Day one: Crossing the Drake Passage
January 30, 2016
Rough seas as we round Cape Horn (again) and sail across the
Drake Passage toward Antarctica. A normal sea day was made more exciting by an
exceptional swerve by the ship. Seems the captain had to take evasive action to
avoid hitting a large whale. The dramatic change of course even showed up on
the route line on the cabin television. We had another formal night tonight and
everyone had pictures taken with the cute, stuffed penguins that are ubiquitous
aboard ship.
Formal night in penguin suits with penguins
Prepared for rough seas - strategically placed barf bags
On a sad note, tonight my aunt – Emily Lynn Deitrick Burklow
Clouse, aged 89 – passed away. She was my mother’s younger sister known to me
as Baby. On Monday she spoke with her oldest sister, my aunt Francis (Faffy)
Hopper, and had a great cocktail party in her hospice room with her three adult
children, Troy, Lynn, and Paul; Lynn’s husband, Van; her older brother (my
mother’s twin) Lingan Deitrick; his wife Sally; my cousin Polly and her husband
Lee. She left us at peace and with the same strength and dignity with which she
lived her life.
Day two: The Antarctic Experience
January 31, 2016
This morning we awoke to dramatic peaks, icebergs and
glaciers. The scenery is beyond my limited abilities to describe. Such words as
“awesome”, “beautiful”, and “overwhelming” are totally inadequate. We had
whales close enough to the ship that we could hear them from our veranda,
thanks to our captain’s thoughtful pause of the ship so we could enjoy a nice
“visit” with the whales. We also saw a colony of chinstrap penguins on a rocky
ledge.
View from the veranda
Penguins on a ledge
Due to the fragile nature of the Antarctic ecosystem, we
have been asked to refrain from taking anything out on deck that might be blown
overboard. Use of paper napkins in outdoor areas has been suspended. Smoking
has been banned from verandas and the outdoor designated smoking areas. That
means that the only place where smoking is allowed is in the casino. We have
also been asked to keep noise levels to a minimum. Of course, our very presence
has an impact on the ecosystem and Antarctic tourism is a growing business both
via sea and land.
One of the best viewing spots for our scenic cruising is in
the Crow’s Nest – a lounge on the 12th deck at the front of the ship
with windows all around. Today was the first of our scenic cruising days, so
good seats were at a premium. There was some testiness as some inconsiderate
passengers tried to save prime seats for extended periods of time. The icebergs
are everywhere in huge sizes. As with clouds, many icebergs look like ships,
animals, etc.
By afternoon snow had started to fall, which obscured our
views and caused the captain to change course as some of the channels we were
scheduled to sail through were too narrow to navigate in limited visibility. However
the response to the snow by the crew – most of whom are from Indonesia and the
Philippines – was priceless! They were euphoric seeing snow for the first time
and kept going out on deck posing for pictures to send home to their families.
Today is Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands’ birthday so
staff and many guests wore orange in her honor. After all, this is Holland
America and the ship is registered in the Netherlands.
Day three: A Visit from Palmer Station
February 1, 2016
This morning we picked up members of the program staff at
Palmer Station – one of three U.S.-operated research stations in Antarctica. They
presented a history of research initiatives in the Antarctic, including the NSF’S
writers and artists program. Each year a writer and an artist are selected to
spend time in Antarctica. Selection is based on applications that list what
aspects of the Antarctic the applicants wish to study. This year’s writer and
artist are focusing on the Snowy Sheathbill, a bird that is often overlooked
because everyone is obsessed with penguins. The artist said that if she just
walks outside the Snowy Sheathbills are likely to walk right up to her to
investigate her shoelaces. We also learned that there is an iceberg floating
around out there the size of Connecticut! Several of the members of the
station, including its station chief, have spent extended time in Antarctica at
the Palmer Station as well as stations at the South Pole and McMurdo. In winter
temps dip as low as -114 F. Brrr. And we’re complaining about 30 degrees!
Palmer Station crew returning to the continent
Antarctica has over 40 permanent research stations which
belong to the 30 nations that have signed the Antarctic Treaty.
The afternoon was sunny and relatively warm (or less cold).
Many hardy souls, including the captain, took a dip in the Sea View pool at the
ship’s aft to earn credit for having gone swimming in the Antarctic. It was
lots of fun to watch. The ship’s chief security officer – a retired
Canadian policeman from Calgary – dove in in his uniform!
Swimming the Antarctic
Later we enjoyed a nice, sunny afternoon on the veranda!
As we cruise in Antarctic waters we have access to on-going
commentary by members of the Antarctic Expedition Team on board. They are on
the bridge and adept at not only spotting whales, seals and penguins, but also
identifying the type of each. They also give some pretty interesting lectures.
Day four: Penguins on an iceberg!
February 2, 2016
Another sunny day. As we entered the LeMaire Channel – a particularly
narrow channel – we encountered too much ice, so we turned around and headed to
the Antarctic Sound to take advantage of the good weather. Most of our
itinerary in Antarctica is “dependent on ice and weather.”
In the sound we saw icebergs the size of the ship, as well
as several occupied by large groups of Adelie Penguins. This captain is having
as much fun as the passengers, so he is really good about stopping the ship or
circling around to give everyone a better view. He is descended from Norwegian
whalers and this is his first trip to Antarctica. At the ship-sized iceberg
next to the penguin-filled smaller iceberg he sailed the ship between the two
bergs and dispatched a small launch with the ship’s photographers aboard to get
shots of the penguins with the ship and its companion iceberg in the
background. We got lots of great penguin shots. The downside is our proximity
caused many of the penguins to panic and they started diving off the iceberg.
Penguins on a berg with Esperanza in background
Penguins diving off the iceberg
There are two permanent communities in Antarctica, each with
a shop and school. However, most residents only stay two years. This afternoon
we saw Esperanza, the Argentinian community. It has one road and a series of
small, orange buildings.
View of Esperanza Station
This afternoon we attended a lecture about Antarctic Art.
One attribute of the Antarctic is a blurred horizon. Another is the subtle
shades of color. Several countries,V in addition to the U.S., sponsor special
artist programs, including the U.K., Brazil, France, Australia and New Zealand.
The work that results is excellent.
As the fog rolled in on this iceberg-populated sea this
evening, we did have a few passing thoughts about the Titanic. ;-)
Day five: More scenic cruising before a change in the
weather
February 3, 2016
This morning we sailed into Admiralty Bay near King George
Island in the Shetland Islands. One of the members of the expedition team is
from New Zealand and pronounces it “sheetland”. This is the location of
research stations operated by Peru, Ecuador, Brazil and Poland. We are told
that the residents of the various stations often get together to socialize –
especially during the long winter months.
This afternoon it got foggy again so all views were
obscured, which caused us to miss Elephant Island. If anyone has ever seen the
documentary on Shackelton, the British explorer who made many expeditions to
Antarctica, you’ll know that Elephant Island is where he left his crew to go
find help and returned months later to find them all alive. This afternoon we
attended a lecture about that particular expedition. It was called “The
Greatest Small Boat Trip of all Time.” Then we watched the documentary on the
TV in our cabin last night.
Day six: Sailing the southern Atlantic to the Falklands
February 4, 2016
It’s a sea day and the Drake Passage is living up to its
reputation for rough seas, although not as bad as it might be. Nothing special
to see today. Tomorrow morning we will anchor off the Falkland Islands near the
capital, Port Stanley.
If you have a chance, be sure to watch a documentary called
The Last Continent, narrated by Donald Sutherland.
No comments:
Post a Comment