Whales, whales and even more whales!

During the night MV FRAM anchored in front of Danco Harbor to be near to our campers, but in the early morning hours the ship sailed into the Errera Channel to go whale watching – and whales we saw!  We found a group of Minke and many Humpback Whales and just enjoyed watching them play, feed and dive.

Around nine o’clock we started our morning landing in Danco. The campers were already waiting for us. They had spent a beautiful morning on the beach surrounded by Gentoos and enjoyed the colony in the early morning hours, watching the adults get ready to go out to see.  The campers went back to the ship for their own breakfast, a hot shower and perhaps a little nap while the other guests started to explore the colony on the island.  We noted that many of the chicks were still quite small, a sign that the parents started breeding late, probably because there was so much snow in this region in the beginning of the season. From the hill we could observe whales again and some of us got lucky and saw a Leopard seal catching and eating a penguin! Quite the nature spectacle.

After lunch we had our second landing of the day in Cuverville. Thousands of Gentoos were waiting for us to be photographed by all our professional and nonprofessional photographers. Again we observed very young chicks in some nests, some only days old.  Winter is coming soon and watching them and their diligent parents, we did not want to think about the fact that they will have no chance to survive.

In the evening we enjoyed more whales feeding close to the ship; the backdrop a magnificent sunset and a pastel colored sky.  Few words can describe these little perfect moments.  With no rest to the weary, the crew jumped into action at 9.45pm and revealed many of their hidden talents as part of their famous crew show. It is always nice to see how many talented actors, singers and dancers we have on our crew. A big thank you to the crew for sharing and spending their free time with us.

Ice at breakfast, sun at lunch, shopping in the afternoon and camping during the night!

Our plan A for the morning has been the Ukrainian Vernadsky Station, but the wind forced our expedition leader Karin into plan B. And we can say only, Plan B – ice cruising in the Lemaire Channel - worked out wonderful. Dressed up warmly in special floating suits all passengers had the possibility for a 30 minute ice cruise. The ice looks so different if you can watch it directly from the water level.  Dark blue ice was covered with clear white fresh fallen snow. The Polar Circle boat driver made their way through the very dense ice to show us the wildlife, like sea birds, Crab eater seals and Leopard seals. This cruise will be unforgettable for all passengers.

During lunchtime the sun found its way through the deep hanging clouds. Even patches of blue sky could be seen. But in the afternoon we had snow again. But that hasn’t been too bad as we were visiting Port Lockroy. Port Lockroy is the former British “BASE A” that was set up during the operation Tabarin in 1941. Today it is a museum, shop and post office managed by the Antarctic Heritage Trust. Everybody used the opportunity to send postcards to family or friends and to buy some nice souvenirs.

After dinner the last event of the day started for those guests they signed up for camping in Antarctica. With the help of the expedition team the tents were built up very fast at the beach on Danco Island. The sound of melting ice, whales, seals and penguins have been the Antarctic Music during this very special night.

Early bird gets the worm

 0630 – Two adult and one calf humpback whale to starboard side!  With icebergs in the forefront and glaciers as a backdrop, a good way to start the day!

Two hours later we were deep in Andvord Bay, landing in one of the most incredible spots:  Neko Harbour.  We placed foot on the Antarctic continent today, for some, the last elusive 7^th, for others one of the most beautiful places they have ever been.  Massive glacial walls, over a dozen Humpbacks, half a dozen Minke whales, a Weddell seal on the beach, two Leopard seals patrolling the beach, and of course a wonderfully scenically located Gentoo penguin colony.  People who braved the climb to the viewpoint were rewarded with spectacular views of the bay and the option to let loose and slide down the mountain.

Back on board for lunch, we were treated to the picturesque landscape of Paradise Bay on our way to Petermann Island, located 65^o10’ S.  We took in breathtaking ice-berg alley and went to look for Adelie penguins and blue-eye shags.  To make the experience that much more real, the otherwise rocky and muddy island got covered in snow within the hour.  But we found what we were looking for, helped some of our new friends over the slippery rocks along the way, and were just blown away, if not by the wind, then by the resilience and comic relief of these wonderful black and white seabirds.

Misty mythical Antarctica

We woke up to a moody Drake with big swells, more wind and fog.  But it was clear we had crossed the Antarctic Convergence and were now truly within the Antarctic Ecosystem.  The change was marked with colder temperatures, but also with many more cape petrels and other birds that take advantage of the more plentiful food in these frigid waters.

In preparation for the landings in Antarctica (and while it was conveniently foggy) all passengers attended to obligatory briefing about the protocols established by the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO).  At once, the fog lifted:  everyone knew what the guidelines would be once in Antarctica, and suddenly, there, in the clear, was Livingston Island.  We could feel the buzz on the ship as we started to disembark at Half Moon Island.  Elephant seals, fur seals and giant petrels greeted passengers on the beach, skuas flying overhead.  The greatest attraction, however:  chinstrap penguins.  Scruffy looking, and waiting for their parents to feed them, we could observe the chicks and adults, for the first time, in the wild – an experience few will ever forget.

The day closed with the traditional, and ever so popular, crew and expedition team fashion show.  After a long full day, we went to bed dreaming of penguins, glaciers, and perhaps of some of those good looking models, wondering what tomorrow might bring.

Gliding through the Drake

We woke up a wonderfully calm day in the Drake.  Most of the day was spent learning about Antarctica with lectures on biodiversity, penguins, seabirds, marine mammals and history.  The schedule was intense and although it felt like going back to school for many, the intellectual benefit was great and many passengers took the opportunity to go on deck and put their new gained knowledge to work and spotted their first wandering albatross and cape petrels.  Much of the day was also spent in logistics preparation for our first landing tomorrow.  We all took our personal gear (jackets, back packs, etc.) down to the vacuuming stations to remove dirt and crumbs from other parts of the world.  We also had the chance to try on special rubber boots to ensure our feet stay nicely dry and warm during our beach landings.

After a delicious meal prepared by Chef Erik we were treated to several episodes of Frozen Planet. It feels like we are there already!

A sunny start

What could have been better than a sunny start for our trip to Antarctica? Ushuaia welcomed us with blue sky, nice clouds and no wind. Nobody expected these mild temperatures. Ushuaia, the world’s southernmost city, has become the most important harbor for Antarctic tourism. Most ships destined for the icy continent start in Ushuaia, and subsequently the whole economy is focused on tourism; the ships can bunker oil and food and everything else that will be needed on a trip in Antarctica.

Passengers reached MV FRAM in the early afternoon. After a fast check in and the mandatory safety drill the vessel left Ushuaia and accompanied by the light of the evening sun sailed through beautiful, picturesque and calm Beagle Channel in direction of the open Drake Passage.

Everybody was still a little bit tired after the long trip down to the southernmost tip of Patagonia. Yet before people headed towards their cozy down comforters, Captain Aril Hårvik welcomed everyone in the observation lounge and introduced us to all his officers and our Expedition leader Karin Strand. She  introduced her team of lecturers, biologists, geographers and historians. All in all it promises to be an informative and incredible adventure across the Drake Passage and to the mythical seventh continent. 

Around midnight we left the Beagle Channel. The light waves of the Drake Passage rocking us to sleep like a baby in a cradle. 

Drake Passage and Cape Horn

The foggy weather of yesterday was replaced today with mostly blue skies.  Elegant albatross sailed in the air around the ship.  Some would say that the Wandering Albatross is the most majestic bird in all of the oceans of the world.  I would tend to agree.  Throughout the day we were accompanied by these stately sea birds.

We were scheduled to arrive at Cape Horn at 15:00 but with the near perfect sea conditions we were a mere 1.5 nautical miles off the most infamous nautical landmark in the southern ocean by 14:00.  With todays great visibility we could clearly see the statue that was erected in memory of all of the sailors that lost their lives when rounding the Horn.

 As usual on our north bound Drake Passage days we filled the day with bridge visits and lectures. And as now is the custom on board Fram we held our charity auction in the Observation Lounge at 16:00.  $2000 USD was raised which will go towards the charities; Bird Life International, Falkland Islands Conservation, The South Georgia Heritage Trust and The Antarctic Heritage Trust.

In the early evening Dominic previewed the superb images he has been taking throughout the expedition in the Framheim Hall. 

Our grand adventure to Antarctica was coming to completion.   We had, it seemed, experienced a little bit of everything.  We experienced the raw nature of the South Shetland Islands and explored all the way south of the Antarctic Circle. Countless times we were surrounded by ice.  We witnessed icebergs in all shapes and sizes. We saw majestic landscapes that filled our minds with wonder.  We encountered Humpback, Minke and Fin Whales, six species of penguins and four species of seals and several encounters with Antarctic Fur Seals.  Our experiences are too many to list but this had certainly been an experience of a lifetime that none of us will ever forget.

NOTHING HERE....OR THERE

As the morning passed the seas calmed and the fog came and went.  The morning was full of activities, visits to the bridge, were the captain gave a mini lecture on the different attributes of the vessel.  The bridge visits were followed by another series of lectures.  At mid-morning a full scale emergency drill was ongoing – but nothing was going to stop the lectures.

Early afternoon after our lunch the lecture series continued and two other groups went to visit the bridge. There was a nice break with waffles and coffee in the Panorama Lounge. 

 Later we had an expedition recap where passengers had the opportunity to ask to the expedition staff questions and clarify our thoughts on wildlife, sightings and observations.

As we looked through the windows looking for bird, but we found that nothing was here, nothing was there and nothing was anywhere. We felt as if we were in the middle of nowhere going nowhere.