A wonderful day in the wilderness

This morning started with yet another highlight of our Antarctic quest. We were welcomed at the Ukrainian station of Vernadsky. They are one of the most hospitable and relaxed groups of scientists on the entire continent. We all enjoyed the interesting information on their work down here and we were impressed by their very active social life with vodka and every possible trait of merriment. Even the patron saint of mariners, St Nicolas, gets to display Antarctica’s natives – the penguins – on an icon inside the station. Thank you very much, guys, for a nice morning.

In the afternoon we reached Petermann Island, an all time favorite landing site. It looked as if our Fram had stranded and was about to be entered by the resident adelie and gentoo penguins who were as endearing and funny to watch as ever. The cormorants on Petermann were busy rearing their chicks; the poor creatures can never supply enough food to feed the hungry beaks. We all lined up to watch the rookeries and everybody enjoyed this unique spectacle of Mother Nature. Just to make a wonderful day perfect, the skies started to clear for the first time this evening so that the spectacular Antarctic panorama was not hiding behind thick fog and clouds any longer.

Antarctica was showing us its real face today

We had a day of authentic Antarctic weather conditions. It was relatively warm this morning, but today the wind got us. In the morning everybody had to show themselves flexible. We could not do our scheduled landing, because it was too windy; hence we had to alter our plans, but it turned out to be a change for the better: We landed at Neco Harbor which meant we made it to the mainland of Antarctica much sooner than we would have dreamt. The gentoo penguins welcomed us with their fanfares. There was a lot of ice at the landing site, so even the penguins found it difficult to get in out of the water, but we managed fine and were rewarded with wonderful impressions of wildlife and spectacular views of some glaciers.

In the afternoon the wind picked up and it was snowing quite heavily as we were cruising towards our second landing site in Port Lockroy. Now a terrible wait started if the wind would die down enough for us to make it to shore, but in the end all was well and we had a memorable visit to the British museum station. Everybody enjoyed the hospitality of the station’s charming crew and of the numerous penguins that inhabit the island with them. Of course everybody came back with many an everlasting impression of the interesting museum and laden with lots of souvenirs from one of the world southernmost post offices and souvenir shops on the planet. It was a long day, so sleep tight and sweet dreams.

We made it – Antarctica

What a wonderful day we had today! We arrived in Antarctica and made our first landing on Half-moon Island. But first things first: The day started with a lot of preparation for our arrival; who would have thought that it takes so much careful thought to visit this pristine wilderness? Everybody got an interesting briefing on how to minimize human impact on Antarctica, later lifevests had to be distributed and fitted for everybody, because safety is, of course, paramount, and then everybody was asked to vacuum their bags and rucksacks which they intended to take ashore in order to make sure we do not introduce any foreign organisms. This actually proved to be quite fun. But then things really started to get interesting:

As we approached Antarctica the penguins were just as happy to see us as we were to see them, so they started jumping out of the water. During our landing the most amazing wonders of nature were greeting us: A juvenile elephant seal was astonished to see us; a seagull seemed to prefer cuddling up with itself rather than showing an interest in us; and finally many of us got the impression that the penguins were having a discussion about human behavior, quite rightly so, because some humans were displaying very unusual behavior by storming into the freezing sea. In a nutshell, it was a brilliant start to our Antarctic adventure.

The dreaded Drake Passage

Today we are at sea crossing the Drake Passage, this much feared and dreaded waterway between South America and Antarctica. We had been warned that the crossing would be rough because it was quite stormy over the last days, but we were lucky in the end. What started out as a rather bumpy ride turned out to ease considerably as day developed. Everybody on board was finding their feet during the day and getting into the routine of life on board. We did a lot of bird watching and admired the beautiful aerial creatures which had perfect flying conditions. Giant petrel and albatross were putting on a wonderful show for us. In the evening there were rumors of the sighting of a large whale but that was not confirmed.

At various stages during the day we heard a lot about the history of Antarctica in all various kinds of languages and many an interested listener was astonished to learn how much history is connected with this uninhabited continent. In the evening we gather around the fireplace and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere on board, because by the end of the day there is nothing more stimulatingly soothing than two cups of coffee in friendly company. After all, it was a nice day in the not so dreaded Drake Passage.

A day in port

In the morning we found Fram moored at the pier in Ushuaia and so we knew a wonderful voyage had finally come to an end. For the staff and crew the day in port is always one of the busiest. We say goodbye to our guests in the morning and a little later some of us are leaving as well to start their well deserved holidays and new members of the crew arrive. Fram must be prepared for the new guests who arrive in the afternoon, because everyone deserves a clean and fresh ship for their arrival.

Once all of our new guests are on board in the afternoon we get really busy. Endless questions have to be answered, all guests must be equipped with their jackets for the cruise and of course the safety drill has to be held well before Fram leaves the pier again. Of course all of us hope that we may never have to use the knowledge which was conveyed in during that drill. A day in port is always a busy day, but today the weather in Ushuaia was nice and everything went smoothly so that in the evening we are happily sailing towards Antarctica again.

Last day on the Drake

Our last full day on the Drake Passage and happily for our peace of mind (and stomachs), we enjoyed much calmer weather than yesterday. It was a wonderful relief -- nothing capsized in the dining room and we didn´t stagger around the ship as if we were drunk. It was a quiet day, a day to reflect on what we have seen on our voyage to Antarctica. We did last minute shopping in the gift shop, began to pack our bags for the journey home, and thought about what we would tell our friends and families about our adventures in the land of snow and penguins. Birds flew around the ship, and a large pod of pilot whales put in an appearance as we approached land. The islands of the South American continent appeared on the horizon – from here we will meet our pilot who will guide the vessel through the Beagle Channel into the port of Ushuaia.

From the gallant captain, his loyal officers the hardworking crew and the expedition staff on board the MV Fram, we all wish you safe travels and happy memories! It has indeed been our pleasure sailing with you. May you always keep Antarctica in your minds and hearts.

PS. And so, the writer of this daily blog wishes you farewell!

Storm on the Drake!!

Crash! Bang! Smash! Hang on! Instead of the Drake Lake, we experienced the dreaded Drake Earthquake. Awoke to a Beaufort 9 storm – large waves battered the ship, causing us to stagger and sway down the hallways as we tried to maintain our balance. The order for the day was ONE HAND FOR THE SHIP! Seasick bags were placed strategically around the ship for our convenience. This was our farewell to the frozen continent, a thunderous goodbye of fluffy foam and watery spray as we make our way across the Drake Passage bound for the port of Ushuaia. Albatross and pintado petrels following the ship were not affected by the wind, but rather soared overhead in graceful defiance of the storm.

A smiling and confident Captain Hansen was standing on the bridge with lovely company ready to answer our questions concerning the steering, navigation and general workings of the MS Fram. As usual, he posed for photographs as well. We were very impressed how modern our trim little ship is. The view from the bridge, however, was like riding a rollercoaster up and down with no way to get off. More Crash! Bang! Smash! Hang on! Grab onto the rails! Big waves hurled their liquid summits against the bow of the Fram, throwing up curtains of spray.

The lecture program continued throughout the day, with a guest lecturer discussing the Nature of the Atmosphere. The storm increased in strength throughout the afternoon – it was a continued challenge to remain on our feet. A short nap was a welcome respite from our Drake Dance. The day ended with the Captain´s dinner and his speech where he reminded us to remember the University of Nature, and our unique and rewarding voyage of discovery to the bottom of the world.

Paradise Harbor and Wilhelmina Bay

Today was one of the best days that Antarctic could offer. We landed at the Argentine base of Almirante Brown, in Paradise Harbour, on the mainland of Antarctica. One passenger commented upon coming ashore, that she felt like she was living in a dream – but a wonderful dream. People climbed to the top of a hill overlooking the glacier-filled bay ringed by snowcapped mountains. A quick descent was made on nylon-clad bottoms – some people spinning around like tops and ending up in a pile of snow and laughter. Some even repeated the slide. The landing at Paradise ended with a short cruise into the bay, where we observed leopard seals basking on ice floes. The leopard is a formidable predator, with a large jaw possessing sharp teeth.

The next destination was whale watching in Wilhelmenia Bay. We knew we would encounter whales, but not the great number we finally saw. Almost everywhere we looked we saw whale spouts. If this wasn´t enough for one day, a large number of Orcas appeared. The Captain maneuvered the Fram into position, but the Orcas obliged us by literally posing for photographs as they swam very close to the ship. It was an amazing encounter with nature, one that we will not soon forget. The day ended with soft lighting effects on the mountains and icebergs. A wonderful day down south!

Vernadsky station and Petermann Island

Another amazing day in the Antarctic. A spectacular early morning cruise through the narrow confines of the Lemaire Channel brought us to our first landing – the Ukranian base of Vernadsky. The base personnel were very hospitable and everyone was impressed with the living quarters and scientific programs being conducted. Once a British base called Faraday, it was handed over to the Ukranians in 1996 and still maintains a very English flavor. A pub is the main center of attraction, and ladies who offered up a bra were then given a free shot of home-made vodka. All told, it was a fun experience spending time at Vernadsky base.

Continuing our journey, the afternoon found us at Petermann Island, home to gentoos and our first adelie penguins. All the penguins were tending chicks, many of the babies were quite large. Blue eyed shags (cormorants) also had babies. Many of us climbed a small hill to view the aptly named Iceberg Alley, and enjoyed a wonderful panoramic view. Several private yachts sailed past while we were on shore. The weather was slightly overcast but the sun occasionally broke through the clouds, offering us great opportunities for pictures of penguins and polar scenery. We were back to the ship in time for our Argentine buffet.

Cuverville Island and Port Lockroy

¨Good morning, ladies and gentlemen and welcome to Cuvervile Island and a beautiful day. It does not get any better than this,¨ were the first words spoken this morning by our fearless leader Anja. Our first landing of the day was at beautiful Cuverville Island, home to a large colony of nesting gentoo penguins. Penguins were moving to and from the water, tending their newly-hatched chicks or chasing away skuas that lingered at the edge of the rookery site. Several skuas attempted to eat Manuel´s hat. A leopard seal made a brief appearance cruising around offshore. Every so often, there was a loud cracking sound as an iceberg split or dropped off pieces into the water.

We sailed through the stunning Neumayer Channel and took a lot of photographs. Some Orcas cruised past with several young ones. The afternoon found us at the British Base of Port Lockroy on Goudier Island. This was a double landing, with a short landing at nearby Jougla Point, home to more gentoos and nesting cormorants with babies and several whale skeletons. The base offered a small gift shop where we were able to spend our money on souvenirs, including t-shirts and hats, books and maps, and other Antarctic related materials. The four ladies manning the museum were more than happy to answer our many questions about what it was like to live in Antarctica. It was also like stepping back in time, to realize what it must have been like to actually live at a working base circa the 1940s.