Around the World

Our first two days in Antarctica went as follows: 

We boarded the Sea Spirit on the afternoon of March third. The ship set sail out The Beagle Channel around 6:00 PM. First order of business was some safety stuff. We did a lifeboat drill so everyone would know where to go in an emergency. Our cabin is quite nice by cruise ship standards. The crew is very welcoming and helpful. With only a hundred people aboard it may be possible to get to know a significant percentage. Meeting new folks is half the fun of a trip like this and there are people from all over the world. There are lots of Ausies and Kiwis, some from South Africa, Britain, Brazil, Netherlands and the US. The expedition staff is equally varied, lots of Canadians, Ausies, Polish, Brits, etc.

Our first day and a half is spent crossing the Drake Passage. It is a bit rough seas ran about twenty feet high and the Sea Spirit is not very large as cruise ships go. Most people dosed themselves up with a variety of sea sick remedies. Linda and I, since we are used to being on the water didn’t bother. And I haven’t been sea sick in over sixty years. Linda was totally fine and I, of course, puked my guts out. I was ok in my bed but when I got vertical the nausea set in. Breakfast for me was a cup of tea, while Linda chowed down. I tried not to hate her. When we were almost done with the Drake we had the Doctor aboard give me some anti-nausea pills. They seemed to help, but we also moved out of the Drake passage into the calmer waters around the Antarctic Peninsula. I started to feel much better.

The first shore excursion was on Barientose Island. The ship carries about a dozen zodiacs to ferry everyone ashore. They are very careful about maintaining the environment. All our outer clothing had to be decontaminated. Before stepping in to the zodiacs boots are disinfected by walking in a tray of disinfectant. Ashore we were greeted by fur seals, gentu penguins, and chinstrap penguins. An elephant seal was also sighted on the beach. The wildlife, like in the Galapagos have no fear of humans. After several hours ashore we returned to the ship. While aboard, there a fairly frequent lectures on birds, marine life or history.

After our second night aboard (spent at anchor), we went ashore again at a place called Half Moon island. This was a rockier place, lots of chinstrap penguins, more fur seals and some beautiful vistas. It had snowed a bit overnight, giving everything a stark monochromatic look. Blue skies would have been nice but it was raining as we went ashore. There was an Argentine research station there. They set up a little spot on the beach where they tried to sell some handicrafts they had made during the long antarctic days. Of course no one thought to bring any cash ashore so they did not do very well.

In the afternoon we moved on to Deception Island. Much of this area has a fairly recent geologic history. Deception Island is actually an active volcanic caldera. The ring of the caldera is broken only at one place allowing are ship to get in through  narrow passage called Neptune’s Bellows. Inside there is an old whaling station, the remains of a British research station and the remains of the first airfield in Antarctica. The sands on the beach are somewhat warm due to volcanic activity. The British abandoned the area due to eruptions in the 1960’s and 1970’s. The weather was not great again with wind and snow, but it does give a small taste of what Antarctica is all about. 

There is much more to tell and I will try to catch up in the next several days.