Breathtaking Antarctica

Welcome to my Antarctica cruise! My original departure date was 21 Dec 2020, so this is literally 2yrs in the making! I am so anxious and excited! Please just let me get on the ship!

 

Day 7 Ushuaia & embarkation day

At the ship, we had to wait while they allowed people to get off the bus and board the ship in groups of 15. This is because they took your photo to link to your boarding card. We were the very last people to board. Our luggage was waiting outside our rooms, which was nice. I found my room and it was only my luggage there, meaning my new roommate was inside.

 

She is a Chinese lady who has been living in Switzerland for the past 22 years. Her name is Ling, and she seems lovely! She showed me the free stuff we had been given: a metal water bottle, a bottle of local red wine, and maybe (or maybe loaned) a book on Antarctic mammals and birds. It was very exciting! Our room is really nice. We had 2 twin beds, a large window, an ensuite bathroom, a wardrobe each and a cupboard each.

 

They had told us they were serving afternoon tea in the expedition lounge, so we grabbed our lanyards and headed there. There was a big selection of food to choose from! I had a mini spring roll, a crumbed chicken tender, a ham and cheese empanada and a walnut cookie. We found a seat with my old roomie Sabine and then the Aussie couple joined us.

We were to have a mandatory safety briefing, so everyone had to be there. We were told to go back to our cabins, collect our life jackets from under the bed and return to the lounge. Then we were sorted into our muster groups. We had a safety presentation covering everything we needed to know, then had to put on our life jackets. Once checked, we were taken to our muster point, which is by our designated lifeboat. Can you believe that each lifeboat holds 51 people and currently has enough provisions to last a whole week?!

We were able to put our lifejackets back and explore for a bit. I wanted to video the ship leaving so we went out onto the deck. We watched the Intrepid ship leave, then the Quark ship leave and finally we left. Once we were moving, the announcement came over the PA system saying that we are officially on our way to Antarctica! Oh my gosh, I was so ridiculously excited! 2 years in the making and I am finally doing it!! Turns out there are quite a few people on this ship who originally booked in 2020 and are finally able to take the tour.

We then headed back to the lounge for another briefing, this one by the expedition leader. We met the staff (a lot of Canadian staff) and learned a little more about what was upcoming.

 

Then it was time for dinner! Breakfast and lunch are buffet, but dinner is a 4-course meal and the menu sounded delicious! We chose a big table and had a few other people join us. An Aussie geography teacher and 2 American ladies. Our table consisted of 4 Aussies, that’s 50%! I have met like 2-3 Aussies in the almost 2yrs I have been in London, but here I am in South America and going to Antarctica, and it seems like the boat is at least 25% Aussie!

 

For starters, I had the vegetarian avocado & pink grapefruit salad (other option was smoked salmon blinis), then we had a delicious tomato soup. For mains, I chose the beef with mushroom sauce, which was absolutely delicious. Lastly, for dessert, I chose the crème caramel with rum banana. The whole meal was amazing and very fancy!

 

After dinner was the ‘parka party’. Essentially, we had to go to the lounge and choose an expedition parka. They are bright red, windproof and waterproof, have a removable inner layer, and free. After much umming and ahhing, I chose the medium. We had free time then, so we went on deck to see the views and get some fresh air.

Ling went to the kayak briefing, so I went back to the cabin to unpack all my stuff. I never unpack as I am never in the same place long enough, so this was going to be great! I stashed my suitcase and backpack under the bed to keep them out of the way.

 

I went back on deck and found Ling. The back deck is so calm and sedate, which is very peaceful. After a bit, we went to the front upper deck, and boy was it windy! But we saw dolphins!! Several of them swimming around and doing tiny leaps out of the water. That was awesome!

By now it was 10.30pm so we headed back to our room and got ready for bed. I was pretty tired but wanted to get this blog written down.

 

Oh, and by the way, a weather update. The forecast is for exceptional weather. On the scale of 1 to 15 (which is the size of the swells), we are looking at 1.6m around midnight and tomorrow we are looking at a 3m. Both of those are unusually calm so it looks like we will be having the Drake Lake on our journey south. I really would like to experience the Drake Shake though so fingers crossed we get that on the way back north!

Right now, it is 11.20pm and I can feel the boat is starting to tilt slightly. Prior to this, it has been so smooth that you would not know you are on a board if you couldn’t see outside.

 

 

Day 8 Drake Passage

Well…..the smooth calm Drake Lake did not deliver. During the night, the seas got rougher and rougher. It was certainly feeling a heck of a lot more than a 3m swell. I showered, dressed and went out to have a look. I went to the smoker’s deck to access the back deck and it was so wet! The entire deck had a layer of water running across it. It was raining and very rough.

 

I then went to the front of the expedition lounge and took some videos. Some of the waves were enormous, smashing over the bow and covering the windows in water.

 

Then I headed up to breakfast. I did not feel sick at this point so planned on eating. The buffet looked delicious. Bacon, scrambled eggs, sausages, baked beans, potatoes, fruit, yoghurt, a huge selection of pastries, toast, Vegemite, porridge, pancakes. I got some bacon, eggs, sausage, potato, baked beans and a coffee and OJ. I sat right at the front on a table with other people. As we sat there, however, I began to question my food choices, and went to my cabin to take a Kwells (seasickness) just in case. I don’t normally get seasick, but the waves were huge, and I wanted to eat breakfast. We had been told that the waves were 8m and coming head on.

 

When I returned to breakfast, I ate hardly any of my food, as I really didn’t feel up to it. I sat there for half an hour, with most people on the table struggling to eat their breakfast. I decided it was time to cut my losses and go back to my cabin. It was a good choice too, because I sat on my bed for about 1 minute, and then I vomited my entire breakfast back up. I didn’t actually feel nauseous, but my stomach did not want to keep that food in it. I sat huddled on my bed for a while and then fell asleep for a shot nap. Kwells make you drowsy.

 

I felt ok after a while, so I went to the expedition lounge to get a cup of tea and do some work. I ended up updating this blog, and then they announced the photography info session was going to start at 11am. It was a good session, where the resident photographer gave general tips on how to take good photos and tell stories with our photos.

 

Afterwards I went back to my room for a bit, unsure if I wanted to eat lunch, sleep or what. I ended up dozing for a bit and was woken by the cabin attendant asking if we needed anything. He brought us a packet of digestive biscuits and some apples.

 

I decided to go up to lunch and see if I could eat something. I wasn’t feeling sick, just fragile and out of sorts. I had 2 pieces of lettuce, a piece of tomato and 2 pieces of chicken tikka masala. Then I went straight back to bed. I seem to feel the best when I am sitting up in bed, leaning against the headboard.

 

At 2pm we had a mandatory IAATO briefing on Antarctica rules and regulations. Anyone that doesn’t attend the briefing is not permitted to leave the ship at all, so attendance was taken. There were multiple people vomiting during the presentation as it is very rough in the lounge (right at the front of the ship). I was feeling ok during the presentation, but when we got up to leave, I started to feel nauseous. We signed up for our mudroom group (Ling and I got gentoo), then I went straight back to bed.

 

I stayed in bed, watching some tv episodes and dozing for the rest of the afternoon. Over the few hours, the seas calmed considerably, which was very helpful! At 6.15pm, we had a Captain’s Welcome, where we were served a glass of bubbles and canapes. By this stage, almost everyone was feeling significantly better, so it was quite busy. We also had a daily recap and a brief on tomorrow, plus a weather forecast. We also found out that the biggest waves we encountered were just 5m. 5!! The weather patterns we have experienced have been very unique. To the east, is a low-pressure system of 8^oC and 32 knot winds. To the west, we have another low-pressure system, this one with 27 knot winds and 2^oC. In between we have a dramatic shear zone with 3 knot winds, dividing the 2 systems. Also, with the winds of the west system coming vertically from the south, it created a very confused sea, and no good lines to sail through. This is why the 5m waves felt like much worse! Cruise ships leaving Ushuaia today are experiencing 7m waves, so it really sucks to be them!

 

Then it was time for dinner, so we went upstairs. Today I had a prawn cocktail, creamy fennel soup, roast lamb and rack of lamb with vegies, and meringue roll with custard sauce. It was all delicious, and I was so happy I was able to eat most of it. I sat with my current and previous roommates, as well as 2 Aussie couples.

 

After dinner, the 2 Aussie couples and I went to the camp briefing, as we were some of the 60 crazy people who signed up to camp on the ice. We were given a rundown of how the camping program works, which included what we should wear/bring, how to setup the tents, rules, regulations, wake up call in the morning and activities. We had to sign a waiver, and then sign up for the tent list. Solo travellers had to put their name down on the ‘solo camping speed dating’ list, as the leader called it. We would be allocated a tent buddy later. We were given the current estimated dates for our possible camping night, and both of them are south of the Antarctic Circle! This means not only will we be camping on Antarctica, but we will be camping inside the Antarctic Circle! Even more bragging rights!! Plus, due to the location of the camps, far from any penguin colonies, we will be allowed to build snowmen, have snowball fights, make snow angels, sit, slide and play in the snow. All of this is banned when you are near a penguin colony at the moment as there is a very high risk of avian flu transmission. I am going to make a snowman!

 

I decided to be sociable after this, and head to the back deck for some fresh air, but I found my roommate playing darts in the bar, so I joined her. We weren’t keeping score, just throwing darts at the board. One of the Aussie couples, a young couple from Perth that we had made friends with on day 1, joined us. The musician started playing and I went outside to the deck for some fresh air and bird watching. It was so much calmer now, and the sunset was beautiful, so I took some pictures.

 

Then I decided to head to bed to write my blog and finish my tv episode. It was 10pm and even though I dozed all day, I felt exhausted. Our room had been made up as they provide a nightly turn down service, which is lovely. Tonight, and tomorrow are forecast to be the original 1.6m waves from yesterday so fingers crossed the next 30hrs for the rest of the Drake Passage are calm.

 

 

Day 9 Drake Passage

This morning I woke up to calm seas. We have the Drake Lake! Honestly, the Drake Shake is horrendous, and I am so glad we are now getting the calm version. I got up early and went to have a coffee in the lounge, and got talking to an older Aussie lady, who I met in the hotel. An American girl came and joined us a bit later and we chatted and drank coffee for an hour.

 

It was nearly breakfast time, so I went back to my cabin to change into clothes and head upstairs. The buffet was as good as yesterday, and I was feeling great, so I ate plenty. On the table I sat at, an American couple sat next to me, and then 2 American women sat opposite up. One was very Chatty Cathy, and I got the sense that the American couple next to me didn’t like them, based on a couple of comments made. Everyone seemed lovely to me though.

 

At 9am, what looked like the entire boat, went to the lounge to listen to presentation on penguins. Lyn, the ornithologist, went through what penguins are, the 18 types, the types we are likely to see, the breeding habits, lifestyle etc. It was very good! She said we are most likely going to see the gentoo, chinstrap and Adelie penguins.

 

We had an hour free after this, so we grabbed our coats and headed outside. There was a wandering albatross flying around behind the boat, which was awesome, so I got my camera to take some pictures. The wandering albatross is the largest bird on the planet, with a wingspan of 11ft! Each wing is the same size as me! I got a few photos, but he didn’t come overly close so even with my 300x zoom lens, it was still far away. A second one came along a bit later too, which was great to see.

 

 

We began to get cold, so I went inside to get a cup of tea and wait for the next presentation: whales of Antarctica. This presentation was also very good. The marine mammologist explained the difference between baleen and toothed whales, then talked about the ones we might see and how to identify them. The ones we might see include humpbacks, orcas, fin whales, Peale’s dolphin and rarely, the blue whale. Lastly, she finished with telling us about the citizen science program where you can upload photos of whales and the people who run the program match them to previous sightings around the world. When the program started in 2015, they identified 700 whales. As of yesterday, they have identified 229,872 whales!

 

We had only 15mins until lunch, so we went back to our rooms for a bit. At 12pm we went up to lunch. On the hot buffet today, was mashed potato, beans & carrots, pork chops, hake and spanakopita. I had pork & veg. For dessert today, we had mixed berry crumble with custard. It was yum!

 

After lunch, I went to the gift shop to buy a t-shirt. They have ‘I survived the Drake Shake’ t-shirts so I wanted to get one. The sizing was terrible though, in the ladies, an XL was skin-tight on me, and in men’s, the L just fit. How depressing to only just fit a men’s large! I also got an Antarctica stamp in my passport.

 

At 2pm, we had to be on standby for the mudroom and biosecurity session. It was postponed from yesterday since so many people were sick. We will be called down to the mudroom cabin by cabin, and we must bring all external things we plan to take onto Antarctica for a biosecurity check. This includes out waterproof pants, gloves, beanies, camera bags, tripods, walking sticks, backpacks etc. We will also be given our loaner waterproof boots. They said that Antarctica is warming, and if we bring seeds onto the continent they could grow and completely change the ecosystem and/or poison the local wildlife. You think the Aussie border biosecurity is strict? They've got nothing on the Antarctic border biosecurity! We have to scrub our boots to be spotless every time we return to the ship and disinfect them every time we get on AND off the ship. They will inspect our boots after every landing, and they call you over the ship PA system to do the walk of shame to go back to the mudroom to re-clean your boots if they are not clean enough. When we were called down, they inspected all our clothes, bags, camera bags, tripods etc. and vacuumed them to remove any potential hazards.

 

It is now pouring with rain outside, and the wind has picked up a bit, but it is still calm seas which is good. We had planned to dress warmly and sit outside on the deck to watch for whales. We obviously won’t be doing that now, so I am sitting in the lounge writing this blog.

 

I ended up doing some schoolwork for a few hours, since it was pouring outside, and everyone was doing their own thing. It was good because I got a fair bit done!

 

At 4pm I took my stuff back to my room then my roommate and I got some afternoon tea and sat in the lounge for the seabird presentation (also postponed from yesterday). I was only half interested in this one, but I was being sociable and sat with our little group. It was interesting, but very long (almost an hour).

 

At 5.15pm we just hung out in the lounge talking and then we noticed it was snowing. Big huge snowflakes! It was beautiful! We took some pictures and videos and just watched the scenery. We knew we were approaching land, so we were eager to spot it, but the heavy cloud and fog made seeing anything impossible.

At 6pm we had our daily recap and briefing for tomorrow. Providing the weather cooperates, we will be making 2 landings tomorrow, which is very exciting! It was a nice, chilled day, and tomorrow the action starts.

 

At 7pm we went up to the dining room for dinner. We were having a special Christmas dinner tonight. I had a crab & avocado salad entrée, roast chicken soup, lemon sorbet palate cleanser, lobster tail thermidor for main and a chocolate sponge log, as well as some petit fours. We were also given complimentary red & white wine, but I didn’t have any.

 

 

 

Our group of 5 ended up sitting on a table with 2 guys, a couple who live in London, but one is Aussie and the other is American, and a solo travelling guy, another American. It was a really wonderful dinner with lots of conversation tonight. And the lobster was delicious! We were also treated to some carols by the crew which was really nice.

 

After dinner, while we were sitting at the table talking still, someone spotted land ahead. A dark shadow in the fog. Oooh we finally see Antarctica!! As we were all glued to the windows, someone else spotted an iceberg! A great big real iceberg! We all got very excited! I ran to my cabin to change into warm clothes and went out into the snow to stand on deck to witness it! By the time I got outside, we were level with the iceberg. It was huge! And there were huge snow-covered rocky islands on both sides of the ship! It was very exciting! It wasn’t cold either, but the snow was flying horizontal and straight into our eyes as we were driving head on into it. 

Clearly, I look very miserable about being in Antarctica!!

 

 

 

 

After a little while, we seemed to have stopped. Ling and I walked around a bit and saw a zodiac being lowered into the water. It had Santa and a human sized penguin on board! They did some laps around the boat while Christmas music was played over the ship’s PA system. It was very funny!

I came back inside after a bit to get my camera since it had stopped snowing. I had my zoom lens on so could see so much detail in the ice! There were a lot of cracks and parts that looked like they could fall at any moment! I took a lot of pictures then went back inside. My roommate Ling immediately asked me if I saw the penguins when I walked in. I got my binoculars out and we sat in our cabin trying to see the penguins on the rocks. I got grumpy as everything was blurry and decided to go outside and see if I could get the binoculars to work. And success! Clearly the cabin windows are not made for binoculars! The penguins had gone, but we heard some noises and then we saw a small piece of ice fall into the water, and as we were both looking at the spot (an alcove) another piece fell and then the entire sheet came crashing down! It was incredible!

 

I started to look around and had a look at a research base on the other side of the ship and noticed penguins! Actual penguins in Antarctica! They were so far away but I could see them well enough to identify them. And then we saw that there were lots more penguins on the rocks at the base of the island. So many penguins!

 

 

I tried to take a photo with my camera, but they were too far away. We are still currently anchored in a passage between 2 islands, and it is so incredibly calm that they have decided we will stay here tonight and move to our landing location early tomorrow morning. We have our first early wakeup call in the morning at 6.30am, with breakfast at 7am and then we will be called down to the mudroom from around 8am.

 

Ling and I decided to sleep with the curtain open tonight so we could see the stunning scenery from our beds and wake up when the sun wakes up. It is a 2.20am sunrise in the morning, and right now it is 11.57pm, so I hope I get some sleep! We are keeping our fingers crossed for sunshine and blue skies tomorrow!

 

 

 

Day 10 Antarctica – Cuverville Island and Orne Harbour (Christmas Day)

This morning I woke at 5am and laid in bed for a little while before getting up and dressed. I went out to get a coffee and sat in a chair by one of the side windows. A guy came and joined me, and we had a chat while watching the world go by. It was great scenery, and we saw lots of porpoising penguins (leaping like dolphins). Then I spotted a whale! It was very exciting! We just saw its back and dorsal fin, and then it never came back. Just after 6am, the expedition leader came past, and we told him what we saw. He said it is one of the minke whales. Rarely seen so definitely a win for us!

 

The guy when and sat on the other side for a bit, so Ling joined me. After a while, he called out to us and told us there were penguins on an iceberg. We went over and saw it. It was very cool!

 

 

At 7am, we went upstairs to breakfast, and ate a nice big meal. All the good stuff: bacon, sausages, baked beans, potatoes, eggs, and today there was a waffle station.

 

After a quick meal, I went and got rugged up and went outside to take some pictures and videos. It was extremely beautiful.

 

Then I headed back to my cabin to pack my gear for today’s landing. I didn’t know what to take so I took everything. Then we had to wait to be called. First, the scout boats went out to lay out the flags. Then the first group was called to the mudroom. We watched them get onto the zodiacs from our cabin. Finally, we were called. We were already dressed and rugged up, so I just grabbed my backpack and off we went. We had to put on our second pair of socks, put on our boots, put our pants over our boots, disinfect our boots, swipe our boarding cards then join the line to board the zodiac. We had 10 people to a zodiac plus the driver, which gives plenty of space. I had my GoPro out to film the ride through the icebergs to shore. We were all very excited!

 

When we got to shore, there were penguins everywhere! In the water, on the shore, in the rookeries, walking up/down the hill on the penguin highway. We were given the choice of walking up the hill to see the view and a penguin rookery or staying on the beach to see some of the penguins or walking along the island (flat path) to see a different rookery. Ling and I chose to walk up the hill to see the view first. It is banned to touch the snow with anything other than your boots, due to the bird flu, but the snow was so soft and slippery that I fell over multiple times walking up the steep hill! When we got to the viewpoint the view was amazing! You could see the whole area, the size of the icebergs and the ship, and see the zodiacs doing cruises. The penguins in the rookery were noisy, filthy, and stinky. They were covered in guano (poo), and it is a pink-brown colour due to their diet currently being high in krill. They were literally covered in poo!

 

 

 

I got some photography tips from the photographer, which was very helpful. Then we headed back down the hill to visit the other rookery. It was very slow going. We walked to the rookery, and there were 2 girls who were taking photos sitting/laying in the snow! They got told to get up and the one taking the photo was like ‘one more’. How ridiculous!

 

We then decided to go on a zodiac cruise, so we headed back to the beach. We boarded a zodiac and off we went. First, we went closer to the big rookery on the end of the beach. Then we went for a cruise around the icebergs. Some of the icebergs were huge! Bigger than our ship! You could see some of the incredible blue colour, and some of the icebergs had amazing patterns carved into them by the waves, water and rocks. It was incredible!

 

Our drive then got word we had to go back to the ship as there were more people waiting for the cruise prior to heading back to the ship. I was first off our zodiac. We had to use shower heads on hoses and fixed brushes to scrub out boots clean. We couldn’t see our boots very well, so we had each other check they were clean. Then we stepped in the disinfectant and swiped ourselves back onto the ship. We took off our boots and waterproof pants, put on our day shoes and left the pants & boots in the mudroom.

 

Ling and I immediately came back to our room to check out our pictures. We certainly got some good ones! We had time before lunch, so we hung out, checking out the photos, writing this blog and looking at the icebergs from the window.

 

By 11.40am everyone and all the zodiacs were back on board, and we set sail for the next location: Orne Harbour.

 

Lunch was an incredible Christmas spread. Tuna steaks, beef steaks, whole suckling pig, whole roast turkey, all the trimmings and sides, plus 6 desserts. It was a buffet, as per usual, so we were able to have anything we wanted. It was delicious! I have to admit, my absolute favourite was the chocolate mousse.

 

After lunch, Ling and I went out to the back deck with our binoculars. There were only a few people out there and we were lucky enough to see several whales! They were humpbacks and were clearly visible through the binoculars. It was amazing!

We then went and did the Titanic moment, safely of course! It was so much fun!

At 2.30pm we arrived in Orne Harbour and the scout boat went out. We were given 2 choices: a 200m vertical hike to a viewpoint or an extended zodiac cruise. Most people were scared by the hike, given the hike this morning, but the expedition leader then clarified that it wasn’t difficult, and the average person could do it. Ling and I decided to do the hike. We could see it from the ship, a zig zag path up the snowy hill.

 

By now the sky was blue skies and sunshine, which was awesome. We took less clothes than the morning, and I only took 1 lens for the camera. We were the first group called and by the time we put our boots and life jackets on, I was the very first person to swipe myself off the ship! We boarded the zodiac and Martin drove us to shore. There was a lot of brash ice, so we had to go slow, and it was a little scary, as we could feel all the ice hitting the bottom of the zodiac. They are inflatable, but they said you have to puncture 6 sections before the zodiac sinks.

 

We were given instructions upon landing at the rocky shore. The hill is full of crevasses, so we had to stay on the zig zag path at all times. At the top was a small colony of chinstrap penguins and we were told we could sit at the top. The climb up was slow, slippery and tough. It took maybe 15 mins to get up. It was such a relief! We were so hot and sweaty, and were told we could take off our life jackets, coats etc.

 

The view was spectacular! Absolutely worth the hike! As we were on of the first, the snow was pristine, the skies were blue, and the sunshine was amazing. We took lots of photos, of us, the view and the penguins of course. I took Rabbit with me, and she got some pictures too! I got the most beautiful panorama photo: 

 

 

After about an hour, the sun was behind the clouds and the wind was getting stronger, so we put our outer layers back on and began the walk down to the shore. It was very slippery! The snow is very icy, you can’t make snowballs, it doesn’t stick together, it just crumbles in your hands. This also means, you slip and slide with every step! I slid onto my knees and butt multiple times, but it was super soft and actually fun!

 

At the shore, we joined the queue for the zodiacs and headed back to the ship. We had to wait for the next zodiac as there was quite a few people waiting already, but that was fine. When we got back to the ship, we undressed and got ready for our daily happy hour recap. I decided to treat myself since it was Christmas and had a gin & tonic.

 

Straight after the briefing we went up for dinner. We were having another special dinner, since it was Christmas Day. For entrée we had a garden salad with turkey and just as we were served our soup (broccoli & almond), an announcement came over the PA system that there were some killer whales that just passed the boat, and that the captain was turning the boat around in an attempt to follow them and see if we could see them properly. Just a few minutes later, another announcement informed us that we had found the killer whales and that they were close to the boat so we should head to the outside decks straight away. Literally everyone abandoned their dinner and bolted. I was in such a hurry, I forgot to bring my phone! Also, since we were having dinner, many of us were wearing inside clothes, not our coats.

 

The killer whales were incredible. They were so inquisitive and checked out the ship. It was a small pod of mostly young males, and they literally came right up to the hull (right underneath me!) before swimming under the ship. We were outside for around 15-20mins, which was enough time to completely freeze. It was so cold! I did manage to grab my phone when they had moved away for a bit, so I got some photos. What a perfect Christmas present to us from nature.

 

Then we headed back inside to finish our dinner since the killer whales had left. Main course for me was duck fillet with a berry sauce, which was very good, and dessert was cheesecake.

After dinner I went to the back deck to observe the scenery, which was quite pretty. Then we went to the bar to witness the karaoke. It was hilarious and terrible at the same time. Ling left after a while, and when I finished my drink, I headed to bed. Unfortunately, the seas had quite a swell, so the ship was rocking from side to side. We were travelling further out to sea to avoid the sea ice close to land. Ling came back not long after and we went to bed.

 

Day 11 Antarctica – The Gullet & Crossing the Antarctic Circle

I slept very poorly last night. The ship was swaying a lot and I couldn’t get comfortable temperature wise. I think I had maybe an hour at the most. I got up and went out to discover breakfast was starting at 7.30am today. That was earlier than other sea days. We were told today would be a sea day with nothing planned. We would be attempting to travel through the gullet, a 4-way intersection between Adelaide Island and the mainland. It is usually packed with sea ice and impossible to traverse until late in the season. In 7 years, only 2 ships have made it through, and our ship last made it in 2019.

 

It was still very rocky, and predicted to stay that way until midday, when we reached the gullet. Breakfast was the normal affair, delicious and filling. We ended up with a whole table full of Aussies! After breakfast we were due to have a presentation on ice core drilling by our geologist. But at 9.05am, we crossed the Antarctic Circle! We had a countdown over the PA and big cheers when we crossed it! It was very exciting!

 

Due to this, the presentation started a little later but that’s ok. It was interesting hearing about his ice core work, especially the conditions he worked in back in the 70’s and 80’s. I was almost asleep during the presentation though because I was so tired.

 

We had a short break and were invited out to the bow of the ship to take a celebratory Antarctic Circle photo. We were served a Baileys hot chocolate while the captain positioned the ship in front of a monster iceberg. The photographer went to the very top deck, while we all gathered on the bow with our drinks. The photo will be part of our certificate that we get at the end of the cruise. Then the photographer came down and repositioned us so he could use his 360 camera. I really had no idea what kind of photo this camera would take, so I just cheered as per his instructions. Since I don't own those photos, I can't post them, but here is the iceberg we had as our background.

 

Then we went back inside, and the Hour of Power started. It was a series of 3x 15 min presentations on a topic of the expert’s choice. The first presentation was by the historian on Antarctic explorers. It was interesting, but not my favourite as I am not a big history person.

 

As the next expert was due to begin, we got an announcement and saw the whale expert running to the bow. We knew it was whales. In fact, it was killer whales again! I ran to my room to get my camera and went to the upper deck. Over the next 30mins we watched 20 whales from 2 pods, swim, play, investigate and just be whales. We even saw some of them hunt a penguin and one breached! It was so exciting! I got a million photos on high-speed burst mode. These guys also came up close to the ship, in particular a mother and her calf. I was very excited!

 

The other 2 presentations from the hour of power were postponed, and we went to lunch. From the buffet I had some meatballs, rice, vegies, salad and crème catalana for dessert. It was delicious!

 

By now, the weather was clearing and the seas calming. We had entered the gullet, and the sea ice was looking favourable. We kept travelling a bit further and I spent a lot of time on deck. The scenery in the gullet was spectacular. The water was so calm, it provided a mirror surface and reflected all the mountains, snow and clouds. I took millions of photos of course. It was easily the most spectacular place I have ever been on the whole planet.

 

At 1.50pm, it was announced that due to the exceptional conditions, we would be launching the zodiacs, and everyone would be going on a 1hr cruise. We had to sign up for cruise 1 or 2, and my roommate signed me up for 2. We went back to the bow, and it was absolutely amazing weather. Blue skies, sunshine, no wind and it was so warm we took off our coats, beanies etc. Check out the video below:

 

 We went to the back deck and saw a seal having a snooze on a piece of sea ice. He was very cute! We watched the zodiacs approach the seal and he moved a bit.

 

We finally got called to the mudroom at 4pm and were out in the zodiac by 4.10pm. Finally! It was still very sunny and beautiful, but windier than earlier. We cruised through the bay, admiring the big icebergs and huge mountains lining the edges. We first went to see a seal, different one to the one we saw from the ship, who was sleeping on a sheet of ice.

Next, we went further into the bay to a huge iceberg that looked amazing from one side and had some chinstrap penguins on the other side. They were extremely cute! Just sitting on the side of the iceberg, looking immaculate in the very clean black and white feathers.

We continued further south and checked out a few big icebergs. I put my GoPro in the water to try and get some underwater videos of the icebergs. Most of the time, the zodiac was going too fast, but we did go slowly past an iceberg at one point.

 

Our driver Keith grabbed some ice to show us. It was clear but completely full of perfectly round bubbles. We were even allowed to eat it, so I did! Another zodiac came over and gave us a piece of ancient ice, which is crystal clear and smooth. It looks like a piece of glass!

 

 

After that, because we had been idling for a while, our engine died, and wouldn’t restart. Another zodiac came to the rescue, towing us away from the iceberg and then helping to start the engine. We headed back to the ship and were the last group to board. The crew were going to fix the engine tonight before our next zodiac adventure tomorrow.

 

We undressed and I took my memory cards and laptop with us to the lounge. We had a drink and looked at some photos while we waited for the happy hour recap. During the recap, we were informed that one person had tested positive and was now isolated in quarantine on the ship. We think we knew who it was, as someone we had spent a lot of time with this week, said she didn’t feel great this morning to Ling, and said she was going to see the doctor about being tested. This made me anxious as I have spent time with her, and I absolutely do not want to get sick! I still have so much to do on this trip! The briefing went for a long time, so when it was finished, it was dinner time!

 

Some other people beat us to our normal table, so we had to sit elsewhere. Another person in our group wasn’t feeling well either (stomach though, not covid) so we were down another person. The girl I am going to be sharing a tent with when we camp joined us this time which was nice. I had a lettuce salad for entrée, corn soup, osso bucco for main and a chocolate éclair for dessert.

 

When we were done, I went back to my cabin to chill and write this blog as I was exhausted, while Ling went up to the outside decks. I really hope I get some good sleep tonight as tomorrow will be a big day with 2 planned zodiac landings, plus camping on the ice.

 

Day 12 Antarctica – Stonington Island, Red Rock Ridge, Terra Firma Islands and Camping

This morning we woke to the wakeup call at 6.30am. I slept so much better during the night that I did on the previous night. It was a bit rocky, but it must have been much calmer after midnight because that is when my watch recorded that I went to sleep (I actually fell asleep around 10.30pm but the motion of the ship is skewing the data).

 

We woke up to a beautiful location. We were moored in a bay and surrounded by huge mountains, huge icebergs and lots of brash ice. We headed up to breakfast and had the usual. Today was also waffle station day so I had a waffle with Nutella and cream. Yum!

 

Today, Ling and I were in the group who was going to land last, as we were first on the last shore landing. We took pictures from the bow, then chilled in the lounge and then our cabin waiting for our call. 

At 9.15am, we finally got called. We were dressed and ready to go so we headed straight down to the mudroom and joined the queue waiting to board the zodiacs. We were in a zodiac with the kayak instructor, and she took us on a cruise through the ice. There were 2 reasons for this: it was absolutely beautiful and to get through the brash ice which was quite thick in places.

 

 

When we got to Stonington Island, it was 10.30am so we had an hour to explore. This island has an abandoned British Antarctic Research Base on it, and one of the crew used to work in a nearby base so he gave us a tour. It looks like they just up and left, with food still in the drawers, pantry, books on shelves, pots on stoves etc. It was interesting to see and hear about how they lived down here.

Ling and I left the tour early as we wanted to see the seals and explore the island. On the back of the island were 2 Weddell seals dozing in the sun on the shore. They were very cute! I didn’t bring my zoom lens for this landing, but I wish I had. I took some pictures with my little sign.

We walked along the shore to another building. On the other side of this bay is a big glacier and as we were trudging through the very deep snow (over our knees!), we could head the ice cracking. We really wanted to see it calving so we stopped to find the falling ice each time. We got to a rocky hill and found a big pile of coal. It was super shiny in the sunlight. We walked a bit further and the went to walk to the other side of the island, to the telecommunications tower. We heard another crack and turned around just in time to see some ice falling and crashing down! It was exciting!

On the way to the next viewpoint, we saw a rusted and buried old jeep and snowcat.

 

 

It was a long walk through the snow! It was deep and took so much effort to walk through. Every step resulted in sinking up to your knees, plus it was very warm (>6^oC) and sunny, so with all our snow kit on, we were roasting! The view was spectacular and worth it though.

 

 

Then we had to go back to the zodiacs as it was almost 11.30am. That walk was even longer and much harder than the last one! My goodness, everyone was exhausted from the snow trudging!

The zodiac back to the ship was quick and we went straight to our cabins to undress and then went to lunch. Today I had corn crusted chicken, Chinese fried rice, chips, salad, vegies and then crepe suzette for dessert. It was very good!

 

After lunch, we continued travelling south, to the furthest point tourist ships ever go. Our destination as called Red Rock Ridge, which is a well-known Adelie penguin colony. This is our last chance to see Adelie penguins, so we are taking the opportunity to see them. It also had a red mountain, so that will be interesting to see.

 

I took advantage of the downtime to upload my photos from the camera to my phone and laptop. In 2 days, I had 40GB of photos! Whoops!

 

When we arrived at Red Rock Ridge, we noticed that there was a very strong swell. The ship was listing heavily from side to side. The scout zodiacs were launched, and we headed outside to check out the surroundings. The landing site is guarded by a reef system, and that, combined with the ice and swell, would be a deciding factor on whether we could land or not.

 

After a little while the zodiacs came back, and it was a no go. It took the guides in the zodiacs a lot of effort to get in and out of the boats, so it wasn’t safe for us. After reloading the zodiacs, they decided that we would continue south and see what was around.

 

I went and sat in the lounge with Ling, and then James & Sabrina came to join us for afternoon tea. Around 4pm they announced that we were passing the Terra Firma islands and that is generally the southern limit for tourist ships. We were going to continue south, because the huge pack ice had created a perfect channel for us to continue travelling south. The pack ice was amazing, it was as far as you could see out to the right. As we continued, we could see the pack ice was in front of the ship and we were approaching it. Eventually, we reached the wall of pack ice, which meant we could go no further. This is officially the furthest south the ship, and anyone on the ship, including all the crew, had ever been! They even believe that it is the furthest south any tourist expedition ship has ever gone. Normally the pack ice is further north, even as high as the gullet, which prevents Antarctic Circle crossings, but the weather gods were on our side and we got all the way down to -68^o 42’ S, which is absolutely incredible!

We celebrated with tons and tons of photos, and once the ship had stopped moving, it was incredibly warm. The same 6^oC as earlier. The wind while we were moving was the complete opposite, absolutely freezing! We also took a big ship group photo to celebrate the occasion. Even the captain was taking selfies with the ice! The ice completely covered the surface and was very thick with small pieces and big pieces. It floats and moves with the swell. An icebreaker could get through, but not an ice pusher like our ship. 

After being stopped for maybe half an hour, we turned around and headed north. Our destination was back to Stonington Island where the 60 campers (including me!) would be spending the night camping on the island in the snow with the Weddell seals (if they were still there).

 

At 6pm we had our daily briefing, which was very positive due to the day’s achievements! The campers had to go to dinner straight away at 6.30pm so we could get fed and ready to go. Tonight’s dinner was a South American buffet. I have to admit, it was my least favourite meal of the trip. Most things had chilli in it, and I hate chilli! I had 2 pieces of beef, and a chicken fajita, plus some lettuce and avo. I also had some cake for dessert, vanilla with dulce du leche (caramel) and vanilla ice cream.

 

After dinner, I went back to my cabin to finish packing and getting ready. The current ETA is 8pm with scout zodiacs going out at 8.15pm and us being called down around 8.30pm. This meant we had about an hour to kill. I packed ALL my camera gear, and very little clothing, just outer layers (beanies, gloves etc). We are due to be back on the ship by 6.30am tomorrow morning, so we don’t need much.

 

It took a while for things to be sorted. The zodiacs went out at 8.30pm to scout the location, and it was about 9pm when the first group was called. I was in the second group, so I had to wait even longer. I was so ready to go! Finally, my group was called, and I went down to the mudroom. We had to collect a sleeping bag on the way, put on our waterproof pants and boots, then board our zodiacs.

 

When we got to the island, we had to collect the 2 tent bags and go find a place to setup our tents. If your tent partner wasn’t with you, you had to wait. My tent partner came 2 zodiacs later, and we set off. We chose a waterfront site, with excellent views of the icebergs in the bay.

 

As the snow was very soft, you had to stomp the ground to create a big solid rectangle. This took a LOT of work. Then you had to lay out the tent, insert the snow pegs, add the poles and then attach the fly. They were 3-man tents, with 2 people sharing. We had a thermal mat (so very thin!), a mummy sleeping bag rated to -8C, and a liner.

We then had a briefing up on the hill. UP the hill in ultrasoft snow makes for a very challenging walk. We were given some info, took some group pictures and then we were taken to see the 2 toilets. One had a view of the snow mound. The other, however, was a loo with a view! It was facing the glacier and channel, and it was incredible. One of the guides even demonstrated for the males on how to sit on a toilet (they weren’t allowed to stand because they can’t aim) by stripping down to his thermal shorts!

We then had free time so many of us went to the shore to see the penguin who had come ashore to say hello. It was an Adelie penguin, which was awesome. This was the 4^th type of penguin for my trip.

 

I walked around for a bit and took some photos, then found James and Sabrina and invited them to make a snowman with me. In the last week of school, when we had a lot of snow, 3 of my Yr 11 students went to Hyde Park and made a big snowman. I told them I would make an Antarctic snowman and send it to them, so that was my goal. I chose a location with a great view, and we set out to build. The snow was extremely icy and took a lot of effort to build the base structure. You had to keep scooping the ice up and pressing it against the other snow of the body. We could not roll balls unfortunately. We made it just over a metre tall. To create the body sections, we carved lines, and use stones for the eyes, nose, mouth & hat. We also found some animal bones, which we used for the arms and a tie. I also had a sign, which I put at the base. Then we took lots of photos. It was a lot of fun, and it kept us warm.

Then we went to the toilet, and we actually waited for the one with the better view. It was definitely the best view from any toilet I have ever used.

 

It was 1.30am now so I decided to head to bed. My tent partner was not there, so I was able to get ready and make a little noise. I stripped down to my thermals, then got into my sleeping bag.

 

Day 13 Antarctica – Northbound Sea Day

I slept poorly, and my feet were freezing as I kept putting my feet on the tent floor, not the mat (by accident) because the mat was narrow, and my feet kept slipping off.

 

We got up at 5.30am, packed and waited for the zodiacs. We all needed to pee, and most people were cold, so it was a very quick pack up.

 

When we boarded the zodiac, it began to snow, which was pretty. We also noticed that the water was covered with lots of pack ice. Upon boarding the ship, we were served hot chocolate with whipped cream, which was delicious. I went straight to my cabin and had a hot shower. I got dressed and went out for a coffee. I took a few photos from the top deck of the huge icebergs, then went and sat in the lounge with some others.

At 7.30am, we went to breakfast. We were all looking bedraggled and tired. Afterwards, we all went back to our cabins and went to bed. I fell asleep around 8.45am and woke up at 11.45am, which was good. By then, it was time for lunch! We had a nice lunch of cottage pie and vegies, with a chocolate pudding with hot custard for dessert. After a long conversation, we left at 1pm and went to our rooms. As I was heading to the lounge to write this blog, an announcement over the PA asked us to meet in the lounge for some updates.

 

Firstly, we were informed that due to the ice mapping, we were not able to go through the gullet heading north, so we have had to pass on the outside of Adelaide Island. This means we will have no landings today, and today will be a sea day for the whole day. The aim is for 2 landings tomorrow though.

 

Secondly, we now have another 4 positive covid cases on board, bringing the total to 5. This is scary because according to the G Adventures protocol, when we hit 7 we move from green to yellow, which means mandatory masks, split dining times, and major changes to the program, including reduced landings. If, however, we get to 13 cases, the entire trip is cancelled, and we head back to Ushuaia. We will be all forced to isolate into our cabins and everybody, positive or not, will have to undergo mandatory quarantine in Ushuaia. When asked, the expedition leader said that would be between 7-10 days! This is really scary. I absolutely do not want to be locked in a hotel in Ushuaia for 10 days! I have to get home for school, I have 2 very expensive flights to catch, and I just could not cope. I am really contemplating remaining in my cabin for the next few days to avoid catching it, because I really do not want to test positive.

 

Straight after, we had 3 mini lectures. One was about how birds sleep; one was about continental drift, and one was about krill. They were interesting. Then I headed back to my cabin to spend the rest of the afternoon. I watched a tv episode and was falling asleep, so I put the computer down and slept for a few hours. I got up at 6.15pm which was just in time for daily recap.

 

We were informed that tomorrow we would be attempting to visit the Yalour Islands, which are an Adelie penguin colony. It would be a whole day operation, with 2 groups going out in the morning, and the other 2 groups going out in the afternoon. Obviously, this is all weather & covid dependent.

 

During the recap, they also answered a lot of questions from the anonymous question box. Mine was the first one they read out….what percentage of passengers are Aussie? I have met so many of them on this ship, and in our group of 6, there are 4 Aussies. Turns out, 26% of the ship are Aussies! There are 18 countries represented on board, and 26% of them are from 1 country. That’s actually incredible!

 

Dinner tonight was a tomato, avocado & prawn salad, crabmeat soup (it was disgusting for me, and I couldn’t eat more than a taste), sirloin steak with potato & veg, and the dessert was……lamingtons! We think my question in the box may have had something to do with that. They were the best lamingtons I have had outside of Australia. Oh man, they were so good!

Ling had to skip dinner as she wasn’t feeling well (the ship had a lot of motion) so the 5 of us stayed and chatted until nearly 9pm. Then it was announced that our resident photographer would be screening his short film on the Galapagos in the lounge. We decided to go and watch it. He filmed a scientific crew who were studying whale sharks in the Galapagos. Very little is known about them, including why they are there. It was very interesting.

 

At 10pm, after the documentary & question time, we all went to bed. I was still exhausted, I think from lack of sleep last night, and the fact that I did nothing all day today. Hopefully when I wake up in the morning, I feel much more alive.

 

Day 14 Antarctica – Yalour Islands

I slept badly again last night. The swell was strong, and the ship was swaying a lot. I do feel a lot better than yesterday though, as I was attempting to sleep for over 7hrs. Our wake-up call woke us up at 6.30am, and I got up, dressed and went to get a coffee.

 

This morning, Ling and I will have breakfast at 7.45am, while our 4 friends will have breakfast at 7am, so from now on, we will be dining separately, due to the changed covid protocols. This is definitely sad, as it was lovely having dinner as a group of 6 and getting our favourite big table by the front windows. Luckily, we exchanged email addresses last night so we can keep in contact, become social media friends and share photos, in the event one of us tests positive, or the whole ship goes into lockdown.

 

Ling and I also have nothing on our schedule until after lunch, as our group and the leopard seal group will not be doing the landing until then. I think I might use the many free hours to begin editing some of my better pictures. After we actually arrive at the landing site, and I have taken many photos of the scenery of course.

 

Ling and I went outside and took some photos while we waited for breakfast, then headed straight in at 7.45am. They had set the tables with socially distanced places. Our table has only 4 places now instead of the usual 8. We ate breakfast with another lady, then we went out to the back deck. It was a beautiful morning, cloudy, cool and no wind. Plus, outside the chance of catching covid is less. We sat there for about an hour, watching the world go by. Then I got bored so I headed back to our cabin to begin editing some of my nearly two thousand photos.

 

I stayed in the cabin doing this until lunch at 12pm. Today we had rogan josh for lunch, which was ok but a little spicy for me. Straight after lunch, Ling & I got ready to go on our landing. We had everything ready, and then an announcement came over the PA advising that they would begin the next operation at 1.30pm. We had a whole hour to kill! Ling had a nap and I edited some more pictures.

 

We were dressed and ready, so we went down to wait outside the mudroom at 1.30pm. Just as the announcement came to invite us down. We got our boots & pants on, and were on the first zodiac out. Now we had 6 passengers instead of 10 for covid purposes. We had to take it slow as there was a lot of thick brash ice.

 

Upon arrival at the island, we were given the instructions to walk flag-to-flag. The expedition staff set out flags which indicate the go/no-go areas for us. This island is very small, with a maximum of 30 people at a time. It has hundreds of Adelie penguins nesting on it, and we were in for a treat today as some of the chicks had hatched already! We followed the trail, taking lots of pictures of the penguins along the way. They stank by the way. Penguins are one of the stinkiest animals I think I have ever encountered.

 

We went to the end of the trail and were very lucky to see some chicks who had hatched in the last couple of days, and a couple who had hatched today! One even hatched at lunch time! The ones born today were tiny and black and very cute! The ones born the last couple of days were grey and super fluffy. Even cuter!

 

There were so many penguins just walking around and belly sliding their way around the island. They were so gorgeous.

 

After an hour, Ling and I headed back to the landing location for our zodiac cruise. We had to wait a bit for a zodiac, and then we boarded one with Mario as our driver. He is renowned for driving fast so this was going to be good! We started out going slow through the brash ice and around the icebergs to a rocky island which had a dozen Weddell seals sunbathing on top. Then we saw an elephant seal! Just one, but it was great and ticked another animal off my must-see list.

 

We saw lots of penguins and lots of beautiful icebergs. We even saw some penguins swimming. Then it was time to head back to the ship. We zoomed fast through the open water, and slowly through the brash ice. As we approached the ship, the bridge let us know that there were some penguins on a piece of sea ice on the starboard side. When we got close to them, they ran across the ice and slipped into the sea. When we went past, they jumped back onto the ice. It looked like they were playing a game. It was very cute.

 

 

We got back on the ship, and hung out in our cabin for an hour. Safer than being in the public spaces. I edited photos and Ling had a nap. Our briefing wasn’t until 6.15pm but at 5.45pm we went to the lounge to see our friends. We hadn’t seen them all day so it was great to hear how their day was. During briefing, we were informed that tomorrow we would be attempting to land at Donner Island. This island is home to gentoo penguins and has a small hike to a viewpoint. We were then given a presentation on the G Adventures values and their charity Planeterra.

 

Lastly, we were told that we were about to cruise through the Lemaire Channel, which is a narrow channel bordered by 1000m high mountains. Since the weather was exceptional, and given the beauty of the channel, the hotel crew were putting on a special barbeque on the back deck. We would be dining outside! We had to dine in two groups, so Ling and I were first. It was sunny, blue skies, no wind and very mild. They had pork ribs, roast lamb, sausages, a whole salmon, chicken drumsticks, several types of salads, chips etc. We sat on the upper back deck, with excellent views of the channel. Dessert was a peach crumble with cream, strawberry ice-cream, cheese and fruit. They also served mulled wine. The whole thing was absolutely wonderful. The channel is breathtaking, and dining outside to see it made it perfect. 

When we were done, we went to the forward upper deck, while the second group had dinner. The views were even better. The sun had gone behind the mountains by now, and it was a bit breezy up front, so it was quite cool here. I was definitely not dressed for this, but I didn’t want to miss a minute of it. As we were approaching the end of the channel, we heard a bit rumble, and looked up to see a small avalanche. My first avalanche! It was awesome. Don’t worry, it was near the top of the mountain, and didn’t even reach the sea at the bottom. There were also lots of penguins playing in the water too.

We went to the back deck to see if our friends wanted to have a drink after dinner, then we got our free bottle of red wine and took it out to them. We sat on the deck for ab hour, drinking and talking. Then we saw some humpback whales! It was awesome!

 

By now, it was very cold, so we went inside to have a hot chocolate in the lounge before bed. On the way, people yelled out that they saw more whales. So, we rushed to the windows and saw 3 whales near the ship. Naturally, we ran to the lounge and then to the bow to see them. They were just chilling near the surface, giving a few tail flicks. It was great! It was also freezing so we went back inside and sat down. Not long after, people called out more whale sightings, this time on the other side of the ship and they were orcas. 5 of them in total! And then more humpbacks on our side of the ship. The expedition leader Matt had advised that the Lemaire channel was renowned for whales, and boy was he correct!

 

We sat and chatted for another hour or so before heading to our cabins around 10.30pm.

 

It was an absolutely perfect afternoon and evening. Everyone keeps saying that every day is better than the last, and how can the next day top the one’s before. Matt even made a comment in his briefing that he doesn’t know what we are doing, but the weather has been phenomenal for us, and we need to keep doing whatever we are doing. He said if they achieve 50% of the planned landings, that’s a good trip. We have achieved all except 1 landing so far, and instead of the landing, we headed to the most southerly point anyone on the ship has ever been, which, in my opinion, was even better! Plus, our weather has been extraordinarily perfect. It starts out foggy when we wake up, but then it just vanishes giving us a perfect day. The crappy, rainy and snowy weather has been limited to our sea days, so it doesn’t matter. The winds have been extremely calm (max 3 knots). I don’t want to jinx us, but I am extremely thankful that the weather gods are being very generous with us!

 

 

Day 15 Antarctica – Danco Island

This morning we were up at 6.30am again, and we were the first group for breakfast. Today was going to be good. All 6 of us would be able to do everything together. After breakfast, we got ready, and waited for the call. We would be taking the zodiacs to Danco Island, which is home to some gentoo penguin colonies. It also has an optional hike to a scenic viewpoint, which apparently is 150m high.

 

For this trip, we went in separate zodiacs, as the other group got called down to the mudroom first. At the beach, I met up with 4 of them, and Ling was in the zodiac behind me. Straight away, we began the hike to the top. This mountain is also full of crevasses, so we had to stick to the flagged trail only, and there were several very well-worn penguin highways going from the top to the bottom of the mountain. The hike to the first viewpoint was fairly easy and mostly flat. There was a penguin colony here, and the ornithologist was supervising and giving information. From here, the rest of the hike was uphill on zig zag trails. It was tough. The snow was firm, but slippery, and it was steep. I tried to keep a steady pace, but did have to stop to catch my breath and rest my legs. This is one of the landings where it is forbidden to touch the ground with anything other than our boots, so no sitting to rest.

The view from the top was amazing. It was almost a 360^o view. There were multiple glaciers surrounding us and you could see whales, penguins, icebergs and birds. We even saw an avalanche! I heard the photographer call it a moderate one. We took some photos, making sure to attempt to capture the beauty, but the pictures will never do it justice. 

 

 

Going down was hard. Very hard! It was so slippery, and you have to do everything you can to not fall and touch the snow. It was very slow going. When we got to the penguin highway crossing, there was a huge group of people standing right next to it, which was stressing the penguins and making them turn around and go back where they came from (uphill or downhill). We had previously been told to stay clear of penguin highways and keep a 5m distance, but obviously people don’t listen. One of the guides came to yell at people to move away so they penguins could pass comfortably. Once everyone was much further back, the penguin highways were very busy! Lots of penguins going up and down.

 

We continued slowly heading down hill, and at one point, 2 snow petrels came and stood next to us one the snow. Literally right next to us! After a few minutes, they turned and walked away across the snow.

Back at the shore, we requested a zodiac for just the 6 of us, so we could ride together. We got Martin as our driver and headed back to the ship. When we were almost there, a call came over saying there was a whale in the area. Then it popped up right in front of us! It was a humpback whale, and it was just swimming in the bay. Martin stopped the boat and we floated and watched the whale for a few minutes. It was amazing! Later, I spoke to a lady who told me that the ‘lucky 6’ got close to a whale this morning on the zodiac, and I told her that was us. She said everyone on the mountain was watching our zodiac and the boat, and they were all calling us the lucky 6. So, from now on, we will be the Lucky 6!

Back on board, we headed to our cabin and checked out our photos. Then we got a coffee and sat in the lounge with Mark and Steve until lunch time. We had second lunch today so had to wait until 12.45pm. We had been told about 12.30pm that we would be sailing through a whale sanctuary so keep your eyes peeled. Considering this, we took our coats and cameras to lunch with us. Today, we had calamari, beef bulgogi, mixed vegies and chips. We sat down at our normal table and started eating. Not 5mins into our meals, the announcement came over informing us whales had been spotted off the bow. It was so hard to eat, watch then jump up to take pictures when they surfaced! So, we abandoned lunch and went outside.

 

There were 2 large humpbacks feeding in the waters around our ship. We went to the upper deck to watch. It was amazing! The 2 whales were working together to catch the krill, as they are normally solitary animals apparently. The captain slowed right down, and just turned the ship when needed, so we could watch the whales without interfering. We saw them come up mouth first, which means they had just taken in a huge mouthful of krill and seawater, blow hole first, plenty of tail fin action and also some slapping of flippers on the water. We watched them for a whole hour. A third whale then came on the other side of the ship and was trumpeting, in an attempt to join in on the food hunt. It sounded like a sad elephant, and it was quite funny. In the far distance, I even saw a whale breach! We took hundreds of photos (I filled my memory card and had to switch to my phone!). I can't post the video on here, but the link to the video on my YouTube channel is below.

 

At 2pm, we were told that we had to continue our journey north, that this had used our afternoon zodiac operation time, but that we could all agree that this was a far better option. We were also told that there might be an alternate activity when we get to the next anchorage point…..the polar plunge!

 

I went back to my cabin to download and check my photos and write the blog. I am going to do the polar plunge, which is very crazy I know! The water is maybe 0-2^oC, so it is going to be mighty cold. They usually do it from the gangway where we board the zodiacs, and you have a rope tied around you so they can pull your lifeless body from the water! Before the new covid protocols, we would have all piled into the sauna to defrost, but the new protocols have a maximum of 2 people in the sauna at a time. Now, we think we have to bolt back to our cabins and jump in a warm shower. It is quite terrifying, and exciting all at the same time!

 

After a while, Ling and I went for afternoon tea in the lounge. We arrived at the location just before 4pm. An announcement came over the PA inviting the crazy people who wanted to do the polar plunge to head down to the mudroom straight away, and the sane people who wanted to watch, to head to the starboard outside decks. I went back to my cabin to put on my bathers and went down. By the time I got to the mudroom, there were heaps of people already there! I found Sabrina and James and stood with them. We were about two thirds along the line. Mark & Steve were near the front of the line. The hotel manager was there with shots of aquavit for afterwards. Most of the crew were there helping. 2 were putting the harness on us, 1 was filming from the gangway, 1 was at the door putting towels around the wet people returning, one was in a zodiac as an emergency, the photographer was also in the zodiac taking our pictures, the AB’s (able bodied seamen) were on the gangway pulling us back in and helping us climb the ladder, and others were watching. It took quite a while to get through the people. Many people said it was cold but exhilarating, and they wanted to do it again. About 6 people in front of me, we hit a pause. An iceberg decided to interfere, so the zodiac had to push it away. I gave my GoPro to Mario on the gangway to film me. I was a bit nervous about how cold it was. Matt, the expedition leader, had informed us the water was a chilly 3^oC. Finally, it was my turn. Mario started filming as soon as I got to the door. The moment I stepped outside, I got hit with the icy air. It was nippy! I got to the bottom of the gangway, and the AB’s clipped my harness to the safety rope. We were instructed to jump pose for the camera, as the photo would go on our certificates, so I tried to do this. I hit the water, and it was unbelievably cold. I wanted to get out immediately. I swam & was pulled back to the gangway. I couldn’t get my feet onto the ladder to get out. The AB’s helped pull me up. OMG I was turning into a popsicle! I got my camera back and Sarah put a towel around me. The camera was still rolling so I turned it off and went to get my aquavit shot. I was so cold but I wasn’t shaking. I could feel the cold radiating out from my body. Sabrina & James went after me but we all left straight away. I grabbed my clothes and headed up to my cabin. I met Ling at the reception, and she showed me the video she made of me plunging. Then she left me to shower and clean up. It was a very welcome, hot shower!

After the plunge, we went and sat in the lounge and had the cocktail of the day. After a while, Mark, Steve, Sabrina and James joined us, and then the daily briefing started. We found out that we would not be permitted to visit Port Lockeroy penguin post office because you must be a covid-free ship, and we currently have 7 cases on board. This sucks, but they also told us that G Adventures have an arrangement with the post office, and we can send a postcard by leaving them with the ship, and the next time the ship visits the penguin post office, they will post the postcards. So, after dinner I bought a postcard to send to myself.

 

We hung out in the lounge until our dinner time, then went upstairs. We are now having buffet for dinner instead of the 4-course meals, most likely because of the covid protocols. The Lucky 6 sat together, and since it was Steve’s birthday, the staff brought a bottle of sparkling wine to celebrate. The chicken was so good tonight that I had seconds! Then the staff brought out a birthday cake and sang a birthday song to Steve. It was very sweet of them.

 

After dinner, I went to the gift shop and bought the postcards, and a map of the area. Our crew have been mapping our trip and I want to copy this onto my own map. Then we went to the lounge for Scobie’s Stories. Scobie has been working in Antarctica for 50yrs! He told some funny stories for an hour, which included stealing a cooked lamb leg roast, and blowing up abandoned Russian explosives.

 

Then it was time for bed. I was knackered. Tomorrow is our last day down here and we are visiting 2 locations in the South Shetland Islands. Then we will begin our 2 day journey through the Drake Passage back to Ushuaia. The weather forecast is currently looking windy, so we have been advised to begin taking seasickness medication at 6pm tomorrow. Sounds like it is going to be a rough trip back!

 

Day 16 Sub-Antarctica – South Shetland Islands – Half Moon Island and President Point (New Years Eve)

At the 6.30am wakeup call, we weren’t ready to get up, so we dozed for nearly another hour. We finally got up and had a late breakfast, right on the limit for our group’s seating time.

 

We get ready for our last day of adventures. During the night we continued north to the South Shetland Islands to arrive at Half Moon Island. The South Shetland Islands are rocky, less snow covered and home to a large chinstrap penguin colony. They are also covered in moss and penguin guano.

 

We were on the second zodiac out, and when we got to shore, the waves were moderate, so we had to jump out and get our briefing on land, instead of in the zodiac. We had 3 places we could go today. First, we went up and across to the penguin colony in the rocks, next to the penguin highway. There were so many penguins, hopping around on the rocks. We didn’t see any chicks today, but that’s ok. They are very cute, the way they walk and hope from rock to rock.

 

Next, we went to the lookout point which looks over the sea and to the glaciers behind. It was pretty but snowing so very cold.

Then we went down to the beach. It is a rocky beach, but once you got down from the hill, it was more sheltered. We watched the penguins washing themselves in the sea, swimming, hopping on the rocks and having fun.

We also saw a lot of penguin carcass debris on the rocks: a skull, a wing, feathers, bits of skin. We also saw the bones of another animal, possibly a seal.

 

We decided to make our way back to the other side of the island and saw a zodiac cruise, so we hurried back to get the chance of a cruise. We got a zodiac with Martin as the driver, and we headed around the point. As we rounded, the other zodiac let us know that there were 2 elephant seals on the beach. It took a bit to find them, as they camouflaged very well with the rocks! They were weaners, which is the term for a seal that has recently been weaned from their mother. These ones were males and had not developed the big proboscis yet. The big guy we saw at the front had plenty of snot on his nose. Apparently, this is because they have lots of parasites in their nose so they sneeze a lot, and elephant seals are the worst of all the seals.

Then the call came over asking all cruisers to return to the ship, so we headed back.

 

On deck, we got a coffee and chilled out, looking through our pictures. Once everyone was back on board, we were informed that the next, and final, landing would take 2.5hrs to reach, so we could chill out until around 3.30pm.

 

Lunch was a buffet again today, and all 6 of us were able to eat together as our groups were scheduled at the same time. After lunch, we all went our separate ways, with most of the group having a nap. I wrote this blog and started making a presentation to show my year 11 boys when I get back to school. They study Antarctica as a case study in Geography so hopefully I can give them some useful information!

 

We anchored off the northern end of Snow Island, just near President Point. I got my binoculars and could see that there were over a hundred elephant seals sleeping on the beach! So many! It was quite a chilly breeze, but as Matt said over the PA, we had done our magic with the weather, because in the next cove to our right, the swells were around 3m and we had zero!

 

Our group was the last group to be called, but we snuck in with the Chinstraps, who were the group before us. The zodiacs took us just around the point to a sheltered beach with about 30-40 elephant seals on it. It is a sandy and rocky beach, and as elephant seals can be quite aggressive, the flags were set out to keep us a good distance from them. They look docile, but are fully aware of our presence and can move very quickly if need be! We slowly walked along the beach, watching and photographing all the seals. I was surprised that they were all either female, or younger males. I wanted to see a big adult male with the big proboscis, but there were none. There were some quite young ones as well, who were very cute.

It was amazing to see them all. Some of them are huge! They sneeze quite a lot and do big growly yawns. A few of them moved around on the beach, and we even saw a fight between 2 of them!

I stayed for longer than Ling, to try and get some better pictures, and then at 5.30pm, I got a zodiac back to the ship. This was our final landing in Antarctica and for the whole trip. It was a wonderful way to finish! And on New Year’s Eve too!

 

Back on the ship, we undressed, and headed to the lounge. The cocktail of the day was a vodka & soda with grenadine, so we had one of those, and chatted while waiting for the briefing. It was a short briefing because we had a later landing than normal, and dinner was being served at 7pm. We were told the plans for the evening and given the good news that everyone would be dining together.

 

At 6.50pm, when the briefing ended, our group went and lined up for dinner straight away. We wanted our favourite table. The German lady, who was my roommate in Ushuaia, was out of quarantine, so she was joining us too. The buffet was very good! We had roast lamb, beef medallions, 2 types of fish, vegetable pie with mashed potato topping, prawns and king crab. Plus some Swiss roll things for dessert. It was delicious, although some people were tired from taking the seasickness pills already. They also served complimentary red & white wine.

 

After dinner, we reconvened in the lounge for Antarctic Bluff. It is their version of the game 2 truths & a lie. In this case, they put a word on the screen, and 3 of the expedition crew, gave a definition, and we had to choose who was telling the truth. Boy, some of the definitions were so crazy and unrealistic! It was very funny! We ended up getting second, but we didn’t get a prize.

 

Then they set up the karaoke machine and people had a great time, singing and having fun. Everyone in the audience was singing along as well. It was quite entertaining.

 

Then, at 11.45pm, an announcement came over the PA system inviting us all to the Polar Bear Bar and back deck for the countdown to midnight. When we went to the bar, we were given a glass of sparkling wine, which was good. Then we went of the deck to find a good position. It was freezing! The wind was definitely an Antarctic level of cold! Many people came outside onto the deck, including a lot of the crew & all the expedition staff. When it was time, we started the countdown and then celebrated at midnight. The captain blew the ship’s horn several times in celebration too. It was great! Christmas and New Year’s in Antarctica (we were still in Antarctic waters).

 

And then we immediately went inside and to bed. My fingers were frozen from filming the countdown, so I had a hot shower to warm up. The seas were being kind so far, so fingers crossed we get some sleep tonight!

 

 

Day 17 Antarctica – Drake Passage (New Year’s Day)

I woke at 7.30am this morning to the gentle rocking of the ship. I was feeling good, and it didn’t feel like the seas were that bad yet. I got a coffee and drank it in bed while attempting to use the internet. It works, but it is very slow. Then at 8.15am, I went to have some breakfast. I went light this morning, mandarin segments (they are so good!), a spoon of scrambled eggs, a piece of bacon and some ham. Very small.

 

Ling was up when I got back to the cabin, so we chatted, and then she went outside for some fresh air. We planned to go to the lecture at 9.30am so I sat in the cabin writing this until then.

 

The lecture was on glaciers and icebergs. It was really interesting. He told us how glaciers form, the structure of glaciers, threats to glaciers and the formation and structure of sea ice and icebergs.

 

Afterwards, I went back to my cabin to continue sorting out my photos and transferring them to my portable hard drive. I think I have over 4000 photos!

 

We had a small lunch of roast pork, the returned to the cabin. The seas were getting a bit rougher, so we didn’t want to eat much. Then I went down to deck 2 to help pack away the camping gear. This turned out to not be a good idea, because it was rougher and enclosed, so I felt a bit queasy. I went and laid down in bed for half an hour and took a seasickness tablet.

 

At 2pm, we had a disembarkation briefing, since the seas are predicted to get rougher, and many people may not be able to leave the cabins tomorrow. I will be disembarking at 6.30am on Tuesday and taking the same bus as Sabrina and James to the airport.

 

Then I went back to my bed to lay down for the rest of the afternoon and watch a tv show. I stayed there from about 2.30pm until 5.45pm. Fortunately, the seas calmed a little, and I was feeling a lot better.

 

We had our daily briefing at 6pm and were shown the weather forecast for the Drake Passage. We are already 2/3 of the way across, as the captain is going flat out to race an incoming low-pressure system. We are expected to get rougher seas tomorrow but not much worse than our trip southbound. We currently have seas around 3m, but the waves are a different direction and quality, so it is a much smoother ride. At the current trajectory, we are expecting to reach the Beagle Channel by 3pm tomorrow, and if we can get a pilot on board, we should be docking at Ushuaia by 7pm tomorrow night, which is excellent news. The poor suckers on the next expedition, who will depart on the 3^rd, are in for some extremely rough seas at this stage! So glad that isn’t us!

 

We had some questions from the anonymous box and the geologist Keith gave a presentation on the true size of Antarctica compared to other continents. In reality Australia is only a smidgen smaller than Antarctica; the USA is quite a bit smaller than Antarctica, Europe is much smaller than Antarctica, South America is bigger, and Africa is so big it can fit Antarctica, Australia and Europe inside it!

 

Briefing finished early, so we stayed and talked before heading upstairs. We had a buffet again tonight, veal or trout, mash, asparagus and vegie calzones. The veal, mash and asparagus was really nice. The seas were still being kind to us, so we were all able to eat dinner. We talked for a while, then we got some rough waves and decided to go to bed for a bit.

 

We are such old people. In bed before 8pm! How very boring! It is hard when you take seasickness pills though, because they cause extreme drowsiness, and laying down is much better for seasickness.

 

Day 18 Antarctica – Drake Passage

We had a very rough sleep last night. The swells were huge (7m) and at 4am, we had a huge wave which sent all our things in our cabin flying and us almost out of bed. Our cabin was also quite hot last night, which didn’t help my sleep. I ended up getting up and going to the lounge at 4.15am to see if I could film the waves. That’s when I discovered it was swell coming side-on, not big waves coming head-on. I went back to my cabin and sat in the window filming some of the swells.

 

 

Around 5am, I was able to fall asleep again as I was very tired and woke up at 8.50am! Oh, breakfast is almost done! I quickly threw on some clothes and went up to the dining room. After a quick bite to eat, I went back to my cabin and had a shower and put on some better clothes.

 

We went to a lecture on climate change and the evidence for it from ice cores, which was really interesting. Keith showed us all his data that has been collected since the 70’s and the historical records from all the ice cores going back hundreds of thousands of years. It really is undeniable that the main causes are anthropogenic. 

 

Then we hung out in our cabin for a while, before Ling went to the next lecture, which was a bit of history on the early explorers. I edited my photos instead.

 

Lunch was delicious today. Steak, mash, vegies and strawberry crumble with vanilla custard for dessert. It was so good! I wanted a second serve of the crumble but decided I better not be greedy!

 

After lunch, we again hung out. We have been anchored since 11am as our time slot for the pilot boat is 3pm. This means we have been sitting in exceptionally calm water, so the ship is barely moving. Great for us! I went and had a chat to some of the expedition team about editing of photos, and sustainable tourism in Antarctica. Then I went back to my cabin to use some of the photographer’s tips on editing of iceberg photos.

 

Ling went to another lecture this afternoon. Yet another history lecture, so I skipped this one too. I listened to music and edited more pictures. I have over 3000 photos, so it will take me a while to sort through them all and edit the good ones! I also downloaded the polar plunge photos from the shared guest desktop computers. Mine actually turned out really good!

 

We went for afternoon tea at 4pm, which was nice. It was a bit of a boring afternoon though. It has been raining outside quite a lot, so we have stayed indoors, except for when we took a picture on the bow with my Drake Shake t-shirt!

At 6pm, we had a Captain’s Farewell happy hour briefing and recap. It was a really nice farewell, with all the crew from all the departments coming to be thanked. The hospitality team (minus the galley staff) sang us a farewell song, which was really sweet. There was a raffle, which had some lovely prizes and an auction for 2 items. One was the G Expedition flag from the front of the ship, which ended up in a bidding war and went for $1050 USD! Then the photographer Jeff played a slideshow of a selection of photos from our trip, while the musician Craig played background music on his guitar. The photos were fantastic, with a few well-timed shots!

 

Then it was dinner time, so we raced upstairs to get our table. We were lucky to get a table for all of us. Dinner was a 4-course meal again, which was really nice. I skipped the appetiser (salmon sushi or vegetarian sushi), had the mushroom & cinnamon soup and beef steak for main. It was absolutely delicious. As we were eating, we docked in Ushuaia. This was exciting because they said we could leave the ship and go into town. 

 

One of the raffle prizes was a crochet penguin, which was super cute, and one was a pink dressy scarf (not a winter wool style) with penguins on it. We wanted these, so Ling and I skipped dessert and went ashore. We raced to the shop on the main street that sells the crochet penguins, and they had 1 left. Only 1! So very lucky for Ling! We couldn’t find a shop selling scarves so we ended up going to an ice-cream place for getting our own dessert. We had a sundae type of thing. In a cup, you get 3 scoops of ice-cream, 2 toppings and a sauce. My ice-cream choices were dulce du leche, banana split and strawberry, with chocolate balls and meringue bits, with a dulce du leche sauce. It was very good!

 

 

Then we walked back to the ship. It was very cold! We didn’t have our coats as they were packed in our suitcases, and it was windy as there is a big storm front moving through. We walked rather quickly!

 

After a quick hot chocolate in the lounge, and a goodbye to Mark & Steve, we went to our cabin to finish packing, put our bags outside the cabin and go to bed. We have to be up, dressed and ready to leave by 6.20am, as our bus departs at 6.30am, and we will be going straight to the airport. We will be able to say goodbye to Sabrina and James in the morning as we are all on the same bus together, which is nice.

 

As this is pretty much the end of my Antarctica part of my winter holidays, I will end this blog here with a summary. Antarctica, while expensive, was absolutely worth every penny in my opinion. In particular, the G Adventures tour was the best choice I could have made when choosing a tour company. Antarctica expeditions are 100% subject to wind, weather, ice, passenger & crew safety and animal welfare conditions. Nothing is set in stone; everything is flexible and can be changed at any moment. There are no guarantees of wildlife sightings, landings etc. That must be understood and accepted when going to Antarctica. We were so incredibly lucky with the weather. We were so fortunate to have 8 landings (7 for non-campers) and 1 full length zodiac cruise, and only 1 aborted landing during our time down south. We crossed the Antarctic Circle, we went further south than any tourist ship has gone, we saw more than 25 different species of animals including almost all the bucket list ones, we camped on Antarctica, and we swam in the frigid Antarctic waters. We ate gourmet food every day and were well looked after by the outstanding team. Our rooms were cleaned twice a day and had 24/7 self-service tea & coffee.

 

G Adventures is my tour company of choice if I want a tour, and for good reason. They put a lot of their profits into their charity Planeterra, and in the case of the Antarctic trips, 50% of the money passengers pay goes to Planeterra and 50% goes to the Ocean Health Fund, to help protect the oceans & wildlife in them. G Adventures is a member of IAATO, who develops the tourism regulations for Antarctica, and strictly adheres to the policies and procedures. Being a small ship of 134 passengers, they are able to manage the passengers well, and shore landings are permitted. One thing to note is that ships with 200+ passengers are not permitted to make any landings. The passengers are not allowed to leave the ship at all, which means they never actually set foot on Antarctica.

 

The expedition crew are all experts in their fields, with ornithologists, kayak instructors, historians, geologists, marine biologists, naturalists and several others, so there are always experts on hand to answer your questions. They love their job, the wildlife and Antarctica, and want to educate everyone to help them preserve the pristine environment and local species.

 

Antarctica is a stunning and spectacular place. If you love nature, I highly recommend saving up and coming to visit, especially with G Adventures. You absolutely will not regret it!

 

I really hope you have enjoyed reading about my expedition! Head over to part 4 Buenos Aires and Paris to read about the final leg of my trip.