MV FRAM EXPEDITION BLOG

Closing in... on the Drake

2012-02-01T23:02:00.002-02:00

After a trip full of activities it was nice to have a relaxing day onboard again. The Captain invited us to visit the bridge in the morning. After watching the Captain navigating through narrow straits and pushing ice we of course had questions about how this was all possible. He explained how easily the Fram is operated and that she has the ice class B1 and propulsion A1, which means that we have a stronger hull. He also explained how its stabilators reduce the rolling up to 70%. This is certainly much appreciated by some of us who can’t help feeling seasick! The lucky ones who didn't feel the affects of the waves enjoyed the good food in the buffet.

The wave intensity has been slowly rising as we make our way to Ushuaia: we have learned that there is a low pressure approaching, which means we could have a bumpy ride ahead... Read the blog tomorrow and you will find out how it went! But after such an extraordinarily calm trip, it’s about time we experience some bad weather in the stormiest of all the oceans. That would be the perfect closure for an Antarctica Trip.

As usual, several lectures were offered throughout the day. We still haven’t lost the urge to learn about Antarctica, its creatures and adventures. We are also starting to prepare our departure, at least mentally. We had time to start sorting the hundreds of breathtaking photos we have made during our expedition trip and we also had the opportunity to discover the work of our ship's photographer Mark, in a video which was shown all day long. After the lectures we watched a movie about Shackleton’s Endurance expedition in 1914, during which they were locked up in the pack ice for several months before loosing their vessel, and how they heroically made their way to South Georgia on a small open boat, the James Caird, in order to rescue the rest of the crew left behind on Elephant Island.

Wandering Albatross

Like always during the passage, many seabirds like the Wandering Albatross, the Souther Giant Petrel, the Wilson's Storm Petrel and others, were flying around the ship providing a spectacle for the passengers and a challenge for the photographers onboard.

The Nearly Perfect Voyage

2012-01-31T22:07:00.000-02:00

Lemaire Channel

The nearly perfect trip was marred by too much ice. This morning our hope was to offer Polar Cirkle boat cruising at 09:00 in the Lemaire Channel but there was so much ice that there was no place to safely put the small sturdy craft on the sea. Instead we cruised on Fram in some of the most breath taking scenery the earth has to offer with seas so calm they mirrored every nuance of the surrounding icy paradise. It is difficult to describe how beautiful it was. Imagine ice-covered mountains rising steeply from the sea on both sides of the ship. Picture the sea covered with open pack ice and the water between the pieces of ice reflecting the ice covered mountains and glaciers. Lying on many ice floes were lots of Crabeater Seals, more than a few Leopard Seals and the occasional Weddell Seal. We even had a Minke Whale pop up for a close inspection of the ship. Our second option was not too shabby.

Leopard Seal

After cruising the Lemaire we plied our way through to Paradise Bay and on to Water Boat Point and the Chilean Base called Gabriel Gonsalez Videla.

Chilean Base Gabriel Gonsalez Videla
Photo © Andrew Wenzel

About half of the thirteen people occupying the base were there to greet us as we pulled up to the tiny pier. We made the only truly dry landing of the entire trip! Nine of the men were from the navy and the other four were Chilean air force. They were excellent hosts and opened the doors to their recreation centre, a small museum and gift shop and even the small radio room overlooking the narrow channel at Water Boat Point.

Leucistic Gentoo Penguin

One of the highlights of the visit was a creamy coloured Gentoo penguin brooding a chick quiteclose to one of the main buildings. The condition is known as leucistic. Every once in a while a penguin is hatched lacking pigment. It is not true albinism. This condition also occurs sporadically in other species of penguins. Usually the chicks have normal pigmentation but occasionally their off spring are leucistic as well.

Chilean Base Gabriel Gonsalez Videla
Photo © Andrew Wenzel

By 19:00 the last Polar Cirkel Boat left shore. We waved goodbye to the friendly guys at Gabriel Gonsalez Videla and turned our thoughts to what King Neptune might have to offer us on Drake Passage for the next two days.

Yet another great day in the white continent

2012-01-30T23:07:00.000-02:00

Cuverville Island

This morning we were greeted by another splendid day as we approached Cuverville Island, our first landing destination for the day. Almost two weeks had passed since the Fram visited this Gentoo colony and we were thrilled to find that some chicks had hatched since then and were now snuggling with their parents on their rocky nests. It is so easy to get swept away by the sheer splendour of these animals as they display such primal family behaviour. Those who could tear themselves away from watching the Gentoos also had the option of a small climb to a viewing area above the beach. Two humpback whales were spotted in the distance from this panoramic location. Time went by all too quickly and before we knew it we had to return to the ship for lunch.

Cuverville Island

Gentoo Penguins Cuverville Island

Port Lockroy

By 3pm we had reached our next destination, Port Lockroy, a British Station and the southern most Post Office in the world. Five staff members occupy the station and share it with hundreds of Gentoo penguins. The museum and souvenir shop kept everyone busy and the passengers also had time to visit Jougla Point (a neighbouring island) with enormous whalebones from another time and even more Gentoo penguins. A leopard seal took interest in one of the polar cirkel boats before it was time to get back onboard and we were happy to host our British friends from Port Lockroy as they joined us for dinner.

Another wonderful day with two very contrasting locations and there is still more to come…

Blog entry by Mark Woszczalski

Port Lockroy

Astrolabe Island & Deception Island

2012-01-29T23:41:00.000-02:00

Oh yeah! Another sunny day in Antarctica! The calm sea allowed us to do a landing at Astrolabe Island, which is a very rare opportunity. The male fur seal were more or less happy sharing the beach with us for a few hours. A Leopard seal and some Weddell seals were swimming around near the landing site. And of course there was a penguin colony, this time Chinstraps. Some of us made it to the top of a snow-covered peak. Not just for the amazing view, but also for the enjoyment of sliding down the mountainside. On the way back to the ship we did a cruise around the Island and had a look at birdlife; Southern Fulmars, Giant Petrels, Antarctic Terns and Kelp Gulls.

We were expecting to spend the rest of the day onboard, but the weather was just too good. We just had to get out again. The Expedition leader and the Captain quickly re-arranged the schedule. After some relaxing time onboard with lectures and delicious waffles we were ready for an evening landing at Whalers Bay on Deception Island. We walked between the historical buildings of a Norwegian whaling station that operated here from 1912 to 1932, we tried to imagine what the place must have looked like then. Obviously, two hikes where offered, one to the East side and one to the West side of the landing site. The bravest ones among us also went for a swim in the ice-cold water. This was another day in paradise.

Paulet Island and Brown Bluff

2012-01-28T23:17:00.000-02:00

Adelie Penguins on Nodenskjöld hut, Paulet Island
Photo © A. Wenzel

Antarctic Fur Seal Paulet Island, Photo © A. Wenzel

We had yet another fantastic day. The sky was overcast as we zipped ashore in the Polar Cirkle boats at 09:00. The ride took all of two minutes and then, there we were, standing on the shore of Paulet Island, the home of 100,000 breeding pairs of Adelie Penguins. But that really doesn’t describe the numbers accurately nor does it give you a good idea of the scenario. 100,000 breeding pairs does not include the chicks, or the sexually immature birds, or the singles and divorcées. Of course many of the adults are out feeding and will return later to feed their chicks. So how many birds were there when we were there? It is difficult to say. A lot. How many could be there at one time? Probably somewhere around 300,000 on the entire island. That’s a lot of penguins. Needless to say, it is a busy place.

A short walk of about 150 metres brought us to an historic hut where 19 men from the Nordenskjøld expedition were forced to stay over the winter. The word hut is somewhat boastful in this case. The walls are barely over a metre high and the roof is long gone. Penguins now nest and roost along its historic walls.

About another 150 metres further inshore, lying in a natural amphitheatre is a small beautiful green lake, green because of the dense algae flourishing in its waters. A chorus of calling Adelies line the walls of the concert bowl. The sound is rather impressive.

Brown Bluff. Gentoo and Adelie Penguin colonies.
Photo © A. Wenzel

Paulet Island, Adelie Penguin colony, fresh water lake.
Photo © A. Wenzel

If you walked the landing in a large loop you would complete the circuit at a large colony of Antarctic Shags. They are handsome black and white birds closely related to cormorants. When they are in peak breeding season they have a large crest and beautiful bright blue eyes. Close to the shags was a young male Antarctic Fur Seal, the first of many that will arrive in the next few weeks. In fact in a month’s time there will be several hundred of these handsome animals scattered along the beach and throughout the landing area.

By 13:00 everyone was back on board Fram. The dining room was filled with the chatter of happy people relating their experiences to one another over a very welcome and hearty lunch.

On the glacier at Brown Bluff, Photo © A. Wenzel

After lunch there was lots of time to rest or admire the scenery as we weren’t due to arrive at Brown Bluff until 16:00. Just before 16:00 we dropped the anchor and headed to shore. Once again we had perfect conditions for a landing! The sky was now hazy overcast with large regions of clear blue sky poking through. The sea was flat calm.

When we arrived on shore the Expedition Leader Karin briefed us on our options. We had lots of choices. We could hike to the left and trek up the glacier with Karin. We could hike to the left and head on up the moraine where there was a fantastic view with Andy, or we could hike to the right where there were thousands of nesting Adelie and Gentoo penguins, or we could do any combination as long as we were back at the landing site at the prescribed time.

Sunset on the Weddell Sea, Photo © A. Wenzel

Whatever we chose to do we could not go wrong. En route to the glacier a Leopard Seal was snoozing on a large ice floe and just behind the Leopard was a similarly somnambulant Crabeater Seal. And another 15 metres past those pinnipeds were a couple of Antarctic Fur Seals on the beach. High up on the moraine with Andy were a pair of skuas with two chicks.

About midway through the landing a huge piece of ice calved off of the glacier face sending an impressive wave racing to shore. As a safety precaution, the Expedition Team cleared everyone off the beach.

Humpback Whale.

Two fantastic landings in one day. But the perfect ending to a perfect day was yet to come. At about 21:15 we encountered three humpback whales. There was no wind. The sea was flat calm. The sunset was inspiring. We stayed with the three whales for about a half hour. We could clearly hear them breathing each time they came up for air. The experience was humbling.

From Devil Land to Virgin Land

2012-01-27T23:49:00.000-02:00

We woke up to a beautiful sunny day... again! The weather has been kind to us during this trip.

The approach to our first landing site was spectacular. The Fram sailed smoothly through nicely shaped icebergs and bergibits. At 0930 we landed at Devil Island. This 1.6km long island northeast of Vega Island was discovered and named by Nordenskjöld during his 1901-1094 Swedish Antarctic Expedition.

The island has a fairly big colony of Adelie Penguins (over 2000 breeding pairs) and an exceptional panorama of the surroundings. Hikers had the chance to get to one of the summits on the island which offered 360° views of the Erebus and Terror Gulf and the Vega Island. Two of the stranded parties of the Nordenskjöld expedition were reunited by chance after the long winter on Vega Island. The place were they met was called Cape Well-Met for obvious reasons!

On our way to our next destination we had the opportunity to admire the numerous and spectacular waterfalls on Vega Island.

We stepped on land that has never been walked upon by tourists before!!! Crystal Hill, on the Antarctic continent. Our Expedition leader picked the spot on the map, it looked very appealing for a long hike, and indeed, it was the perfect place! Two itineraries were proposed in order to reach the two highest points from where amazing views were offered to us. There was also a third option for the passengers who didn’t feel like making a big hike: a cruise on Polar Cirkle Boats to get the chance to have a closer look at the beautiful icebergs surrounding us.

This has been another extraordinary day in the Weddell Sea!

Continuing in the footsteps of Nordenskjöld

2012-01-27T09:28:00.001-02:00

Many of us were outside on deck or in the panorama lounge until late last night. How can you sleep when thousands of beautiful icebergs are floating by, seals and penguin enjoying the sun and seabirds flying around? In spite of the late evening we all woke up early, ice was surrounding the ship. Would a landing be possible? The Expedition leader kept us updated as we were approaching Snow Hill Island, informing us that it did not look too promising for a landing as the ice was too packed.

Now we are like the old explorers, we never now what is awaiting us around the next corner. Is the ice packed or will we be able to get safely through it? … We had to be prepared!!

The experienced Officers on the bridge managed to navigate through the ice faster than expected allowing us a fantastic experience.

We arrived at Snow Hill Island and got to see the hut where the Swedish scientists from the Nordenskjöld expedition overwintered in 1902 and 1903, 6 men in a hut with 3 small bedrooms and a kitchen. It looked small to us, but compared to the guys who were left on Hope bay, and who had to build a stone hut, they were in paradise. Snow Hill also offered us the opportunity to admire many fossils and a spectacular scenery.

After this beautiful landing we were already satisfied with our day. But it turns out the day was not over jet!! Pushing through more ice we landed at Penguin point in Seymour Island. The name Penguin point speaks for it self. There were penguins everywhere, 20000 breading pairs and their chicks. Weather again played in our favour and the terrain allowed us to walk right in the middle of the huge penguin colony without disturbing the birds. This was a perfect landing!

Happy Australia Day to all the Aussies on board!!

Weather it's Dr. Jekyll or Mr.Hyde

2012-01-25T21:07:00.001-02:00

There is no place on earth more beautiful than Antarctica in the sunshine. At the close of yesterday evening the sky was also closing in. Clouds had continuously moved in to stuff all of the blue patches full of grey. We went to bed expecting morning weather of a similar ilk.

To our surprise we awoke to sunny blue skies and absolutely calm seas. Hardly a breath of wind disturbed the sea. Not what we were expecting but we will take it!

En route to our landing at the Argentine Base Esperanza we cruised by many giant tabular icebergs. We are now on the north east side of the Antarctic Peninsula in the Weddell Sea. These colossal islands of ice have broken free from ice shelves many miles to the south. They hitch a ride on north bound ocean currents and drift inexorably to where we saw them today.

Shortly after 09:00 we began our landing operations. We could see all of the bright orange buildings of the base from the ship. Esperanza looked like a small town and that is probably the precise image Argentina had in mind when they first laid their sovereignty claims to Antarctica. In the seventies pregnant women were encouraged to come to Esperanza and in 1978 the first child was born here in Hope Bay further bolstering Argentina’s claims.

The tide was high when we arrived which permitted us to land at the quay. Several personnel of the base were there to greet us including the base commander. We were given a guided tour which included an historic stone hut from a Swedish South Polar Expedition in 1901-03. Three men had been stranded there for the winter with nothing to eat but seal meat, penguins and one bottle of Aquavit.

Inside the community centre we had the opportunity to buy souvenirs and mail post cards.

On return to the landing site we found that the tide had fallen buy a metre and a half. We could no longer use the dock and boarded the Polar Cirkle boats from the rocky shore beside the pier.

Our next landing was scheduled for Kinnes Cove at 14:30. It was only about 25 miles from Esperanza but in the short distance between the two landing sites the weather had done a Jekyll and Hyde. Sunny blue skies were now solidly overcast. Our mill pond sea was now laced with white caps. The gentle breezes of the morning were replaced with 35 knot winds. A landing at Kinnes Cove would be impossible.

We spent the next couple of hours investigating two other landing site alternatives in the vicinity but none offered shelter from the wind and the sea.

To make use of the unexpected sea time, lectures were soon arranged and the Framheim and Polhogda lecture halls were soon filled with people eager to learn more about the Geology and biology of Antarctica.

At about 17:30 we entered Fridjhof Sound where we encountered two Humpback Whales, two Minke Whales and several hundred Adelie penguins. Undoubtedly all of these animals were here to share one giant smorgasbord of sea food. We paused for awhile to enjoy the scenery of the sound and the many animals before proceeding out to the Weddell Sea.

Touching ground

2012-01-24T23:51:00.000-02:00

Our day started with the mandatory IAATO Briefing, we were told how we have to behave in our landings in order to disturb as little as possible this last pristine place on earth. We learned that there has been an important introduction of alien species to Antarctica through tourists and scientists. To avoid this, we proceeded to an intense vacuum cleaning process of our landing equipment.

Shortly afterwards we saw our first conically shaped iceberg, and as we approached the South Shetland Islands we encountered flocks of thousands of Cape Petrels. They accompanied us for a while, displaying their fabulous acrobatic flight all around the ship. To reach our destination, we entered Nelson Strait and as we headed west towards Livingston we saw a three Humpback Whales.

Our first landing in Half Moon Island started at around 16h, we could feel the excitement in the air! As if we had asked for it, we had perfect sunny weather. Half Moon Island is a 2km long, crescent-shaped island between Greenwich and Livingston Islands. It has a big Chinstrap Penguin colony, with more than 3000 breeding pairs. It used to be a known destination for the whalers that visited the area in the 1800, which is still visible because of the many whale bones scattered around the landing area. One group of hikers climbed up the 102m high hill at the northern extremity of the island and passed in front of the Argentinian Station Camara. Others walked to the other extremity of the island and had the chance to encounter Weddell and Fur Seals.

One thing is sure, we all came back to the ship with a big smile on our faces!!

What Happens On A Sea Day?

2012-01-23T23:01:00.004-02:00

Southern Giant Petrel

In the morning we entered the dreaded Drake Passage, the ride was a little bumpy in the beginning, but calmed down during the day. Apart from some welcomed visits from the seabirds we were alone at sea. We were lucky to spot a Light Mantled Sooty Albatross and several Giant Petrels.

Light-mantled Sooty Albatross

After today’s lecture program we are well prepared for the voyage. All our questions about penguins were answered. Do penguins get cold feet? Are penguins faithful? Have you ever wondered how penguins recognize their kids and spouses in a huge colony when they are all dressed in the same clothing? The secret is they recognize the voice of their loved ones and that’s why penguin colonies can sometimes be very noisy. We had a wide variety of lectures to attend; the incredible story of the Nordenskiold expedition, geology, whales and seals.

With a day at sea we had time to get familiar with the ship. Many used the day to relax in the panorama lounge on deck 7 and some even used the opportunity to visit the gym and sauna. Tomorrow morning we will reach Antarctica and hopefully we will have the chance to set foot on land again.

The Land of Fire

2012-01-22T22:59:00.001-02:00

Tierra del Fuego. The land of fire. The very name of this storied land conjures a sense of romance and adventure. Our voyage to the land of ice begins in the land of fire. There is a certain poetic symmetry to that.

It is about a three and a half hour flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia. Excitement built as we made our descent to the Ushuaia airport. We could see our ship, the MS Fram far below.

After collecting our luggage we had time to explore Ushuaia on an introductory tour or go on an excursion to Lago Escondido. Exploring the streets of Ushuaia there is still a feeling of a burgeoning frontier town. Certainly tourism is still growing here. Ushuaia is the gateway to one of the last really great wild frontiers. While it is the height of summer the weather is cool and a jacket is still required. Many of the local people are on vacation. By the early afternoon all of the restaurants were filled with a mixture of locals and tourists.

At 16:00 we boarded the buses that would take us on a very short ride to the pier. Smiling crew members greeted us as we walked up the gangway and into the ship. Soon we were issued photo IDs and were escorted to our cabins where our luggage was already waiting for us. Then it was a simple matter to open a cruise account at reception, hand in our medical form to the Doctor and finally, to pick up our spiffy new blue Expedition Jackets. It didn’t take very long to process two hundred people. The lineups were short and the whole procedure was very efficient.

The wind had been building throughout the afternoon and as we approached departure time at 18:00 gusts of over 40 knots were ripping across the harbour. We wondered what that might mean out on the more open ocean. But by 20:30 the winds had abated and it was time for the mandatory safety drill.

When we heard seven short alarms followed by one long alarm we gathered at our muster stations on deck five. It was a gorgeous evening on the Beagle Channel. Our attention was split between watching the crew demonstrate the immersion suits and life jackets and admiring the sunset and the beautiful scenery of the Beagle.

Immediately following the drill at 21:00 we rendezvoused in the Observation Lounge on deck seven where we met the Captain and Officers of Fram and were introduced to the Expedition Team and other key personnel from the ship.

Phew! Just about everyone that chooses to go to Antarctica has a very long and arduous journey to make just to get to the starting point. But now it is time to kick back and relax and to let the adventure carry us the rest of the way.

Photos by Mark Woszczalski

From Drake Lake to Drake Shake

2012-01-21T23:02:00.001-02:00

It is almost hard to believe, the calm sea we had yesterday. Today, our crossing of the Drake was again rough and shaky. In the morning Karin announced an 8 on the Beaufort scale, but as we approached Cape Horn (which we managed to see in the distance) the waves seemed to grow bigger and bigger.

Despite the movement, we had another day packed with activities. Lectures were given on different topics including a public discussion on climate change. In the afternoon, as usual, we auctioned the sea chart of our voyage. The money raised during these auctions goes to several charities that protect the wildlife of the area, so the chart is not only a beautiful souvenir but it is also a contribution towards the conservation of the unique (sub-) Antarctic nature we have just experienced.

The Captain and all crew & staff bid farewell to our guests that will leave us tomorrow morning. We all hope that you have enjoyed this trip on board Fram, that you take unforgettable memories with you and that you have a safe journey home!

Impressions from Port Lockroy

2012-01-20T22:56:00.000-02:00

Today I am the guest writer as the Drake Passage is way too calm for good stories.

As you might have read, Fram dropped me off last voyage in Port Lockroy, the former British Base.
Lets be honest for a moment: when you are coming to Port Lockroy for the short visits that ships usually do, you tent to wonder what the staff there is actually doing all day long when there is no ship. One then imagines it to be a rather quiet spot. If you have travelled with us before, you know exactly what I mean.

It has always been a dream to spent more time in Antarctica at one spot, not to move around and to see a little bit more and get a different input and impression. When I asked the „United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust“ a year ago if there is a slight possibiliy to join the Port Lockroy team for a few days, I was not quite sure if it would all work out.

With Ylva in the shop

It turned out to be a crazy busy time! The main team consists of four women with Ylva as base commander, Claire, Cath and Kat. When I was there we also had a carpenter called Michael (who looks a bit like Harrison Ford) as well as for five days Jonathan who got some technical equipment (webcam, iridium phones etc) going. You get up at around 6.30am every day and then basically work through all day long. As soon as one ship was gone, the next one moved in. And it staid like this for nearly the entire time! Now it is high season in Antarctica and you do not have time to sleep or rest: talking about the history with arriving passengers, restocking the store, counting needed to be done in addition to the ongoing renovation work of the historical buildings.

What I realized very soon is the hard work that the entire team puts into their work- and the total dedication to the project. I realized that this is definately not a relaxing job but is very challenging in many aspects. I learned to admire the girls for their „handyman“ skills and can just say in German: HUT AB! It is interesting to see how ones abilities are stretching, how you want to learn more and more and really get into it. During the time, the work shop was painted as it is hopefully soon part of the museum. It will look absolutely great when it is done and just thinking about it makes one smile. The great thing is that despite all the work it was a bit „therapeutic“ as well as you see what you have done in the end of the day. Which as Expedition Leader you never have the feeling that you are totally finished in the end of the day...Often, tasks took long- just to paint a window can take a few days due to the fact that a) it took so long to dry in the Antarctic climate, b) visitors came and one had to leave the current work and c) something unexpected happened all the time. Which was great! Carrying wood and other rubbish to the landing site for the soon-to-be pick up by the HSM Protector was not an easy task. Not because it was heavy alone, but also because you had to go over slippry stones and you just knew that you could not afford to miss-step on any of those and slide and fall.

We were 7 people in a very tiny building and a confined place but without any hesitation I can say: I loved every minute of it! But I do think that porridge for breakfast ist something that you have to grow up with to

REALLY appreciate it.

No Deception at all!

2012-01-20T00:20:00.000-02:00

Today was our sportive day! Hiking and swimming were two major activities during Fram’s stay in the famous caldera of Deception Island.

The fittest of us started for a 4 hours hike in the morning, heading from Whalers Bay towards Baily Head at the outer part of the island, where a huge rookery of chinstrap penguins is located.

In the meantime, the remaining passengers had ample time to explore the rests of an old whaler’s station and a British base that was destroyed by a volcanic eruption in 1969. For many of the guests this was also the opportunity to try out a swim in Antarctic waters.
After lunch the Fram repositioned and we had a second landing at an (at the moment) uninhabited Argentinean station. Another walk started in this moonlike volcanic landscape and again our final destination was a penguin colony. Some of us managed to get close to it, others enjoyed the beautiful view (and sound!) from above the ridge.
All in all it was an active last day in Antarctica!

No hope for Esperanza

2012-01-19T00:16:00.000-02:00

During the night we made good speed and in the morning we were in the eastern part of the Bransfield Strait. The sea has calmed down considerably and we enjoyed an agreeable sea day with good weather, a little bit overcast. The sunshine gave us a good view on the western coast of the Antarctic Peninsula with high snow covered mountains and glaciers coming down into the sea. During the morning and also in the early afternoon we had lectures about the Nordenskjöld expedition, seals, penguins, ice and geology.

Around noon we reached the entrance of the Antarctic Sound, more and bigger icebergs especially tabular icebergs appeared and the wind became stronger and the waves higher.

Around 15.00 we arrived at the Argentinean Station Esperanza, we contact its crew and they told us, that there is no possibility for a landing under the prevailing condition. Our Expedition leader decided to wait until the weather conditions would have improved and went further into the Antarctic Sound to enjoy more of this marvellous scenery. We came close to Brown Bluff and checked the condition for a landing here, but the swell was too high for a safe operation with our Polar Circle Boats. Though the wind was blowing and we had quite high swell, we still had nice sunshine and could enjoy a the wonderful scenery of the Fridtjof Sound and the western part of the Weddell Sea with the high brown cliffs of the volcanic coast and the volcanic islands, glaciers, some small waterfalls and again lots of picturesque icebergs.

Turning back we passed again the Esperanza Station and again the swell was too high for a landing operation. We continued slowly through the Antarctic Sound, still cruising. Finally we made our way into the Bransfield Strait and sailed for our next exciting destination, the active volcano Deception Island.

Pory Lockroy & Paradise bay

2012-01-18T12:04:00.000-02:00

What a dramatic weather change within 8 hours! Yesterday evening leaving the Lemaire Channel we enjoyed sunshine. This morning at Port Lockroy we were confronted with snow, temperature around 0°C, a storm with Beaufort 9 to 10, real Antarctic conditions and no chance for a landing. But the captain put the ship further into the bay into sheltered waters, the wind calmed down and we could land within a short delay. It was a new experience for our passengers to be on land under these conditions and most of them went directly into the Museum of Port Lockroy for shopping but also for looking how research was done 60 years ago.

The Gentoo Penguins breeding around the station had well grown chicks much bigger than what we saw on Cuverville Island. At noon the snowfall stopped and we set sail for Paradise Bay. The wind calmed down more and we had a comfortable passing through the Neumeyer Channel and a calm crossing of the Gerlache Strait. We arrived at 15.00 in the Paradise Bay and started landing at 15.30. Obviously the glaciers coming down into the bay had calved considerably and did so during our stay. A broad field of brash ice and small icebergs were laying between the Fram and the landing site, but our experienced drivers with the solid Polar Circle Boats succeeded in bringing us ashore. In the course of our landing the currents moved a big part of this ice away so things became easier. Most of the Passengers climbed up the hill and sled down on their back. Some just enjoyed the scenery and observed the small Gentoo colonies. It was a mix of sun, rain and snow the whole time. At the end nevertheless the sun came through and showed us for a few moments why this bay was named Paradise Harbour by the old whalers.

Around 19.00 we left this wonderful place to go north for Hope Bay.

Penguins, ice and glaciers – Classic Antarctica at its best!

2012-01-17T21:42:00.001-02:00

To describe a day like this is almost impossible. It is difficult to transmit with words the beauty of what we have experienced and what we have seen. Even for us it is difficult to take so much in – all in just one day!

In incredible weather we had another close encounter with penguins and their tiny chicks. We had ship cruising through breathtaking landscape and passed the famous Lemaire Channel with its impressive glaciers and snowy peaks.

As the ice conditions deteriorated on its southern end, we had to turn, but that gave us the chance for a polar circle boat ride in the middle of the Channel. Like miniature icebreakers our little boats pushed the way through the brush ice. So not only did we have a close encounter with penguins today, but also with true Antarctic ice.

In the Drake and at Half Moon Island

2012-01-16T23:49:00.000-02:00

The morning saw us still in the Drake, but it has calmed down considerably and we experienced a very smooth Drake Passage with a low but long wave swell. The sun was shining the whole day and there were only a few clouds. The temperature of the sea water has dropped to 3 – 4 ° C. We passed the Antarctic Convergence in the early morning. This convergence separates the cool Antarctic waters from the warmer waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. This line is also an important ecological boundary. To the North we have the sub-Antarctic regime and to the south we see Antarctic wildlife. So also the bird species following our ship changed. We could observe only some few albatrosses and close to the South Shetland Islands they disappeared. Instead we had more Giant Petrels, Southern Fulmars and swarms of Cape Petrels were dancing in the air around the Fram.

At 13.00 we saw the first Iceberg and soon after we sighted land, the South Shetland Islands. At 15.45 some Whales passed by and at 16.00 finally we arrived at our first landing site in the Antarctic: Half Moon Island.

Our friends the noisy chinstrap penguins were still there, busy as always coming from and going to the sea. Also three Weddell Seals were hauling out at the beach.

At the end of our visit around 20.00 some more clouds came up, hiding a part of the sun and produced dramatic scenery in the sky to say good bye to us. During Dinner we heaved anchor and sailed towards our next destination Cuverville Island.

Again back through the Drake

2012-01-14T22:29:00.000-02:00

Before enjoying something you have to work for it and before experiencing the beauty of Antarctica you have to suffer the Drake Passage.

After the clearance by the Argentinean authorities, we set sail from Ushuaia. After six hours in the calm waters of the Beagle Channel giving us a comfortable first half of the night we entered the rough seas of the Drake Passage.
There were waves up to 6 to 8 meters high though we only had wind about Beaufort 6 to 7.

The high swell was the relic of the heavy storm we encountered during our way north through the Drake Passage to Ushuaia two days ago. It takes two days for the sea to calm down after such a heavy storm. Some of our passengers, exhausted by the long voyage from all over the world to Ushuaia, suffered from seasickness. Others were on the outside decks, to observe the true friends of all seamen, the masters of the winds, the albatrosses accompanying our ship the whole day together with some Giant petrels and Cape petrels.

The whole day long we listened to lectures about things and subjects we are going to see during our stay in Antarctica like penguins, whales, seals, ice, geology and history in English, German and French. Westerly winds supported the ship to higher speed and we will reach our first landing at Half Moon Island in time tomorrow afternoon. The wind calmed down during the day and the waves smoothened thus most of us could enjoy the Welcome Dinner at the end of the day.

Ushuaia once more!

2012-01-13T22:19:00.000-02:00

Ushuaia, the southernmost town in the world (as they claim), always means one thing for our ship:

Turnaround time!
For the staff, this is the busiest day of each trip. All cabins have to be cleaned, the luggage has to be distributed, information on boards is replaced… and hundreds of other things are being taken care of.

One minute we wave goodbye to the passengers with whom we shared so many exciting moments during the last few days and the next moment we are already welcoming our new guests. As they arrive and get familiar with the vessel, we too start to get excited about the new trip that lies ahead of us.

How is the weather going to be this time? Will we see any whales? Will we encounter a lot of ice? Each voyage is different, each one unique. That is why Antarctica is such a special destination. And that is why even for the expedition members, some of us with 30,40, 50 or even more trips to the white continent, the fascination and expectation remains . We cannot wait to share our passion for the polar regions - once more!

Land in sight!!

2012-01-12T23:57:00.000-02:00

Today we woke up to a deja vue. Wind and swell increased about 6 o’clock and during the breakfast we had a sea stage up to 7 in Beaufort scale.

At 9:30 we started our usual sea day education program. Manuel, Rudolf, Jean Louis and Uli gave us many interesting lectures in their fields of interest. After so many lectures and information what we have received during the trip, some of us have a feeling to be covered by knowledge as thick as average thickness of the Antarctic ice cover (almost 2 km).

At 13:27 land was spotted! Famous Cape Horn was in sight. Half an hour later we were cruising in front of that cape, hated by sailors. Many sailors lost their lives while trying to round it. We approached the Cape Horn from the west – the Pacific Ocean, and after we crossed its meridian, we were in the Atlantic Ocean.

After lunch our education program continued with Arnau lecturing about historical Fram expeditions. We also had glimpse of life at Svalbard presented by Calle who lives and studies in Longyerbyen/Svalbard. During the “Climate discussion” we explored issues around our own contributions to climate change, and how we could minimize our own impacts. Many of us didn’t realize how complicated and interrelated the issues are.

Captains farewell was a welcome change of pace, with cocktails in hand. The cocktails relaxed us for the upcoming auction, including the Hurtigruten flag, voyage chart and chef engineer’s jacket. All the money from the auction went to “Save the Albatross” program.
At night we’ll enter Beagle Channel, and tomorrow at 6 am, we will be in Ushuaia. As we turn our hands to pack our bags, we reluctantly acknowledge that this amazing journey to a fragile environment is coming to an end, whilst we continue to assess how we have been touched by the frozen continent.

The drink of the day: Drake shake

2012-01-12T10:26:00.001-02:00

Today many of our passengers had the chance to prove to themselves how good their sea legs were. A rough Drake greeted us in the early morning hours, and while taking our breakfast the waves were cleaning the windows of the dining room. This means their height was about 7 meters, because there were reaching deck 4. In other words, we were in a small storm, level 9 on the Beaufort scale. Luckily enough, the rough sea declined during the day and most of the ones who were invited to the bridge visits could attend.

During the day, and especially during afternoon, the sky cleared up many times, and thanks the persisting relatively strong winds, our loyal companions the petrels and the albatrosses showed us the way north. It was a perfect day for bird watching on the outer decks us you can see from the following pictures provided by our resident photographer Dom.

The day was good for reflecting on the experiences we all had had during out time in Antarctica. Was it possible that only a few days ago we departed from our familiar world and only yesterday in the late afternoon we were still struggling against the wind, waves and cold to reach one of the greatest landing sites we were privileged to visit in the South Shetland Islands and Antarctica? Here we are, heading north, hanging onto our feelings of Antarctica, and not realizing that we have left part of ourselves there, more convinced that we have taken something from there, instead of the opposite. Everyone of has to decide which applies to themselves?

When Deception meets Hanna

2012-01-11T16:37:00.000-02:00

Overnight we crossed Bransfield Strait. The day’s activities started shortly before 8 o’clock. Tidily packed on the outside decks we watched our approach to Deception Island. The Island was known to sealers as early as 1820. Later on, at the beginning of 20th century, it’s safe harbor was used by whalers.

Everybody was eager to see MV Fram sailing into 11 km by 6 km submerged caldera of active volcano. The only way in is through the 200 m wide Neptunes Bellows. In the middle of the entrance, just 2.5 m below the water surface, lies a rock, so the only safe way in is just 80 m wide.

After half an hour steaming across caldera, time which was used by Uli to talk and talk on his favorite subject Geology. We were all amazed by his passion for rocks. We reached our landing destination - Telefon Bay. A smooth disembarkation saw the start 1.5 km walk around one of the volcano craters formed during 1969/1970 eruption. Our Spanish guests were invited to visit Spain Research Station Gabriel de Castilla. The Deception Island Beach Club also was open for new members. Although many hot springs are present in Deception Island, the water in the caldera is rather cold but … how often do you have a change to plunge in Antarctic water?

After lunch and short rest we found MV Fram staying at anchor in front of Hannah Point/Livingston Island. The weather was not favorable but Captain and Expedition Leader decided to give a try. It was worth it! The ride in PolarCirkle Boats, from the ship to the shore, was bumpy and really wet but the wildlife we found ashore was incredible – and comments about being cold and wet where replaced instantly with ooh’s and ahh’s and did you see that. We were in our own wildlife park, with all sorts of birds, including three species of penguins, both species of Antarctic flowering plants and seals. The biggest reward was of course Elephant Seals and Macaroni Penguins. The landing was a succinct summary cruise. Yes, that was our last landing in Antarctica. Some of us already thinking about coming back here in the future, but all we can do now is to prepare our self for Drake Passage.

Antarctic Sound, music between the ice

2012-01-10T22:23:00.000-02:00

With the memories of the wonderful afternoon and sunset we experienced the day before still fresh in our minds we began our new day sailing in the Bransfield Strait toward the Antarctic Sound.

This time we have to fight the tabular icebergs on our way which were impeding our transit to Paulet Island. Yes, we have no less in mind than follow the footsteps of Nordenskjold Swedish Expedition of 1902 to the very core of the big drama which took place in this tiny island. In this water their ship sank and the party found shelter amongst the huge Adelie penguin rookery.

While we could become familiar by the lectures given by Arnau of this heroic adventure of survival at the turn of the century, the scenery evoked on us a well known feeling of respect and friendliness. Uli and Jean Louis made us acquaintance with the ice and snow.

So with this combination of history and the cold wonders of the water and ice, we experienced a great afternoon landing in the volcanic island of Paulet.

Right now our very talented crew is performing their show and you imagine, nobody would like to miss it. Being so, we have no other option than say good by and see you tomorrow. Another great day will begin………

What a beautiful day!

2012-01-09T11:55:00.000-02:00

Our plans for the morning were different, but change is a part of Antarctic Expedition. We planed to sail through the 10 km long and narrow Lemaire Channel to reach the Ukrainian Research Station Vernadsky, located on the Argentine Islands. Well, that was the plan…..

The Lemaire Channel welcomed us with a wind speed of 20 knots and light sleet. As we progressed, we were stopedp by heavy ice conditions. It was impossible to go further south, so instead of landing at Vernadsky, we put our PolarCirkle Boats in the water in the middle of the Channel. Incredible ice cruising was the result. We found a Leopard Seal, a Weddell Seal and a Crabeater Seal resting on separate the ice floes, surrounded by plenty of amazing sea and glacier ice.

At the end of the operations the weather improved so much that we could see the top of double peaked Cape Renard, the Northern Guardian of the Lemaire Channel.

The afternoon saw us steaming between icebergs, as we made our way to the next destination - Paradise Harbour and Argentinean Station Almirante Brown. Paradise Harbour lived up to its name today. Sun shining and no wind at all, perfect conditions for landing. If we do not count the Gentoo Penguins nesting around the buildings, there are no personnel at the Base. Of course almost all of us had to climb the hill behind the Station. It is not too high a climb, but the recent falls of heavy snow hampered progress up the hill.

The view from the top was the best reward for the effort. The very clear air and beautifully shining Sun gave us an impression that all mountains around were within our touch. The way down the hill was much easier and way more fun. Sit on your backside and slide baby slide. After that we still had time to check on the small Gentoo rookery and were rewarded to find in some nests, little tiny chicks – some less than a day old – some where even fortunate to witness the hatching.

We are in action....

2012-01-08T17:30:00.000-02:00

Today our day started with a visit to Cuverville Island, located between the Antarctic continent and Ronge Island. From a distance we could smell our friends on the island, the gentoo penguins. Once there, we forgot about their personal perfume and were delighted by the bustling activity within their rookeries, and the accompanying cacophony of constant communication. An iceberg alley encircled the landing site transforming the approach to it, adding an additional highlight to the morning. Thousands of penguins were enjoying the beautiful morning light, going about their daily affairs, like stealing pebbles from their neighbors nest, and chasing skuas out of the rookery and so on.

After some hours of sailing through the scenic Errera Channel and Neumyer Channel we arrived at Jougla Point and Port Lockroy. The remnants of former splendid whales were laying on the beach to recreate a full skeleton of a humpback whale. Nearby nesting blue eyed cormorants added more life to the already hatched gentoo penguin chicks in the extensively extended colony. Ever watchful parents of both gentoos and cormorants were taking care with parental enthusiasm and dedication their chicks.

Port Lockroy and their friendly inhabitants – members of the Antarctic Heritage Trust - received us with great joy and showed us the well preserved details of the historic huts and surroundings. It is always a pleasure when both parties are pleased while meeting, and here this is the case. This time our contribution to the Heritage Trust only for a few days and in the form of a loan, was one of our two expedition leaders: Anja, she decided that time was ripe for a closer understanding of penguin behavior and the best way to do such, was spending some days amongst them at Port Lockroy. Here you can see her happy face while moving in. Good luck. Maybe we will see you in 10 days boss…….

Antarctica, We made it!

2012-01-07T14:49:00.000-02:00

Here we are, officially in Antarctica after crossing the Antarctic Convergence and filled our normal daily life on board Fram with bridge visits, lectures, boots distribution and the most important: enjoying the atmosphere of this great southern ocean loaded with memories of heroic actions and dreams of wealth and glory.

At lunchtime we encountered our first icebergs, telling us that we have come into the domain of the penguins and whales. At around 3 pm we saw our first islands, Nelson and Robert. After more than 40 hours of sailing we have succeeded in – recreating a time span of approximately 40 millions years, that’s when South America separated from Antarctica: we are now at the entrance to Antarctica, around the South Shetland Islands.

After lunch, the crucial moment arrived and we bravely attempted our first landing on Half Moon Island, under strong winds and heavy snowfall. Our faithful companions, the chinstrap penguins were eagerly awaiting to greet us. While ashore, the conditions became better and what was a stunning inhospitable landscape, transformed with sunshine, into a picture of indescribable beauty. Here, you can judge for yourself: Pictures and images from different moments a few minutes apart.

We are reminded of that popular song by Phil Collins “Another Day in Paradise”.

Drake Passage

2012-01-05T22:43:00.000-02:00

Today we have been sharing the habitat of the Drake Passage with magnificent Albatrosses. The sun has been friendly to us and between lectures we could go outside and take advantage of the fine weather. Our resident photographer Dom brought some of our feathery companions within touching distance with his camera.

For all of you who have been here before, and those yet to visit these latitudes, our chart on the bridge gave us the position where we were at midday. As you can see, no matter in which direction we looked, we were surrounded by water up tol 3500 m deep. This body of water is home to one of the biggest ocean currents on earth, to be more precise it holds 137 “sverdrups” or the equivalent of all the fresh water rivers of the planet in one single stream multiplied by 137. Can you imagine having to pay that water bill?

Meanwhile we continued heading south and hope that the weather and Mr. Drake behaves like a gentleman and make merits for the title he holds. At one point during this night we are going to cross the Antarctic Convergence and officially enter the Southern Ocean and Antarctica. We are keen to fell the bump while crossing the Convergence tonight, and with that we wish you a Good night.

Turn around day and a cause for celebration

2012-01-04T12:38:00.000-02:00

Its Wednesday and its Ushuaia, this means only one thing, turn around day- we say fond farewell to our friends that have travelled with us to the Islas Malvinas, South Georgia, South Orkney and to the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. We wish you all a safe journey back home and look forward to seeing you again one day!

Our new friends are arriving, curious of what is going to lie ahead of them, anxious to get going. The start of the journey is in Ushuaia, the southernmost city of the world, approximately 3000km south of Buenos Aires. It started as a colony of prisoners and today is a bustling vibrant city.

For our own reasons, today is a special day to celebrate. Our humble blog started 1000 entries ago. If you have been following our blog, do you remember how it all started? The first blog entries were done by Steffen and Karin, and how it has grown over the years into the detailed and fancy creation it is today.

The expedition team takes great pride in creating different entries each day, some may say somewhat competitively. But today it is blog entry ONE THOUSAND! And I actually wonder how many beautiful pictures were published in the blog as well during 1000 entries… over 3000 or more? What a great book that actually would be make if we just decided to print it!

Today, both Expedition Leaders of Fram (Anja &Karin) would like to say a tremendous THANK YOU to the staff that write the blog after their working hours, for all the sweat that you put into it, the thoughts, the pictures and the creativity! To you our dear readers, thank YOU for following us no matter where we are, be it in the North or South or Ports in between. We look forward to regaling you with our adventures over the next 1000 entries.

Cape Horn

2012-01-03T21:33:00.000-02:00

A towering dark rock commanding thevastness of the open ocean. Such is Cape Horn, the most (in)famous andlegendary cape in the world. Discovered by Wilhelm Schouten in 1616 while onpassage from Holland to Indonesia and named after the village of Hoorn, southeast from Amsterdam, the cape entered history with a very short sentence on theEendracht log: “Cape Hoorn at 57º48’S,8pm, Jan 29, 1616”.

Although legendary amongst seafarers since1616, our passengers might have asked themselves: why? The conditions weenjoyed today were as far from the images of stormy seas as one can get: nowind, no swell and no rolling seas. The Fram crossed the meridian of the Cape,arbitrarily separating the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans, like sailing on alake. Perfect conditions for sightseeing, though, with clear view of the Capeitself, the lighthouse and Cathedral Rocks. A group of dolphins joined us whilestill on sight of the Cape, playing on the bow of the ship on its way to theArgentine Pilot Station, off the eastern end of the Beagle Channel. The mighty albatross was also there, routinelyrounding the Cape wandering on the Southern Ocean, carrying in its wings thesouls of the sailors lost at sea.

Today is thelast day onboard for our passengers. Tomorrow will be a hectic day for them all.But before reaching Ushuaia and flying out to the four corners of the world,there is still time to enjoy the pleasure of being at sea, talk with fellowtravelers and, perhaps, read one of themany poems written about the greatest wanderer of the seas.

Wandering Albatross (by Pablo Neruda)

The wind sails the open sea

Steered by the albatross

That glides, falls dances and climb

Hangs motionless in the fading light

Touches the waves’ towers

Settles down in

The disorderly elements

Sheeting mortar

While the salt crowns it with laurels

And the furious foam hisses,

Skim the waves

With its great symphonic wings,

Leaving above the tempest

A book that flies on forever:

It is the statue of the wind.

Drake Passage

2012-01-02T20:10:00.000-02:00

At sea,somewhere between the South Shetland Islands and Cape Horn, rolling gently onthe regular swell of the Southern Ocean. With no landmasses to impede thelow-pressure systems to circle Antarctica whenever they please, the westerlywinds can reach formidable speeds and the seas turn very rough. That’s why Roundingthe Cape became legendary in the old times. For sailors it was a kind of comingto age, a rite of passage to gain automatic respect from any other sailor. Itis said that those who made it were allowed to pierce their ear with a goldenring, to put their feet on the table after dinner or to spit against the wind.After all, these waters were named after a pirate. Today, though, the infamousrough seas of the Drake were on holiday...

After thelast three exciting days at the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula andwith long intercontinental flights on everyone’s mind, it’s good to have apause, to cool down for a couple of days and calmly revive all theunforgettable experiences lived in Antarctica. In a sense, this is anunavoidable process. You have to adapt yourself to the wishes of the SeventhContinent before reaching the Ice; you have to accept the rule of natural lawsthat are so easily forgotten at home; and on the way back, you have to re-adjustyourself again to cope with the modern world. Such is the power of Antarcticathan even if the Drake Passage did not exist, something like it should becreated to have the time needed to reset your brain. Given the opportunity,though, we might ask for an open passage with not much swell. After all, thepirates are long gone…

Deception Island

2012-01-01T22:44:00.000-02:00

Today's weather in Deception Island was, appropriately, deceptive: early this morning, we landed in thick fog and had to cut through it to reach the crater lake by Telefon Bay, at the far end of the caldera; and a couple of hours later, we had a wonderfully clear day, with good visibility due to the crisp air. This enabled us to -almost- visit two different sites at once: first, a very scenic and mysterious walk in the fog, where one could only make out the contours of things; and later, a very scenic place with impressive views over the lake and the surrounding mountains.

After a short pause on board Fram, which was gently cruising inside the caldera for a couple of hours, we landed on Whaler's Bay, and had time to do three very nice things today: we climbed to the top of Donald Hill, from where we could take in the whole caldera of this volcanic island in its full splendor. Then, we had a lot of time to explore the abandoned buildings of both Hector whaler station and the former British Base B, which are very interesting and photogenic.

And we finally had the opportunity to walk the full length of the steamy beach leading to the cliffs where Neptune's window looks into the Bransfield Strait, which makes for a rather nice afternoon stroll, full of interesting things to amuse the wanderers, such as whale bones and old wooden whaling boats in different states of disrepair. At the end of the beach was a wonderful surprise: a couple of leopard seals dozing on the strand, their happy slumbers only interrupted by the naughty skuas looking for an easy -albeit fecal- lunch; much to the delight of the photographers, who had excellent opportunities to get impressive portraits of these extraordinary and beautiful beasts. After such an exciting afternoon, it was only fitting that a great many of our passengers closed the day and our Antarctic trip by vigorously swimming in the frigid waters. What an exciting and wonderful day in Antarctica...

Antarctic Sound

2011-12-31T20:41:00.001-02:00

A desperatecrew seeking shelter two weeks after losing their ship on the dangerous watersof the Weddell Sea are probably not in the appropriate mood to appreciate thebeauty of the scenery. But Captain Larsen and his men really hit the spot whenthey overwintered at Paulet Island, off the south entrance of the AntarcticSound. Today, MV Fram has sailed the same waters named after Larsen’s ship, theAntarctic, giving everyone onboard the chance to enjoy one of the mostbeautiful landscapes of the Antarctic Peninsula.

Early onthe morning we landed at Brown Bluff, a volcanic and impressive outcrop on the westernshore of the Antarctic Sound, at Antarctica mainland. Fantasy shaped brown andyellowish rocks fallen from the cliff and spread all over a long pebble beachset amongst two glaciers house a large Adelie penguin rookery and few hundredpairs of nesting Gentoos. Chicks of both Adelie and Gentoo became the preferredtarget of all the photographers ashore. Some, though, after warming up climbingthe moraine for an aerial view of the area, opted to cool down on the icywaters of Antarctica!

Hundreds oficebergs of all shapes, sizes and colors dotted the course of MV Fram on itsway to Paulet Island. Clear skies and ideal conditions for photography on theapproach to the island allowed everyone onboard to enjoy an impressivepanoramic view of the place where the Norwegian crew overwintered in 1903.Swell was too big for a safe landing operation and the captain decided insteadto spend the rest of the afternoon cruising slowly between the ice choked watersof the sound. As everyone on the outer decks agreed, the magnificent views ofsuch mighty icebergs so close to the MV Fram were exactly what they expectedAntarctica to be.

Tonight wewill celebrate New Year’s Eve on the waters of the Bransfield Strait with thesatisfaction of having successfully landed on the coldest, windiest, driest andmost isolated continent on Earth. Antarctica, for us, is no longer terra incognita…

Arctowski Station and Half Moon Island

2011-12-30T15:55:00.000-02:00

Having reachedthe northernmost of the South Shetland Islands, Elephant Is., today we’re inthe heart of the archipelago: this morning we landed on King George Island,where we visited the Polish research station Arctowski. The beach in front ofthe station was littered with the weathered skeletons of various whales whichwere brought to their demise by whalers of years gone by, as well as by the occasionaland much smaller skeleton of a seal or a penguin, which we assume came ashorewillingly. Upon decomposition, all of them provide the nutrients for plants togrow, and at Arctowski we saw 50% of the flowering Antarctic flora: there areonly two vascular plants on the white continent, and we saw vast fields coveredwith the light green of the small grass Deschampsiaantarctica.

Aftercombing the beach for a little while, we visited the station itself, where avery hospitable and friendly crew welcomed us with tea, coffee and biscuits,and delighted us with their interesting stories and adventures in this desolateplace.

We thensailed towards Half Moon Island, a small crescent-shaped island located betweenthe much bigger Greenwich and Livingston Islands. Cruising to get there took ussome 5 hours, which was time enough to eat lunch, rest a bit and get ready forthe second landing of the day.

Thisafternoon, the day was a bit overcast, but that did not matter as the dark sky wasactually quite beautiful; and also because we all enjoyed a brisk walk on HalfMoon Island; we were all happy to see the funny and –why not say it- cutelittle penguin chicks clumsily asking their parents to feed them; were happy tofind the lonely and distinguished Macaroni penguin standing out in a sea ofchinstrap penguins; and were amazed to see that 23 of our guests were sooverheated after such an energetic visit, that they went for a swim! In brief,we enjoyed a varied and very exciting day in Antarctica.

Elephant Island

2011-12-29T20:25:00.000-02:00

From thecomfort of the Fram it is hard to imagine the harsh conditions thatShackleton’s men had to endure in Point Wild. The Boss was long gone on anuncertain and dangerous voyage to South Georgia. Weeks and months passed but norelief ship appeared on the horizon. Frank Wild did his best trying to keepspirits but I was evident to anyone ashore that their situation was desperate. Nobodyin the world knew their whereabouts and nobody would ever look for them in thissmall beach hidden behind a pointed rocky outcrop on the lonely northern shoreof Elephant Island. Nobody but Shackleton…

Today, asMV Fram steamed its way into the small cove of Point Wild, the twenty two polarcastaways of the Endurance were in everyone’s minds. The precipitous dark cliffbehind the surf washed beach, the chinstrap penguin rookery that feed thehelpless explorers and the menacing blue ice of the hanging glacier. Everythingwas there, exactly as it was a hundred and five years ago. Except for a littlemonument dedicated to Piloto Pardo.

As Augustpassed by, the harshest part of the winter of 1916 was history. Unaware of theupcoming conclusion of the Endurance drama, the twenty two most destitute menof the Antarctic continued their mass slaughter of chinstrap penguins. Because itwas the penguins, the grand grand parents of the very same penguins we areseeing today, that kept them alive. Then, on August 30th, 1916, the smallYelcho commanded by Piloto Pardo, appeared in the horizon. A rowing boat waslaunched. On the bow, the castaways recognized the figure of Shackleton. “Areyou all well?” he said. “We are all well, Boss” replied Wild. The saga of theEndurance was over. So is our pursuit of Shackleton’s footsteps.

We are nowheading towards the main group of the South Shetland Islands and the northerntip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Birds and whales are our only companions on thislast stretch to the Seventh Continent. Tomorrow we will be in another world…

South Orkney Islands

2011-12-28T23:36:00.001-02:00

Today wehad the first experience of what is living in the Antarctic. We landed atOrcadas, the Argentine station at Laurie Island, in the South Orkney Islands.We were welcomed at the beach by the base commander and his staff, being thethird ship in the season that called on the island. Eleven months had elapsedsince they left Argentina and the relief boat is still two months away…

The SouthOrkney Islands, due to their position at the northern limit of the Weddell Sea,are famous for their difficult ice conditions. They were experienced by thesealers at the beginning of the nineteenth century, by the Scottish explorersthat established the first station on the archipelago in 1903 and by thewhalers that attempted to earn their living on the islands during the firstdecades of the twentieth century. Today the ice has been gentle to us.

Orcadas isa kind of living museum. The remains of Omond House, built by the Scottish in1903, are still visible. So is Moneta house, the first Argentine building atOrcadas, completely restored and named after the first Latin base commander in1905. The station of the 1930s is nowadays a sort of emergency hut, themagnetic observatories of the 1950s are still in use and what remains of the buildingburnt in the late seventies will in the near future be converted intolaboratories and sleeping rooms for scientists to improve the capacity of thered painted modular living quarters of 1980.

Some Chinstrap,Gentoo and Adelie penguins showed up at the landing beach and a crab eater sealand three leopard seals were resting on the big ice floes that chocked NorthBay. And as far as animals go, that was it. The Argentines told us that thisyear the winter had been long and all the biological cycles in the area aredelayed.

We leftOrcadas under heavy snowfall and we headed towards Elephant Island, sailing theWeddell Sea waters along the southern shores of Coronation and Signy islands. Weatherpermitting, tomorrow we will reach Point Wild. After all, we are in theShackleton Christmas adventure…

Scotia Sea

2011-12-27T18:40:00.000-02:00

After aslightly bumpy night, today we awoke to calm seas. This enabled our passengersto wander at leisure around the vessel; and perhaps, to take a look at some ofthe original artifacts of the Fram of Nansen and Amundsen fame, which we haveon board as a loan from the famous vessel’s museum in Oslo.

One mightstart analyzing the model of the ship in its display case, with its robustround hull designed by Colin Archer to withstand the tremendous pressureexerted by ice – should it become trapped in it. Afterwards, it’s interesting totake a look at the various navigational, exploration and everyday use objectsalso on display: knives with beautiful scrimshaw handles, sextants, gunpowderpouches, enamel dishes sporting the name of the ship… Also on public displayare very interesting photographs of life on board the original Fram, as well aslife outside its cozy interior, when mariners ventured out to explore the coldterritories awaiting them on both poles of the planet, the Arctic and theAntarctic. And it’s nice to know that you can get some rather nice replicas ofsome of these objects in our shop – they make great souvenirs and elegantpresents.

Finally, a furthernice thing about experiencing gentle waves and winds in the Scotia Sea, is thatsome of its inhabitants are easier to spot – and we were lucky to spot sometoday: fin and humpback whales, antarctic and cape petrels, light-mantled sootyalbatrosses… A fine day at sea!!

Grytviken

2011-12-26T18:42:00.000-02:00

Early thismorning, it seemed that we were not going to be as fortunate as yesterday inFortuna Bay: we awoke to a white-crested sea stirred by strong gusts of wind,which would not let us disembark on Grytviken. It was a stark reminder of justhow much and how quickly weather can change around here… The powerful windslasted all morning and everybody on board MV Fram had the same question in theback of their minds: will we be so close yet so far away from this place? Willwe not be able to pay our respects at Shackleton’s and the recent Frank Wild’stombs? Will we be forced to just look at the beautifully and photogenicallyrusty remains of the whaling station from afar? To many, this was the highlight– the purpose even – of the trip, so it was a long morning, not daring to losehope nor to speak out the unspeakable: we’ll have to set sail en route toAntarctica without setting foot on Grytviken…

But just asquickly as the weather turned nasty, so it cleared in a minute and before weknew it, there was hardly any breeze at all and the sun started piercingthrough the clouds – and we all felt sunshine in our hearts, because that meantwe could land!

Evidently,everybody first visited the famous graveyard where Shackleton, the famous explorer,lies next to his friend and second in command, Frank Wild, who only quiterecently (November 2011) was interred to his right. Having fulfilled thismodern, Antarctic pilgrimage, we explored the derelict whaling station, thebeautiful Norwegian wooden church that several used appropriately to have ashort, personal Christmas experience, and finally, the interesting museum.Naturally, we had a further opportunity to witness just how feisty fur sealsare, how rotund elephant seals are, and how yummy both are – for giant petrels.

Weended the day, happily sailing away from South Georgia, content in theknowledge that we had been to Grytviken…

Fortuna Bay, Shackleton walk, Stromness

2011-12-25T21:44:00.000-02:00

On May 20^th,1916, Ernest Shackleton, Tom Crean and Frank Worsley, arrived at Stromnesswhaling station after a 36 hours strenuous hike from King Haakon Bay. The firstcrossing of South Georgia was the last chapter of the Endurance expedition, adramatic voyage of exploration that ended up as one of the greatest adventuresof the Heroic Age. Shackleton did the hike ninety six years ago and we repeatedit today. Not all, of course, but the last five kilometers, the distancebetween Fortuna Bay and the old Norwegian whaling station of Stromness.

In Fortuna,a sheltered bay in the northern coast of South Georgia, we enjoyed idealconditions for landing, with no swell, no wind, and no precipitation. An amazingwalk through hundreds of territorial fur seals lying on the beach was thestarter for what was coming next: a spectacular colony of more than seventhousand pairs of King Penguins packed together at the foot of cliff.

After thelanding, MV Fram departed for Stromness, leaving ashore the passengers that hadsigned up for the hike. An easy walk along a gentle slope up to Crean Lake,three hundred meters above sea level, were followed by mostly flat terrain tilla small ridge perched above Stromness valley. A short but very steep descent tothe foot of the valley and we made it! Christmas day 2011 will be remembered byall as the day in which we completed the last stretch of a legendaryexpedition.

MV Fram waswaiting for us by the whaling station and with it our fellow passengers thatdecided to sail with the ship. More king penguins, more fur seals and moreelephant seals set in front of the decaying remains of the whaling station andthe day was over. We are now at anchor at Cumberland Bay. Shackleton is in ourminds. Tomorrow, at Grytviken, we will close his story.

Christmas Eve on the Scotia Sea

2011-12-24T15:16:00.000-02:00

ChristmasEve, Scotia Sea, on passage between Malvinas/Falkland Islands and SouthGeorgia, singing Christmas carols in different languages amongst fellow travelersfrom the four corners of the world. Ceremonial celebration on deck seven,presided by our captain, hotel manager and expedition leader and classical themesplayed by our two Chilean musicians. Safe and intimate atmosphere onboard whilstsailing the stormiest seas on earth. It’s hard to imagine a more dramaticsetting for one of the holiest festivities of the Christian calendar.

Lecturesand briefings filled up the day although not everybody made it to the lecturehalls. We have crossed the Polar Front and we are now officially in Antarcticwaters. And nobody but the weather setthe rules. The ship has been rolling the whole day, maybe a little too much forthose not yet used to southern high seas. But for those comfortable enough withthe rhythmic gentle dance of the Fram, lectures on biodiversity, an icy cold convoyto Vostok base, explosive harpoons and old whaling station stories addedknowledge into their Southern Ocean experience.

SouthGeorgia is just below the horizon. Wecan’t see it yet but we know that it is there, with its spectacular mountainranges, lengthy glaciers and dramatic fjords, its huge colonies of Antarctic furseals and King Penguins and its mythical remains related to some of the bestAntarctic stories. Shackleton was there. And so were Cook, Weddell and Larsen.We are about to land at the Gateway to Antarctica, and with their exploits onmind enter into a world of legends.

Georgia on my mind

2011-12-23T20:17:00.000-02:00

Georgia, ohGeorgia… Not quite the same Georgia the song aludes to, but everyone on boardhad it on their their minds today: we’re heading towards South Georgia. And thatentails some preparations, which we began today. For a start, we explained ourpassengers the Antarctic code of conduct they have to follow, and we alsovacuum-cleaned our backpacks and other gear to minimize the risk of introducingseeds, bugs and other biological aliens to these far-away lands.

We did allthe preparations in relative calm, because we were lucky to have the windblowing from astern: that is, from behind, which means we’re making very goodprogress with the help of the winds, and we’re not rocking too much, which isalways a welcome thing.

Calm seasalso meant the Captain invited several guests to visit the bridge, where heexplained how to operate a rather complicated piece of machinery: MS Fram.

Pretty muchall day long, we were also treated to the majestic flight of wanderingalbatrosses following the ship – a fantastic background scenery against whichto enjoy a beautifully aromatic cup of tea and start preparing emotionally toarriving to the Jewel of the South, and maybe take part –weather permitting- inthe Shackleton walk we want to make with our passengers, following the lastepic leg of the famous adventurer’s hike from Fortuna Bay to Stromness.Definitely, Georgia on my mind…

Port Stanley and environs

2011-12-23T00:03:00.000-02:00

Options arewhat big cities offer and options are what we got today in Port Stanley, werewe docked safely this morning after sailing carefully through the very narrow passagethat leads into the inner harbour of Port William. Rusty hulls and woodencarcasses of old wrecks reminded everybody that the safe waters of this perfectnatural harbour have long been the last resting place of many boats paying theirtribute to the Southern Ocean.

A few optedfor an historical tour of the old settlement of Port Stanley, stopping at thespectacular wreckage of the Lady Elizabeth, photographing the odd signpost withdirections and distances to almost any point in the World, learning the complexhistory of the archipelago at the local museum and remembering the tragicevents of 1982 at the Falklands War Memorial.

Otherssigned up for a natural history walk along the northern shores of Port William,starting at the Lady Elizabeth wreckage, passing Engineer Point and ending upat the spectacular beach of Gipsy Cove. Tips of local history, botany andbirding were provided by a knowledgeable local guide, with highlights like thehistoric scurvy grass, a small colony of Magellanic penguins, remains of the SecondWorld War and a rookery of cormorants and night herons.

And somemade it to Bluff Cove Lagoon, where they could see half a dozen king penguinsreigning over several hundred Gentoo penguins. An interesting sight in thecolony was a leucistic penguin: an animal with reduced pigmentation, whichunlike albinos, have several reduced skin pigments, not just melanin. The rideto the colony was beautiful: a drive alongside the rocky spine of East FalklandIsland.

Eventually,everybody ended up in the city center, shopping around, strolling along RossRoad, relaxing at Victory Green, guessing the size of big whales from the jawbonesin front of Christ Church and even walking as far as Government House, BattleMemorial or the local museum.

Malvinas/Falkland Islands

2011-12-21T15:28:00.000-02:00

Firstlanding, first albatrosses and first penguins! And, of course, first encounterwith the variable Malvinas/Falkland Islands unpredictable weather. The landingat New Island started with pretty miserable conditions, improving while we wereashore to not so bad, quite good and extraordinary. We enjoyed the perfect light for photographing birds, which is somethingthat our passengers took advantage of, filling their memory cards to the limitof their capacity.

Black-browedalbatrosses with chicks were the stars of the day, followed in close pursuit bythe always devilishly looking rockhopper penguins and the elegant blue eyecormorants. The perfect setting of the rookery, like a natural Greek theatrehanging over a cliff facing the open ocean, did the rest.

And forthose souls for whom nature is not enough, the little touch of history in thetiny museum of the settlement gave them the human dimension to this nowadaysalmost uninhabited place. Rusty harpoons, flensing gear and old cauldrons remindedeveryone that this astonishingly beautiful island once was the first and onlyland whaling station of the whole archipelago.

RemoteCarcass Island, with its most hospitable owners Lorraine and Rob, was waitingfor us in the afternoon. A paradise for serious and occasional birdwatchers,the beach has been a hotspot for a great variety of endemic and non endemicbirds of the Malvinas/Falklands.

Deliciouscookies from four corners of the British world welcomed all of us that decidedto pay a visit to the farm and meet Lorraine and Rob at their warmly decorated home.Tea time found most of the passengers savouring their coffee and tea at the house,but few decided to burn out some cookies and made it to the top of the hilllocated just behind the house, a short but steep and strenuous walk facingstrong winds that almost took some of our thinner passengers to the neighbouringisland!

A quite wetand bumpy Polarcirckle boat ride back to the ship was the final adventure todeserve a well earned buffet dinner after the first activites ashore. We ended the day sailing along theuninhabited northern cost of the islands heading towards Port Stanley, the “bigcity” of the Malvinas/Falkland Islands, where new adventures and experiencesare waiting for us tomorrow.

Scotia Sea

2011-12-20T20:34:00.000-02:00

Our first day at sea was peaceful and quiet, which is a good thing, considering the Scotia Sea, like its neighbour to the south, the Drake Passage, is known for its temper... But today we saw its mild side, and we enjoyed the calm seas - we also enjoyed watching (admiring, really) the host of wonderful seabirds that followed our vessel for the best part of the day. We were treated to the elegant gliding of, among other majestic flyers, wandering and black-browed albatrosses, giant petrels in both their white and dark morphs, cape petrels, prions, etc.

We also started our lecture series - and had something REALLY special for our guests: we had our Catalan historian giving a lecture on the history of the Malvinas/Falkland Islands in English, translated into German by our French biologist - how's that for an international expedition team!

Finally, we'd like to use today as an opportunity to send all our friends, colleagues and followers, a Christmas card, as the festivities are getting near.

PS - This blog was written by a Mexican biologist using the photographs of an Aussie...

Ushuaia: Turnaround day

2011-12-19T22:34:00.000-02:00

It alwaysis a hectic and emotional day when we dock in Ushuaia. Hectic, because theaction starts early in the morning to get ready to disembark; once ourpassengers have departed on their way back home, we have to prepare the shipfor the arrival of our new guests; and then the arrival of our new gueststhemselves, which usually takes some time because we have to check everybody inand they have to get acquainted with MS Fram. Emotional, because we’re luckyenough to always make some friends among our passengers, and it is alwaysemotional to say goodbye – but also, because we very much look forward to thenew friends we’ll certainly make, which makes us happy in anticipation.

So, onceeverything is shipshape onboard Fram, and we are cleared to sail, we very slowly(an very “scenically”!) cruise down the Beagle Channel en route to our new adventure…Exciting times!

Heading home

2011-12-18T20:21:00.005-02:00

After a ferocious partial day on the Drake, the second and nowthird days were relatively calm and comfortable. In a way it was the perfectcombination- to see this unique part of the marine world in both states- lionand lamb! If you are unconvinced about this contrast, read yesterday’s blog!

Sometime in the afternoon we approached the continent ofSouth America close enough to make out some dark shapes on the horizon. Landho! As we got nearer, the warm air wafted the beautiful smell of the Notofagusforest out over the ship. This seemed even more wonderful considering that oneof the last smells we remembered from Antarctica was penguin poo!

Soon we were sailing around the islands in the ParqueNacional del Cabo de Hornos, south of the big island of Tierra del Fuego and alittle later we were treated to repeat visits by a large pod of Dusky Dolphins.Many times they ran up alongside the ship and breached or “porpoised”, withbodies completely out of the water. It did not take much imagination to suppose that theywere welcoming us back to where we had started this journey!

In the late afternoon the Captain hosted a farewellreception in the Panorama lounge on deck 7, which was followed by ourtraditional Fram charity auction.

Well, tonight is the time to pack in preparation for our returnjourneys. This is always a bitter-sweet day because, although we want to gethome for Christmas, we do not want this incredible experience in Chile andAntarctica to end. But alas it must.