Merry Christmas from the Scotia Sea!

Our day started with overcast skies. The extremely good news was that there was not much wind. A gentle swell imbued a lazy roll to Fram as we steadily plied our way south east towards the South Orkney Islands. 

This has been a nice smooth ride.  Those of us that traverse the southern ocean on a semi-regular basis know that it can be much worse.  Today it’s rough enough that you know you are on the southern ocean and yet smooth enough where you’re not apt to spill your drink.  That's important.

It has been a wonderfully relaxing Christmas day. There is a serene yet festive atmosphere on board.  The ship has been tastefully decorated and seasonal  music is quietly playing in the background.  Everywhere you look there are signs of Christmas! There were plenty of things to keep you occupied.  The lecture halls were busy throughout the day.  Some people chose to go to the gym or spend time in Jacuzzi and still others found a quiet spot in the Observation lounge to read or just watch the ocean roll by. 

In the morning, several people were lucky enough to be on deck to see Christmas  Fin whales!   

It was also an outstanding day for bird watching.  Some of the most magnificent flying birds in the world soared around the ship throughout the day including 3 species of albatross; Wandering, Royal, and Black-browed. Other sea birds sighted included; Cape Petrels, Wilsons Storm Petrels, Black-bellied Storm Petrels, Antarctic Prions, Blue Petrels and White-chinned Petrels.

Tonight we are all looking forward to a quiz that the expedition team has prepared.  It should be lots of fun!!

Merry Christmas to Everyone! 

Christmas at Grytviken

This morning we arrived to the scenic and history-laden harbour of Grytviken. The winds in South Georgia are so strong, that even within the safe waters of this bay, sheltered by tall mountains on three sides, we could not bring the Fram alongside the pier. Not that this minor obstacle would stop us: we launched our PolarCirkel boats and were exploring the site in no time!

The beaches were blanketed with seals - both furry fur seals and blubbery elephant seals. They were all enjoying the delightfully sunny day; something we did, too! It was nice to see the wobbly movements of the obese elephant seals; and also the gracile and funny run- and swimarounds of the juvenile fur seals.

Apart from wildlife,  Grytviken is also an interesting historic site: one of the biggest whaling stations on the island operated here, and one still can get a very good idea of how life was during the whaling days, by exploring the remains of the huge factory, as well as the many interesting artifacts exhibited in the museum. Of course, a further very interesting historic highlight of Grytviken is a visit to Sir Ernest Shackleton's tomb - unmistakable for two reasons: one, it's the most remarkable in the small graveyard, and it's the only one among them facing SOUTH! Having died in Grytviken, Shackleton's funeral service was held in the beautiful whalers's wooden church, which -in IKEA-fashion- was built in Norway and assembled on site in 1913. And today we had a fabulous, and very special way to see the church...

...  As today it's Christmas Eve, so we held a little, moving ceremony in this church. A short Nativity service was conducted in Norwegian by our Captain Rune Andreassen, followed by English and German versions; all accompanied by the beautiful music played by Catherine and Manuela, our gifted musicians on board. We dare say it was a wonderful experience for all involved - it certainly was among the highlights of this trip for us!

And to cap an already great day, we had wonderful weather as we sailed all along South Georgia's northern coast - even with no particularly trained eye for geology, it was easy to see that this awesome island is nothing but a stretch of the Andes gone astray - without losing any of their splendor!

The Shackleton Walk!!

We had a beautiful day for an early morning landing in Fortuna Bay.  Fantastic in fact.  At 7:00 we loaded into the Polar Cirkle boats for a short ride to the beach. The beach is 2 km long and as we were expecting, it was filled with Antarctic Fur Seals.  Thousands of growling, howling, squealing, yelping, fighting, playing Fur Seals packed the shoreline. Big males, small females and thousands of tiny pups.  The pups are the cutest critters you have ever seen.   We were escorted by the expedition team through a veritable gauntlet of large males.  Very exciting!  

Our main goal was to get to the King Penguin colony.  7000 pairs of King Penguins were ensconced on the flat gravel moraine just below König Glacier.  The colony was a pleasant 1.5 km walk from the landing site. At the colony it was wonderful to see penguins of all ages.  Adults promenaded about in regal courtship behaviour.  The fat "furry" chicks were fun to watch. If you sat or stood quietly the young birds became accustomed to your presence.  The bolder chicks would gradually shuffle up, perhaps hopeful that we might be a source of food for them.  Now and again a chick would run amok in an exuberant burst of energy.  It was if it had been wound up too tight and then suddenly let go.  It was hysterical and difficult not to laugh right out loud.

 At 10:30 we set out on the famous the Shackleton walk, starting in Fortuna Bay and ending in Stromness. We made our way between and amongst the partially aggressive, partially inquisitive fur seals on the beach, and started climbing the tussoc-covered slope - and we still encountered some fur seals quite high on them; possibly enjoying the great view?  At the highest point in the hike, some 300 metres above sea level and some distance from the vegetation, too, we were treated to commanding vistas over the two neighbouring bays - this sight alone was definitely worth the trek!

 However, despite the fact that the vistas we had enjoyed were magnificent, the best was yet to come: once you arrive to the edge of the slope going down towards Stromness, you cannot help experiencing awe and admiration for Shackleton and his men, for it is from this spot where they saw the whaling station after their incredible and perilous journey. The numerous passengers that participated in the walk were more than happy to commemorate that famous adventure with a happy and multitudinous group photo.

At 15:45 we began our third landing of the day!  But my, how the weather had changed.  As we headed for the beach by the old whaling station at Stromness, stiff winds and a biting rain blew in our face.

It didn’t seem possible but there were even more Fur Seals here than at Fortuna Bay.  We “ran the gauntlet” again and made our way behind the whaling station to visit the old whaler’s graveyard. We weren’t allowed to venture into the whaling station as the buildings are unsafe and there is still lots of asbestos on the site. Cold, wet gusts of katabatic wind periodically roared down from the glaciers, winds strong enough to knock you off balance.  The driving rain added to the wild atmosphere. 

By 18:30 we were all back within the comfy confines of Fram.  Tonight it will be time to decorate the Christmas tree!

A Blizzard of Prions

Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’, the ocean is a rollin’ (sung to the tune of Rawhide).  We awoke to blue skies and 25 knot winds. There were a few high-scattered clouds, brilliant sunshine and deep blue seas. A strong swell imbued a gentle but constant roll to Fram as we steadily plied our way towards South Georgia. 

The southern giant petrels of yesterday seemed to have been replaced with Antarctic Prions today. They flitted and soared in their erratic flight paths all about the ship. It was a beautiful morning and a glorious day for sea birds. In addition to the Prions were: Black-browed Albatross, Grey-headed Albatross, Light-mantled Sooty Albatross, Wilson’s Storm Petrels, Southern Giant Petrels, White-chinned Petrels and Blue Petrels.  There were also several representatives of avian royalty: Wandering Albatrosses.  Stately monarchs glided elegantly around the ship throughout the day.

Is it a new dry cleaning service?  What?  Vacuum our clothes?  The introduction of invasive plant species to South Georgia is a very real concern.  As a precautionary measure, all visiting vessels must vacuum all outdoor clothing, backpacks and camera bags.  Vacuums were set out on deck two and everyone lined up to have their gear sucked free of seeds!

At about 15:30, right smack dab in the middle of nowhere, rose 5 dramatic, guano covered slabs of rock. Shag Rocks!  As Fram cruised by the jagged inspiring spires everyone ran out on deck with their cameras or watched from the Observation lounge.

Throughout the day we passed many hundreds of Antarctic Prions but around 16:30 their numbers increased dramatically.  There were many thousands of them flitting and soaring everywhere you looked and for as far as the eye could see.  It was a blizzard of Prions. It seemed that they were numbered in the millions.  There were also many other species of birds in great numbers as well as Antarctic Fur Seals a Minke whale and even a Southern Right Whale!  There was absolutely no doubt that all of this wildlife was attracted to food.  It must have been an enormous smorgasbord, but of what?  We will never know for sure, but most likely small zooplankton such as krill, amphipods and possibly copepods.

Wow!  With such an exciting day at sea we all wondered what tomorrow would hold for us when we finally arrived in South Georgia.

Scotia Sea

Yesterday, the prospect for today’s sailing looked a bit grim: our itinerary pointed us directly into a big low pressure zone, which usually means high winds and waves. And both we had today aplenty – but we were lucky, because both came from astern, making the ship roll gently all day long. And with the wind pushing us from behind, we rode the wind, albatross-like, making very good headway at a very respectable 14 knots.

Gently-rolling seas also meant that most of our passengers enjoyed a comfortable, queasiness-free time on board, and lectures were very well attended – something lecturers like a great deal.

Although our chef and cooks in the galley are used to all kinds of seas, a calm sailing is a welcome thing - which today was put to good uses: to start preparing the delicious dishes and desserts they will offer us all for our Christmas festivities. Both our Expedition leader and Hotel manager were caught in the festive mood, and helped a bit in the cookie-cutting activities - yummy!

 

Port Stanley

 

We spent the whole day exploring Port Stanley and environs. That means visiting a quaint little town with signs of Britishness everywhere.  There were lots of shipwrecks, victims of the perilous days of rounding Cape Horn, when ships were left mastless and had to slowly make their way to safe havens.  On many occasions that meant arriving at Port Stanley - for posterity; and the reminders of the bygone days of whaling.

Exploring the area of Port Stanley was interesting: venturing outside town, one quickly reaches beautiful, white sandy beaches where Magellanic penguins congregate before of after foraging trips; scenic coves enclosed within stratified quartzite cliffs with rock cormorants nesting in them; gently rolling hills overlooking the bay across the pier; or, for the most adventurous people, a bumpy but exciting ride on four-wheel vans to cross the island and reach Volunteer Point, where gentoo and king penguins sun themselves in Caribbean-like beaches, before plunging into turqoise waters. 







For ship lovers, our visit to Port Stanley was rather exciting today, because of 2 famous vessels: SS Great Britain, which for a long while was stranded here, before returning to its birthplace in Bristol; and the Antarctic supply vessel James Clark Ross, with which we shared our mooring.

The Free Spirits of Westpoint and New Islands

To sit and watch an albatross is to contemplate the essence of wild freedom. These free spirits inspire a peaceful  introspective experience in the observer. They are magnificent, gentle creatures.

Close your eyes and imagine for a moment that it is you sitting quietly with an albatross. On second thought, forget about closing your eyes. You won’t be able to read this. Wild surf pounds on the shore. Wind sighs through the tussoc.
There is a cacophony of albatross and penguin calls all around you. Watching, listening and photographing, you feel closer to nature than you ever have before. The contentment of the young bird is contagious. The stress of your busy life at home forgotten. You are at peace for the first time in a long time. In some small way you feel grateful to the young bird. The important things in life seem to come in to sharper focus.

We had brilliant weather for two absolutely outstanding landings:  West Point Island in the morning and New Island in the afternoon.  None of us will forget this day. At West Point we had a thirty minute walk to the Albatross and Rockhopper colony.  The spicy smell of gourse permeated the air as we walked through the gently rolling countryside that is very typical of the Falkland Islands.  On the way there were many Upland Geese, as well as, Austral Thrushes, Long-tailed Meadow Larks, Turkey Vultures, Dark-faced Ground Tyrants, Black-chinned Siskins and Correndera Pipits.
Striated Caracaras were ubiquitous on both landings.    At both colonies Rockhopper Penguins were mixed in amongst the albatross; their raucous ecstatic displays filled the air.  Most of the Rockhoppers and Black-browed albatross were sitting on chicks.

At West Point tea was served with lots of scrumptious cakes and cookies. What a wonderful way to start our great adventure in the Southern Oceans.

The Southern Giant Petrel Sea

The whole day we sailed the Scotia Sea, which today showed its quiet side: gentle breezes and soft waves carried us on our journey towards the Falkland/Malvinas Islands.

And you could be forgiven for thinking this stretch of water was called the Southern Giant Petrel Sea, because we were followed by a seemingly unending stream of these imposing birds for most of the day. 

This just happened to coincide with the photography and birdwatching session we had planned after lunch, so we could not have asked for more, really. In fact the entire day was good for bird watching.  We also saw Antarctic prions, Wilson's storm petrels, a regal wandering albatross, many black-browed albatross, cape petrels, white-chinned petrels and a greater shearwater.

Today we also started with our lecture series, which gave our passengers general information about the history, geology and biology of our planned destinations on this cruise - and so we hope, whet their appetites for them!

Turnaround day

Our days at port are always emotional and hectic. Emotional because we bid farewell to our departing passengers, with whom we’ve just spent several very exciting days – and with many of whom embryonic friendships have started. Hectic because preparing a ship in a few hours’ time to be ready for the arrival of our new guests is no easy feat; worse than preparing for the inlaws dropping in for dinnner. We onboard MS Fram, however, love these days as it’s always nice to know we have made a few new friends and to look forward to the new adventures that lie ahead!

Once our new passengers embarked, had familiarized themselves a bit with the vessel, and had enjoyed their first dinner on board, we had the mandatory emergency mustering drill – which took place in the outer decks; i.e., we were exposed to the cold winds that are so abundant in Ushuaia. Naturally, we had warned our guests to dress warmly – and just to be on the safe side, we later invited everybody for a glass of champagne, to welcome them on board and warm up their bodies and minds. Later, we left the port of Ushuaia and slowly made our way along the scenic Beagle Channel, on our way to the Falklands/Malvinas Islands, our first stop in this cruise.

One last night, one last day

Today, we are pleased to offer the thoughts of a guest blogger, author Iliya Troyanov, who sailed with us during this trip:

Some people, including the lecturers, do not mind crossing the Drake Passage, they sleep like babies the profound sleep of the well-adapted, but greenhorns like myself spend last night tossing and turning in my sleeplessness, distrusting the rolling motion and unable to quell the multitude of thoughts, images and impressions of a journey like no other, into the last Terra Nullius, a land where the exception is the rule – Antarctica. So it was only fitting that the lectures ended with two discussions on climate change, both interesting and at the same time distressing, because it became evident how long and winding, how stony and full of potholes the road to political and economic change is. No one questioned the necessity for change, but there was little agreement as to how to go about it. The Antarctic’s pristine state has exhilarated many of us (one gentleman expressing in measured words a sense of personal transformation) but, at the same time, there is a feeling of torment by the knowledge of what will become of it when humans take over - visions of its rape and plunder already triggered by the ruins on Deception Island. There is only one possible conclusion: it is incumbent that we prevent humans encroaching on it any further. And the auction in support of the Save the Albatross fund brought to mind the metaphor of a sailor who, having killed the sacred animal, is compelled to carry its body round his neck, as if it were humankind’s true cross (Coleridge): “The spirit who bideth by himself / In the land of mist and snow, / He loved the bird that loved the man / Who shot him with his bow.” 

Standing on the weather deck, looking out, it seemed easy to forget civilization entirely (your hearing barely registers the quite throb of the engines). Silent birds write ephemeral messages across the monochrome sky that we have no idea how to decipher; icebergs that store the freshest water and the cleanest air there is on earth. The message of the discussions was clear: catastrophe is bearing down on us faster than we think and small steps won’t be enough. It is probably already too late to adapt humanely to the situation without there being a large number of victims. Whatever we do from now on, we won’t be able to avert certain disasters. Warming means mass exodus, famine, war. Every living system in the world is in retreat, because we are degrading the biosphere. The prime culprit is our exploitative, disposable economy and its dependence on fossil fuels. Capitalism’s pathologies are called consumption and waste. A journey into Antarctica ends with such pitiless questions – rightly so. The awareness that we take back home is a heightened one.

Drake Passage

Like a bookend, the Drake Passage always marks the end of a voyage to Antarctica- in this part of the world anyway. It is water dreaded by many, but is tamer than its reputation. Today- 15 December- is our first day on the Drake after a fabulous 5 days in Antarctica. The day started fairly calm and we completed our bridge visits. There, our captain explained how MS Fram, a state of the art vessel, is operated. Among other interesting facts, we learnt that it is normal procedure, to make depth soundings of uncharted waters – something that was done when we visited Paulet Island a few days ago. Now we have a lot more information to help us navigate the waters close to the colony.

Later in the day, the winds picked up and by evening we were in a full gale with high waves.

Our passengers were also able to see the whole crew in action, as we performed one of our regular safety drills. Today, we simulated a fire on the ship and proceeded as if it was out of control and we had to abandon ship: most of the crew actually donned safety equipment and boarded one of our rescue boats. Safety is something we take very seriously, and these exercises are an important part of our operations.

Towards the end of the evening, we tested the knowledge of our passengers about all things Antarctica, as we held our traditional quiz night – we all had a good time and a big laugh. Congratulations to boat group no. 7.

Half Moon Island and Yankee Harbour

Today we had wonderful weather to explore two of the South Shetland Islands: incredibly azure skies, warm temperatures and a light breezes. And that made our landing at Half Moon Island a special event: the view across to Livingston Island and its gigantic glaciers flowing down peaks was impressive; the orange lichen-covered cliffs contrasted starkly against the blue sky; and the light was beautiful to see the shiny feathers of recently-preened penguins in all their splendor.

On this crescent-shaped island most penguins in the rookery are chinstraps - but there was a lonely macaroni penguin amidst them, standing out from the crowd because of its stockier body and bright yellow feathers on top of the head - the very ones that gave it its name! Sadly though, we suspect that this bird is on her own and will obviously need a mate for her attendance at the colony to be worthwhile.

After a quick lunch break, we landed on the opposite side of the straits we were in, at Yankee Harbour, a long spit of cobbled stones and terminal moraine material jutting into the sea off  Greenwich Island. We continued to enjoy wonderful, sunny and warm weather, and were happy to find several gentoo penguin chicks still sporting their eggteeth. The weather continued to be idyllic and with the backdrop of Livingston Island (again), the place took on an almost dream-like quality.

Neko Harbour and Port Lockroy

This morning we had actually planned to land on Vernadsky Station (the old British station Faraday), south of the Lemaire Channel, but onboard MS Fram we have learnt that in the Antarctic, one plans something and the weather decides whether you can do it – today, we couldn’t. Densely-packed ice was flowing northwards during the night, so our Captain decided to sail away from the oncoming ice and this morning we were positioned in front of Neko Harbour, which by the way, is a fantastic place, so we all enjoyed a landing there. Some of our passengers climbed to the top of the hill overlooking the sea and the imposing glacier that hangs all the way from the crest of the mountains to the sea. On the way down, some slid down a snowy slope. Neko is on the mainland of west Antarctica.

We saw some avalanches and also a couple of ice chunks calving off the nearby glacier into the water. Of course, there were also penguins, and as our passengers had already seen them before, the unstoppable impulse to take bizillions of photos is beginning to wane, and they are actually starting to look at these funny birds.

On the route from Neko Harbour to Port Lockroy, we cruised the scenic Neumayer Channel, which today showed in all its splendor as we had blue skies and flat, mirror-like waters.

We landed in Port Lockroy in the afternoon, and our passengers were fascinated by in the small museum showing how life was in a British Antarctic research station in the 1940s; they also proved to be rather interested in the museum gift shop spending tonnes of their hard-earned cash on very nice remembrances of their trip! The proceeds from the shop are all ploughed back into the running of the base and the restoration of other British bases around the Antarctic. All this is administered by the United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust.

'Round about midnight

'Round about midnight we entered the Antarctic Sound; and in a similar fashion to Miles Davis' eponymous melody, where changes in rhythm and tonality follow each other in sweet succession, during our traverse of this scenic strait at the northern tip of the peninsula, we were treated to a wonderful symphony of colours. We sailed past amazingly blue icebergs of all shapes cut against the pastel pink of an infinite sky set ablaze by the setting sun. Flat, tabular icebergs will have broken off the continental iceshelf, in this case probably from the Larsen Ice Shelf, on the eastern edge of the Antarctic Peninsula, from where they then drifted into theAntarctic Sound. 

Irregularly shaped icebergs are simply older tabular icebergs, that have been eroded to capricious forms by wind and water. Many animals rest on these ice giants, and you regulary spot penguins, seals or seabirds on them. Knowing that about 70 to 90% of the iceberg lies under water, cruising past them you better keep a respectful distance in case they topple.

Way past midnight, this morning we sailed through the Gerlache Strait. Named after Belgian expeditioner Adrien de Gerlache, who came through here in 1897-1899, this is a panoramic seaway flanked by imposing mountains. On our approach to this afternoon's landing site, Cuverville island, we were visited by some humpback whales. It was a fantastic sight to see them diving to herd krill into their gapes, waving their goodbyes with their unique tails as they disappeared into the deep. 

Around 15 o' clock we landed at Cuverville Island, where we visited a big colony of Gentoo penguins. The site is really amazing: the island is surrounded by dramatic mountains covered with glaciers, and many icebergs were floating in front of the beach - it was a perfect postcard. The site was mostly covered by snow, but the penguins criss-crossed the snow by means of an intricate network of "penguin highways".

'Round midnight (à la Thelonius Monk, of course), we cruised the spectacular Lemaire Channel on our southward Antarctic journey. What a trip from midnight to midnight!