Happy New Year

This is the blog for 31st December - though I am writing this at (local time) 00.45 on January 1st 2013. We seem to have been celebrating New Year all evening in recognition of passengers' different home time zones - the Aussies were first.

A very quite day at sea -so just one picture of  a Cape Petrel...

Happy New Year to all our followers and friends - from the the middle of Drake's Passage; which luckily for us is still "Drake's Lake".  It's certainly the strangest place we have celebrated New Year!

Awe and Wonder

So - this is the day of our last landing and also we set foot on the Antarctic mainland.  The plan was to arrive at Neko Harbour at about 9.00 where, luckily and by chance, our landing group was to be the first ashore.  We were certainly on time because, once again, we have sailed on a mill-pond.  However the Captain stopped the ship (in the middle of breakfast) for us to view a family of Orcas (Killer Whales) and more humpback whales.  This was a great start to the day.  We just had time to go back to finish our breakfast before the landing.

There were colonies of Gentoos and a spectacular view of a glacier, just across the inlet.  We were told not to stray on to the shoreline because if the glacier were to ‘calve’ (that is, a large lump of ice would break from the front of the glacier to form a new iceberg) it would set up a tidal wave that would crash on to the beach. 

Julia had said last night that the final things to ‘make’ the holiday would be to set foot on the mainland of the Antarctic Continent and to witness the calving of an iceberg.  Well, the first part was easy to arrange - but the second?

We had been ashore for about 20 minutes and had listened to some ominous booms which seemed to come from deep in the glacier.  We sat on rocks opposite just to gaze at this monolithic ice – for once, ignoring the antics of the penguins around us.  Then – yes, you’ve guessed it – there was a mighty crack and huge shards of ice tumbled into the sea setting off a wave that rushed to the beach we had been banned from entering.  It was, as our American friends say, “awesome”.

There was a chance for more penguin-watching after this – we saw eggs but no chicks – before, reluctantly we had to leave this majestic place and return to the ship.  We enjoyed our last Polar Cirkel boat trip as it cut through thin layers of ice on its way back to MS Fram.

This was a magical place and will hold some very special memories.  Haydn writes about the ‘wonder of his works’ in Creation – well, this was a time and place for wondering.

In the afternoon we were taken through the Lemaire Chanel, a narrow gorge with mountains rising to 1000 feet on each side.  Where the gorge opens out to a wider channel the water is shallow and icebergs get trapped in what is known as an ‘iceberg graveyard’. 

It is a really peculiar landscape as you look out and see the remnants of icebergs as far as the eye can see in all sorts of weird shapes and sizes. We reached 65 degrees 14 minutes south before turning north again.

Once through the channel we were heading for open water and we now have two days at sea as we head across Drake’s Passage and back to Tierra del Fuego.  This can be the roughest water in the world as it swirls around the foot of South America and the Pacific Ocean meets the Atlantic.  But it can also be ‘Drake’s Lake’ – flat calm; and that is what it is now… wish us luck!

Two more landings

Every landing we make is different. Today, December 29^th (is that Saturday…?), we landed on Deception Island in the morning.  This is the top of a collapsed volcano or ‘caldera’ so it is circular in shape – but it does have a break in the circle where the ship can get in.  It is very sheltered and has previously been home to a whaling station.  This time the landing was not about wildlife but rather a chance to wonder at the geology and scenery and take in the views.  We undertook a walk lasting about 90 minutes around a ridge with some steep(ish) climbs.  Underfoot it was quite pleasant, a carpet of volcanic ash.  The wind blew a bit, especially on the tops, and we were glad of the many layers of thermal gear that we have invested in.

The island is totally arid with no plant life so the scenery is a bit like the penguins – black and white…

The afternoon landing was on tiny Astrolabe Island.  Penguins were to the fore again – Adelie, Chinstrap and Gentoo all living in close proximity.  There were also a few Weddell and Fur seals.  They generally just lay about sleeping when on land – but this Weddell  seal decided to smile for the camera and do a bit of acrobatics.

The extra on this landing was that instead of the Polar Cirkel boat taking us back to the ship it made a detour among the large ice floes in the bay where penguins and seals were sitting and around small rocky islets where cormorants, gulls and terns were nesting.  Ice crunches under the boat and occasionally you get a get a face full of spray to keep you awake.

Another good day and tomorrow we land on the mainland – so that will really will be Antarctica.

Made it at last...

Hooray – made it at last.  Today we set foot (twice) on the continent of Antarctica – first at the Polish research station, Arctowski, and then in the late afternoon on Half Moon Island.  And just to cap a great day, during the period we were back on the ship we saw humpback whales breeching the sea.  The Captain moved the ship closer so that we had close-up views of two humpbacks.

During our morning landing we saw Gentoo penguins and our first Adelie penguins too.  The Adelies were giving a great show in the water as they ‘torpedoed’ like dolphins do.  There were also good views of Blue-eyed Cormorants.  Elephant seals were lounging around while two young Elephant seal bulls were testing each other’s strength in the water.

On Half Moon Island we now encountered our first colony of Chinstrap penguins (sometimes known as ‘Jackass’ because of the racket they make).  In amongst the Chinstraps was a lone Macaroni penguin – a bit lost and a bit mournful in his cries because no-one was answering them.  Snowy Sheathbills lurked among the penguins and were not made welcome as they will take eggs at any opportunity.  Wilson’s Storm Petrels were nesting in the rocks – but were difficult to photograph as they are very speedy fliers.  It is unusual to see these birds in this context – in the Northern Hemisphere they are nocturnal and down here you only see them speeding across the waves – unless, like us, you are able to land on one of the islands where they breed.

The scenery is magnificent – craggy snow covered peaks, with their tops swathed in clouds, either side of the cliff-faces of huge glaciers that dip into the sea.  The glaciers glint blue (even though we had very little sun) and you can see the cracks and crevasses that hint that an iceberg will soon calve into the ocean.  The silence is only broken by the neighing of the penguins that make us smile with their Charlie Chaplin walks and occasional tumbles in the soft snow.

It is just about impossible to choose photographs for today – we will be filling many books when we get back.

But here is my choice:

• a Chinstrap penguin
• humpback whales (to make up for yesterday’s long distance shot)
• a landscape

Two more landings tomorrow – we can’t wait… and once again the sea has been absolutely flat calm.

Frustration

The title of today's blog refers to both the ship's WiFi and the journey!  Today we have been on a huge detour to avoid the unseasonable ice.  The weather has been calm and very grey - we have been travelling through fog which is caused by the Atlantic  Convergence where warmer air meets cold.  But, on the plus side, it is flat calm - though the wind is bitter if you go on deck. Tomorrow there should be a landing on Half Moon Island which is part of the Antarctic Archipelago and also another landing at a Polish research station.  Let's hope so.

I am posting the photos that I intended to show on Boxing Day (I think...?) because at last I am able to use my laptop again.

So here is the ice we went through on Boxing Day + the Silver Fulmar + the whale sightings...

Boxing Day - a day late

The WiFi on the ship is completely naff at the moment.  I cannot get on from my laptop and so am waiting around for the PCs available to the public- and they don't work very well either. So - it is before breakfast on Thursday 27th - Julia has gone to the gym (!) and I thought I would get online before anyone else - good idea but it has been a pain waiting for this to work...
As I can't use my laptop I can't post photos.
Boxing Day was spent at sea.  Quiet morning, some photography on deck (mostly trying to capture little birds that whizz by), some lectures, some reading - then lunch.
An afternoon lecture about the original Fram was interesting.  It was specifically built (around 1900) to get stuck in the north polar ice so that it would then follow the currents of the Arctic Ocean, allowing scientists to study where these currents go.  Not  a pleasant job sitting in the boat for 5 years.  The ship survived (as did the men!) and it was later used for Roald Amundsen on his expedition to reach the South Pole in 1912 - the venture which saw him beat Robert Falcon Scott to the pole.
In the afternoon things got more interesting outside.  All day we had been following the edge of the pack ice on our port side (the LEFT - we are heading south-west - for all you non-nautical types) but there was excitement all round when we actually started to cut our way through the ice.  Having watched films and read books about Shackleton and the Endurance getting stuck this was all very 'interesting'.  The ship slowed and we bumped along but emerged safely into clear water - the captain sounding the ship's horn  as we broke clear.  Apparently the ice is much further north than it should be and plans are changing all the time. We now have another day at sea as we try to reach the Antarctic archipelago.  So we are not sure when next we will make a landing - or where...
The afernoon brought good views of Fin whales - and I had pictures ready to show you... Also a new bird on film - the Silver-backed Southern Fulmar - a very handsome bird.  It is a good shot - but I can't show you I'm afraid.
It is disappointing that I cannot keep all you avid readers as up-to-date as I would like - but I suppose we are a long way away and a bit remote; we still expect modern technology to just spring into action don't we?
Anyway - Julia has just finished her workout and it is time for breakfast.
Bye for now...

Christmas Day

December 25th – Christmas Day 2012.  I expect our day has been very different from yours…but in some ways similar.  We started with card and present opening – 2 cards each (one from the cat of course) and just one present.  A good part of Christmas Day in the UK seems to consist of sitting wearily looking at the TV and falling asleep – well, we’ve done that as well; but looking at the ocean instead of Strictly or HMQ.

We are now heading seriously south and the sea is like a millpond – we are very lucky as both of us are not feeling too good today.  Julia has developed a cold and somehow I have been suffering from hangover type symptoms – despite the fact that we only had two glasses of red wine with our Christmas meal last night (honest!).  It was our first alcohol of the trip so perhaps I am just out of the habit?

It is now 17.30 and at last I am perking up.  Haven’t eaten much all day but will be ready for my roast beef at 20.00.

Julia has been to a couple of lectures while I have read and slumbered.  We are both now going to a film about Ernest Shackleton.  The film has shown us a story that we now know well – but it continues to amaze.

We have just had a Tannoy announcement that a huge iceberg is coming up so it’s a quick scramble to put some warmer clothes on to go out and get a good look and hopefully some good shots. Here is the evidence: (though it is difficult for you to judge scale)

Our course has been diverted away from  South Orkney because reports are telling the Captain that it is surrounded by impenetrable pack ice.  So we will be forging ahead to the South Shetlands and the Antarctic Peninsula – it means another day at sea; which will be fine if the weather stays like this.