March 14-17,
Yes, we did it….survived the infamous Drake Passage and landed on Antarctica….AND, drum roll please….we now have traveled to all Seven Continents….whoever thought this girl from Nebraska and boy from Kansas would be so fortunate to travel this much !!!
3/14: We did a quick bus tour of Ushuaia in hard rain and then spent an hour+ in the Prison Museum. This also housed the maritime and Antarctica museums as well. We enjoyed the museums immensely and could have easily spent 3-4 hours reading the various information. We finally boarded the ship….just a mere 92 hours since we left the house on 3/10 and some 7500+ miles traveled…whoa!!! The room was excellent….a bit small but bigger than Mystic. It took a while to unpack and store items but having accomplished that feat we were off to explore….but wait…have to do the safety life boat drill….oh, then the Expedition Leader briefing…..oh, then happy hour….oh, then dinner….ok, exploring will wait:)))
3/15-16: Rock & roll time, then trawler weenie time:))) We left Ushuaia around 6pm on 3/14 and traveled 4-5 hours down the calm Beagle Channel then turned right into Drake Passage…..Cape Horn was 50nm off to the west…all this was at night and we were fast asleep….but as soon as we left Beagle Passage and entered Drake Passage we had 12-15′ confused seas and 20-25G30kt winds….the ship had quite a bit of motion and while we were feeling fine we did not get a lot of sleep. The next morning it had calmed to 10-12′ seas and 20-25kt winds and by the afternoon to 8-10′ seas and 15-20kt winds and the motion was not too bad, although we still had the drunken sailor walk:))) By the next day we were in a calm weather hole….<10kt winds and 4-6′, long period seas….the boat had minimum motion!!!! In fact the Expedition Leader called it the Drake Lake….1st time all season they had found such trawler weenie weather….yea!!!
The crew kept us busy….a briefing, then covid testing….a jacket exchange…the ship provides you a parka to wear ashore that you get to keep….K’s fit perfectly but mine was too snug….but, got the next size up and all good. Then it was boot checking….the ship also provides mud boots to wear ashore….mine were perfect but Kathy had to exchange. Then life jacket fitting….ok, you get the picture. We had two lectures that day….one on the history of Antarctica and the other on the wildlife in Antarctica. The lectures were excellent….given by the 5-6 experts on board…historian, geologist, marine biologist, photographer, et al. BTW….2 people did test positive for Covid and were immediately isolated. We don’t know who they are and assume we were exposed but so far no symptoms, nor is anyone else!!!
3/17: ODG…what a day….since it was our 1st day in Antarctica we are afraid now the bar has been set too high. We woke up to blue sky, flat calm seas and little wind!!! A beautiful sunrise over the continent and a gazillion ice bergs all around….some as big as the ship…wow, wow, wow!! The EL (Expedition Leader, named Howard) explained this is an Expedition Ship….meant to go exploring….hmmm, is this Star Trek:))) We were headed through Gunwale and Gullet passages…very narrow, full of ice bergs but DDG….then to Horseshoe Island for a gorgeous hike and to see an abandoned British Research hut built in 1955….Camp Y. Weather had not permitted the Ship to come this far south all season so the Crew were very excited…hmmm….we of course, knew no better!! Well….the beauty was beyond belief….but in the narrow passages the wind funneled up to 40 kts. When you went outside your forehead immediately froze….yikes….I did brave it many times…had to get that money shot, right….but what an experience….wow, wow, wow!!!
At around 4:43am we did cross the Antarctica Circle at 66.3*S latitude….where beyond it during winter it is completely dark….and where the Antarctica Treaty starts to be in effect. In a James Cook tradition, we all gathered on the pool deck for the traditional champagne toast….and yes, it was cold….maybe 25*F with some wind chill:))) We arrived Horseshoe Bay early afternoon and did a zodiac landing ~2:30pm….our 1st step on Antarctica…we didn’t really mark the fact at the time as were both concentrating too hard to not fall out of the zodiac or slip and fall in the water….for those who have followed us, we have been known to trip getting out of a dinghy too many times….ugh!!!
I will say that the Captain et al did a masterful job of avoiding the ice bergs. Blowing 40+kts, a strong current and going 12kts in a narrow passage the Captain avoided all. This ship can go through ice up to 3′ so he just dodged the big ice bergs but did not worry too much about the smaller guys.
Camp Y Research Hut: Occupied in 1955- 1960, performed surveys for the British Antarctica Claim, geology and meteorology….it was somewhat a surreal experience thinking that these men stayed here 18-24 months w/o a supply ship but they did have some HF radio contact with the Falklands. The hike was gorgeous….in total I did 3.3 miles….that is the longest I’ve been able to walk in ~9 months….both hips and knees did fine…I was very, very encouraged that all the rehab is finally working!!! We were on shore ~2 hours in blue sky and no wind….in fact all my clothes were pretty sweat soaked….I know TMI but it is going to be a challenge to learn how to dress in this ever changing environment. OBTW, we were told that Horseshoe Bay and surrounding area would be hard frozen in about a month….yikkers!!!
Wildlife: We saw 8 whales, ~20 fur seals, ~ 10 crabeater seals, and 2 Adelie penguins, Wandering Albatross, Storm and Giant Petrels, Cormorants, Skuas and many other birds. We had expectations of much more wildlife but this landing was more about the Research Hut and the hike!!
3/18: After leaving Horseshoe Bay we cruised overnight on the west side of Adelaide Island….no going through the calmer inside passages as too many ice bergs at night!! We did see 35-40kt headwinds but the Captain slowed down to 6 kts to smooth out the motion as well as better watching for ice bergs. He sped back up to 15 kts at daybreak!!
Critter Count:
Whales: 8, humpbacks and Minkes
Fur seals: `20
Crabeater seals: ~10
Penguin: 2 Adelie
Birds: too many to count: wandering Albatross, storm and giant petrels, cormorants, Skuas and many more!!
Hope all is well!!
John
PS: Internet is pretty slow, so will need more time to upload pictures, but I’ve been able to text a few to family and friends!!
