Photos from Andvord Bay

Hey Everybody!

Danco Island, which is about one mile from the Antarctic Peninsula, and Neko Harbour - our first opportunity to land on the continent - were our hoped for shore landing sites for November 17th but weather conditions had other plans for us. However, we were able to cruise around in the zodiac. By this time we are really beginning to wonder if we'll ever land on the Antarctic mainland....

Here's a sample of what we saw... it'll be easy to see why my favorite color around the white continent is blue.

How small does our ship look in this photo?

Only two more days before we head back out into open water and the feared Drake Passage....stay tuned for the Orcas and more!

 

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Yankee Harbor & Whalers Bay (11-16-12)

Hey Everybody!

We are finally getting off the ship after too much time at sea. We are not yet on the Antarctic Continent, but we are getting closer! The combination of bad weather and lack of time has many of us worried that we won't REALLY get to touch the continent. Some of the guides get a bit annoyed when passengers say we aren't in Antarctica yet. Of course, some countries & some scientists would claim we never touched Antarctica. Thus, it mattered that we make it to the peninsula (mainland).

Our first stop was Yankee Harbor where the weather was pretty nice, but the walking was a challenge. There was still a lot of soft snow & ice so many of us sunk knee deep (frequently!) as we walked. By frequently I mean every step or two. By the time we had to leave shore I had just about mastered the ability to shuffle more and sink less. I'm pretty sure none of us minded the struggle as there were thousands of Gentoo Penguins there to distract us.

By our second stop of the day, Whalers Bay, the weather had turned on us once again - wind picked up as the snow fell. This is how the shore looked when we landed. Within an hour Neptune's Window was all but closed.

Have I mentioned that hill sliding was not encouraged? It also wasn't forbidden & it's very hard to resist! I'm not in this pic, but I did slide part of the way down. These girls slid from the top of Neptune's Window - very slick & much easier from a seated position.

One of the first Chinstrap Penguins we saw on the trip.

This particular landing site is important because we reached it by navigating the ship into a volcano. Once the weather turned, 20 of us (barely a 1/6 of the passengers) braved the polar plunge into a volcano. It felt significantly colder than the Arctic plunge back in June. I had heard from several people this volcanic site would be warmer - if you dig into the sand it's possible to feel the warmth. Unfortunately, there was no warmth above ground! The hard part was getting dressed after the plunge - hands and feet just didn't want to work. One person was taking photos of me trying to dress myself and I said, "Don't take pictures. Help me!" I needed help with my boots & never did get my pants zipped. Luckily, they didn't fall down when I got on and off the zodiac. And, after about 30 minutes I was able to feel all of my toes again! Hands recovered much faster.

 

On the 17th we got more bad weather. A combination of weather and poor shore conditions made landing at the original excursion site impossible, but I'll have some photos for you from a zodiac cruise. The 18th brings better weather and a memorable Orca Whale(s) moment. Will try to post again tomorrow and get this adventure wrapped up soon.

 

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy your weekend.

 

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Gold Harbour, South Georgia Island & Sea Days

Hey Everybody!

One more day to explore South Georgia Island before returning to sea for Antarctica....

Everybody [including me] keeps saying how amazing South Georgia is, but our time on the island has been a combination of some disappointment, some bad weather, and much hope that all the South Georgia hype wouldn't let us down. While Salisbury Plain proved unreachable, our early morning group seemed to hit the wildlife jackpot at Gold Harbour!

Gold Harbour was named by somebody hoping to find gold here, but none was ever found. What it lacks in gold, however, it more than makes up for with the Bertrab Glacier hanging above, the huge King Penguin colony, and Elephant Seals. There are Gentoo penguins, sea birds, and some fur seals too....but the Kings and the Elephant Seals made our visit.

Our first view:

 A very young elephant seal about to nurse:

Part of the colony of King Penguins: 

The Super Weaners [it's really what they're called!] - newly weaned elephant seals -  they're huge and hungry, but not yet hungry enough to do more than beg:

These island animals have NO fear of humans. It is an amazing experience to be able to walk among wandering penguins and resting seals. We were most careful when walking near molting King Penguins because that requires so much of their energy that we don't want to disturb them at all. They seemed to molt in small groups away from the big colony. The Elephant Seal Bulls fought occasionally - we kept our distance from them as well, but there was no aggression toward us from any of the animals.

A molting King Penguin:                                 

                                                                   

Islanders....all the brown feathers belong to the 1yr old King Penguins: 

While the timing of my trip made a penguin chick encounter impossible [no babies yet], the super weaners were eager to meet anybody who might be persuaded to feed them [we don't]. It was getting close to the end of our land excursion when this weaner headed my way. I immediately knelt down to meet the seal. It was very playful, sucked on my parka, and used every trick it knew to beg for milk. It never bit me or showed any signs of aggression. The basic rule is keep your distance, but if the seal approaches...enjoy the moment! We were told not to reach for them, but to let them come to us....a handful of seals were happy to oblige us humans. Luckily a couple of people were around and took photos of the encounter.

Once we're back on the ship and headed to the Antarctic Peninsula we have some more rough weather... these next sea days were harder than the Drake Passage. But not so hard that we couldn't manage a snowball fight after nearly 3 days at sea [we expected just two]. Many of us were starting to get a bit antsy for shore landings and, after all, it was snowing.... seems reason enough for a snowball fight. It was guys against girls. The girls definitely won - unless you ask the guys....

Notice that this is a multilevel snowball fight; we were serious competitors! I had two buckets of snowballs ready for the girls in advance, although a mean boy stole one of the buckets. And, to be honest, the first really good snowball hit was to my face [at least it wasn't with one of my own snowballs].

If you look closely, you will see that I am "wearing" snow on my left side [that was from the first hit to my face] and my sandals. My barefoot snowball fight only lasted the first few rounds, but when I could no longer feel my toes I went inside for wool socks. I was not the only competitor under dressed... another person had to run inside for gloves about the same time. 

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As always, thanks for stopping by! That's all for now....all of a sudden many of us were counting days until the trip was over when just days ago it seemed we had weeks left. Antarctic Peninsula coming soon!

ps thanks to Jing & Angela for the fight pics!

Grytviken [S. Georgia continued]

Hey Everybody,

From Stromness we traveled overnight to Grytviken - famous for its whaling station and for being Ernest Shackleton's final resting place. At 11:30AM our group joined expedition staff at the cemetery for a whiskey toast to his memory. I drank too, which is unusual for me, but I was hoping that a shot of whiskey would help me combat the cold I inherited from my cabin mate. It didn't, but it did help me stay up until 4AM with my new ship friends [probably not so good for fighting colds!].

Anyway.... Grytviken is one of the oldest whaling stations [1904], but also served as seal hunting grounds as a sideline activity. The remaining ships and structures suggest it was a huge whale processing site. I understand the times were different back then, but I must confess that I don't think I can bear another whaling station this year. I do not appreciate them for historical significance; I just see the whale bones of whales that could have lived. Grytviken is where the largest Blue Whale ever recorded [112ft] was taken [1912]. 

Grytviken is also well-known for its Whalers' Church.

 

As you can see, we had beautiful weather during our 

day here....

Grytviken wasn't all bad...we had elephant seals, some penguins, and antarctic fur seals. Here a Gentoo and a King Penguin were bickering over territory. We didn't see much of that during the trip....most penguins seem to get along.

Remember that the fur seals are the pseudo-aggressive ones, so I am not quite as close to this one as it looks. 

That's all for tonight....the best of South Georgia is still to come! Stay tuned & thanks for stopping by!

Mother Nature Visits South Georgia too

Hey Everybody,

Before we passengers ride the zodiacs to the S. Georgia shore we first spend nearly 3 days at sea. The journey from Stanley took longer than expected due to some rough weather. Finally, on the 10th we reached the first intended landing site (Salisbury Plain), but weather conditions were poor and we had to keep moving. This was a great disappointment to many of us! Salisbury was referenced REPEATEDLY as one of the best landing sites for wildlife. The best opportunity to see the Macaroni Penguins was at Salisbury; thus we never did see any on the trip.

Some professional photographers were NOT happy with this turn of events - and less so when our second site of the day (Prion Island - excellent for birders) was also ruled out due to the weather. Thus, on the ship we remained until the ship captain & the expedition leader identified an alternate landing site.

Still before we go to shore, you should know we have a bio-security briefing! We have daily cleanup procedures already, but S. Georgia requires more. In this meeting we are given instructions on how to eliminate (or at least significantly reduce) the transfer of any foreign matter to shore. Vacuums are set up on each cabin deck so that we can vacuum both the clothes we expect to wear to shore and the backpacks (inside & out) we carry. Special attention is paid to any velcro because seeds might get stuck there. Additionally, our boots are washed & scrubbed before being dipped in a sanitary rinse.

Welcome to Stromness (an old whaling station), our first land excursion on South Georgia Island.

It turned out to be an unbelievable experience but not for the wildlife. There was some wildlife: small colony of King penguins, antarctic fur seals (belligerent attitude optional), and a few elephant seals hauled out on the beach.

Just a little FYI for any of you who might encounter a fur seal in the future... they like their space. They don't mind your company, but stay on the proper side of the invisible line:-). When they do charge (and they will), don't worry because it's only a false charge. Stand your ground, make yourself big, and bang two rocks together. It works. Do not run....that just means game on!

The weather turned from bad to worse & was by far the worst weather of the entire trip. Look at this calm, sheltered place..hardly seems possible, but...

Winds blew 105mph; seriously! Some of our guides have made 100 polar trips; none of them had ever experienced this in such a sheltered cove. Such a wind is known as a Katabatic wind, and they are common in Antarctica. The wind comes down off the glaciers, speeding up as it goes, and is incredibly cold and fierce as you might have guessed.

Five zodiacs flipped over; staff flew into the water both when trying to secure zodiacs and when trying to drive them. No passengers went in the water, although one woman ended up with bruised ribs when the wind knocked down a much larger male onto her. Dozens of people were stranded on land for hours because there was no safe way back to the ship. The side of the ship was banged up by the anchor - all kind of scratches on it. Not a big deal in the grand picture but reminded us all how quickly conditions can change. And reminded us to pay attention and take seriously guides' instructions to wear a waterproof outer layer, pack an extra layer & carry a pair of dry socks.

I had been on shore in the first group, so was on the ship during the worst of the storm. The ship wasn't much better, but warmer of course: people in chairs sliding around, dishes breaking, and the ship listing approx. 20 degrees at times (felt and looked like much more).

Here are two storm pics (they were taken by another passenger, Rolf):

But alas, fear not for the South Georgia journey is not over yet....

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Port Stanley [British Capital of Falkland Islands]

Hey Everybody,

So, a little history on Stanley [population: approx. 2,050]. Stanley is on East Falkland Island. It was established in the 1840's. It survived [won] the 1982 Falklands War with Argentina and to this day the campaign against Argentina is visible on the island.

On a related note, do NOT ever try to:
1. use Argentina money on the Falkland Islands. The Brits don't think that's funny. Those of us on the ship were given very clear instructions not to even joke about this in town. They will take Falkland Pounds, US Dollars, and Euros.
2. recycle cans and bottles. Really....I asked a food vendor where I could recycle and was told very tersely that Argentina will not permit any ship with UK/Falkland Island recycling materials into its waters. Thus, Stanley cannot recycle. Sure, they could ship the materials to Britain or elsewhere, but at some point I'm pretty sure the cost outweighs the benefits. Such a shame....

Anyway, Stanley is a cute & colorful little community. Not much in the way of wildlife at this stop, but plenty of pubs and shops for the tourists. During season, Stanley has cruise ships in several times each week.

Sir Ernest Shackleton was here

Local church with whale bone arches

Port Stanley Police Station. It has 13 jail cells. 

 At the museum you are most likely to find items of the Falklands War and remnants of the whaling industry, such as this harpoon. 

ps I failed to mention in the previous post that Saunders Island's true claim to fame is not the adorable Rockhopper Penguins, but the nesting Black-Browed Albatross. So, I give you the nesting Albatross....

After Stanley we returned to sea; destination South Georgia Island. We were told almost daily that it is Earth's crown jewel. How is a piece of land ever to live up to such high expectations?