Heading to the Falkland Islands

Our wonderful time at South Georgia is now behind us and we are looking forward to our next stop, at Stanley in the Falkland Islands. One could say we are easing back into civilization and the hectic pace of life on land and all the pressures that accompany it. For example in Grytviken the day before yesterday we were startled to see our first car since leaving Ushuaia, so long ago. In reality it was only a small truck, but it reminded us that in Stanley we will have to re-learn to look before crossing the road. Some of us will have to learn to look both ways as we are from parts of the world where there are different traffic patterns. All of us, in less than a week, will have to face the confusion and congestion that is Buenos Aires and its airports.

The wandering albatross...

This morning we passed over the relatively shallow continental platform that lies east of South Georgia. Here the seafloor rises steeply from more than 1500 meters to a platform depth of less than 150 meters. Only 4 small pinnacles rise from the platform and reach above the ocean waves, they are named Shag Rocks though many bird species besides Blue-eyes Shags are found there. The steep sides of the platform cause upwelling of the deep ocean waters and this brings nutrient rich waters to the surface. As a consequence in this region the food chain is a busy place from microscopic plants and animals up to larger animals such as seabirds and whales. Unfortunately today there was a bit of surface wind and chop and we did not see any whales. But at breakfast and afterward the FRAM was accompanied by several species of tubenoses such as white-chinned petrels, prions and albatrosses.



... and trying to photograph it!



Lectures throughout the day covered seals, whales, cormorants and birds. Today the guest lecture was by Martin Collins who joined us at Grytviken for the trip back to Stanley and his government issue-desk. He described the regulations that govern the boats that fish within the 200 nautical mile wide Exclusive Economic Zone around South Georgia and the nearby islands. Martin also presented the problems and options before the government of South Georgia as they face: a warming climate, increasing rat and reindeer populations and rapidly deteriorating whaling stations. The problems are many, the options are even more numerous and of course the financial resources are limited.

The Boss and the King

This day was simply… B-R-E-A-T-H-T-A-K-I-N-G!

Today we heard many comments: “was worth the whole trip”, “this is paradise”, “…incredible!”…many passengers were speechless just standing and staring. The beauty of the king penguins in the bright sunshine and blue sky is hard to describe to a person who has not been there and seen it first hand. You have to experience it, hear it, smell it and watch it to understand what we were fortunate to have before us today.

Not only were the king penguins a delight for us, the beaches were also populated by dozens, perhaps hundreds, of funny little baby fur seals playing and fighting with each other.

Another highlight of the day was the “Shackleton Walk”. Some of us followed the legendary trail of “the Boss” replicating the last segment of his 1916 legendary crossing of the mountainous backbone of this rugged island. The walk started in Fortuna Bay, our first landing site, and it took us about 3 hours to make the 5.5 km or 3.5 mi crossing to the abandoned Stromness whaling station. It was at this whaling station that Shackleton, finally reached civilization, after having lost his ship Endurance and after accomplishing two extremely difficult small boat journeys. The rusting buildings still stand, but today they are occupied by fur seals and reindeer.

Full of emotions and impressions we returned to FRAM and perhaps it is good that we have two sea days ahead of us in order to digest and get ready for yet another totally different environment: the Falkland Islands.



The hikers on the Shackleton Walk



South Georgia appears in the mist

At 7AM FRAM was at the entrance to Drygalski Fjord, it was overcast and rainy but we could see the steep side walls of the main fjord. The main channel of the Drygalski Fjord follows an ancient fault line between two different rock types of different ages. The rocks on the north side of the channel are more than 200 million years old are granites and metamorphic rocks that once formed part of the super continent of Gondwanaland. On the south side of the channel the rocks are mostly volcanic and they formed about 140 to 170 million years ago on the deep ocean floor at a mid ocean spreading ridge. Mountain building and faulting pushed these two rock formations next to each other. Later a very active glacier enlarged this fault valley into a fjord. At present this glacier has melted and retreated and the fjord is filled with water. The whitish color of the water, glacial milk, results from very fine grained rock particles that are suspended in the runoff waters from the glaciers and snow fields that remain in the area adjacent to the main fjord.

Our first boats groups ashore at Grytviken were welcomed by a young elephant seal, numerous fur seals and a pair of King penguins. Many of us then paid our respects at the grave of Ernest Shackleton before walking on to photograph the rusting remains of the whaling station. Seeing the size and complexity of the boilers and the piping, one can only imagine the intensity of the work force when the whale processing operated 24 hours per day. On our walk through the whaling station we noticed two new helicopters. They are currently based at Grytviken as the first phase of a program to exterminate the rat population. The rats escaped years ago from whaling vessels and now they are an invasive menace to petrels and other small birds that nest on the island. Exterminating the rats should allow the native nesting bird populations to recover to sustainable levels.

Later in the afternoon the weather turned grim. The winds gusted to gale force and driving rain doomed a few cameras. The church, the boathouse (containing a replica of the James Caird that carried Shackleton to South Georgia) and the museum afforded us three refuges from the wind and rain. Museums vary, sometimes you get lucky to visit a museum where the information and exhibits far exceed your expectations. Clearly the South Georgia Museum is in that rare category of excellent museums.

As our visit drew to a close the wind strengthened and the rain blew by in horizontal sheets. But our passengers proved to be waterproof and good natured and our Polarcirkle boat drivers safely delivered us back to the FRAM, wet but smiling and looking forward to tomorrows adventures.

Playing the southernmost organ

in the world

 

Expectations and Pax Photos

We are heading northeast on the second day of our sea transit toward South Georgia Island. The lectures we have heard have heightened our expectations as we approach this remote island. The lecturers provided us previews of the landscape, the geology and the abundant animal life that awaits us. No doubt one of the highlights will the colorful and tall King Penguins.

Today we have decided to brighten the blog with photos of our passengers. Many passengers tell us that the folks back home follow our adventures via this MV FRAM blog. Take a few minutes and look through the attached photos for someone you may know and possibly they will be holding a sign with a message for you.

(if you click on the photos, you can enlarge them)

 

 



And finally... our staff also sends
some greetings home!



Guest writers from Port Lockroy!

 

Cape petrel

A clear and sunny day as the FRAM transits northward across the Scotia Sea in light winds and small swells left over from a past storm. Bridge visits and lectures filled our day. Today our blog is enhanced as we are fortunate to include some reflections by Helen Joannidi and Nicola Rickett who joined us in Port Lockroy:

“We (Hen and Nikki) are absolutely delighted to be travelling on board Fram, as she sails north to South Georgia. Following the visit to Lockroy by Anja, her team and guests, we were whisked away two days ago from our little Goudier Island. It has been quite an adjustment, as we had arrived at Port Lockroy in early November, and have become accustomed to the ‘simple life’ amongst the penguins. We had even become used to the smell of the guano!

Here, life is very relaxed and comfortable on board. Having running water and food cooked for us is a real treat. Life on ship is luxurious by comparison – we can hardly believe how much space there is on Fram – we are currently sitting in the lovely café where there is tea, coffee and sweet treats available around the clock! All this, after a delicious buffet lunch prepared by the talented chefs – with so much variety we have been spoilt for choice. And even though this is a ‘sea day’ there is so much going on – Anja has been updating us throughout the day with her tannoy announcements, and we have been learning about whales and cetaceans, as well as other historic background information thanks to the excellent expedition team’s presentations. This morning we were granted a ‘sneak peak’ of the Bridge, with a tour and talk by the Captain himself – fascinating!

In comparison with conditions as we were leaving Lockroy, the Scotia sea is calm and we are enjoying bright sunshine and blue skies – long may it last as we approach South Georgia. Neither of us has visited the Falkland Islands or South Georgia before, so we are incredibly excited about this opportunity, and have been talking avidly about the adventures ahead with our fellow passengers. We are looking forward to explaining more about life at Lockroy in a presentation that we will give to everyone during one of the coming sea days. Everyone is curious about how we came to spend four months on such a remote island, running a ‘living museum’ for the Antarctic Heritage Trust (www.ukaht.org) , and we have been delighted to share our experiences with newfound friends on board. It has been a truly wonderful four months that we have spent on the ice, and travelling back to Buenos Aires with Fram is a fitting end to our Antarctic adventures. Many thanks to Hurtigruten, Anja and her team, and the Captain."

Sunrise in the early morning



The Bluffs, the Bergs and Antarctica Behind

At breakfast the skies were blue and the winds were minimal. But that did not last for long. We were at the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula and the weather here often changes quickly and for the worse. Today was no exception. As we neared our intended landing at Brown Bluff the winds increased to gale force (25-30 meters per second or 50-60 miles per hour) and it became clear that a safe landing was not possible.

The FRAM motored past Brown Bluff and through the spume and rainbows we could see the volcanic lava flows and the ash deposits of the bluffs. We continued eastward but conditions did not lessen and finally the decision was made to come about and begin our 2 day transit to South Georgia Island.

Numerous large icebergs populate the waters north of the Antarctic Peninsula and today we passed by many. They break off the Larsen Ice Shelf in the Weddell Sea and are carried north and west by the ocean currents. When they break off the ice shelf they have the characteristic flat-top of ice-shelf formed icebergs. However by the time some of the smaller ones have drifted to the top of the Antarctic Peninsula the normal flat-top surface may be at a steep incline. This is the result of seawater melting them below the waterline and winds ablating some of the compacted snow and ice above the waterline. As a result of this differential melting and weight loss the bergs become unstable and roll or tip to unusual angles. Today we saw several where the former flat top surface is now inclined and the bergs appear as though they have been sliced through with a large knife. Some of the smaller bergs have melted and rolled several times, their shapes are indescribable but they are quite photograph-able.

New sights and animals are ahead as our next stop will be South Georgia Island. Antarctica is now behind us but the vistas, the penguins, the whales, the seals and the stations will always be locked in our memory bank.

From sunshine to storm

 What a day! We woke up very early this morning as the FRAM headed south through the Lemaire Channel. Because of its scenic beauty this area is also named the “Kodak Channel”. The sky was clear blue and there was hardly any wind. Therefore, the snowy peaks were illuminated by the golden rays of the rising sun and these were beautifully reflected in the water.
It was an amazing experience for many of us. The Fram headed ¬southward through the channel then we turned around, reversed direction and headed back northward through the channel (eriameL) toward our next stop, Port Lockroy.

Our landing began under blue sky at this famous little base which is today a museum, shop and post office. Here we had another opportunity to observe Gentoo penguins. They were being given a hard time by two skuas attacking the chicks and trying to separate one of them from the scared crowd.

During our stay, the wind increased and it was amazing to see how fast the fog and clouds masked the mountains. We all returned to the ship plus we have 2 new passengers. We have been joined for our travels northward by two of the 4 staff that operate Port Lockroy for the United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust.
The foul weather did not let up and our planned tour of Wilhelmina Bay was cancelled as we motored through fog and constant rain and snow squalls. At dusk the weather cleared a bit and we encountered several groups of humpback whales and they cruised with us until they lifted their tails and waved good-by as they dived deep into the sea.

Regardless of the weather, this evening, our spirits will brighten as the always popular Fram fashion show gets underway.