – just for good measure. I have not sat down and taken time to journal my adventures on this voyage – but I did take a few photos of these magnificent beings that swim in our amazing oceans. I will leave you with a few snippets of our moving and spiritual ... read more

Half Moon Island is a 2km long crescent shaped island between Greenwich and Livingston Islands. There were thousands of Chinstrap Penguins to greet us in foggy weather. The island is very rocky and muddy. We also saw a giant petrel and some fur seals. The penguins had no fear of us and because there were so many of them we didn't have to keep our distance as they walked amongst us. Back to the ship for lunch and then we set sail for Deception Island, our last off boat stop for the trip. Deception Island is located in the South Shetland Islands. This island is the caldera of an active volcano, which seriously damaged local scientific stations in 1967 and 1969 and is reached through the Neptune's Bellows. There is a former whaling station (Hektor station) ... read more

We sailed this morning into Marguerite Bay and became the first Ponant boat to sail this far south 68.1°(2419 km from the South Pole). This caused much excitement particularly from the captain. We then had our first off zodiac excursion. We were taken to Pourquois Pas (Why Not) Island, discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot and named after his boat, to see the Adelie penguins and their rookeries. At this time of year they are completing the moulting season (about two weeks) before heading back to sea with their waterproof coat on. The Adelie Penguin often looks overweight. It is short but wide. They are very short with an overall height of no more than 30 inches. They weigh approximately 8-13 pounds. They can be identified by the white rings around their eyes. Their beak has ... read more