More than words can say

We had an indescribable day on Cuverville Island, at the Argentinian Station Almirante Brown and later on in the Lemaire Channel. We cannot describe the day with words. So we made the decision:

let the pictures talk:





Gentoo on the eggs





Protecting the chicks



Feeding the chicks





Toilet training…



… feeling successful!





Hunting the Skua



Moulting





Feeling like little children!





Almirante Brown





In the Lemaire Channel



Sunset in the Lemaire Channel





Four seasons in a four hours landing

Last night around midnight we passed the Antarctic Convergence and that means: we have reached our travel-destination - Antarctica. In the morning the sea has been a little bit rough, but the wind was blowing from the aft, so that we did not feel the waves too much. While the German speaking passengers had the possibility to visit our captain on the bridge, the others used the opportunity to clean their backpacks and jackets. We wanted to be sure, that there are no seeds in our outdoor equipment that could bring any change to the Antarctic nature.

Around three o’clock we reached Deception Island, our destination for the afternoon. The wind was blowing very strong, it was foggy and snowy, and really not the weather we wished for our first landing.

Our sail through the very narrow Neptune’s Bellows, was the entrance to the caldera of Deception Island. It was spectacular and our captain did an excellent job. From the ship we had a nice view of the former whaling station and the ruins of the British Research Station. All the buildings were destroyed in the volcanic eruption in 1969.

Our swimmers were looking forward to this landing, as this is one of the best bathing beaches in Antarctica. Our Scandinavian passengers made a competition out of it. We had a total of 38 swimmers and all of them had a lot of fun.

Others of us enjoyed the wonderful landscape in Whaler’s Bay with the spectacular colors. Iron and sulfur in the volcanic ash brought nice red, brown and yellow color in the otherwise dark gray surroundings. Sun, snow, wind and fog were constantly changing during our landing, so that we had four seasons in only four hours.

After a tasty Scandinavian buffet the crew is singing for us in the Observation Lounge. What a surprise, that we have such a talented crew!

Getting prepared

During the night MV FRAM sailed through the Beagle Channel out into the Drake Passage. We woke up in a very smooth sea and to a beautiful sunrise. During the day the winds increased a bit and as they are blowing from the north the Fram as it heads south is saving diesel fuel.

Today there was not really time for relaxing as we prepared for our adventures ahead in Antarctica. Directly after breakfast our lecture series started and we learned a great deal about the birds, penguins (of course they are birds too), history and how to behave in Antarctica. Between we had time to become familiar with our own equipment we brought to this trip. Some of us had brand new cameras and we struggled to figure out how to use them to get the best photos, while on-land. We do not expect that it is so difficult to handle our binoculars. But we all had a lot of fun. We felt a little bit like students, running from one lesson to the other. Hopefully there is no test at the end of our trip.

Of course the crew had to prepare their equipment too. On the photo you can see our car deck with all the warm clothing for the expedition team and the seamen. Our Polarcircle boats are ready to go the first landing planned for tomorrow.

During the day we thought that Neptune, the king of all the seven seas would be our best friend, because the sea was so quiet. But one of us must have done something, that made him angry and now the sea becomes a little bit rougher. But it looks only like a first warning and we promised to behave better, so that Neptune likes us again and we can reach our first landing in Deception Island tomorrow afternoon.

A dream comes true

Our passengers have been looking forward to this trip for such a long time. And today the dream came true. They reached Ushuaia, the southernmost city of the world and the starting point for our Antarctic trip. MV FRAM was already waiting for us in the harbor. After a short check in process we went to our cabins, and became familiar with the FRAM as it will be our home for the next two weeks. Everyone is tired after the long flights to this end of the world, but we all attended the safety drill and the captains welcome in our Panorama Lounge. Anja, the expedition leader introduced us to her team, but we will need at least one more day to figure out who is who.

Without any wind we are now motoring through the Beagle Channel. The last trees for the next weeks are passing by. As darkness falls most of us have only one wish at the moment: to go to bed and be prepared for an hopefully exciting day in the Drake Passage tomorrow.

A Restful Day at Sea

Today Neptune was much kinder to us than yesterday. The sea was calm and we had a comfortable ride North. Some us just wiled the day away resting and dreaming about Antarctica, while others were busy with activities such as lectures, learning how to tie seamens’ knots, a charity auction, and – of course – the traditional Captain’s Dinner in the evening. Today we are taking a look behind the scenes and see a few pictures from the crew mess where our ever ready helpers spend their few hours at leisure and get new energy to serve us so cordially.

And there was the surprise about which we were hearing roumors yesterday: Fram was making good speed on the Drake during the last two days and so the Captain decided to make a beeline for Cape Horn. You might almost call it the coronation of a dream voyage. It was a privilege to see this famous landmark in the history of navigation.

 

It is with great sadness that we will leave Fram tomorrow morning, but we will be back eventually, either in Greenland, or Spitzbergen, in Europe, or on the beautiful coast of Norway.

Food Galore

We are in the Drake Passage again and it is not as easy as it was on our way down to Antarctica, but it could be much worse. It is true the ship is moving, however none of the horrible stories we have heard about this infamous body of water is coming true for us. The routine on board is carrying on normally with a safety drill for the crew, lectures, documentaries, and visits to the bridge, which are surprisingly well attended given that some of us prefer to stay in their cabins today. The most amazing people on board today are the wonderful men and women who work in the galley and the restaurant. With same happy composure as usual they brave the moving seas and spoil us with excellent service an tasty morsels. Some passengers find it hard to stand up and the waiters still manage to juggle plates and glasses as if they were on firm ground!

The food on this voyage has been excellent. Some meals were served as sit-down dinners, but mainly it is buffet style which makes it more flexible during landing operations in Antarctica; remember: Flexibility is the name of the game during an Antarctic voyage, and that holds true even for the restaurant. The buffet is always decorated according to varying themes and sometime our waiters even dress up to fit the motto of some evening meals. It is quite surprising to see the variety and range of different delicacies they conjure up in the galley every day given that they have no chance to go shopping anywhere during the voayge! Every meal is fun, because we are always anxious to see what will be on the buffet. Shackleton wrote about his men who were marooned on the sea ice in the Weddell Sea, "The very fact that they don't know what is going to be for dinner gives them something to think about." Well, we do not need this kind of mental distraction, but still our admiration for the crew members who are responsible for our culinary entertainment is immense.

During the day the sea calming down a little, so it bodes well for tomorrow; who knows, maybe there is another pleasant surprise for us in store.

Leaving the Best for Last....

Deception Island must the most bizarre place anyone has ever visited. Fram sailed into the caldera of an active volcano through a very narrow passage. Alas, it was raining and very windy, but we would not be daunted by this and the more energetic went on a hike during the landing and learnt a lot about previous eruptions which one of our lecturers witnessed years ago. The stations had to be evacuated so quickly then that you can still find plenty of old equipment sticking out of the landslide deposits. Again we were lucky and the weather picked up during the landing.

The afternoon brought our last Antarctic landing at Hannah Point. It was the most perfect landing site to say good-bye to Antactica and make us want to come back next year. The place was teeming with wildlife and among other creatures we found was the elusive maccaroni penguin, nesting giant petrels, and elephant seals, all of which we had not seen yet on our expedition. The presence of grass on this landing site made us aware that we are already relatively far North at almost 63°S.

We realize how lucky we have been during the last 9 days. We actually managed to make 13 landings or cruisings in this relatively short period of time, which is not the usual average for any voyage to Antarctica. From now on the Drake Passage awaits again and we will use the time to listen to more lectures, and to make our own reflections on the last days and the privilege we had to enjoy them.

Shopping Frenzie!

The weather gods were not as kind to us as yesterday, but it was not a bad day either. The famous Lemaire Channel was our first major sight early this morning, very early indeed! It had been snowing heavily all night and we woke up to a rather bleak morning, but luckily the cloud cover was high enough and we could view the extraordinary scenery as Fram found her way through the narrow passage. Surely, it is one of the most fascinating areas of the continent. The first landing was Peterman Island. The Expedition Team went out first to prepare everything for us. They always look like true explorers when they get into the first boat; ever cheerfully they go out and make sure that our visits are conducted safely and with minimal environmental impact. Peterman holds many natural beauties with unique views of glaciers, the Antarctic mainland, icebergs, and a lot of wildlife. There is, for instance, a very special "multicultural" colony which houses Adelie penguins, gentoo penguins, and cormorants all at the same time. The wind had meanwhile picked up considerably and we all got soaking wet during the boat ride to the island. Not very comfortable, indeed, but if you want everything to be nice and warm and dry you must not go to Antarctica!

Our second "port of call" was a former British station, Port Lockroy, which is a wonderful museum nowadays. It takes you right back to Fifties and Sixties when life in the stations was still much more basic and simple than today. The penguins occupy most of the island but there are plenty of exhibits and interesting remains from the olden days to make for a wonderful afternoon. Port Lockroy also operates a post office which is part of the Royal Mail, and everyone took the opportunity to send cards or letters to our loved ones at home with Antarctic stamps and all. There is also a souvenir shop with a surprisingly vast array of gifts and souvenirs from Antarctica. Most of us spent far too much money; it is, however, for a good cause, because the proceeds go towards the upkeep of historical sites in Antarctica. It was a funny sight when everybody came back from the landing with shopping bags. We were told that we should always have our hands free when we get on and off the boats; but how do you that when you are laden with cameras, binoculars, rucksacs and shopping bags? Believe us, there was enough reason for smiles and laughter again today.

Tomorrow we will be in the South Shettland Islands again, which means that our adventure is slowly coming to an end; but we refuse to think about that yet, because more fascinating Antarctic enounters await there.

Pinch me, please! It cannot be true

It is getting better by the day on our Antarctic adventure. This morning we woke up to blue skies and breathtaking scenery. We were in Andvord Bay. A landing in Neko Harbour was what we had in mind, but then the Expedition Team returned to the ship shortly after they had gone out to prepare the landing site. Something must be amiss, we all thought, and some of us were getting disappointed because we were under the impression that the landing would have to be cancelled. Indeed, we could not land there because ice was blocking the site. Instead we went for half hour cruises with our Polar Cirkle Boats. Many of us thought that this was almost more enjoyable than the landing itself, because we were extremely fortunate with wildlife sightings during these cruises. Crabeater seals were on the iceflows in abundance and we all had good chances of taking some wonderful photographs of these friendly inhabitants of Antarctica. For a while a pod of orcas accompanied us and the excitement in the encounter with these magnificent whales was intense.

During lunch the ship repositioned to Paradise Bay which was named by whalers in the 19th century. Now, these men were not renowned for their romantic ideas, and so you can imagine how beautifully stunning the landscape is, when even whalers were reminded of paradise. The good weather developed into a truely glorious day, which even enhanced the incredible vistas. We landed at the Argentine station of Almirante Brown where a statue of the Madonna greeted us, which is not surprising for a station maintained by a Latin-American country.

Some gentoo penguins breed here and we had the extremely rare sight of a nest with triplets in it. The biggest fun, however, was the ascent to a small mountain. Many a hardy mountain climber found it odd indeed to go hiking with a life vest and rubber boots; those who made it to the top were doubly rewarded. The panorama was more spectacular than words can express and there was slide on the snowy slope which took us back down to the landing site in no time. You can imagine that the afternoon on shore was filled with uprorious laughter.

We had another perfect day today and the Expedition Team tell us that tomorrow will be even more beautiful. Let's hope the weather stays nice, because the beauty of this continent is unfolding for us in a picture-perfect way.

Dramatic Coastlines

We are now on the Western side of the Antarctic Peninsula and the scenery is very different here. The mountains soar dramatically from the sea and the glaciers feed directly into sometimes rather narrow waterways. Again the weather was good for us and landing conditions were easy. Our skillful boatdrivers manouvred us to shore safely today without great difficulty. It must be said though, that the drivers are true masters of their trade. Nobody envies them for the constant cold in which they have to perform their task; yet they are always friendly and polite.

The first landing spot which the Expedition Leader chose for us today was Cuverville Island. It houses an enormous colony of gentoo penguins. We saw that a large proportion of the chicks have been born far too late in the season to have a chance of survival. This, we learnt, is partly due to global warming and the resulting greater quantities of snow which fall during the winters nowadays. Consequently the nesting sites for the penguins are snowfree too late in the season for the penguins to be able to complete their breeding cycle in time: a rather sad reminder of the careless use man makes of the whole planet. Apart from the penguins there was a lot of whale bone on shore which captivated our interest; and a fierce looking leopard seal was patrolling the shoreline. It kept sticking its head out of the water and sizing us up as if it wanted to decide who us might be the tastiest morsel for it. These seals are actually quite capable of making a human their victim so care had to be taken as we were leaving and boarding the boats.
                           

After only a short break for lunch we reached a very different type of landing site in the afternoon. The Chilean research station of Gonzalez Videla is situated in a magnificent setting. The crew there kindly interrupted their daily routine to welcome us. How interesting to see the way scientists live and work in Antarctica! They also maintain a small museum with a souvenir shop and many of us jumped to the rare opportunity to get some gifts from Antarctica for our loved ones at home. The station is fully surrounded by a penguin colony and here we saw a very rare albino penguin. Our hosts assured us that the albinos are breeding as successfully as their pigmented kin.

Again we know at the end of a day that we have been very lucky and are privileged to experience this pristine wilderness with Fram. Tonight the Expedition Team and the ship's officers are going to present a fashion show which will surely add to the memorable impressions of this voyage.