Wednesday, 3rd. February - at sea Drake Passage

Here is a wonderful quote from the Albatross Monument, Cape Horn

'I am the albatross that awaits you at the end of the earth. I am the forgotten soul of the dead dead sailors from all the seas of the earth who rounded Cape Horn, they did not die in the fury of the waves, but fly today on my wings towards eternity in the cry of the Antarctic winds'

Deception Island

Hello everyone, I am still getting used to uploading photos. Here are, I hope, the photos of Deception Island and Hannah's Point.

1st. February - Whalers Bay, Deception Island, Hannah Point, Livingston Island

8:30am We were invited up to the bridge to watch the Captain navigate through Neptune's Bellows a narrow passage - 1800 feet wide - and very treacherous with rocks under the surface of the water. We were told to maintain silence as there were to no distractions for the Captain and crew as we entered the flooded caldera.

Landed on the beach at Deception and a young man from Arizona took a polar plunge - a quick one.

This former whaling station put us all in a somber mood when we contemplated the huge tanks which were used for storing the whale oil. A black mud beach and very windy.

Livingston Island. We went ashore in the afternoon and saw Chinstrap penguins for the first time. THere were a few Macaroni Penguins amidst the Chinstraps.

A major highlight for m was the following stop at Hannah's point where we saw a large group of belching, farting Elephant seals. They seemed to be quite happy wallowing around in stuff that had until recently been inside them. These were 2-3 years olds who come ashore to moult.

We sa Giant Petrels - great white, snowy birds as large as geese. We watched having a bath close to shore preening and grooming h/herself.

We saw a skua feasting tearing it apart really - on a baby chick. These predatory birds cruise around the penguin colonies waiting to pick of chicks.

We saw a few Fur Seals and a Weddell seal who was simply to lazy to move away when we approached - in faat h/she yawned the closer we approached.

1/31/2010 Port Lockroy and Paradise Bay

9 am. The Base Commander came aboard to give us a briefing before we went ashore.

Penguins everywhere and this is the closest we have been to them as they are clustered around the buildings at the Port. It was quite wonderful to be so close to them (Gentoos) . They have no fear of humans at all and in fact are quite curious. The have dark yellow feet with very long claws. Some Shags were among the penguins and Snowy Sheathbills which, rumor has it, eat anything (you don't want to know!).

After a landing at a Argentinian base which was very well kept up. The Gentoo penguins around the base had very large chicks. We crossed the Gerlache Strait to Paradise Bay. The wind was near gale-force but the bay itself was nice and calm.

After dinner we were told that we were off to the South SHetlands.

1/30/2010 - Prospect Point, Fish Islands, Mutton Cove

5:30am - awakened by the noise of the ship crashing through the ice. I went up to the lounge to have a cup of tea. The sea was full of ice from large bergs to brash ice. This is the most desolate place. The mainland is very close to the ship. Shortly after breakfast we set off in the Zodiacs and were able to land on the mainland. We saw a small group of Adelie penguins. We cruised around in the Zodiacs and saw some spectacular blue bergs. It even snow - big, fat flakes which made a patting sound when they hit our clothing and the rafts.

After lunch we were off to Mutton Cove where we cruised around until we all felt cold. Back to the ship where the chef had prepared an outside barbecue on the deck outside the lounge. I think that the early explorers lacked some imagination when they named these beautiful, wild, desolate places.

01/29/2010 Artic Circle,Detaille Island and The Gullet

We were awakened at 6:30 am with the news that we were about to cross the Antarctic Circle ( I have a certificate to prove that I did so!). I dressed hastily and hurried up to the front of the boat. We are in a icy wonderland. The sea was choppy but the sun was shining.

Went ashore onto Detaille and viewed an abandoned British hut. It is designated on of the historic sites (No. 83) in the Antarctic. We cruised in the Zodiacs and chased a Humpback which would occasionally show it flukes. We saw basking Weddell Seals and a Fur Seal.

After lunch there was a toast on the stern to commemorate crossing the Arctic Circle.

The Gullet. We navigated through the narrow channel dodging ice floes and icebergs. Lots os Skuas and Giant Petrels flying around the ship. We saw Minke whales and Crabeater Seals (they don't eat crabs).

1/28/2010 Humpback Whales- Danco Island

Early this morning we saw lots of Humpbacks and four of them swam right in front of the bow. We could hear their exhalations. We saw heads, backs and huge pectoral fins.

On shore we found ourselves amidst a Gentoo colony. On the way back to the ship we saw a Leopard seal sleeping on a ice floe. They are huge and have serpentine looking heads very lizard like in appearance. The water is calm and the icebergs an indescribable shade of almost translucent.

Spotted three Minke whales through my trusty binoculars.

01/25/2010 Drake Passage

Seas are not too rough although I am reeling about it when navigating around the ship. The maxim on board is "one hand for the ship" and it is one well worth observing.
We saw penguins last night - Megellanic Penguins - which are native to South America and the Falklands. John Sparks, a naturalist and very entertaining man, is about to give his talk on the Albtross.

We were in the lounge at about 1:30 pm when it was announced that one of the passengers, one of our group, had fallen down the stairs. Condition unknown. It is has been extremely treacherous on board for the past few hours. Even holding on you are thrown around like a rag doll. The Steward in the lounge said that the seas were not terribly rough and that he had seen much worse conditions!

An update on Carol's condition: she was severely injured although we have no details as yet. A meeting was called about 3 pm. in the lounge where we were informed that Carol was to be evacuated via a Chilean med. vac. plane as they are the closest to us. We have to change course
to accommodate that operation.

01/24/2010 Ushuaia and Beagle Channel

We boarded the Polar Star at 4pm. at the port at Ushuaia. Ushuaia reminds me of Shetland - cold, damp and windy. Masses of Lupins everywhere and they thrive in these bleak conditions. I wrote postcards today and deposited them in a antiquated English style post box.

We are in the Beagle Channel and are just clipping along. The Drake Passage looms ahead at midnight and we are prepared for some very rough seas. I am wearing a seasick patch and hope that it works.

The cabin is small but comfortable. My cabin mate is an 82 yr.old from New York City - Millicent McKinley - she is a firecracker. The staff are pleasant and very helpful. There are 83 passengers aboard and we are a diverse lot - Americans (32), Canadians, Aussies, Brits, German, and a smattering from other countries around the world.

I am going to a lecture tomorrow morning about the Albatross. I have been on the lookout for Skuas which I saw in Shetland and I think are most impressive birds - like very large brown seagulls with with white feathers under their wingtips. They are predatory and aggressive - I hope to se them this trip.

Penguins