A Redhead in Antarctica
Jan 16th, 2013, 08:48 PM
#22
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Thanks! 
<b><u>The Frozen Land</b></u>
The day after Christmas started out with a zodiac cruise in Crystal Sound. There were enormous icebergs, amazing mountains and the smoothest water I’ve ever seen outside of an empty swimming pool. The sun was shining through the clouds and creating the most beautiful reflections on the water.
It was one of those times (there were quite a few on this trip) when you simply know that even the best camera in the world isn’t going to be able to capture the beauty of the place. There’s just no way to accurately reproduce that magnificent blue sky, the wispy clouds and the perfectly mirror smooth water that reflects and magnifies everything back at you. There’s no way to recreate that crisp, cold taste to the air. So, you take a handful of photos (or a couple hundred if you’re me) and know that they’ll never turn out exactly right, but that looking at any of them will always make you smile and remember the warmth of the sun opposing the cold of the air.
In the middle of our zodiac cruise through the ice we found a small group of adelie penguins on a large ice sheet. We came up behind another zodiac and moved in close to the ice as they carefully left the area. Dmitri was cautious to move the zodiac slowly enough that we didn’t risk spooking them but I don’t think he really had to worry much. They toddled around in front of us, seeming to both ignore us and watch us at the same time. However when we started to slowly move away, they started to chase after us! Apparently they weren’t done observing us just yet. I would challenge anyone to look at a group of penguins in full waddle-run chasing after a zodiac of tourists and not giggle like a 6 year old girl.
That evening we headed north towards Vernadsky Station, just south of the Lemaire Channel. While we were heading north, the campers had a meeting to go over the rules, sign waivers and to assign tent partners as needed. Mark was a complete saint and walked us through a demonstration of setting up the tents (very easy) and a discussion on the camp potties. Everything (yes, everything) has to be packed out when we leave to leave the area in as close to the condition it was when we arrived as possible. I was just surprised that the camp potties were nicer than a covered bucket.
The next morning we landed at Vernadsky Station. Now a Ukraine station, Vernadsky was once known as Faraday Station when the British held it. This is where scientists first observed the depletion of the ozone layer, aka the “hole in the ozone”. We were given a short tour of the station, allowed to purchase postcards and stamps (they should arrive in two weeks to two years), have our passports stamped and then onto the bar and tiny gift shop. The sign above the gift shop entrance advertises that it is the southernmost gift shop in the world. The base is also apparently the southernmost distillery in the world as they make their own vodka. Three of us shared sips of one shot and I’m still not sure if they gave us vodka or turpentine. The guys at the base definitely have a quirky sense of humor; I truly appreciated the “Bus Stop” and “Neighborhood Watch Area” signs on the front of their main building.
After leaving the fun Ukrainians, we made our way just a few miles north to Petermann Island for a landing at an adelie colony. This was one of the landings that made everyone stop and say “awwww!” because many of the penguins had fresh chicks. They were under two weeks old and many were under a week old. They were just dark gray little fluff balls with tiny beaks. This is where we first saw penguins as rock thieves. There is a very definite, polite, method for a penguin to move through a colony without being upsetting their neighbors. If a penguin deviates from that polite method, they can expect to get pecked at, squawked at and beaten about the head with strong flippers by the occupants of each nest they pass. Since nests are often just a foot apart, that’s a lot of pecking and squawking!
As always, the landing was too short (though we had almost 2 hours, full days often would not feel like enough time) and well before we were all ready to want to go back to the ship it was time to go back to the ship. A couple zodiac loads were quite lucky on the way back to the ship though and we managed to capture the attention of a minke whale. He was simply curious as to what we were and likely happy with whatever our little motor was churning up. He circled our zodiac a couple times and was only about 5’ from us a few times. Very cool!
Once Mr Minke moved on and we could load onto the ship we moved north into the Lemaire Channel, a very narrow channel that is chock full of small icebergs and has very steep sides. We were treated to a fog bank that made the whole area seem mystical and mysterious. The bridge had a handful of crew/staff with binoculars watching out the windows as spotters as we slowly twisted and turned our way through the narrow maze of icebergs. My favorite was the weddell seal lounging on a small ice floe barely larger than itself, just watching the ship float by. Of course the captain maneuvered to give the seal as much space as possible to try not to disturb him/her.
The decision would be made once we reached the other side of the channel and got to Dorian Bay if we would be camping that night or not.
<b><u>The Frozen Land</b></u>
The day after Christmas started out with a zodiac cruise in Crystal Sound. There were enormous icebergs, amazing mountains and the smoothest water I’ve ever seen outside of an empty swimming pool. The sun was shining through the clouds and creating the most beautiful reflections on the water.
It was one of those times (there were quite a few on this trip) when you simply know that even the best camera in the world isn’t going to be able to capture the beauty of the place. There’s just no way to accurately reproduce that magnificent blue sky, the wispy clouds and the perfectly mirror smooth water that reflects and magnifies everything back at you. There’s no way to recreate that crisp, cold taste to the air. So, you take a handful of photos (or a couple hundred if you’re me) and know that they’ll never turn out exactly right, but that looking at any of them will always make you smile and remember the warmth of the sun opposing the cold of the air.
In the middle of our zodiac cruise through the ice we found a small group of adelie penguins on a large ice sheet. We came up behind another zodiac and moved in close to the ice as they carefully left the area. Dmitri was cautious to move the zodiac slowly enough that we didn’t risk spooking them but I don’t think he really had to worry much. They toddled around in front of us, seeming to both ignore us and watch us at the same time. However when we started to slowly move away, they started to chase after us! Apparently they weren’t done observing us just yet. I would challenge anyone to look at a group of penguins in full waddle-run chasing after a zodiac of tourists and not giggle like a 6 year old girl.
That evening we headed north towards Vernadsky Station, just south of the Lemaire Channel. While we were heading north, the campers had a meeting to go over the rules, sign waivers and to assign tent partners as needed. Mark was a complete saint and walked us through a demonstration of setting up the tents (very easy) and a discussion on the camp potties. Everything (yes, everything) has to be packed out when we leave to leave the area in as close to the condition it was when we arrived as possible. I was just surprised that the camp potties were nicer than a covered bucket.
The next morning we landed at Vernadsky Station. Now a Ukraine station, Vernadsky was once known as Faraday Station when the British held it. This is where scientists first observed the depletion of the ozone layer, aka the “hole in the ozone”. We were given a short tour of the station, allowed to purchase postcards and stamps (they should arrive in two weeks to two years), have our passports stamped and then onto the bar and tiny gift shop. The sign above the gift shop entrance advertises that it is the southernmost gift shop in the world. The base is also apparently the southernmost distillery in the world as they make their own vodka. Three of us shared sips of one shot and I’m still not sure if they gave us vodka or turpentine. The guys at the base definitely have a quirky sense of humor; I truly appreciated the “Bus Stop” and “Neighborhood Watch Area” signs on the front of their main building.
After leaving the fun Ukrainians, we made our way just a few miles north to Petermann Island for a landing at an adelie colony. This was one of the landings that made everyone stop and say “awwww!” because many of the penguins had fresh chicks. They were under two weeks old and many were under a week old. They were just dark gray little fluff balls with tiny beaks. This is where we first saw penguins as rock thieves. There is a very definite, polite, method for a penguin to move through a colony without being upsetting their neighbors. If a penguin deviates from that polite method, they can expect to get pecked at, squawked at and beaten about the head with strong flippers by the occupants of each nest they pass. Since nests are often just a foot apart, that’s a lot of pecking and squawking!
As always, the landing was too short (though we had almost 2 hours, full days often would not feel like enough time) and well before we were all ready to want to go back to the ship it was time to go back to the ship. A couple zodiac loads were quite lucky on the way back to the ship though and we managed to capture the attention of a minke whale. He was simply curious as to what we were and likely happy with whatever our little motor was churning up. He circled our zodiac a couple times and was only about 5’ from us a few times. Very cool!
Once Mr Minke moved on and we could load onto the ship we moved north into the Lemaire Channel, a very narrow channel that is chock full of small icebergs and has very steep sides. We were treated to a fog bank that made the whole area seem mystical and mysterious. The bridge had a handful of crew/staff with binoculars watching out the windows as spotters as we slowly twisted and turned our way through the narrow maze of icebergs. My favorite was the weddell seal lounging on a small ice floe barely larger than itself, just watching the ship float by. Of course the captain maneuvered to give the seal as much space as possible to try not to disturb him/her.
The decision would be made once we reached the other side of the channel and got to Dorian Bay if we would be camping that night or not.
Jan 19th, 2013, 03:12 PM
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Wahoo, yippee - - thanks, Iowa_Redhead for the virtual trip to Antarctica!! I stopped by Fodor's for inspiration for future travels, and here was your jaw-dropping, breath-taking trip report. The pictures were enough to hook me, but your trip report has me ready to sign up. Who knew there were so many shades of blue ice? I'm in awe that you camped on the ice and still say wonderful things about the trip! How nimble do you need to be to jump in and out of the Zodiacs in the chilly weather?
Jan 19th, 2013, 05:14 PM
#24
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Wilde, you don't have to be very nimble at all! There are steps from the sidegate (the doorway out the side of the ship from the mudroom). At the bottom of the steps there are two crew members and then the zodiac driver in the zodiac. Going into the boat it was generally just one hand to the zodiac driver (you grab wrists to have a solid grip), one hand to one of the crew members, and then a step down onto a box in the zodiac. The box means that you don't have to step down very far at all.
On the way back into the ship, the driver (one of our fantastic expedition staff) gives you a hand until you're in reach of the crew members and then the two crew members each take a hand and help you out onto the stairs. It sometimes sounds complicated, but it's really not. We had plenty of people on the tour with bad knees or just various age related issues. We had a few people who just weren't up to walking very far so they'd go on the shore landings and then just stay fairly close to the zodiacs instead of walking as far as the rest of us. If you need a bit more help, then you simply warn the crew and staff at the bottom of the stairs and they'll be sure to keep a closer eye to help you stay steady.
We did get very lucky with the weather and had very calm water (both at the ship and at the landing sites) whenever we went out. That could be different on other trips and it might be a bit rougher (and wetter) getting in and out of the zodiacs. Worst case scenario depending on how unstable you might be on your feet, you might have to have a discussion with the staff in the mudroom and you might decide to skip a landing.
If my trip report and photos can inspire someone to want to travel somewhere, then thank you for one of the best compliments I can receive.
There are steps from the sidegate (the doorway out the side of the ship from the mudroom). At the bottom of the steps there are two crew members and then the zodiac driver in the zodiac. Going into the boat it was generally just one hand to the zodiac driver (you grab wrists to have a solid grip), one hand to one of the crew members, and then a step down onto a box in the zodiac. The box means that you don't have to step down very far at all. On the way back into the ship, the driver (one of our fantastic expedition staff) gives you a hand until you're in reach of the crew members and then the two crew members each take a hand and help you out onto the stairs. It sometimes sounds complicated, but it's really not. We had plenty of people on the tour with bad knees or just various age related issues. We had a few people who just weren't up to walking very far so they'd go on the shore landings and then just stay fairly close to the zodiacs instead of walking as far as the rest of us. If you need a bit more help, then you simply warn the crew and staff at the bottom of the stairs and they'll be sure to keep a closer eye to help you stay steady.
We did get very lucky with the weather and had very calm water (both at the ship and at the landing sites) whenever we went out. That could be different on other trips and it might be a bit rougher (and wetter) getting in and out of the zodiacs. Worst case scenario depending on how unstable you might be on your feet, you might have to have a discussion with the staff in the mudroom and you might decide to skip a landing.
If my trip report and photos can inspire someone to want to travel somewhere, then thank you for one of the best compliments I can receive.
Jan 19th, 2013, 07:50 PM
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<b><u>Camping at the Bottom of the World:</b></u>
Once we got to Dorian Bay, the decision came out that we were a go for camping and the campers (I think there were about 60 of us) went into high gear to try to gather up all of our warmest layers, get in a quick buffet dinner and rewrite our last wills.
I took a backpack with an extra pair of socks, my second pair of heavy gloves, my fleece jacket, a bottle of water and a set of toe warmers.
My layers:
- Thin, synthetic sock liners, thin merino sock liners and then smartwool socks.
- Capilene bottoms, sweatpants and my ski pants.
- Heavy thermal shirt (similar to Capilene), a t shirt and my parka.
- My scarf, a hat and a hat liner. My heavy gloves and thin glove liners.
Once our group was called, my tent mate and I grabbed our sleeping bags and the bag with our sleeping bag liners and fold up sleeping pads and headed for the zodiacs. We grabbed a tent bag from the stack on shore (yet again, our expedition staff were wonderful and took those over ahead of time for us) and went to find a spot. The tent was really easy to setup (and really easy to move once it was setup) and had an amazing view of the bay. Others did come and set their tents up fairly close to ours, but that’s okay. The camp potties were setup (one in a little shed and one behind a snow privacy wall) and the little penguin colony was admired from a proper distance. The little guys were waddling through the side of camp and we all tried to combine watching them with not bothering them. Sometimes the urge to hug a penguin was almost overwhelming and the little waddlers were often close enough to truly test our restraint.
Once people had a chance to get their tents setup and start moving around a bit, Mark started leading us up the hill behind us for a stroll. 60 people walking up a good sized hill is one thing; 60 people in lots of layers and wellington boots, trudging through snow that was often knee deep if you got off the exact path, and turning around constantly to take photos of the bay… gets interesting at times. Once at the top of the hill we could look down on the ship in the next little bay and the British station, Port Lockroy.
After a bit of time, the more responsible members of the group headed back down the slope to the tents. The rest of us had impromptu snowball fights and ended up sledding down the hill using our jackets as our sleds (they have a hood so if you slide on your back it actually works surprisingly well). It was already past midnight at that point (we didn’t even start the landing until around 9 or after) and many people were tucking into their sleeping bags. I ended up sitting out watching the penguins sleep (they really are ridiculously cute when 90% of the colony has dropped forward onto their bellies to sleep) and wandering around the allowed area until 3am.
When I noticed that it was just me and Dave (one of the staff) still out I decided that I should probably pack it in. I had the uncanny ability to find the little ravines that were hidden under the snow and sink immediately down to mid-thigh depth. While I had been able to get myself out pretty quickly each time it happened, I knew that there was a good chance of twisting an ankle or otherwise hurting myself so I should probably go in while there was still someone else around to take photos if I busted something. I was quite pleasantly surprised that I was still comfortably warm even though I hadn’t been moving around too much for awhile and a breeze had kicked up.
There are some definite tricks to camping in the cold. Boots should be taken off while they’re outside. I opened the tent flap as little as I could, sat on the end of my sleeping bag and took off my boots before bringing my feet into the tent. That gave me a chance to brush as much snow off of them as possible before I put them into my corner of the tent rather than dragging snow into the tent. Once my boots were off and the tent was closed back up, I changed the outer socks for the entirely dry pair that was in my bag (just enough snow got into my boots to get my feet a bit wet). The ski pants and parka were flopped on top of the sleeping bag as an extra layer and I wiggled into the mummy bag. If you’ve never used a mummy bag, the main concept is that the top is essentially like a hood that you pull closed around your face to let as little cold air in around you as possible. The fleece in my backpack worked great as a pillow. Since I sleep curled up on my side (and I’m short anyway) when I wiggled down to the bottom of the sleeping bag, I could pull the bag entirely closed well above my head. I fell asleep within moments and slept like a very cozy rock. The only times I woke up was when I was too hot and had to open the sleeping bag a bit.
Early in the morning (5:30), we were awakened by Julio’s normal wakeup call… kind of. Mark apparently recorded Julio giving a wakeup call before we left and then went tent to tent playing it on his iPod. Effective and much nicer than snowballs being tossed at each tent. Unfortunately it was cold and snowy (it was colder than when I had gone to bed). I added my fleece to my layers and added my toe warmers between the sock liners assuming that it would take some time before we were back on the ship. It took about five minutes to tear down the tent and another five or so to wait for the zodiacs to pick us up. The staff were quite nice and brought out at least three or four zodiacs to ferry us around the corner to the ship rather than just running us back and forth on one or two.
Several people on the ship were disappointed because they didn’t realize that you had to sign up ahead of time to go camping or it was already full when they signed up for the trip. Quite a few of the campers complained that they had been really cold all night. A couple of the things that the staff told us ahead of time that I know many didn’t listen to:
- Go to bed warm! Walk around a bit and make sure that you’re warm when you get into your sleeping bag as it’s easier to stay warm in a sleeping bag than to get warm.
- Make sure you’re dry, especially your feet. That means take socks to change into incase yours get wet.
- Layers are good but make sure that they’re not tight or constricting.
- Extra layers are great as a pillow or as an added layer under the sleeping bag.
Camping in Antarctica was certainly a special opportunity and I’m so glad that I got a chance to go. It was a lot of fun and the feeling of solitude once pretty much everyone else went to bed was simply amazing. I had 60 people, a tent and a warm sleeping bag a 2 minute walk behind me and a zodiac to the ship was just a radio call away, yet it felt like I could be the only person in a vast, remote area. When hearing the stories of the adventures and hardships of the early explorers, it’s hard to imagine what they must have felt. How alone they must have felt in that unexplored vastness that just went on for what must have felt like forever. How bone deep exhausted they had to be and simply how much courage it took to face that cold weather day after day with the equipment they had at the time. However, I can understand how the continent seemed to pull them back, expedition after expedition. There’s something special about Antarctica that just gets into your heart and soul and doesn’t let go.
<i>“If Antarctica were music it would be Mozart. Art, and it would be Michelangelo. Literature, and it would be Shakespeare. And yet it is something even greater; the only place on earth that is still as it should be. May we never tame it.” - Andrew Denton</i>
Once we got to Dorian Bay, the decision came out that we were a go for camping and the campers (I think there were about 60 of us) went into high gear to try to gather up all of our warmest layers, get in a quick buffet dinner and rewrite our last wills.
I took a backpack with an extra pair of socks, my second pair of heavy gloves, my fleece jacket, a bottle of water and a set of toe warmers.
My layers:
- Thin, synthetic sock liners, thin merino sock liners and then smartwool socks.
- Capilene bottoms, sweatpants and my ski pants.
- Heavy thermal shirt (similar to Capilene), a t shirt and my parka.
- My scarf, a hat and a hat liner. My heavy gloves and thin glove liners.
Once our group was called, my tent mate and I grabbed our sleeping bags and the bag with our sleeping bag liners and fold up sleeping pads and headed for the zodiacs. We grabbed a tent bag from the stack on shore (yet again, our expedition staff were wonderful and took those over ahead of time for us) and went to find a spot. The tent was really easy to setup (and really easy to move once it was setup) and had an amazing view of the bay. Others did come and set their tents up fairly close to ours, but that’s okay. The camp potties were setup (one in a little shed and one behind a snow privacy wall) and the little penguin colony was admired from a proper distance. The little guys were waddling through the side of camp and we all tried to combine watching them with not bothering them. Sometimes the urge to hug a penguin was almost overwhelming and the little waddlers were often close enough to truly test our restraint.
Once people had a chance to get their tents setup and start moving around a bit, Mark started leading us up the hill behind us for a stroll. 60 people walking up a good sized hill is one thing; 60 people in lots of layers and wellington boots, trudging through snow that was often knee deep if you got off the exact path, and turning around constantly to take photos of the bay… gets interesting at times. Once at the top of the hill we could look down on the ship in the next little bay and the British station, Port Lockroy.
After a bit of time, the more responsible members of the group headed back down the slope to the tents. The rest of us had impromptu snowball fights and ended up sledding down the hill using our jackets as our sleds (they have a hood so if you slide on your back it actually works surprisingly well). It was already past midnight at that point (we didn’t even start the landing until around 9 or after) and many people were tucking into their sleeping bags. I ended up sitting out watching the penguins sleep (they really are ridiculously cute when 90% of the colony has dropped forward onto their bellies to sleep) and wandering around the allowed area until 3am.
When I noticed that it was just me and Dave (one of the staff) still out I decided that I should probably pack it in. I had the uncanny ability to find the little ravines that were hidden under the snow and sink immediately down to mid-thigh depth. While I had been able to get myself out pretty quickly each time it happened, I knew that there was a good chance of twisting an ankle or otherwise hurting myself so I should probably go in while there was still someone else around to take photos if I busted something. I was quite pleasantly surprised that I was still comfortably warm even though I hadn’t been moving around too much for awhile and a breeze had kicked up.
There are some definite tricks to camping in the cold. Boots should be taken off while they’re outside. I opened the tent flap as little as I could, sat on the end of my sleeping bag and took off my boots before bringing my feet into the tent. That gave me a chance to brush as much snow off of them as possible before I put them into my corner of the tent rather than dragging snow into the tent. Once my boots were off and the tent was closed back up, I changed the outer socks for the entirely dry pair that was in my bag (just enough snow got into my boots to get my feet a bit wet). The ski pants and parka were flopped on top of the sleeping bag as an extra layer and I wiggled into the mummy bag. If you’ve never used a mummy bag, the main concept is that the top is essentially like a hood that you pull closed around your face to let as little cold air in around you as possible. The fleece in my backpack worked great as a pillow. Since I sleep curled up on my side (and I’m short anyway) when I wiggled down to the bottom of the sleeping bag, I could pull the bag entirely closed well above my head. I fell asleep within moments and slept like a very cozy rock. The only times I woke up was when I was too hot and had to open the sleeping bag a bit.
Early in the morning (5:30), we were awakened by Julio’s normal wakeup call… kind of. Mark apparently recorded Julio giving a wakeup call before we left and then went tent to tent playing it on his iPod. Effective and much nicer than snowballs being tossed at each tent. Unfortunately it was cold and snowy (it was colder than when I had gone to bed). I added my fleece to my layers and added my toe warmers between the sock liners assuming that it would take some time before we were back on the ship. It took about five minutes to tear down the tent and another five or so to wait for the zodiacs to pick us up. The staff were quite nice and brought out at least three or four zodiacs to ferry us around the corner to the ship rather than just running us back and forth on one or two.
Several people on the ship were disappointed because they didn’t realize that you had to sign up ahead of time to go camping or it was already full when they signed up for the trip. Quite a few of the campers complained that they had been really cold all night. A couple of the things that the staff told us ahead of time that I know many didn’t listen to:
- Go to bed warm! Walk around a bit and make sure that you’re warm when you get into your sleeping bag as it’s easier to stay warm in a sleeping bag than to get warm.
- Make sure you’re dry, especially your feet. That means take socks to change into incase yours get wet.
- Layers are good but make sure that they’re not tight or constricting.
- Extra layers are great as a pillow or as an added layer under the sleeping bag.
Camping in Antarctica was certainly a special opportunity and I’m so glad that I got a chance to go. It was a lot of fun and the feeling of solitude once pretty much everyone else went to bed was simply amazing. I had 60 people, a tent and a warm sleeping bag a 2 minute walk behind me and a zodiac to the ship was just a radio call away, yet it felt like I could be the only person in a vast, remote area. When hearing the stories of the adventures and hardships of the early explorers, it’s hard to imagine what they must have felt. How alone they must have felt in that unexplored vastness that just went on for what must have felt like forever. How bone deep exhausted they had to be and simply how much courage it took to face that cold weather day after day with the equipment they had at the time. However, I can understand how the continent seemed to pull them back, expedition after expedition. There’s something special about Antarctica that just gets into your heart and soul and doesn’t let go.
<i>“If Antarctica were music it would be Mozart. Art, and it would be Michelangelo. Literature, and it would be Shakespeare. And yet it is something even greater; the only place on earth that is still as it should be. May we never tame it.” - Andrew Denton</i>
Jan 20th, 2013, 03:15 PM
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OK, so you HAD to MAKE yourself leave hanging out in the night air with the penguins, after sliding down the ice hills, to go to your tent?? And you slept all night. WOW. So impressed and truly ready to get on the next boat. Thank you for the great details about the physical level - that helped a lot - have bad ankles, but could handle what you described You should get a little stipend for the beautiful descriptions of the trip! Again, thank you for such a detailed trip report.
You should get a little stipend for the beautiful descriptions of the trip! Again, thank you for such a detailed trip report.
Jan 20th, 2013, 03:19 PM
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And I had to giggle about the (not)following directions for staying warm in the tent. I would have been one of those people who did the ignoring. I'll be sure to remember your lesson and pay attention if it gets to be my turn!!
Jan 20th, 2013, 04:35 PM
#29
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Thanks wilde!
For the most part, the temperature was just above freezing. So for me coming from winter in Iowa, that's about what I was used to and often warmer than at home. Add in the many layers on planned outtings and I stayed really warm. I have a couple photos where I have my parka tied around my waist because I was too warm (I'm not sharing those since I look particularly dumb in those). I spent a lot of time on the bow or the top of the ship freezing my butt off, but that's because I wasn't dressed to be outside for as long as I was. I did finally start keeping my parka with me rather than just going outside in a tshirt.
Dress for it and it's fine.
For the most part, the temperature was just above freezing. So for me coming from winter in Iowa, that's about what I was used to and often warmer than at home. Add in the many layers on planned outtings and I stayed really warm. I have a couple photos where I have my parka tied around my waist because I was too warm (I'm not sharing those since I look particularly dumb in those). I spent a lot of time on the bow or the top of the ship freezing my butt off, but that's because I wasn't dressed to be outside for as long as I was. I did finally start keeping my parka with me rather than just going outside in a tshirt.
Dress for it and it's fine.
Jan 23rd, 2013, 07:10 PM
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<b><u>Brits, bones, a blonde bird and a BBQ?</b></u>
We started out the day after breakfast with a visit to the British station, Port Lockroy. The staff is working on conservation at the old base over the summer and the base offers a gift shop with post cards and stamps, passport stamps and some really good maps. The other part of this landing was Jougla Point where there are massive whale bones lying around. Some have been laid out in order from the masses of bones that litter the bay floor. According to John, it’s a bit of a franken-whale since pieces have come from at least three different species of whale.
Relaxing on an icy beach behind the Franken-whale was a weddell seal who just didn’t care about the tourists looking on. He was taking a nap and had absolutely no intention of moving. Again the wildlife was really testing our restraint by looking so sweet, gentle and cushy soft. I swear that my dog makes the exact same faces when she’s dozing!
After lunch we headed to Waterboat Point and the Chilean station (again a small gift shop, post cards and passport stamps available). They have the distinction of having a leucistic penguin (the blonde bird). Leucistic is not the same as albino since they do have pigment, it’s just very pale. He was a pretty little guy and was busily working away gathering small rocks for his nest. It’s always fun to watch the penguins in a colony and see how they interact with each other. Penguins seem so cuddly and laid back but they have little patience for rock thieves. We watched one penguin toddle through the nests stealing rocks from one and then from another with the pissed off penguins able to do little to deter him. Since the bird on the nest was on an egg, they couldn’t do more than stretch their necks as far as possible and screech their displeasure. Then one of the mates came back from the water and went crazy on the little thief! There was a flurry of flippers, lots of noise and the rock thief ran (tripping over nests and bouncing off of pissed off penguins as he went) trying to escape the beating he had brought down on himself. Once the thief had been thoroughly run off, the defending hero preened and gracefully accepted the praise of his mate. Penguins are not gentle birds when they’re pissed off! Of course we laughed until we almost cried at the scene.
This was one of the places that really proved the theory that penguins generally only have about three thoughts throughout the day.
1: “I need a rock, I need a rock, I need a rock…” as they wander about searching for a good rock.
2: “I got a rock? I got a rock! I GOT A <b>ROCK</b>!!” once they find (or steal) a rock.
3. “What was I doing??” as they look around as if in confusion after they’ve carefully placed their rock in just the right place on their nest.
That evening as we pulled into Paradise Bay to anchor for the night, many of the passengers stood out on the bow for quite awhile taking photos of a leopard seal (and the stains from his dinner) floating on a small ice floe right alongside the ship and the gorgeous views. We could hear the ‘thunder’ of the ice breaking up and now and then might see a splash as a bit of ice fell into the sea at the curve of the bay. It looked like fresh snow ready to avalanche at any moment but was actually glaciers flowing down to the water over time.
While we were out front gawking, the excellent crew setup the Polar Bear Bar and the attached back deck for a barbeque! There was amazing food (as usual) including suckling pig, turkey, soup, many sides and a backdrop of gorgeous still water, dark mountains covered in bright white snow and pale gray fog. I think that was one of the fanciest barbeques I’ve ever been to! It was complete with carved watermelon and other fruits/veggies as bright and colorful decorations.
We started out the day after breakfast with a visit to the British station, Port Lockroy. The staff is working on conservation at the old base over the summer and the base offers a gift shop with post cards and stamps, passport stamps and some really good maps. The other part of this landing was Jougla Point where there are massive whale bones lying around. Some have been laid out in order from the masses of bones that litter the bay floor. According to John, it’s a bit of a franken-whale since pieces have come from at least three different species of whale.
Relaxing on an icy beach behind the Franken-whale was a weddell seal who just didn’t care about the tourists looking on. He was taking a nap and had absolutely no intention of moving. Again the wildlife was really testing our restraint by looking so sweet, gentle and cushy soft. I swear that my dog makes the exact same faces when she’s dozing!
After lunch we headed to Waterboat Point and the Chilean station (again a small gift shop, post cards and passport stamps available). They have the distinction of having a leucistic penguin (the blonde bird). Leucistic is not the same as albino since they do have pigment, it’s just very pale. He was a pretty little guy and was busily working away gathering small rocks for his nest. It’s always fun to watch the penguins in a colony and see how they interact with each other. Penguins seem so cuddly and laid back but they have little patience for rock thieves. We watched one penguin toddle through the nests stealing rocks from one and then from another with the pissed off penguins able to do little to deter him. Since the bird on the nest was on an egg, they couldn’t do more than stretch their necks as far as possible and screech their displeasure. Then one of the mates came back from the water and went crazy on the little thief! There was a flurry of flippers, lots of noise and the rock thief ran (tripping over nests and bouncing off of pissed off penguins as he went) trying to escape the beating he had brought down on himself. Once the thief had been thoroughly run off, the defending hero preened and gracefully accepted the praise of his mate. Penguins are not gentle birds when they’re pissed off! Of course we laughed until we almost cried at the scene.
This was one of the places that really proved the theory that penguins generally only have about three thoughts throughout the day.
1: “I need a rock, I need a rock, I need a rock…” as they wander about searching for a good rock.
2: “I got a rock? I got a rock! I GOT A <b>ROCK</b>!!” once they find (or steal) a rock.
3. “What was I doing??” as they look around as if in confusion after they’ve carefully placed their rock in just the right place on their nest.
That evening as we pulled into Paradise Bay to anchor for the night, many of the passengers stood out on the bow for quite awhile taking photos of a leopard seal (and the stains from his dinner) floating on a small ice floe right alongside the ship and the gorgeous views. We could hear the ‘thunder’ of the ice breaking up and now and then might see a splash as a bit of ice fell into the sea at the curve of the bay. It looked like fresh snow ready to avalanche at any moment but was actually glaciers flowing down to the water over time.
While we were out front gawking, the excellent crew setup the Polar Bear Bar and the attached back deck for a barbeque! There was amazing food (as usual) including suckling pig, turkey, soup, many sides and a backdrop of gorgeous still water, dark mountains covered in bright white snow and pale gray fog. I think that was one of the fanciest barbeques I’ve ever been to! It was complete with carved watermelon and other fruits/veggies as bright and colorful decorations.
Feb 5th, 2013, 07:37 PM
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<b><u>Gentoos, Man Overboard, Humpbacks and Foyn Harbour</b></u>
The day started out on Cuverville Island and the largest colony of gentoo penguins on the peninsula. I walked down the beach for a bit following alongside one of the penguin highways and just watching the little guys. The weather was warm enough that I spent most of the time with my parka tied around my waist. I was really surprised by how often I was actually too warm in the miracle parka. I had a lot of fun watching the penguins porpoising after the zodiacs when it was time to the ship. I always wonder what they think of us as they chase the zodiacs. They’re certainly not afraid of us or the zodiacs in the slightest and seeing them flying out of the water behind and all around us only makes them seem even more playful and fun. I simply can’t see a penguin flying out of the water without hearing ‘their’ little voices in my head like little kids playing and yelling “wee!” “yahoo!” and “yippee!” and laughing in response.
While the second group was out on Cuverville Island, I sat in the Discovery Lounge backing up photos, reading and generally just being lazy. All of a sudden one of the bright orange life boats slowly drops past the windows. What the…? Something about a life boat being lowered tends to get the attention of passengers fairly quickly. One of the women actually asked if we were in trouble. She seemed reassured when it was pointed out that if we were having a problem they wouldn’t be lowering the life boats until we were on them. My reaction was to grab my camera and coat (you learn quickly to keep your camera and a jacket/coat handy) and head outside to watch.
A zodiac of crew loaded into the life boat and it slowly puffed its way around towards the back of the ship. It looked like a funny little cartoon version of a submarine as it went along. Once at the back of the ship, I figured out that it wasn’t just a maintenance/test run of the life boats, there was a “man” overboard. At some point they stuffed a mannequin in a floatation suit and tossed it in the water! I wonder if they dropped it from the zodiac on the way to the life boat or if someone got to chuck him over the back rail. There’s something about chucking a mannequin over the back of the ship that just seems like way too much fun! Once the life boat got to the ‘victim’, they stuck out a short pole with a hook on the end, hooked him, and pulled him in to start simulated care. They then took off for the side gate where they used the pole again to pull themselves in close to the ship and transfer the ‘victim’ into the ship for further care. I was quite impressed by the whole process… they ran the man overboard drill, they tested out one of the life boats and entertained the passengers all at the same time. Later in the day I saw a couple crew members carrying their ‘victim’ back to the storage area and had to laugh at the stunned and confused looks from a couple of the passengers who had been on shore at the time of the drill.
Once the second group was back on board and we started moving out towards our next stop, Foyn Harbour/Enterprise Island, we were joined by a couple of humpback whales. One stayed with us for quite a while (over an hour) giving us a wonderful show of as he fed. They’re amazing to watch and part of the fun is the challenge of trying to guess where they’re going to come up again next. He was staying down for only a few minutes each time (fairly shallow dives for a humpback but enough time to make us get as antsy as a bunch of six year olds). We were very lucky because we got to see an amazing breach where he came out of the water about half the length of his body and slammed down with a giant splash. It was amazing and everyone out on the bow of the ship seemed to be pointing, yelping, gasping and as excited as a 14 year old girl at a Justin Bieber concert. It was so fast that I don’t think a single person got a shot of it, photo or video.
Eventually we parted ways with our large friend and made our way to Foyn Harbour. We couldn’t get into Enterprise Island so just took a lovely zodiac cruise instead. There’s a neat old wrecked ship that we circled around. Much of the ship has collapsed in on itself and the metal is entirely rusted. From there we went for a ride around icebergs. As much as I love getting to walk among the penguins, it’s just as great to get to go close to the icebergs and see the details and colors in the ice. I’m still vastly entertained by the adelie penguins we saw hanging out on top of one large iceberg. We never did figure out how on earth they got up there as we couldn’t find a shorter area they could have gotten onto to start with. After the adelies, we saw a single chin strap penguin hanging out and observing his kingdom from his icy throne.
At our nightly recap, Julio told us that the next day would be a very busy day including a 4:30am wakeup call, the Devils Window, a cold swim and a long walk. We were coming up to Deception Island!
The day started out on Cuverville Island and the largest colony of gentoo penguins on the peninsula. I walked down the beach for a bit following alongside one of the penguin highways and just watching the little guys. The weather was warm enough that I spent most of the time with my parka tied around my waist. I was really surprised by how often I was actually too warm in the miracle parka. I had a lot of fun watching the penguins porpoising after the zodiacs when it was time to the ship. I always wonder what they think of us as they chase the zodiacs. They’re certainly not afraid of us or the zodiacs in the slightest and seeing them flying out of the water behind and all around us only makes them seem even more playful and fun. I simply can’t see a penguin flying out of the water without hearing ‘their’ little voices in my head like little kids playing and yelling “wee!” “yahoo!” and “yippee!” and laughing in response.
While the second group was out on Cuverville Island, I sat in the Discovery Lounge backing up photos, reading and generally just being lazy. All of a sudden one of the bright orange life boats slowly drops past the windows. What the…? Something about a life boat being lowered tends to get the attention of passengers fairly quickly. One of the women actually asked if we were in trouble. She seemed reassured when it was pointed out that if we were having a problem they wouldn’t be lowering the life boats until we were on them. My reaction was to grab my camera and coat (you learn quickly to keep your camera and a jacket/coat handy) and head outside to watch.
A zodiac of crew loaded into the life boat and it slowly puffed its way around towards the back of the ship. It looked like a funny little cartoon version of a submarine as it went along. Once at the back of the ship, I figured out that it wasn’t just a maintenance/test run of the life boats, there was a “man” overboard. At some point they stuffed a mannequin in a floatation suit and tossed it in the water! I wonder if they dropped it from the zodiac on the way to the life boat or if someone got to chuck him over the back rail. There’s something about chucking a mannequin over the back of the ship that just seems like way too much fun! Once the life boat got to the ‘victim’, they stuck out a short pole with a hook on the end, hooked him, and pulled him in to start simulated care. They then took off for the side gate where they used the pole again to pull themselves in close to the ship and transfer the ‘victim’ into the ship for further care. I was quite impressed by the whole process… they ran the man overboard drill, they tested out one of the life boats and entertained the passengers all at the same time. Later in the day I saw a couple crew members carrying their ‘victim’ back to the storage area and had to laugh at the stunned and confused looks from a couple of the passengers who had been on shore at the time of the drill.
Once the second group was back on board and we started moving out towards our next stop, Foyn Harbour/Enterprise Island, we were joined by a couple of humpback whales. One stayed with us for quite a while (over an hour) giving us a wonderful show of as he fed. They’re amazing to watch and part of the fun is the challenge of trying to guess where they’re going to come up again next. He was staying down for only a few minutes each time (fairly shallow dives for a humpback but enough time to make us get as antsy as a bunch of six year olds). We were very lucky because we got to see an amazing breach where he came out of the water about half the length of his body and slammed down with a giant splash. It was amazing and everyone out on the bow of the ship seemed to be pointing, yelping, gasping and as excited as a 14 year old girl at a Justin Bieber concert. It was so fast that I don’t think a single person got a shot of it, photo or video.
Eventually we parted ways with our large friend and made our way to Foyn Harbour. We couldn’t get into Enterprise Island so just took a lovely zodiac cruise instead. There’s a neat old wrecked ship that we circled around. Much of the ship has collapsed in on itself and the metal is entirely rusted. From there we went for a ride around icebergs. As much as I love getting to walk among the penguins, it’s just as great to get to go close to the icebergs and see the details and colors in the ice. I’m still vastly entertained by the adelie penguins we saw hanging out on top of one large iceberg. We never did figure out how on earth they got up there as we couldn’t find a shorter area they could have gotten onto to start with. After the adelies, we saw a single chin strap penguin hanging out and observing his kingdom from his icy throne.
At our nightly recap, Julio told us that the next day would be a very busy day including a 4:30am wakeup call, the Devils Window, a cold swim and a long walk. We were coming up to Deception Island!
Feb 13th, 2013, 04:11 PM
#37
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Thank you for all of the very nice comments and sorry for the delays. Life decided to get rather hectic recently and I haven't had much time to write. Plus every time I sit down to write, I look through photos as a sort of journal and then get distracted editing photos for the little time I have. Oops!
More should be coming in the next few days.
More should be coming in the next few days.
Feb 17th, 2013, 07:40 PM
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<b><u>An Island Called Deception</b></u>
Our promised wakeup call came over the PA at 4:30am and I stumbled my way out onto the top deck. Deception Island is the caldera of an active volcano and about 7 miles across. The island can be quite deceptive; as you approach the island, the narrow opening to the protected bay is almost invisible unless you’re lined up <i>just</i> right. This was a haven to the ships and whalers of the past.
As we floated past the Devils Window and entered through Neptunes Bellows the early morning sun was shining from over the hills and casting reflections of the black, volcanic sand and the bright white snow on the smooth bay. We anchored in Whalers Bay and went ashore for a hike up to Devils Window or an opportunity to look around at the old whaling station turned research base before it was abandoned due to volcanic eruptions.
The hike up to the Window was deceptively long. It really didn’t look that far from the landing point but the deep volcanic sand meant that everyone was walking slower than normal. The view once you got up to the Window was amazing… you could look down the sheer cliff of the outside of the island and see the waves crashing against the rocks far below. Unfortunately the hike to the Window took enough time that most of us who went that way didn’t have time to go see the whaling station as well.
Deception Island is a very busy area so they have to be even more careful to stick exactly to the schedule than they would in an area that we were the only ship out there. All the ships work out a schedule with IAATO over the off season so that they can try to share the busy areas and still preserve the feeling of privacy/solitude. While we had breakfast, the crew pulled up the anchor and moved the ship the short distance through the bay to Pendulum Cove where we would have the polar plunge.
Many passengers knew about the polar plunge ahead of time and those interested brought swimwear while many of the rest improvised using shorts, t shirts and even a very carefully secured hat. It had to be explained to some that just because the water was steaming, did NOT mean that it was warm. That just means that the very top layer of water was warmer than the air. I went in and had a friend take photos for me (none of which will ever be shared, online or otherwise) and it actually wasn’t too bad. The top inch or so of water was much warmer than the water below it and the first 5 or 6 feet out from shore was warmer than the water once you got out a little ways. Then it got fairly cold but not horribly so. We were really lucky with the weather as it was actually a relatively warm day. My biggest problem actually came from wanting to swim a little but needing to keep my eyes closed to keep the contacts in my eyes. The volcanic sand right at the edge of the water was actually hot enough that it actually started to burn after I buried my feet in it!
We were all entertained to watch one young Aussie and his very carefully attached stocking hat G string. Apparently the penguin stocking hat was going to be a gift for a friend back home. I still wonder if it was still given as a gift despite its prior use. Of course one passenger had to go in naked. According to the staff there’s always one who truly craves attention. Thankfully he at least kept his hand cupped over his crotch when he was out of the water.
The staff were handing out towels and ferrying people back to the ship as soon as we wanted to go. This is one of those times when the sauna off the mud room was a very popular place to be and nobody was complaining that the ship was kept fairly warm. After we all got back on the ship it was time for lunch and the short trip across the bay to Telefon Bay.
Once we went ashore at Telefon Bay we went for another hike. This time it was to the rim of a caldera where we could see tons of different layers in the ground underneath us. It looked like someone had taken marble cake mix and spilled it over the side of the cliff. From there many in the group went for a longer hike along a ridge and the rest of us turned back to head back for the ship.
After dinner I decided to visit the bridge since I hadn’t been there yet. The bridge policy was that passengers are welcome whenever it’s safe. They simply put a sign on the door and then you can knock to be allowed in. The only rules are don’t push any buttons, be quiet and don’t push any buttons.
Once the captain left the bridge I was allowed to ask questions and look around. Vladimir (the duty officer) could tell I was interested in how things worked and he was wonderful about answering a ton of questions. “What’s this? How does that work? When do you use this?” It’s fascinating to see how some of the tools/equipment is very advanced and how some is still very old fashioned. Even though they have the computer charts everything is still carefully plotted on paper charts. Vladimir said that they mark the route in pencil on the charts and then leave the mark until they return to the same area. That serves as a reminder for what worked well (or didn’t) the previous visit.
I was absolutely fascinated by the charts! A large spiral book of maps starts with a map of the world that is sectioned off into areas, designated by a single letter. Antarctica is W. So you flip the book back to the W section and then flip through the pages of more detailed maps to find the right part of Antarctica or there’s a list by name. Those smaller sections are numbered. Under the navigators table are wide shallow drawers with labels for the chart numbers in each drawer. It’s an incredibly easy system to go from the world map to the very specific area you want and find it in the drawer in front of your knees very quickly. Yes, I realize that I’m a dork, but the charts were really cool!
It was a lot of fun to just walk through and ask about how things worked and when they would be used. There are redundancies upon redundancies, usually getting simpler and more basic as you go down the line. There’s a ‘dead man’ alarm on the bridge that rings into the captains quarters. If the duty officer doesn’t push a button every set time period the system assumes that there is a problem on the bridge and that the duty officer might be dead and that someone had better go check! There is a detailed diagram of all decks on an alarm panel. That panel shows exactly where a problem is and what type of problem it is. There is even a traditional steering wheel, complete with handles on all six spokes. I dearly wanted a funny hat and a fake parrot when I saw that!
I really wish I had gone to the bridge earlier in the tour and had had an opportunity to visit a few more times. It was fascinating to see the charts, the air tanks (if there’s a fire it’s a good thing if someone can breathe while controlling the ship), the “Black Box” (Vladimir assured me that it wasn’t a small fridge despite its looks), all the levers and buttons that were just begging to be pushed.
After quite awhile of answering question after question, Vladimir needed to get back to work so I headed down to the Polar Bear Bar to hang out with friends for the rest of the night. Despite very rarely drinking, the Polar Bear was a fantastic place to just sit and talk with a handful of friends until very late at night. Between walking the decks taking photos (one of the many benefits of constant light) and sitting and talking with new friends, I almost never went to bed before midnight and rarely before 2am for the second half of the trip. It was great but made that 4:30am wakeup call really interesting!
The next day was New Years Eve, our final landing and Half Moon Island.
Our promised wakeup call came over the PA at 4:30am and I stumbled my way out onto the top deck. Deception Island is the caldera of an active volcano and about 7 miles across. The island can be quite deceptive; as you approach the island, the narrow opening to the protected bay is almost invisible unless you’re lined up <i>just</i> right. This was a haven to the ships and whalers of the past.
As we floated past the Devils Window and entered through Neptunes Bellows the early morning sun was shining from over the hills and casting reflections of the black, volcanic sand and the bright white snow on the smooth bay. We anchored in Whalers Bay and went ashore for a hike up to Devils Window or an opportunity to look around at the old whaling station turned research base before it was abandoned due to volcanic eruptions.
The hike up to the Window was deceptively long. It really didn’t look that far from the landing point but the deep volcanic sand meant that everyone was walking slower than normal. The view once you got up to the Window was amazing… you could look down the sheer cliff of the outside of the island and see the waves crashing against the rocks far below. Unfortunately the hike to the Window took enough time that most of us who went that way didn’t have time to go see the whaling station as well.
Deception Island is a very busy area so they have to be even more careful to stick exactly to the schedule than they would in an area that we were the only ship out there. All the ships work out a schedule with IAATO over the off season so that they can try to share the busy areas and still preserve the feeling of privacy/solitude. While we had breakfast, the crew pulled up the anchor and moved the ship the short distance through the bay to Pendulum Cove where we would have the polar plunge.
Many passengers knew about the polar plunge ahead of time and those interested brought swimwear while many of the rest improvised using shorts, t shirts and even a very carefully secured hat. It had to be explained to some that just because the water was steaming, did NOT mean that it was warm. That just means that the very top layer of water was warmer than the air. I went in and had a friend take photos for me (none of which will ever be shared, online or otherwise) and it actually wasn’t too bad. The top inch or so of water was much warmer than the water below it and the first 5 or 6 feet out from shore was warmer than the water once you got out a little ways. Then it got fairly cold but not horribly so. We were really lucky with the weather as it was actually a relatively warm day. My biggest problem actually came from wanting to swim a little but needing to keep my eyes closed to keep the contacts in my eyes. The volcanic sand right at the edge of the water was actually hot enough that it actually started to burn after I buried my feet in it!
We were all entertained to watch one young Aussie and his very carefully attached stocking hat G string. Apparently the penguin stocking hat was going to be a gift for a friend back home. I still wonder if it was still given as a gift despite its prior use. Of course one passenger had to go in naked. According to the staff there’s always one who truly craves attention. Thankfully he at least kept his hand cupped over his crotch when he was out of the water.
The staff were handing out towels and ferrying people back to the ship as soon as we wanted to go. This is one of those times when the sauna off the mud room was a very popular place to be and nobody was complaining that the ship was kept fairly warm. After we all got back on the ship it was time for lunch and the short trip across the bay to Telefon Bay.
Once we went ashore at Telefon Bay we went for another hike. This time it was to the rim of a caldera where we could see tons of different layers in the ground underneath us. It looked like someone had taken marble cake mix and spilled it over the side of the cliff. From there many in the group went for a longer hike along a ridge and the rest of us turned back to head back for the ship.
After dinner I decided to visit the bridge since I hadn’t been there yet. The bridge policy was that passengers are welcome whenever it’s safe. They simply put a sign on the door and then you can knock to be allowed in. The only rules are don’t push any buttons, be quiet and don’t push any buttons.
Once the captain left the bridge I was allowed to ask questions and look around. Vladimir (the duty officer) could tell I was interested in how things worked and he was wonderful about answering a ton of questions. “What’s this? How does that work? When do you use this?” It’s fascinating to see how some of the tools/equipment is very advanced and how some is still very old fashioned. Even though they have the computer charts everything is still carefully plotted on paper charts. Vladimir said that they mark the route in pencil on the charts and then leave the mark until they return to the same area. That serves as a reminder for what worked well (or didn’t) the previous visit.
I was absolutely fascinated by the charts! A large spiral book of maps starts with a map of the world that is sectioned off into areas, designated by a single letter. Antarctica is W. So you flip the book back to the W section and then flip through the pages of more detailed maps to find the right part of Antarctica or there’s a list by name. Those smaller sections are numbered. Under the navigators table are wide shallow drawers with labels for the chart numbers in each drawer. It’s an incredibly easy system to go from the world map to the very specific area you want and find it in the drawer in front of your knees very quickly. Yes, I realize that I’m a dork, but the charts were really cool!
It was a lot of fun to just walk through and ask about how things worked and when they would be used. There are redundancies upon redundancies, usually getting simpler and more basic as you go down the line. There’s a ‘dead man’ alarm on the bridge that rings into the captains quarters. If the duty officer doesn’t push a button every set time period the system assumes that there is a problem on the bridge and that the duty officer might be dead and that someone had better go check! There is a detailed diagram of all decks on an alarm panel. That panel shows exactly where a problem is and what type of problem it is. There is even a traditional steering wheel, complete with handles on all six spokes. I dearly wanted a funny hat and a fake parrot when I saw that!
I really wish I had gone to the bridge earlier in the tour and had had an opportunity to visit a few more times. It was fascinating to see the charts, the air tanks (if there’s a fire it’s a good thing if someone can breathe while controlling the ship), the “Black Box” (Vladimir assured me that it wasn’t a small fridge despite its looks), all the levers and buttons that were just begging to be pushed.
After quite awhile of answering question after question, Vladimir needed to get back to work so I headed down to the Polar Bear Bar to hang out with friends for the rest of the night. Despite very rarely drinking, the Polar Bear was a fantastic place to just sit and talk with a handful of friends until very late at night. Between walking the decks taking photos (one of the many benefits of constant light) and sitting and talking with new friends, I almost never went to bed before midnight and rarely before 2am for the second half of the trip. It was great but made that 4:30am wakeup call really interesting!
The next day was New Years Eve, our final landing and Half Moon Island.
Feb 21st, 2013, 07:43 PM
#40
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Hey Iowa, welcome back! Great trip report and FANTASTIC photos!
I can't believe it's been 3 years (almost exactly) since I was there.
A lot of your packing/planning/etc. were very similar to what I did, but my ship didn't go past the Antarctic Circle. Also, you were earlier in the season, so you got to see more penguin chicks. By the time we were there, the chicks were quite big and molting. Also, we saw only a few chinstraps and adelies. I got an FZ200 very recently, and I really wish I had something like it (like your FZ150) -- iirc, my main camera on this trip was still a Fuji E900.
I'm amazed your captain made an attempt through that much ice. (Especially since it was Gap who had a previous ship sink when it hit ice.
) But what an amazing experience to be able to walk out onto sea ice like that.
On my trip, it got dark when we were camping, because it was later in the season, and we weren't as far south. (And instead of a portapotty, we literally had a bucket with a seat.) Great photo ops to have 24hr light...
Please keep this coming! And again, FANTASTIC photos! (I'm amazed by your great penguin photos: both the ones with personality, but also the action shots of them porpoising. I tried very hard to get those shots, but they move so fast!)
Got to go back some time...
I can't believe it's been 3 years (almost exactly) since I was there.
A lot of your packing/planning/etc. were very similar to what I did, but my ship didn't go past the Antarctic Circle. Also, you were earlier in the season, so you got to see more penguin chicks.
By the time we were there, the chicks were quite big and molting. Also, we saw only a few chinstraps and adelies. I got an FZ200 very recently, and I really wish I had something like it (like your FZ150) -- iirc, my main camera on this trip was still a Fuji E900.I'm amazed your captain made an attempt through that much ice. (Especially since it was Gap who had a previous ship sink when it hit ice.
) But what an amazing experience to be able to walk out onto sea ice like that.On my trip, it got dark when we were camping, because it was later in the season, and we weren't as far south. (And instead of a portapotty, we literally had a bucket with a seat.) Great photo ops to have 24hr light...
Please keep this coming! And again, FANTASTIC photos! (I'm amazed by your great penguin photos: both the ones with personality, but also the action shots of them porpoising. I tried very hard to get those shots, but they move so fast!)
Got to go back some time...
