Tuesday, December 11, 2007
The Best Trip Ever
After a long journey, I have finally arrived home in Big D. What a truly amazing adventure. The ship, the crew, the ice, the penguins, seals, birds and whales, the Drake Passage (all three crossings) the new friends, and the side splitting laughs all were somehow more fabulous than I could have ever imagined. Definitely, the best trip ever.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Last Landing
Here are a few pics from our last landing at Yankee Harbor before we hit the Drake Passage. If you look carefully, the furry blob on the ice in front of the ship is a weddell seal. Also notice how deep we had to wade in the icy water to get into the tiny boats.
Back on Terra Firma
We finally got out of the Drake around 2 am. Catherine had a pure joy ride, but when the waves hit 36 feet, I went down hard. No patch was a match for the Drake Shake. Looking at a computer screen was out of the question. We are waiting for baggage and my computer charger so this is all I can type for now. Final updates and maybe some video later.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Q&A
We have had a few questions from our commentors, so here are some answers:
Antarctic travel places a strong emphasis on protecting and respecting this pristine area. The rule for all visitors is to take only memories and leave only footprints. The wildlife has the right of way, At each landing, except one that I will explain later, we were required to remain 15 feet from all wildlife and 45 feet from a leopard seal (they are very aggressive). It was okay if a penguin approached you, but under no circumstances were we allowed to touch them.
At Port Lockroy, we lose as the penguins had an exception to the 15 foot rule and we could get as close as the penguins would allow. They are doing research on the effects of human interaction and that base has had people interacting with penguins for a long time. Half of the island has no human interaction and the other half has a lot. Interestingly enough, the penguins exposed to humans are doing better than the other side. They speculate that it is because there tends to be fewer skua – the main predator of penguins,
The ship is very nice, but it is an expedition ship. There is no spa or shows, there are lectures which are very interesting about history, geology and wildlife. But that isn’t to say we haven’t had traditional cruise fun! The group that adopted us have been a blast and we have established quite a reputation on the ship – in a good way.
Antarctic travel places a strong emphasis on protecting and respecting this pristine area. The rule for all visitors is to take only memories and leave only footprints. The wildlife has the right of way, At each landing, except one that I will explain later, we were required to remain 15 feet from all wildlife and 45 feet from a leopard seal (they are very aggressive). It was okay if a penguin approached you, but under no circumstances were we allowed to touch them.
At Port Lockroy, we lose as the penguins had an exception to the 15 foot rule and we could get as close as the penguins would allow. They are doing research on the effects of human interaction and that base has had people interacting with penguins for a long time. Half of the island has no human interaction and the other half has a lot. Interestingly enough, the penguins exposed to humans are doing better than the other side. They speculate that it is because there tends to be fewer skua – the main predator of penguins,
The ship is very nice, but it is an expedition ship. There is no spa or shows, there are lectures which are very interesting about history, geology and wildlife. But that isn’t to say we haven’t had traditional cruise fun! The group that adopted us have been a blast and we have established quite a reputation on the ship – in a good way.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Finally, some waves to be excited about
We are now riding 30 ft waves and 45 kt winds here in the Drake Passage. A much better ride than the straight and level we had coming down. Walking is very difficult and going out on the deck is very dangerous and perhaps stupid but fun as all heck. You have to hold on to the railings or the wind will blow you across the deck. There are about 20 of us in the group that adopted Ruthie and I. At the moment there are only 8 soldiers still standing. We are getting mist and spray clear up to the 5th deck. I am trying to get pictures that will show how rough it really is. I'll send them along later.
The Drake Shake
W are just about to enter the passage and the seas are getting rough, we have a man down to sea sickness already. The blog updates might be slowing down.
life in iceberg alley
Guest Blogger 'tumble'
Antarctica is a landscape hard to describe, but photographing tabular icebergs from the bow of our ship seems surreal. These bergs are football field sized slabs of blue ice drifting in the fridgid waters, and our boat weaves through left and right. The challenge of photographing them is not being overwhelmed, and waiting for them to line up just right. Our group ran from starboard to portside to starboard back and forth...I'm sure the captain enjoyed watching from the bridge as we scurried all over the bow.
Now sadly we are headed home, saying goodbye to our penguin friends at our last landing this morning. One guest even put on her bathing suit and went swimming with penguins on the beach. The icebergs are getting less frequent, but the waves are getting bigger as we enter the drake passage...maybe this time we are going to get a wild ride!
Antarctica is a landscape hard to describe, but photographing tabular icebergs from the bow of our ship seems surreal. These bergs are football field sized slabs of blue ice drifting in the fridgid waters, and our boat weaves through left and right. The challenge of photographing them is not being overwhelmed, and waiting for them to line up just right. Our group ran from starboard to portside to starboard back and forth...I'm sure the captain enjoyed watching from the bridge as we scurried all over the bow.
Now sadly we are headed home, saying goodbye to our penguin friends at our last landing this morning. One guest even put on her bathing suit and went swimming with penguins on the beach. The icebergs are getting less frequent, but the waves are getting bigger as we enter the drake passage...maybe this time we are going to get a wild ride!
Last Landing
Today we made our last landing at Yankee Harbor on Livingston Island. It is getting difficult to come up with new words to describe how amazing everthing is here. At 0530 we were all on the deck or in the observation lounge as we passed through Neptune's Bellows into Deception Island. It was snowing and visibility was not ideal. Even with the conditions it was cool to watch the ship squeeze throught the tiny breach in the caldera. Last night on the ship was a good time for everyone, including a crew talent show and general revelry. Apparently, it was my birthday. yada yada yada, we are pretty tired today. Here are some pictures.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Ain't no mountain high enough
Guest blogger: K. Lefrak
Hello all.
Ruth (or Ann) may have mentioned this landing today. I wanted to stress that this was truly scaling a mountain with a sheer drop off the back side. Should somebody fall.... smoosh on the rocks or drown in the freezing water with the cormorants laughing at you on the way down.
The mountain has not been named yet. So, suggestions are being solicitied. Everest has already been taken.
Also, Ruth mentioned the burgers. We have a suspicion that they were made of reindeer. There was also turkey today.. which may have been actually snowy sheath bill. These have been named snow chickens by those of us who can not remember the true name.
Okay, we are at the Lemaire Channel... so up on deck I go.
-Karen
Hello all.
Ruth (or Ann) may have mentioned this landing today. I wanted to stress that this was truly scaling a mountain with a sheer drop off the back side. Should somebody fall.... smoosh on the rocks or drown in the freezing water with the cormorants laughing at you on the way down.
The mountain has not been named yet. So, suggestions are being solicitied. Everest has already been taken.
Also, Ruth mentioned the burgers. We have a suspicion that they were made of reindeer. There was also turkey today.. which may have been actually snowy sheath bill. These have been named snow chickens by those of us who can not remember the true name.
Okay, we are at the Lemaire Channel... so up on deck I go.
-Karen
Ann - way down under
guest blogging - Ann Hasselkus -
Hi Family! It's hard to believe that I'm really here & enjoying every minute. I just came in from sliding down a mini mountain on the seat of my pants at an abandoned Argentianian base camp. It is impossible to describe the majesty of this area. The Drake Passage crossing was very easy according to all who had done it before. Maybe we will change the report on the return trip. When the sun shines it is unbelievable. Penguins are so cute. You would be surprised to see how many varieties there are. Lots of neat birds are around. Today we saw the Imperial Cormorant (blue eyed shag). Ice bergs have a really beautiful blue color at the base & the part that is under water. Believe it or not there is some plant life here. Moss & lichen are just showing now that summer is here. The ship is very nice & the food is too good & available at all times.
Hi Family! It's hard to believe that I'm really here & enjoying every minute. I just came in from sliding down a mini mountain on the seat of my pants at an abandoned Argentianian base camp. It is impossible to describe the majesty of this area. The Drake Passage crossing was very easy according to all who had done it before. Maybe we will change the report on the return trip. When the sun shines it is unbelievable. Penguins are so cute. You would be surprised to see how many varieties there are. Lots of neat birds are around. Today we saw the Imperial Cormorant (blue eyed shag). Ice bergs have a really beautiful blue color at the base & the part that is under water. Believe it or not there is some plant life here. Moss & lichen are just showing now that summer is here. The ship is very nice & the food is too good & available at all times.
Peninsula
This morning we landed on the Antarctic Peninsula in a light snow at an abandoned Argentine Base.
The snow was beautiful and this was the one spot where we were allowed to slide down the hill (at our own risk). We climbed up the steep, icy, snow covered hill and as I embraced the idea of sliding down Antarctica, my enthusiasm was short lived as the exciting slide was disrupted by deep holes from footprints. It wasn’t so much sliding as scooting down the hill because all of the holes prevented any speed.
The base had gentoo penguins, a skua that was sitting solitary on a rock and not much other wildlife until we took a boat ride around a cliff wall to find a huge colony of blue-eyed camerons.
We have another stop today at Petermann Island if we are able to make it through the ice in the Lemaire Channel. If not we may have a free evening. There are many festivities scheduled for this evening as we sail to the next stop, first a crew talent show followed by a number of “unofficial” activities.
The snow was beautiful and this was the one spot where we were allowed to slide down the hill (at our own risk). We climbed up the steep, icy, snow covered hill and as I embraced the idea of sliding down Antarctica, my enthusiasm was short lived as the exciting slide was disrupted by deep holes from footprints. It wasn’t so much sliding as scooting down the hill because all of the holes prevented any speed.
The base had gentoo penguins, a skua that was sitting solitary on a rock and not much other wildlife until we took a boat ride around a cliff wall to find a huge colony of blue-eyed camerons.
We have another stop today at Petermann Island if we are able to make it through the ice in the Lemaire Channel. If not we may have a free evening. There are many festivities scheduled for this evening as we sail to the next stop, first a crew talent show followed by a number of “unofficial” activities.
The Good, the Bad and the Just Plain Amazing
Today we were the first group to go ashore. That meant a very early wake up call. After last night’s game of cut throat Uno, we were dragging a bit. Now that it does not get dark at all, it’s harder to stay on any kind of normal schedule. The weather is back to overcast and it has been snowing all morning. But still it's an amazing adventure.
Last night, there was a whale sighting from the ship.
Our big excitement for today is that we have arranged through our favorite ornithologist for our group to be served cheeseburgers and french fries for lunch. Regular, beef cheeseburgers. I have to confess, the food is not the highlight of the trip. We are served reindeer and smoked fish in some shape or form for every meal. Vegetables are few and far between.
Portside Whale!
Penquin Highway
Midnight fifteen and the sun still shines
Last night, there was a whale sighting from the ship.
Our big excitement for today is that we have arranged through our favorite ornithologist for our group to be served cheeseburgers and french fries for lunch. Regular, beef cheeseburgers. I have to confess, the food is not the highlight of the trip. We are served reindeer and smoked fish in some shape or form for every meal. Vegetables are few and far between.
Portside Whale!
Penquin Highway
Midnight fifteen and the sun still shines
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Water and Ice
We are back from our second landing of the day and it was yet another adventure. We sailed through the Gerslache Channel to get to our second destination and it was filled with pack ice. It was pretty exciting to sail though so much ice, but I found it even more interesting to see the water road that our ship carved through the ice pack and later how quickly it filled in as if we were never there.
The landing at Port Lockroy was short but very interesting; in addition to the penguins (which I could watch for hours) there was a small museum of the old base and several artifacts. This picture is of an old sled used to transport supplies across the ice.
My friend Anna suggested I bring something to give the people at the stations when you visit because it is so rare for them to get anything new from the outside. It sounded like a good tip, so we brought a few boxes of chocolates with us on the trip and dropped one off at the Polish station and another here at Port Lockroy. We have been told that only three people live at this base and it is very solitary. Luckily Cat remembered the chocolates just before we left. I told one of the ladies working there that we had a present for them and they were surprised and gracious. It was a small gesture, but they welcomed us into their homes basically and it was nice not to be empty handed.
Before I left the station, the lady stopped me to say that the gift was extra special because they had just lost all of their gifts in the Explorer sinking as it was making a post delivery from the U.K. I have to thank Anna for that tip when I get back, I was really glad that we were prepared to make such a gesture.
On the way back to the ship, the seas were pretty rough for our tiny boats and there was more than a little splashing. When we boarded the Fram, a passenger asked us if we had to swim back because we were so wet. The thing that struck me the most (and often) is that the spray turned to ice just before it hit us and then melted again so it was not just getting wet, but also pelted with ice.
Well, despite the fact that it is 2 am, it is still very light out and I have to prepare for an early morning landing on the peninsula. So I will give you another update tomorrow.
The landing at Port Lockroy was short but very interesting; in addition to the penguins (which I could watch for hours) there was a small museum of the old base and several artifacts. This picture is of an old sled used to transport supplies across the ice.
My friend Anna suggested I bring something to give the people at the stations when you visit because it is so rare for them to get anything new from the outside. It sounded like a good tip, so we brought a few boxes of chocolates with us on the trip and dropped one off at the Polish station and another here at Port Lockroy. We have been told that only three people live at this base and it is very solitary. Luckily Cat remembered the chocolates just before we left. I told one of the ladies working there that we had a present for them and they were surprised and gracious. It was a small gesture, but they welcomed us into their homes basically and it was nice not to be empty handed.
Before I left the station, the lady stopped me to say that the gift was extra special because they had just lost all of their gifts in the Explorer sinking as it was making a post delivery from the U.K. I have to thank Anna for that tip when I get back, I was really glad that we were prepared to make such a gesture.
On the way back to the ship, the seas were pretty rough for our tiny boats and there was more than a little splashing. When we boarded the Fram, a passenger asked us if we had to swim back because we were so wet. The thing that struck me the most (and often) is that the spray turned to ice just before it hit us and then melted again so it was not just getting wet, but also pelted with ice.
Well, despite the fact that it is 2 am, it is still very light out and I have to prepare for an early morning landing on the peninsula. So I will give you another update tomorrow.
What Does the Future Hold?
Catherine is still hoping for a Drake Passage thrill ride, so we have been watching the forecast. Here is what they are predicting for our return crossing.
More Adventure
Last night dusk was the darkest the sky ever got. By 0130 the sun was coming back up. We woke at 0700 to beautiful blue skies. After several days of overcast, the bright sun was welcome indeed.
Our first stop was Cuverville Island to visit with a couple hundred thousand Gentoo Penguins. As it turned out, we were significantly overdressed for this landing. We had 40 degree temps in blazing sun. Gorgeous.
We have sailed through quite a bit of ice today on our way to Port Lockroy, the British Research Station but made a small detour for another adventure. The famous Hurtigruten MS Nordnorge was in the neighborhood. As it turns out, there was an 86 year old woman, traveling alone who was supposed to be on the Nordnorge but had missed her boat. She sailed with us until we were able to return her to the Nordnorge today. We pulled up very close to our sister ship with all passengers and crew from both ships out on deck. We were close enough to shout back and forth while we launched the landing boat. You may remember the Nordnorge was the ship that rescued the passengers and crew from the Explorer.
As excited as I was before leaving for this trip, I could have never imagined just how fabulous it would be. This adventure has far surpassed my wildest dreams. And the good news, the wave forecaster is looking promising for a rockin’ ride home! It just keeps getting better.
Our ship. We've been feeling a little specklike.
Sailing through the ice
What can I say
Oh, what a beautiful morning.
Penguin Highway
Just pretty
Meeting up with the Nordnorge
Ruth or Catherine?
Our first stop was Cuverville Island to visit with a couple hundred thousand Gentoo Penguins. As it turned out, we were significantly overdressed for this landing. We had 40 degree temps in blazing sun. Gorgeous.
We have sailed through quite a bit of ice today on our way to Port Lockroy, the British Research Station but made a small detour for another adventure. The famous Hurtigruten MS Nordnorge was in the neighborhood. As it turns out, there was an 86 year old woman, traveling alone who was supposed to be on the Nordnorge but had missed her boat. She sailed with us until we were able to return her to the Nordnorge today. We pulled up very close to our sister ship with all passengers and crew from both ships out on deck. We were close enough to shout back and forth while we launched the landing boat. You may remember the Nordnorge was the ship that rescued the passengers and crew from the Explorer.
As excited as I was before leaving for this trip, I could have never imagined just how fabulous it would be. This adventure has far surpassed my wildest dreams. And the good news, the wave forecaster is looking promising for a rockin’ ride home! It just keeps getting better.
Our ship. We've been feeling a little specklike.
Sailing through the ice
What can I say
Oh, what a beautiful morning.
Penguin Highway
Just pretty
Meeting up with the Nordnorge
Ruth or Catherine?
Penguin Highways
We woke up this morning to an absolutely gorgeous Antarctica morning. Blue skies as far and the eye can see and stunning light for picture taking had everyone giddy with anticipation.
We made a morning launch to see the largest Gentoo Penguin rookery on record. Those little guys are mighty entertaining! On this island, the penguins have made paths through the snow called penguin highways and we could watch lines of penguins following each other down the highway. They have the right of way when our trails crossed and Catherine and I got stuck in a bit of a penguin traffic jam. If anyone hasn’t checked the Fram webcam lately, it is now being updated!
Perfect weather, warm sun bouncing off the crystal snow, I am gonna stop blogging and go outside. We have another landing later today at Port Lockroy – an abandoned British station that is now a historical site.
We made a morning launch to see the largest Gentoo Penguin rookery on record. Those little guys are mighty entertaining! On this island, the penguins have made paths through the snow called penguin highways and we could watch lines of penguins following each other down the highway. They have the right of way when our trails crossed and Catherine and I got stuck in a bit of a penguin traffic jam. If anyone hasn’t checked the Fram webcam lately, it is now being updated!
Perfect weather, warm sun bouncing off the crystal snow, I am gonna stop blogging and go outside. We have another landing later today at Port Lockroy – an abandoned British station that is now a historical site.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Seal of Approval
Guest Blogging - Edgar Barbosa
Another lazy day in Antarctica, this seal spent most of the day pretending to be a rock when instead he should have taken rightful role as pillar of the community. A giant among tiny penguins. The Weddell Seal finally began to move just in time to get this shot and still make the last boat off the ice.
This station is one of many friendly places that I didn’t bother to visit.
Another lazy day in Antarctica, this seal spent most of the day pretending to be a rock when instead he should have taken rightful role as pillar of the community. A giant among tiny penguins. The Weddell Seal finally began to move just in time to get this shot and still make the last boat off the ice.
This station is one of many friendly places that I didn’t bother to visit.
A few pics
I'm hoping my sister or a guest blogger will report on today's events. I am going to default to posting a few pics.
Rock or Seal?
Not another penguin! Up to now, you have only seen Chinstraps. This little guy is an Adelie.
Rock or Seal?
Not another penguin! Up to now, you have only seen Chinstraps. This little guy is an Adelie.
Land Again
We wanted to share the entire experience with you and you knew it wouldn’t be 13 days of Penguins. In fact we had an interesting turn of events today related to last nights festivities. Before lunch we had a bit of a scare when a uniformed member of the ship’s crew came to the lounge and asked sternly to speak to the leader of our group. So we were pretty sure we were going to be in trouble for last night’s activities. In an unexpected turn Mirjam (our Oracle) returned after the talking to and announced that the ship wanted to throw us a cocktail party!!!
Okay, back to the last unspoiled, pristine wilderness in the world. Today we landed at a Polish research station to visit Adelie penguins and seals, we saw one young Weddell Seal and plenty of penguins and we will have a guest blogger share his photos. The Adelie Penguins were very friendly and gave us all great photo opportunities. I could have just stopped and watched them for hours. Each step of this journey is better than the last!
Okay, back to the last unspoiled, pristine wilderness in the world. Today we landed at a Polish research station to visit Adelie penguins and seals, we saw one young Weddell Seal and plenty of penguins and we will have a guest blogger share his photos. The Adelie Penguins were very friendly and gave us all great photo opportunities. I could have just stopped and watched them for hours. Each step of this journey is better than the last!
No Southern Lights
Donny, thanks for the question.
We are the wrong time of year for aurora australis, since it never really gets full dark. We have barely 3 hours when it's mostly dark between 2300 and 0130. By 0200, the sun is full up again. With so much daylight, our sleep cycles have be seriously compressed.
We are the wrong time of year for aurora australis, since it never really gets full dark. We have barely 3 hours when it's mostly dark between 2300 and 0130. By 0200, the sun is full up again. With so much daylight, our sleep cycles have be seriously compressed.
Meeting New People
Guest Blogger - Doug
As I was wandering the ship at 1 am looking for icebergs and polar animals, I discovered a group of polar animals huddling together to stay warm. If you embark on a trip into the unknown like this, be prepared for what you may find!
photo by Doug Vorwaller.
As I was wandering the ship at 1 am looking for icebergs and polar animals, I discovered a group of polar animals huddling together to stay warm. If you embark on a trip into the unknown like this, be prepared for what you may find!
photo by Doug Vorwaller.
No Sound Today
Crossing the Antarctic Sound is not in the cards for us today. It is still iced in. So we have been sailing along the ice line all morning. They tell us this will be the most impressive ice we will see on our trip. We’ve seen icebergs larger than our ship. My photos won’t do justice to the sights we have seen. Fortunately, we have hooked up with a group here on a photography workshop so I expect I may be able to share some rather spectacular shots.
We have changed the setup on the blog so you no longer require a gmail account to leave a comment.
There is a landing brief in just a few minutes. We will visit a Polish research base this afternoon.
We have invited our new friends to participate as guest bloggers to the page. We may soon regret giving them free reign to write as they please.
Here are some more pics I didn’t get to yesterday.
Love the Ice
Cutie Pie
Love this
People or Penguins?
We have changed the setup on the blog so you no longer require a gmail account to leave a comment.
There is a landing brief in just a few minutes. We will visit a Polish research base this afternoon.
We have invited our new friends to participate as guest bloggers to the page. We may soon regret giving them free reign to write as they please.
Here are some more pics I didn’t get to yesterday.
Love the Ice
Cutie Pie
Love this
People or Penguins?
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