Mainland Antarctica

Through the night we sailed across the Bransfield Strait towards the Antarctic Peninsula. It was a quiet night on the ship which told us there was little wind outside- a rare thing for Antarctica! In the morning we found ourselves in the Gerlache Straight with the Antarctic mainland to our port side. The scenery and light were spectacular with mountains on all sides of us seemingly covered in white meringue!


Around 0700 we encountered some sea ice in the Gerlache. Even though our ship- the Fram- has an ice strengthened hull, our Captain does not want to hit any ice if he can avoid it. The result is we go dead slow through ice and navigate around it if at all possible.

Our planned landing at Neko Harbour was not possible due to heavy pack-ice in area. “Plan B” was to launch our Polarcirkel boats and cruise around the ice and icebergs near the ship. This was fantastic fun! Being in one of the small boats, near the water’s surface really gives a sense being in a world of ice- the icy tingle on your face, the fresh, cool smell, the south of ice cracking and bits hitting each other and popping like corn. On one small iceberg, a Crabeater Seal had hauled out and seemed to be enjoying the day as much as we were!

We returned to the ship after our boat cruises for lunch, as the Fram sailed to our next destination of Paradise Bay. Our landing there was to be at Almirante Brown, on the mainland of Antarctica, but the pack-ice was pushed against the landing site and stopped us in our tracks. Again, our expedition leader Karin had an ace up her sleeve and we headed for the nearby Chilean station of Gonzalez Videla. We were in luck and the landing site was clear of ice so we went ashore! 

The station was not yet manned for the season, but the penguins and fantastic scenery entertained and enchanted us.

Taken together, we all would agree that this day was fantastic, not what we had originally planned, but fantastic nevertheless!

Antarctica ho!

This was our final half-day at sea before reaching Antarctica. Conditions were generally foggy and the sea lopped back and forth. As predicted yesterday, bird life increased around the ship as we approached Antarctica, and at one stage at lunch we had Cape, Antarctic, Southern Giant and Snow Petrels, and Southern Fulmars following us. Every now and then we caught a glimpse of King George Island through the mist and as this happened, our sense of anticipation heightened.

After lectures and briefings in the morning, we reached Half Moon Island in the mid-afternoon; this was to be our first Antarctic landing. Half Moon is a crescent-shaped island 1.25 mi long, lying in the entrance to Moon Bay on the east side of Livingston Island, in the South Shetland Islands. This island was known to sealers in the area as early as 1821.


This scenic island is the site of a Chinstrap Penguin colony but is also home to breeding Wilson’s Storm-Petrels, Antarctic Terns, Kelp Gulls and Snowy Sheathbills. Our main focus was the penguins and we had great conditions for photography, and for studying the breeding behaviour of the Chinstraps- and there's a lot of it at this time of year! The light was bright but indirect because of the clouds, and a light snow fell for most of the landing. Towards the end of our stay, the air cleared and we could see the imposing mountains of Livingston Island to the west.

We returned to the ship to a wonderful Chilean buffet and later in the evening we were treated to a sail through Neptune’s Bellows into the flooded caldera of Deception Island, an active volcano! The light was fading but this did not deter our many intrepid photographers!

Always something happening on board a ship

Even if it’s quiet outside like today, there’s always something happening on a ship. We are sailing in the Scotia Sea towards the Antarctic Peninsula and still moving over deep, relatively unproductive waters. As a result the birds were “thin on the ground” although numbers picked up in the late afternoon.

We are now getting used to living on a ship, the rhythm of movement, the strange sounds, and we are getting to know each other. Our lecture program continued unabated- all of the presented information designed to help us get the most out of our Antarctic experience.

It is safety first on the Fram and today our crew had a safety drill which involved a simulated problem on the ship and an eventual evacuation. Practice makes perfect! During the drill all the cabin doors are marked to indicate that they have been checked and no one is inside.

Later in the afternoon, the eagerly anticipated Norwegian waffles were grilling up on deck 7 in the Panorama Lounge, under the watchful and expert eye of barman extraordinaire Dennis. Dennis is multi-talented, and as you can see here he can literally be in two places at once. In this case he is pouring some waffle batter and at the same time preparing to make a macchiato from the espresso machine.

The waffles smothered in blueberry jam and cream were scrumptious.

After our wonderful dinner, we met our Captain, Chief Engineer, and Hotel Manager for a question and answer session in the Panorama Lounge. This was a chance to ask any question we liked about the Fram and running a modern ship.

Our first icebergs

As we sail southwest in the Scotia Sea from South Georgia to Antarctica, the air is developing that tingling cold you associate with polar regions. The cold sea gently rolled today in the aftermath of the storm we experienced yesterday.

The water we sailed over today was deep and deep water is relatively unproductive because of low nutrient levels at the surface where the light is. The seabirds told us these waters were unproductive by their relative absence. We had a few of the ever-present Cape Petrels with us all day and the odd Giant Petrel and Black-brown Albatross- nothing like the abundance of seabirds we had yesterday off South Georgia.

And now to the main topic of the blog- icebergs. They are an iconic symbol of polar regions and we saw our first good-sized ones today. In Antarctica, they come in several types- the one we saw today was tabular which means “like a table”. 

Tabular icebergs originate from ice shelves. Ice shelves are portions of the Antarctic ice cap that flow down and over embayments. The ice is supported by the water and the adjoining land, and remains intact. However, pieces often break off due to tidal action, which moves the shelf up and down. Contrast this with icebergs that calf from a glacial front- they break off erratically and produce almost randomly-shaped chunks of ice.

There is a lot of interest in climate change in the Antarctic, which shows itself most obviously in the breakup of large parts of ice shelves, which float out to sea and form often huge ice islands. This is happening on the Antarctic Peninsula where warming is taking place at a higher rate than anywhere else in the world. Off the peninsula on the main part of continental Antarctica, the climate is actually cooling a little.

So, we continue out voyage to Antarctica and have one more sea-day before we arrive at the “Last Continent”.

Back in time

Overnight we sailed to Maiviken, South Georgia, with a plan for hikers to walk from there to Grytviken, where we would land for the morning. However, nature got the better of us: small bergy-bits and growlers from the breakup of the nearby glacier filled Maiviken Harbour, and this together with a large swell made landing there impossible. So, some hikers went back to bed for well-earned rest and others enjoyed the amazing skies as we left the bay (note the lenticular clouds in this High Dynamic Range image!).

After breakfast we reached Grytviken and the ship cleared British Customs control. A representative of the South Georgia Heritage Trust then came on board to talk to us about the rat eradication program on-going on the island. Introduced rats are a serious threat to many S. Georgia bird species, not the least of which is the endemic South Georgia Pipit, the most southerly songbird in the world. We all found out how we can contribute to this extremely valuable project by sponsoring a hectare of S. Georgia to be cleared. Here’s the link: Sponsor-a-hectare

Grytviken is famous as the site of Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s grave and for the abandoned Norwegian whaling station established in 1904 by Capt. Larsen. The atmosphere in this incredible place is evocative and took us all back in time to days past when we relied on whale products for all sorts of things from fine oils to corset stays and food. The weather was positively 21st century however- balmy with temperatures reaching 16° by noon. No wonder South Georgia’s glaciers are shrinking at an alarming rate due to modern-day climate change.

The wind picked up through the Grytviken landing but were hardly felt it in the sheltered bay that Capt. Larsen picked for his whaling station. However, after we left and headed out into open sea, were were all reminded that the sea was below our ship!

 Next stop Antarctica!

A Fortunate Day

Named by Capt. C.A. Larsen, the Norwegian founder of the whaling industry in the remote island of South Georgia, Fortuna Bay was our first landing of the day. We had sailed for two days from the Falkland Islands and woke up this morning to breath-taking views of the north coast of South Georgia. After an early breakfast the Polarcirkel boats went into the water and transported us across to the beach in front of the Fram. There was a significant swell in the bay which made landing our passengers and getting them back off the beach rather difficult. Nevertheless the trusty expedition staff and the expert boat drivers made the landing happen with aplomb.

Fortuna was spectacular. It is the site of a medium-sized King Penguin rookery and a breeding site for Fur Seals and Elephant Seals. As we walked up the beach towards the penguin rookery we were struck by the smell of the male Fur Seals- believe it or not, a mix of garlic and fried onions! This time of year the fast-moving males are not very aggressive but later on, great care has to be taken around them and we approach to only 50ft.

Our reward at the end of the short hike was the King Penguin colony. Adults and many brown, fat chicks stood together in large groups, vocalizing, interacting with each other and generally enjoying the beautiful sun and relatively calm conditions of the morning. Some chicks were attended by one parent and occasional feedings were witnessed. The chicks were eager to approach us probably in case we were their parents returning with food. Of course they were all disappointed!

After the landing, intrepid hikers were transferred to the other side of the bay to start the Shackelton Walk from Fortuna to Strømness. The hike, in the footsteps of one Antarctica’s most famous explorers, was exhilarating and the summit provided panoramic views of this part of South Georgia. 

As all this was happening the Fram sailed around to Strømness and we started the landing there in the late afternoon. As the sun went down the fur seals, sea lions and King Penguins were lit up with golden light with a backdrop of brilliant greens or surprisingly photogenic rusting metal of the old whaling station there.

We go to bed tonight tired but very satisfied in the knowledge that we visited a unique, remote spot on this planet and left only a few foot prints. 

Southern Ocean Reminder

Yes we were reminded today that we are in the Southern Ocean! We have had very calm conditions on our journey so far but winds picked up today and the ship started moving a little (by the way, we are getting close to South Georgia and will arrive tomorrow morning). The Fram is exceptionally good in rough water but still you could feel the difference today! Some of us decided to stay in our cabins but most of us went about our business as usual- lectures, some fresh air outside on deck, more lectures, briefings and of course our meals- more on this below!

Most of the birds flying around the ship are petrels of one sort or another (even albatrosses are a sort of petrel), which rely on the winds to glide over the oceans in a very efficient manner. So with more wind today we had more birds and they clearly seemed to enjoy soaring over the 3-4 meter waves. A real treat was seeing a Snow Petrel- an iconic bird of Antarctica.

Something of great importance we completed today was the vacuuming of our clothing and bags. This is to prevent the introduction of foreign seeds into South Georgia and Antarctica. As more people visit these remote places every year, there is growing concern that foreign species could be introduced. Studies have shown that an effective way to reduce the chances of this happening is to vacuum our gear.

We mentioned our meals earlier in this blog- they are superb, and something that makes them extra-special is the fantastic pastries and deserts. No matter how hard you try to avoid walking by the desert section of our restaurant, resistance is futile! Here is the man responsible for making these treats- Arseñio, our skilled pastry chef, standing behind some of his creations.

Andrea the Fram trainee

My name is Andrea and for more or less one week I have been a trainee here on board MS FRAM. Before starting my work as a trainee of course I had a lot of images in my head, how it would be on board. And now after one week I can actually say, that everything is quite better than I could ever imagine. First of all, all the staff members are so kind to me and show me everything doesn’t matter how often they have to do it and I’m really part of the working process. Every day I learn so many things (which doesn’t really surprise me, because I’m a trainee here!). But above all, the best here are the places I get to see. So far I have only seen the Falkland Islands, but that’s enough to imagine how South Georgia or Antarctica will be. Everybody has seen “live” Penguins in the zoo, but to see them in their natural habitat is something different. It’s amazing to see them, doing whatever they always do, and this happens only 6 meters in front of me. But it’s not only the penguins. Every day when I go out on Deck 7 to get some fresh air, I see all the birds surrounding us or the dolphins which followed us all the way to the Falkland Islands. Such an internship you will never forget and it marks you for the rest of your life. 

Another spectacular day

In the morning we reached Port Stanley, where we spent nearly the whole day. The day started with rain, but it became better in the late morning and in the afternoon the sun was shining out of a clear blue sky again.

All passengers had made their own program for the day. Some went for a nice nature walk to Gypsi Cove. As we had low tide, we could watch a lot of birds like the Two Banded Plover, Upland Geese, Kelp Geese, White-rumped Sandpipers and different kind of ducks. Even two Sea Lions could be seen on a rock next to the coastline.  

  

The heather was flowering and some of us even tried the Scurvy Grass, which was an important plant during the whaling time, because of the high concentration of vitamin C.

Other passengers joined a city tour through Stanley, where they got a lot of information about the city´s history. The Falkland Islands have been very important during the gold rush in California.  As long as the Panama Cannel has not been opened, all ships had to go around Cape Hoorn. In Port Stanley they had the last possibility to repair the boat or to bunker fresh food.  Of course the guide has spoken about the Falkland War too. This time is still present in the mind of all people living on the Falkland Islands.

Many passengers went on a very spectacular trip to Bluff Cove to visit the Gentoo Penguin colony and a very small colony of King Penguins. Alone the drive with the four wheelers has been more than exiting. Coffee, tea and cake made this trip especially sweat.

The evening ended with the very well-known FRAM fashion show.

Welcome to Paradise!

We were there today, paradise that is. And the name of the place is Carcass Island, West Falklands. Not the sort of name that would conjure up thoughts of paradise but believe us, it was just that. First the name of the island: it was named after a surveying ship, the HMS Carcass. HMS Jason, which accompanied Carcass gave its name to the famous Jason Islands in the extreme northwest of West Falkland.

Carcass Island is rat-free, that is to say no rats live there. This means that the wildlife, especially small birds have a much easier time of it. The Falklands-endemic Cobb's Wren lives only on rat-free islands and we were lucky enough to see this bird today.

The island is covered in geese- Kelp, Upland and Ruddy-headed, and is crawling with Tussock Birds, otherwise known as Blackish Cinclodes and Long-tailed Meadowlarks. Also very common were the Johnny Rooks, AKA Striated Caracara. Look up and we saw Turkey Vultures flying overhead or perched lower down on fences and even sand dunes, look down and several beautiful wildflowers peered up at us.

We went on two long hikes on the island, one to Leopard Cove and the other to Northwest Point. Leopard Cove is a spectacular white sand beach backed by sand dunes. Behind the dunes, both Magellanic and Gentoo Penguins nested. Down on the beach penguins were swimming in, drying off, and resting. The other, longer hike went to Northwest Cove to see Elephant Seals hauled out on the beach.

All of us had the privilege of meeting McGills who own Carcass Island. Mrs. McGill and her staff put on a fantastic Falklands Tea for us in their house with all sorts of cakes and biscuits, tea and coffee. A favourite was the scones, jam and cream!

And through all this we had great weather except for a tiny bit of spitting rain in the morning. Well, what a day in paradise!

New Island, Falklands- let the pictures speak!