And finally… our voyage comes to an end

The storm calmed down during the night and we could enjoy our last day of the voyage in calm and warm weather conditions. Many of us took the opportunity to sit and sunbathe on decks 5 or 7. Passengers in short sleeves – this is a quite unusual sight on board FRAM who spends most of the year in polar regions!

Creativity Contest

We had the final lectures and also the big final of the famous Creativity Contest. During the voyage, passengers painted, knitted, cut and invented many different items related to our trip. Stories about penguins were written, games with wildlife scenery created, several cartoons composed and even an Antarctic song was sung. Amazing to see how many talented people we have had on board! Manuel as the contest director distributed prizes to all participants: a pin (with a penguin), another pin (from Hurtigruten), a pen (again from Hurtigruten), a hat and a bag!

Then, the Captains Farewell Cocktail took place in the Observation Lounge. After the Captain’s speech and toast, the MV FRAM Choire gave a final performance for all guests. We also learned that we are all going to receive a special “Storm Certificate” for being in yesterday’s hurricane!

The evening concluded with a barbecue on the outside deck and a final quiz with the expedition team. Now we are in the Río de la Plata and will soon arrive in Buenos Aires, our final destination.



Chef Eduardo

All crew on board of FRAM hope that you have enjoyed our trip, that you will long remember the fascinating places and animals we got to see and that you have a safe travel home. Farewell and maybe Welcome Back soon!




Our photographer Simon did a great job to get us all in one foto!

 

Hurricane Day

Today we had an unusual wake-up announcement shortly after 7 this morning. Our captain advised us about FRAM being in a hurricane, Beaufort 12. Most of us had already noticed the strong rolling during the night. Breakfast was served in plastic dishes in order to prevent breaking of glass. Despite the storm, many passengers showed up and most of them were in good mood.

For safety reasons we had to cancel all programs for today. But it was exciting to watch the waves, the lightening and the storm outside.

Calm and Collected

Today we are at sea heading northwest on our transit to Buenos Aires. There are only a few small wind waves from an easterly direction and the FRAM is motoring along quite smoothly with a gentle following wind.
Lectures filled our day and we learned about Life at Port Lockroy, Rounding Cape Horn, Krill, most enjoyably how Penguins have infiltrated our culture, our comics and our clothes.
Two events in the Observation Lounge brought us together today. First we had the ships auction, where the ships flag and the Captains chart of the voyage were bid on by our passengers. The funds collected are passed directly to several non-governmental organizations such as the Antarctic Heritage Trust, the South Georgia Heritage Trust and BirdLife International. Our second event was a wildlife identification quiz where our passengers had to identify species of animals (and humans!) on 28 different photos shown as a slide show.
We conclude the blog of today with a series of pictures of the crew show that took place some days ago in the evening. You will see the great variety of hidden talents we have amongst our personnel!

Elmer juggling

The Philippine's national dance Tinikling performed by Justin,
Sherry Ann, Eric, Elmer, Michael and Barry

Erman: he is not only an excellent singer but also a great presenter of the show

Pineappleman Alfred

Ballroom dancers Justin and Gilbert

The Bawakis Dancers: Peter Ryan, Mervin, Erwin, Elmer and Roger

The famous MV Fram Sexballs: Barry, Roger, Ray, Resty and Peter Ryan

And finally the Russian Maids: William, Henson, Chino and Michael

New Island – where newly hatched albatross sit on million year old rocks

Our last landing started during sunrise in the early morning

New Island is a stop the Expedition team always looks forward to visiting. First there is the friendly greeting by Tony and Kim Chater and their two children (described by Tony as -- quite wild) and Georgina Strange and George who is originally from the Channel Islands. Then there is the easy stroll across the island to the large albatross, penguin and cormorant rookery.

The rocks that underlie this rookery are old. They were deposited 310 to 400 million years ago as seafloor sand dunes off the coast of what is now eastern South Africa. Today these rocks are hard sandstone layers and they form irregular steps and inclines for the penguins to clamber up to breed and feed their young during summer time. The Albatross have it a bit easier as they land (often awkwardly) among their hungry, nearly full grown chicks.

New Island is the home to over 40 species of birds. The Island was formerly a whaling station and later a sheep farm, now it is a Conservation Trust and all the wildlife is protected. No agricultural species are found there, other than the adults plus a few wild children. It is a special place and we are pleased to visit it today and again in the future.

Birdlife and biscuits non-stop

Wow wow wow!!! Today we were overwhelmed by the fantastic variety of bird species living in the Falkland Islands and by the hospitality of the farmers we visited.

Our first landing took place at Carcass Island. Many of us took the chance to walk along the white sandy beach with crystal clear blue-green water. Small little birds called blackish cinclodes and locally known as the tussock bird approached us curiously so that we could almost touch them. In addition, we were able to get many full format portraits of the big striated caracaras which were loitering around and not shy either.

To complete our bird list we could also see the famous steamer ducks, crested ducks, several species of geese (kelp geese, ruddy-headed geese, upland geese), Magellanic oystercatchers, turkey vultures, cobb’s wrens (endemic to the Falklands!), rock cormorants, austral thrushes and many others.

When tired of beach and birds, we could refresh ourselves with a cup of tea in the farmhouse of the McGill’s who had been baking delicious scones and cookies since 4 o’clock in the morning.

It was very difficult to leave this marvelous place, but luckily our afternoon destination was equally attractive. We landed at West Point, another offshore island in the Western part of the Falkland archipelago. Here, our program consisted in a 45 min hike across the hilly landscape (good to stretch our legs!) towards a big rookery. Another penguin colony? - you may ask. And yes! – is the answer! We could finally watch the beautiful rockhopper penguins with the yellow crest and the shiny red eyes. But not only them! Hundreds of black-browed albatross breed in the area as well. At this time of year their almost fully grown chicks are sitting on the nests waiting for the adults to provide food. Much to see and observe!!

It was certainly another highlight of our trip and again, after our hike back, we were treated with more tea and more cakes!

Summertime in Port Stanley

The weather in the morning did not seem to be very promising. The Falkland Island’s coast was hidden in fog and drizzly rain when FRAM approached Port Stanley. But… luckily it did not last too long and finally the sun managed to come through and we could enjoy a truly nice summer day. Well, summer for us, who come from Antarctica and to whom 17°C or 55° F seems almost tropical!

Throughout the day, we joined one of the several excursions or explored Stanley and surroundings on our own. In the city we had the chance to visit the cathedral, go to the very interesting and varied museum or to enjoy a good pint of beer in one of the very British pubs. We also found plenty of souvenir shops that offer penguins in all colours and shapes: on stamps, on mugs, as necklaces, as cuddly puppets, as backpacks, on socks, underwear… and even toilet paper!



Now FRAM has set sails again and some dolphins accompanied us for a while as we were heading westwards to some smaller islands which we plan to visit tomorrow.

Magellanic Penguins... a new species of penguin!



Diddle-Dee and Bolax - vegetation at
long last!



The typical Upland Geese



A typical sea day on FRAM



Some passengers sort their photos or
chat with friends...



... others study the information
on our board...

...shopping is also an option...

...and playing games is popular, too!

Today, once more, we have the opportunity to see how life on board our ship is perceived by our guests from Port Lockroy:

"The ‘Port Lockroy Girls’ (aka Hen and Nikki) have been thoroughly enjoying the company of fellow FRAM passengers. It’s been wonderful talking to everyone onboard and sharing the first experiences of visiting the outstandingly beautiful island of South Georgia. It is also our first time visiting the Falkland Islands, which is tomorrow! There is a real buzz about the ship with people recalling the amazing sights of the last few days, and looking ahead to further wildlife adventures.

Meanwhile, on board Fram during the sea days we have been getting to know people from lots of different countries; a large number are from Germany and Great Britain, and also passengers from North America, Australia, Japan, Norway, France, Italy and South Africa! It is such a lovely atmosphere here, helped by the fact that the buffet dinners (on days where there are landings), allow for everyone to change tables and mix together. As always, the food has been spectacular – we are particularly amazed at how the salad stays so fresh and crispy!

The friendly and expert Expedition Team have been working hard at ensuring we are fully prepared for our time ashore – with fascinating talks just today on geo-politics and the abundant wildlife of the Falkland Islands, so that we can recognise various species, learn more about the background of the islands, and make the most of our time here.

We have had a spot or two of sunshine today, but mostly calm waters and the fog has descended. The seabirds, including many black-browed albatross, have been circling the ship, and Manuel and Petra have been capturing and releasing some of the smaller birds that have decided to take a ‘rest’ on board Fram! Expedition Leader Anja has hinted at sunshine for our time in Stanley, together with a potential balmy high of 15 degrees Celsius! We are all looking forward to stretching our legs in the ‘Big Town’ and departing on various excursions. "

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