Last Day in Antarctica, Pleneau Bay, Petermann Island & Lemaire Channel

January 16. A great last day on the Antarctic Peninsula. It was the coldest day so far but still in the 30’s. We had a Zodiac tour of Pleneau, where ice bergs go to die. The huge glaciers calve into the bay, and we sailed among the ice bergs of all sizes and shapes. A humpback whale joined us for part of the tour. After morning tours were done, it was time for the Polar Plunge. This is when guests and some crew, crazier or dumber than us, signed 3-page waivers, and then jumped into the water. Water temp was 33F, air temp 34F.

In the afternoon the ship moved to Petermann Island. Due to the abundant ice in the area, this location is rarely visited. Zodiacs went up to rocks, where you could step off, our only dry landing. The shore was littered with rocks, making walking difficult until you got to a snow covered hill. Gentoos and their babies were on their pebble nests near the landing area. Our first colony of Adelie penguins were nearby, a fitting end for the last afternoon.

One more surprise awaited us as the ship headed to the Drake Passage. Jan was so disappointed about missing the Lemaire Channel that she was thrilled to hear the announcement that we would be going through the Lemaire Channel in the bright, sunny early evening. The icing on the cake! All trip goals achieved.

Neko Harbor and Paradise Bay, Antarctic Peninsula

January 15. We arrived at Neko Harbor on a cloudy but “warm” (36F) and calm day. We are organized into 6 Zodiac groups with departure times rotated among them. Our time was early today, room service breakfast at 6 am with Zodiac departure at 7 am. The wet landing was a rocky slope. Jan felt it was too risky for her new knee so she stayed on the Zodiac to return to the ship, getting a very nice tour of the harbor with the expedition staff member Cameron from Bangor, Maine. Dave did go ashore and walked up a snow covered hill to see a colony of Gentoo penguins nesting and feeding their young, many of them about 2 weeks old.

The ship repositioned during lunch to sheltered Paradise Bay, surrounded by glaciers and mountains. Dave was one of the winners of the kayak lottery to kayak in the Bay. After donning the full body dry suit and special boots and gloves, the group of 12 plus 2 guides toured the bay. The water was crystal clear. They saw crabeater seals on ice bergs, minke whales close to the kayaks, and penguins on the shore.

In the late afternoon, the ship sailed out of the Bay headed to Lemaire Channel. We were very disappointed, Jan especially, when dense fog rolled in and the Captain decided not to risk it. The Channel only became navigable about 2 weeks ago, because it is frozen all winter. Good visibility is needed to navigate around the ice bergs. Read January 16 entry when Lemaire Channel reappears. 🐧

Ice Bergs, Rock Cliffs and Getting to the Gentoos

January 14. The ship anchored this morning off Spret Island. We toured on a Zodiac for about 2 hours   seeing fantastical ice bergs, huge rock cliffs and arches, and Chinstrap penguins. It was foggy and raining, which contributed to the feeling of being in another world. The Chinstraps were quite cute hopping around the cliffs, congregating, and then deciding to jump in the water. Others were porpoising around our Zodiac. Our guide took us through tunnels, dodging small ice bergs. As we were getting back to the ship, it was announced that humpback whales were behind the ship and so they were! Jan declared this the best tour so far!

After a special buffet lunch, the ship moved to Mikkelsen Harbor where it anchored for wet landings on the beach. This sheltered harbor, surrounded by glaciers was a refuge for whalers and sealers with the remains of a whale and whaler on the shore. It is home to a large colony of Gentoo penguins. People were fascinated to watch chicks about 2 weeks old being fed by their parents. Snow was speckled everywhere by abundant quantities of penguin poop. A pair of Weddell seals was lying on the “beach” where the Zodiacs landed.

Sunset tonight 11:16 pm. Sunrise 3:22 am

Tomorrow “boots on the ground” on the Antarctic continent, our 7th. 🐧

Point Wild, Elephant Island, Antarctica

January 13. After 2 days sailing the Drake Passage, we arrived at Elephant Island, Antarctica. The ship anchored early this morning in front of glaciers, Chinstrap penguins, and the small beach where Shackleton’s men spent the winter of 1916 before being rescued. The fog that was around last night lifted, the sun came out, and the Zodiacs were put in the water. We were among the first groups to go on Zodiac tours of the large Chinstrap penguin colonies nesting on the sheer rock cliffs. It is amazing how they can hop up the cliffs to build pebble nests on the rocks. We rode by the statue of the Chilean sea captain who rescued the Shackleton crew after wintering 4 months on the small beach. Jan really wanted to see penguins porpoising in the water. She got her wish today as they were all around the zodiac.

We spent time on deck after our Zodiac tour. Beautiful sunshine, gorgeous scenery. We were very lucky to have such glorious weather. Our Zodiac guide said this was the first time she had made it into the water at Elephant Island. Usually, it is foggy, windy, with huge waves.

Tomorrow we will spend the day in the Antarctic Sound. The next days will have abundant Antarctic scenery.🐧

The Dreaded Drake & Gear Maintenance

January 11. We left South Georgia Island last night to head southwest to Antarctica. Seas were a little rough at times with swells up to 16 feet and winds at 40 knots. As forecasted, winds and seas have subsided and should remain that way until we reach our next destination, Elephant Island. Our over the counter sea sickness medication is working well.

At this afternoon’s briefing, we were told our exterior gear has to be inspected again, because we are entering a different environment. Tomorrow morning we will be lugging our coats, rain pants, gloves, poles, and hats to the mud room for inspection. Boots will also be inspected, and the staff has helpfully left sophisticated tools (paper clips) in the boot room to clean treads of boots and velcro on pants, really!

Procedures on return from landings. Enter the ship and step through a pan filled with disinfectant; step up onto the automated boot scrubber, like a boot car wash; go into mud room where brushes, handheld showers, and spray bottles of more disinfectant are used to clean any speck of guano, seeds, pebbles, etc. from boots snd pants. Wrestle boots off and put away on assigned shelf in the boot room. Finally, go to your cabin and take off all other gear.

As we write this, 2 albatrosses are flying back and forth by our balcony. Here, hundreds of miles from any land are these beautiful birds with the largest wing span of any bird, reaching up to 12 feet.

Stromness Whaling Station, Stromness Bay

January 10. We were anchored in sheltered Leith Harbor in Stromness Bay overnight. This morning we moved to anchor alongside Stromness Whaling Station at 6:30 am, which is when the expedition announcements began. This whaling station is the third one we have seen, which demonstrates the importance of the whaling industry on South Georgia Island in the first half of the 20th century. Despite a light rain, passengers set out to the seal filled beach where David and others headed out on the 2 km. hike to the waterfall made famous by Shackleton in 1916. Gentoo penguins were spotted nesting on a mountainside, unlike King penguins who incubate their egg on their feet. On the return, you were able to imagine what Shackleton may have felt after coming down the waterfall and seeing the whaling station (May 1916), hoping he could get help for his stranded crew.

During lunch the ship left Stromness Bay to return to Fortuna Bay, where we could not make a landing 2 days ago. Conditions were better today for a wet landing. Passengers were dispatched on the zodiacs in 3 groups from 3 pm to 6 pm for another intimate encounter with the wildlife.

For the next 2 days we will be in the Drake Passage on our way to Elephant Island and the Antarctic Peninsula. Will we experience the Drake lake or the Drake washing machine? We’ll let you know. 🐧

King Penguin Central, Salisbury Plain, South Georgia Island

January 9. We were blessed today to visit what is probably the world’s largest nesting colony of King penguins. Zodiacs dropped us on a beach full of seals. Babies were everywhere, playing with the ship’s boot scrubber, popping up out of grass tussocks, and the expedition staff had to clear a path through some feisty males. We walked on Salisbury Plain among thousands of penguins to the main rookery, which reportedly has 100,000 nesting pairs. It is impossible to depict 360 degrees of penguins. Among all the penguins were lots of fur seals and some elephant seals. Jan, thinking a very large rock near her, looked like a good place to rest, suddenly realized it was an elephant seal!

Grytviken and Fortuna Bay, South Georgia Island

January 8. We anchored in the harbor of Grytviken, a former whaling station, at 6:30 am. We were second to depart on the zodiacs after having our boots and pants checked for alien material by 2 separate government representatives. At an early afternoon briefing we learned our ship scored 100% on the inspection while another Silversea ship failed on 2 earlier visits this season. Failing means no one can go ashore. Onshore amid the rusted remains of the large whaling station were hundreds of fur seals including pups of various ages, a few elephant seals and a number of king penguins. We walked to the small cemetery where a sailor from New London CT, David’s home state, is buried alongside Ernest Shackleton. Ship expedition staff, stationed around the area, sometimes had to encourage aggressive male fur seals to move off the paths.

Flexibility is a good word to describe expedition cruising. Our afternoon landing was changed to 1-hour zodiac tour of Fortuna Bay because the swell at shore made it too difficult for the zodiacs to land. David went on the trip along the rocky shore that was covered with fur seals and a few elephant seals. You could see big bull seals defend their section of the beach from horny young males. A large colony of King penguins live on this bay with some seen on the beach today.

The ship will reposition tonight for a landing tomorrow at Salisbury Plain, where at least 100,000 King penguins gather at this time of year with their chicks. 🐧

Approaching South Georgia Island

January 7. Today things got serious. Third day of three sea days. To land at South Georgia and Antarctica we are required to comply with extremely stringent requirements. Mandatory briefings (attendance taken), outer clothing inspected for any minuscule seeds, grasses, etc., and signing a document that each person is responsible for cleaning clothing and boots after each landing. All guests’ outer clothing will be inspected by a South Georgia official tomorrow. If any alien material is found, no one will be allowed to go ashore 😬. Picture is of the inspection process where teeny pieces of grass were picked out of Dave’s rain pants and gloves and hats were vacuumed. Thank you to Harry Pettigrew and Jim and Lee Stehlik for loaned gear.

After watching a variety of albatrosses and petrels near the ship for the past days, today we saw humpback whales. The Captain slowed the ship to get a closer look. Lectures today were on whales and Shackleton. A second mandatory briefing was held late today to review plans for 2 landings tomorrow (Grytviken, former whaling station and Fortuna Bay, King Penguin colony) and Zodiac orientation. Grytviken will be a good first landing as it is relatively flat with no snow or ice. 🐧

Sailing the South Atlantic

It is January 6, and we are in the second day of the three-day crossing to South Georgia Island with another day of good weather and calm seas (not a lake but no problem for the Cloud). Today’s events were three lectures and a requirement to bring our rented boots to the boot room to be inspected and stowed. A major effort exists to prevent alien materials, like dirt and seeds, from being introduced  into the fragile environment of South Georgia Island. From 2011 to 2015 South Georgia imported 300 tons of special rat poison from Wisconsin to eradicate the rat population introduced by Captain Cook in 1774. All rats were eradicated by verification of rat sniffing dogs in 2018.

Two types of albatrosses were spotted from the ship today, wandering albatross and black browed. At a lecture from one of the two onboard ornithologists, we learned about the species of penguins we will be meeting. 🐧

Greetings from the End of the Western Hemisphere

We spent January 4 getting from Santiago to Ushuaia, Argentina. Flew on an all economy charter flight where we had the last 2 seats, really! Survived the 3 1/2 flight with a small snack and not much water because using the bathroom was difficult! Arrived safely in Ushuaia, which is truly the bottom of the Western Hemisphere. We were taken by bus up a long valley to a local restaurant for lamb barbecue, and where a large sled dog breeding and training center shared the location. Left hotel at 7:15 am and finally arrived at the Silver Cloud at 5 pm. Rest of the day was a whirlwind of unpacking, going to muster drill, meeting the 26-member expedition staff, and dinner in the main dining room.

January 5, today, is our first day at sea on the 1,100 nautical mile trip to South Georgia Island. Before daily lectures begin, we have been on deck bird watching, giant petrels and wandering albatrosses. Sunny with calm seas.

We will try to post a couple of pictures a day, not sure that will be possible. If not, we will keep writing and illustrate with pictures when we get home. 🐧

Pictures are of the barbecue and sailing in the Beagle Channel.

Vina del Mar and Valparaíso, Chile

   January 3. We traveled northwest to the Pacific coast to see the resort town of Vina del Mar. A combination of beaches and rocky coast, this area has many high rise condos occupied during the summer season. The larger town south of Vina del Mar is Valparaíso, capitol of the region and a major Chilean port. Discovered in 1544, Valparaiso is built on 44 hills with no parks but 33 squares. We would call much of the city “funky” or like Haight Asbury in the 60’s. Our lunch was eaten at a very nice restaurant on Concepcion Hill. Dave enjoyed a Pisco Sour. Pisco is a strong liquor made from fermented grapes. It tasted a little like a saltless Margarita. We walked among some of the colorful narrow streets. Valparaíso is a city of 500,000 people and 400,000 dogs—you have to be careful where you step 😊. While traveling today we saw lots of evidence of the forest fires that occurred on Christmas day. We have enjoyed our time in Chile and fly early tomorrow to Ushuaia, Argentina to meet our ship for the expedition to Antarctica. 🐧

Casablanca Valley, Chile

  Our guide, Esteban, drove us about an hour east of Santiago to the Casablanca Valley. For the entire day we were blessed with beautiful weather, Carolina blue skies, low humidity, light breeze from the Pacific. Jan loved it! The ride there made it clear how severe drought is in Chile, one heavy rainstorm in the last 5 months.
   The Emiliana Vineyards is the world’s largest producer of organic wines, 13 million bottles/year. Our guide, who grew up in Connecticut, explained the techniques used to control pests and fertilize the vines, using all natural methods—chickens, alpacas, bees, special plants, etc.

   The second winery we visited, Casas del Bosque, produces wine on a smaller scale, about a million  bottles/year. We enjoyed a delicious wine pairing lunch on the patio and then a tour of the winery.

Adventure Begins

January 1. Santiago, Chile.

 

We arrive safely and sit in the lobby of our hotel, Mandarin Oriental. No one seemed to know when our room would be ready. Luckily, we slept on the plane, and I used the spa to shower and change clothes. Lobby is nice, and we are being fed. We talk with fellow cruise ship passengers. Checked into room. Jan took a nap, and Dave went to the pool and listened to part of the Furman basketball game. Tomorrow we have a full day tour to the Casablanca wine region known for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines.🐧