Antarctica!

February 1, 2012 - in the Drake Passage, at sea, heading to Antarctica

We had hoped to be able to see Cape Horn but the weather was so bad to the west of us that the Captain veered due south and off we went. The route around Cape Horn was the shorter of the two routes between Europe and Asia/Pacific. A Dutch merchant, Isaac Le Maire, was awarded rights to trade in Asia. He hired Willem Shouten, from Hoorn, the Netherlands, to explore the route for safe passage for his goods. Schouten departed in 1615 with two vessels: the Eendracht and the Hoorn. They sailed first to Patagonia, where the Hoorn burned on the beach. They sailed to the south in January 1616 and rounded Tierra del Fuego on January 29. They successfully entered the Pacific Ocean without passing through the Strait of Magellan. The sailors named the southernmost point Kaan van Hoorn in honor of their village in the Netherlands.

Great speakers: History of the US Involvement in the Antarctic, Antarctic Treaty: Managing an Unspoiled Continent and Introduction to Sea Birds of Antarctica. Camera class. Battles of the Sexes games all days long – WOMEN prevailed! Movie “180 Degrees South: Conquerors of the Useless” about trying to climb Mt. Corcovado in Chile. Dinner with Sparky (Daniel Hoffman), entertainment staff.

Did you know there are 17 species of penguins? They have a layer of grease under their skin which serves as a thermal insulator. Some can sustain temperatures of -40 degrees Fahrenheit! Baby chicks have dense feathers which they shed for their known black and white feathers. They can swim up to 13 miles an hour! There are no physical differences between the male and female. They groom each other frequently.

Dale Kristien, actress “Christine” of the Phantom of the Opera played opposite Michael Crawford for FIVE years, was the entertainer. Pirates and privateers party! Movie “180 Degree South: Conquerors of the Useless” about the Chilean Patagonia.

“Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by.” - Robert Frost

February 2 – 2012 – Antarctica!

The sun is up at 4:30 and sets about 11PM. Temperature is freezing and the wind makes it even colder -- and is their summertime. Enough said.

Rules for visiting this area: No smoking by crew and guests on all open decks, including verandahs. No loud playing of music or making loud noises on open decks. Do not feed birds and other wildlife. Do not throw anything overboard and remove all items that can be blown overboard by the wind. Do not fish (!!). Do not litter.

Up at 6 as we approached Anvers Island. Small and medium size icebergs floating past us but today we are “enjoying” gale force winds, SNOW, and just plain cold temperatures. In the SUMMER. The seas are calmer than last night since we are in the channel.
Antarctica’s frigid nature was revealed by the 2nd voyage of Captain James Cook in 1772. He was the first to cross the Antarctic Circle. John Davis made the first landing on the Antarctic continent in 1821 at Hughes Bay. The continent is almost completely covered by continental ice sheets, which are compacted layers of snow that turn into ice. It is surrounded by sea ice, or pack ice, formed from ocean water that freezes, which makes it impossible to access Antarctica during the winter months. The continent holds 90% of the world’s ice and 70% of its fresh water. If melted, it would cause sea levels to rise 200 feet. The ice is, on average, 6,561 feet thick but can reach up to 13,123 feet!!

The scenes around us were misty and clouded. It was not the photo op we see in the National Geographic magazines but, perhaps, the real Antarctica. We were here in 1995 and I have to confess that I remember many more icebergs and seals and penguins and birds. And sunshine. But we had mist and snow and wind. I can’t imagine sailing in the old ships in this mess. The seas were rough and we secured everything in the stateroom.

Various lecturers throughout the day and many whale and penguin siteings. Did you know that penguins look like frogs leaping through the water as they “swim”? Really cute – little black and white figures.

Naki Ataman, from Turkey, played a non-stop musical adventure/tribute to 19 countries for 45 minutes on the piano.

“A traveler without observation is a bird without wings.” – Moslih Eddin Saadi

February 3, 2012 – Antarctica – Anvers Island, Cuverville Island, Brabant Island, Neumayer Channel

Cruising all day we were pleased to see many penguins and whales around us. The weather fluctuated between misty and damp with some sun. The wind was COLD.

Antarctica is completely surrounded by the three great oceans of the world – Atlantic, Pacific and Indian. The nearest settlement is Ushuaia, Argentina at 622 miles away. It is the bigger than Australia and Europe and if it were a country, it would be the second-largest in the world, after Russia. We saw several research stations and disembarked a team of scientists (mostly young adults) from Palmer Station who worked together for 3-5 months on various research projects, such as counting penguins the marine ecosystem, atmospheric studies and the effects of increased ultraviolet radiation on marine and terrestrial communities. They gave two nice lectures on their facility with photos.
Palmer Station, built in 1968, honors Nathan B. Palmer, who in 1820 was one of the very first to see and experience Antarctica. It can accommodate 44 people and is usually only full during the summer months.

While there are no permanent residents, anywhere from 1000-4000 people reside at various times of the year as participants in research projects representing many different countries. Although some of these stations are staffed year-round, the personnel are not considered residents of Antarctica. In 1913, Klara Olette Jacobsen gave birth to the firs child born in the southern polar region. Her husband was the Assistant Manager of whaling station and two of their children were born here and registered by the British Magistrate. In 1978, Emilio Marcos Palma became the first person born on the Antarctic mainland. His parents were part of a group of families sent by the Argentinean government to see if family life was suitable, or even possible, in the harsh conditions. Currently, there are several bases where families live and station schools attend to the educational needs of the children.

Jim Kolb was the entertainer – 12 string guitarist and comedian.

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” Henry Miller

February 4, 2012 – Antarctica –Bransfield Strait, Palmer Archipelago, Gerlache Strait, Lemaire Channel

Up at 4:30 for the final day of scenic cruising. Deception Island is volcanic and on our previous trip when we landed, you could swim there! The water was hot but the air was cold!

98% of the continent is covered with ice and is the coldest, driest and windiest continent on Earth. The interior, due to lack of precipitation, is also technically the largest desert in the world. As of today, 45 countries have signed the Antarctic Treaty which prohibits military activity and mineral mining and encourages scientific research and protects the continent’s ecozone.

The days were cold and dreary with a few hours of sunshine. What a contrast from the days in South America. I don’t think that many people realized how different this portion of the trip would be – mentally and physically. Wonderful experience.

Saw an interesting documentary on the Poncet family, from the Falklands, who spend the summer in Antarctica with their children, doing research. Took them five days to sail from the Falklands each way – in a SAIL BOAT. “Antarctic Wildlife Adventure”

Note from the Captain: “I wish to inform you that although we have planned to avoid the worst of the weather, we will however encounter rough seas towards this evening. We are expecting seas to increase with a wave height on the portside up to 19 feet and relative wind speed of up to 70 mph through the night and continuing until we arrive at Port Stanley, Falkland Islands.” Battle down the hatches, gang. We’re in for a rough night.

“There is no moment of delight in any pilgrimage like the beginning of it.” - Charles Dudley Warner