The Beagle Channel

For most of the day we transited from west to east the Beagle Channel. The channel was named after the ship HMS Beagle during its first hydrographic survey of the coasts of the southern part of South America, which lasted from 1826 to 1830. During that expedition, the Beagle's captain Pringle Stokes committed suicide and was replaced by Robert FitzRoy as captain. On a later and perhaps more famous voyage, the Beagle again sailed in South American waters, this time carrying the most influential biologist ever to have lived- Charles Darwin.
 The Beagle Channel separates the south coast of Tierra del Fuego to the north, from the many large and small islands in the archipelago to the south. These islands have been a source of serious dispute between Argentina and Chile.

In the morning we passed six impressive glaciers originating from the Darwin Cordillera ice field to the north in Chile. All these glaciers are retreating- you know the reason why is you have been reading this blog. We were struck by the contrast of the local Southern Beech silhouetted against the blue and white glacial ice. 
We noticed the sea water in the Fjord below the glaciers was coloured light blue-green. This we learned was due to rock dust or flour ground by the flowing ice from the rocks below. This dust makes it down to the sea in melt water streams or small icebergs that calve off the glaciers.


We then enjoyed great weather (for this place!) as we sailed further east towards Puerto Williams, where we landed in the late afternoon. We explored the town and its forested surroundings, and enjoyed a cultural show and local food provided by the community specially for us. 
On the hikes, several spectacular Magellanic Woodpeckers were seen. This bird is the icon of this cool southern Lenga forests. Lenga is one of the three species of Southern Beech- Nothofagus. Another remarkable plant to be found in many places was the native Dog Orchid.

Colonies!

No we are not talking about colonial countries of the past, but seabird colonies of today. And the bloggers, who are both biologists and passionate about seabirds, make no apology today for writing a blog about birds!!

Very early this morning, the Fram repositioned from Punta Arenas to Magdalena Island about 22 nm to the northeast. Magdalena is a small lump of very soft sandstone in the Strait of Magellan, and has been designated a national nature reserve because of its importance as a penguin breeding site. The reserve is managed by the Chilean government agency Corporación Nacional Forestalis.

About 100,000 pairs of Magellanic Penguins currently nest on the island, making it one of the largest and most important penguin colonies in Chile, if not South America. Sites like this rely heavily on protection for their future and the government of Chile is doing a wonderful job. Visitation is strictly controlled and we were fortunate to receive last-minute permission to land.

Mid-morning we returned to the ship with smiles on our faces testifying that we had witnessed such an amazing spectacle. Through the morning we continued to cruise the Chilean fiords and attended lectures on a variety of relevant topics. We had periods of glorius sunshine in the fjords, which is unusual as the wet westerly winds from the Pacific Ocean dump over 3000 mm of rain per year on this territory. Later we approached Tucker Island to observe the breeding birds there and, remarkably, were able to identify several from a distance including Rock and King Cormorant, Ashy-headed Geese, Magellanic Penguins, many Chilean Skuas, and even Chilean Swallows.

Our next highlight for the day was a transit of the narrow Gabriel Channel. To each side of us towered tree-clad hills and snow-capped peaks. Water streamed down the mountainsides every other meter until it plunged into the fjord. And with all this, we saw few signs of human habitation or indeed any human effect (a small fishing boat was seen!). We think that the word "pristine" was made for this place.

Temperature range for the day 5°C to 15°C.

A day in a southern city

Punta Arenas- what a place! We arrived to this the most southerly large city in the world last night. There are so many layers in this city and surroundings: history, culture, architecture, economy, people, wildlife, and we experienced all of it today.

This was excursion day for us on board the Fram. Groups went on city tours, to an estancia (sheep station), to a Magellanic Penguin colony, and on a hike in southern beech forest. Others simply walked into town and enjoyed this place. Even though it was Sunday, many shops and cafes opened later in the morning.

At the Estancia Olga Teresa, folks experienced sheep sheering, Chilean rodeo (the second most popular sport in Chile next to football), and an authentic sheep BBQ, A.K.A. cordero asado de Patagonia. In this famous culinary delight, lamb is cooked over wood fire.

The hike started out a bit slow but once the details had been cleared up, we had a beautiful walk through a green terrain with snow patches and magic trees full of green moss, lichens and ferns. We came out of the forest on a narrow trail, and experienced an open terrain with a beautiful view over the area, the city of Punta Arenas, and the strait of Magellan. Later the wind picked up and we experienced horizontal sleet and snow, creating a great setting and the end of the hike. As one passenger said it, "this is what we came for...!

The Punta Arenas city tour took people on an round trip which included a visit to the local museum which is mainly focused on the natural history of this area of Patagonia. The work of the missionaries that studied the local Fuegian populations, such as the salesian priest Father Augustini, is also highlighted. Augustini produced a unique photographic and cinematographic records of these ethnic populations.
The next stop was at the very interesting graveyard where most of Punta Arenas' history can be followed as you walk through the mausoleums and read the inscriptions. The tour ended at the main "plaza", where the weekly military exercise was taking place. They played music and accompanied the students of Punta Arenas' schools on a walk around the monument to Ferdinand Magellanes.

The visit to the Seno Otway Magellanic Penguin colony involved a 1+ hour bus ride over dry patagonian pampa. During the trip we were able to spot several fascinating wildlife species including a local skunk who had absolutely no interest in us as he dug for food in the soil. There were a few adult penguins making their way from the burrows to the sea and vice versa, and a larger group of younger penguins hanging around on the beach, waiting to moult.

At the end of the day, all of us moved to deck 7 to watch a wonderful Chilean Folklore show. The performers were accomplished musicians and dancers all of them very young. It was really good to see that these traditions are being maintained and celebrated by young Chileans.

I think we could say, we had a full day!!

A bumpy ride in the Chilean Fjords

Today was a sea day with a difference- we had land around us all the time as we sailed through the southern portions of the Chilean Fjords. Like Darwin, we were fascinated by the barren landscape, the rounded ice-scoured grey rocks below which we could see dark green cool temperate rain forest. The mountain peaks were snow covered and the overall look of the landscape reminded many of the fjords on west coast of Norway. 

The remnants of the last glaciation period, which ended 10000 years ago, can be found in the southern and northern Patagonian ice fields, in the Andes Mountains. Many glaciers flow down the U-shaped valleys from these ice fields to the  fjords below and we were lucky enough to see one today. Lucky because many of these glaciers are shrinking dramatically due to global warming. The particular glacier we sailed by was called "Contramaestre", which means boatswain or "bosu'n".

Our arrival to Punta Arenas was delayed by 60 knot winds that caused the temporary closure of the port but eventually we arrived and slowly moved towards the wharf, the final few meters sideways using our bow-thrusters. We docked opposite the world famous "Natheniel B. Palmer", the US National Science Foundation ice-breaker used to supply US Research Stations in Antarctica. 

Some adventurous passengers decided to explore the city of 120000 people by nightfall.

A new beginning

Early this morning we entered the port of Ushuaia, with it's magnificent backdrop of the southern Andes mountains. The most southerly city in the world sparkled in the early morning light as it quietly awaited another day of business. This city has changed dramatically over the past 20 years and has become the premier jumping-off point for Antarctica.

After breakfast we said goodbye to our passengers of the last three weeks. As expedition staff, this is one of the most difficult things about the job we do. Just as you are getting to know the folks on board, they have to leave, and a new group arrives, and the process of getting to know each other and making friends has to start again. Through the day the Fram was readied for it's next voyage, which would start in the early evening.

Of course, before we set sail, we received our new passengers, who boarded the ship, checked in, received their blue expedition jackets and generally got to know the ship a little. The luggage arrived a lot earlier and was skillfully delivered to each cabin door by the ship's crew.

After the mandatory safety drill and welcome meeting from our Captain and Expedition Leader, the ship fell quiet as it's passengers retired to their cabins and we sailed peacefully west along the Beagle Channel. We are headed for the first leg of our adventure in the Chilean Fiords and Punta Arenas.

Land ho!

(Naut.) A sailers cry upon sighting land, and we did just this today. More later.

The strong winds that we had all day yesterday dropped over night and we awoke to much calmer seas. An indication that we had come north, past the Antarctic Convergence, was that the air temperature had risen to 12°C.

Although we didn't want this, our last day cruising on the Fram, to come, it inevitably did. This meant that everyone was busy packing and saying goodbye to all the friends we have made over the last 3 weeks spent on board.

Never deterred, our staff made several presentations today, on topics such as climate change, the Scott-Amundsen race, the Andes and Patagonia and the surrounding area.

In the middle of the afternoon, the unmistakable smell of Southern Beech wafting in the northerly breeze was apparent. Soon after we sighted land- the island archipelago south of Tierra del Fuego.

The day and the cruise came to a fitting end with our famous Captain Dinner, an opportunity to thank the crew, officers and expedition staff for the wonderful adventure we have had and to enjoy one last repast together. This is also a notable and sad occasion because it its the very last time our Captain Hansen will host this dinner as skipper of the Fram. He will be going on to a new command in the coming weeks. This is an opportunity for our expedition staff to shed their white shirts and outdoor gear. Even the youngest amongst the Expedition Staff dressed up for this special occasion!

A special hi to my 5th - 6th Grade class with Dagmara at Chugach Optional Elementary School in Anchorage, Alaska and to my 7th grade Algebra Friends with Ms. Poole at Central Middle School of Science,  from Tristan.

A day on the Drake

There is only one band of latitudes on Earth where you can go around the world and never hit land. South of the southern tip of Tierra del Fuego lies the Drake Passage and all the waters of the Southern Ocean flow through this 600 nautical mile gap from west to east. Today we entered the dreaded Drake from Antarctica and as the day passed, the wind blew stronger and stronger.

By late afternoon we had 10 metre/30+ feet waves and storm-force winds. The sun stayed out though, and at least it did not look quite so angry outside. The Fram is excellent in these sea conditions and our lecture program was very well attended by passengers. Many feel cheated if they do not experience some waves on the Drake. None of us felt cheated today.

Through the day we were accompanied as usual by Cape Petrels and a few Southern Fulmars but the main story again were the dramatic waves.

Oh and before we forget, last night we had a good old fashioned snow storm while sailing near the South Shetland Islands. Keen birders on board were fascinated to see that these conditions attracted an almost fully leucistic (note the dark eyes) Emperor Penguin on deck. How this amazing bird clambered up the side of the ship is an enigma.

Temperature range for the day 1°C - 5°C.

South!

Early this morning around breakfast we cruised through the Lemaire Channel between Booth Island and the mainland of west Antarctica. It was spectacular as usual and, remarkable for this time of year, contained no icebergs of bergy-bits. Some pancake ice was forming after a cold night.

Once through the Lemaire we made our way into the Penola Strait to our first landing of the day at Petermann Island. This point of our trip is notable because it is the farthest south we go- a little more than 65° south. 
The swell was too much to land at our normal site so we decided to use Port Circumcision, which was calm. The small inlet was discovered on Jan. 1, 1909 by the French Antarctic Expedition under Charcot, who named it for the holy day on which it was first sighted. The cove served as a base for the ship Pourquoi-Pas? during the 1909 winter season.


At Petermann, we were able to observe breeding Gentoo and Adélie Penguins, and Blue-eyed Shags, in one sub-colony, all mixed together. Others hiked across the island for a view of iceberg ally, although this year we saw only one of a decent size, and it was in the process of turning over. We noticed a reduction in the number of Adélie Penguins compared to visits in previous years, with them seemingly being replaced by Gentoos.

After returning to the ship we sailed to Port Lockroy for our afternoon landing, via the beautiful Neumayer Channel. Port Lockroy is on Goudier Island and is home to the British Antarctic Heritage Trust's "Base A". Within the base there is a fascinating museum, gift shop and British Post Office. Outside we were treated to more Gentoo Penguins and the antics of several pairs of Snowy Sheatbills. The Union Jack flew proudly above breeding Gentoos with Wiencke Island as a backdrop.


In the evening we had a lot of fun at our Fram Auction and Cruise Show. Several very desirable items were on offer at the auction with the proceeds going to several non-profit organisations dealing with heritage and nature conservation in Antarctica. After the auction, which raised over $2600 US, the crew put on a fantastic and colourful show of singing and dancing and other arts in our Cruise Show. It was a great way to round out our last day in Antarctica. 

We now strike east and north for the Drake Passage and eventually Ushuaia. We wish for calm seas and fair winds. Whether we get our wish is up to Nature, and as we have no hand in it, we can relax and enjoy the ride. Miguelito, the pooparazzi photo is dedicated to you!


Temperature range for the day: -2°C to 3°C.

Never too late

Yesterday was an amazing and interesting day at the same time. "May you live in interesting times" goes the proverb and we sure have done that. In the morning, we made what only can be described as an idyllic landing at Cuverville Island. Cuverville is home to a large colony of Gentoo Penguins. As we landed we were confronted with a think wall of snow from last winter. The penguins had breached the wall in a couple of places, which allowed them to clamber up on to the colony. We made steps up the snow wall for our passengers- no doubt these steps are now being used by the penguins.
The morning landing was sunny, warm, and calm- real shirt-sleeve weather. The penguins were only very early in their breeding cycle because of the snow. No eggs or constructed nests were seen. On the way back to the ship we cruised around the amazing and sometimes colourful icebergs that were in the bay.

The reason we are late posting this blog is our landing at Neko Harbour, which was quite a bit longer than we expected. Neko is on the true mainland of west Antarctica and some feel they have not been to Antarctica unless they have stepped on the continent. Heavy pack ice filled Andvord Bay, at the bottom of which is Neko, so the Fram slowly sailed in to find an anchor from which we would launch the Polar Cirkel boats. It was clear from our first ride into the beach that the trip would be a relatively long one. The Polar Cirkel boats had to pick their way through the pack, which was relatively easy at first but got worse through the middle of the landing.
On the way to the beach we were lucky to see some Crabeater Seals on ice floes. The landing went well with people enjoying the Gentoos, Snowy Sheathbills, and other wildlife, and hiking up the hill behind the beach, only to slide down the same way. Although this was a Gentoo colony, a lone Adélie Penguin came on shore for a preen. The result of the pack ice was that our landing lasted about 7 hours! The last four boats returned to the ship at about 22:30, and followed the Fram into open water so that the remaining passengers and staff could board her. All went well and although, tired and a little cold, everyone felt that they had experienced a true Antarctic adventure.

A crazy day!

Last evening we had very rough sea conditions, which lasted through most of the night. In the very early morning we approached the South Shetland Islands, and a little later we turned to starboard and entered Admiralty Bay on our way to the Polish Arctowski Station. This was to be our first landing in Antarctica proper. The first 100 passengers landed and first walked down the beach towards the Adélie Penguin colony.

As we made our way over the cobbles, we noticed a few Gentoo Penguins, and at the end of our walk we saw a lonely pair of Chinstraps. Ironically, Adélie Penguins were in short supply on the beach, which is unusual. The colony at Arctowski has been declining over the past few decades and now sits at only 4000 pairs. Later in the morning a few Adélies made their way down to the beach and put on a small show for some of us. The Arctowski area is a lush, Antarctic oasis as exemplified by the green meadows of moss and Antarctic Hair Grass, and the amazing growth of lichen on the rocks.

The big news of the morning was the winds, which picked up to storm force, and left us no choice but to cancel the landing and return to the ship. Unfortunately, not all passengers made it on-shore but this is Antarctica, and the unexpected becomes the expected.

Over lunch and the early afternoon we made our way to Half Moon Island, a small crescent shaped extinct volcano near Livingston Island. Half Moon is home to a fairly large Chinstrap Penguin colony. During the whole landing, we experienced rain, strong winds and temperatures close to zero. However, this did not deter us and we all enjoyed the fresh air, surreal landscape, and local wildlife, including several species of breeding seabirds and Weddell Seals.

South of 60 south

Say that 10 times in the row!

Today we continued to sail southwest from South Georgia, on our way to Antarctica. Yesterday we crossed the Antarctic Convergence and today we crossed another significant line, the 60th parallel. We are officially in Antarctica!

Thousands of birds were flying around the Fram to testify this. We spotted the already well known Cape Petrels, some adventurous albatrosses, and a species that we hadn't seen before- the Antarctic Petrel.

By 6 pm we arrived at Elephant Island, where we approached as closely as possible to Point Wild in order to see the Pardo monument. This bronze bust of the pilot Luis Pardo Villalon was placed in Point Wild during the XXIVth Chilean Antarctic Scientific Expedition in 1987-88 to celebrate the rescue of the survivors of Shackleton's Endurance expedition in 1916. The image to the right shows the beach area that was used by Shackleton's men for 4 months while they waited to be rescued. We were struck by how small and area it was, and of course by the absolute wildness of the place.

Tomorrow we continue our adventure in the South Shetland Islands.

The temperature range for today was 0°C to -5°C.

Crossing the mythical barrier

After our departure from Drygalski Fjord last night we headed into rather agitated seas, only to wake up to a beautiful calm sunny day with 550 miles to go to Elephant Island.  During such a quiet day it was amazing to think that 94 and 1/2 years ago we would have encountered Shackelton and his men on this route heading the other way.

For some, the early part of the day was filled with relaxation on deck 7, while others headed to another interesting round of lectures focusing on Antarctic issues.

Towards lunch time the mood of the sea changed and the mist started to coat the wind swept waves.  The seas cooled markedly by almost 3 degrees Celsius and together with the fog indicated to everyone on the FRAM that we had arrived at this mythical barrier that separates the Antarctic region from the rest of the world: the Antarctic Convergence.

 Throughout the day the expedition team worked diligently to create a series of tantalizing questions that made up the ultimate FRAM evening quiz.  Over 100 people competed for the title of 'best lecture attendance' and in the process learned and re-learned fascinating tid-bits about the Southern Ocean, Antarctica and the teaming life that can be found there.  Guided by our two honorable judges, the day ended in a relaxed atmosphere in our observation lounge wondering what new exciting things tomorrow will bring.  

Shackleton, whaling, beautiful weather, nasty weather

Temperature range for the day: 5 to 13°C.
These are some keywords for our second day on South Georgia. Yesterday evening we sailed into Cumberland East Bay and anchored for the night very near Grytviken, the capital of South Georgia. The amazing, summer-like weather which we experienced yesterday continued today. Those of us who have been here before are struck by how little snow we have seen at sea level, and how dry it is underfoot. The winter must have been warm and dry.

In the morning we weighed anchor and moved into Grytviken harbour for our landing at the abandoned Norwegian whaling station. This station was the first of its kind in Antarctica and started operations in 1905. Remarkably, whaling continued in this location until 1965 and processed over 54,000 whales. Also at Grytviken is a fabulous museum, British Post Office, gift shop, and lots of wildlife. The museum has a very nice collection that takes you back to the time of heroic exploration and active whaling in this region. Next to the museum is a life-sized replica of the James Caird, the boat that took Shackleton and five of his men from Elephant Island to South Georgia on arguably the most adventurous voyage ever to have happened.

On the shoreline from Shackleton's grave to King Edward Point we found many male Fur Seals and Elephant Seal harems. We saw a few King Penguins and then noticed a special one. This bird had large white patches of feathers where there should have been dark feathers, and blotchy pink and black feet. Biologists call this particular coloration leucism. Totally leucistic animals are called albinos.

We left Grytviken before lunch to reposition for our next activity at Cooper Bay. However, South Georgia lived up to its reputation of having the worst weather on the planet (just kidding!), and as we sailed east, the wind picked up to gale force and it started to snow. This made our planned Polar Cirkel Boat cruise impossible. Instead we sailed further down the north coast and entered the dramatic Drygalski Fjord, named after Erich Dagobert von Drygalski, who led the first German South Polar Expedition between 1901 and 1903. Now we are sailing towards the Antarctic proper.