Welcome to South America, welcome to Ushuaia, welcome aboard MV FRAM!

It is a change-over day again. In the early morning the guests from our last cruise were leaving the ship. There was still time for nice excursions in the surrounding of Ushuaia. The weather was beautiful, perhaps even a little bit too nice as it became very hard to let this wonderful part of the world behind and fly home. But there is always a possibility to come back. 

The sunshine was of course perfect for the new incoming guests. Even though we had a little bit of rain in the late afternoon, there was no wind and the temperature was mild. It is still high summer in the southern part of the world and Ushuaia showed itself from its best side. The town was very colorful as everything was still flowering. Some guests had a first chance for bird watching (Dolphin Gull and Caracara) directly next to the beach. We enjoyed it all, but we are looking forward to the icy continent, looking forward to Antarctica.

Around 7pm we set sail. We left Ushuaia behind and sailed through the Beagle Channel in the direction of the Drake Passage. Just before we left we had the mandatory safety briefing and then of course a first dinner on board. At 9pm our Captain Rune Andreassen introduced us to his officers and our Expedition leader Anja Erdmann. She introduced us to the lecture staff on board.

As it was our first evening after our long travel from all over the world most passengers went to bed early – perhaps dreaming of the first penguins, seals, whales and the first ice.

Unpredictably Deceptive

We spent our last day of landings in a sunken crater! Deception Island is the outside wall of a volcano whose caldera collapsed, creating a 200m wide opening and flooding its interior. The view inside this natural harbor is spectacular, especially today as the fresh snow provided an incredible contrast to the black volcanic rock.

Our first landing was at Whalers Bay, home to a whale processing plant between 1912 and 1931. While most visited what is left of this past era and took in the rather surreal sights, fifty-four of us braved a 3km hike over the edge of the caldera to Baily Head, home to about 120,000 chinstrap penguins. And unlike past attempts, the weather cooperated wonderfully, providing sights of Livingston Island in the distance and given a good perspective of the size of the crater as the FRAM anchored within. The landing was concluded by fifty-three passengers braving the frigid waters and going for a short swim in the -1oC water.

The afternoon offered a nice walking opportunity for all as we pulled into Telefon Bay. The walk around the rim of this fantastic side crater provided some stunning views of the caldera as well as of the Argentinian and Spanish research stations located within.  

As we concluded our last day in Antarctica and turned the ship towards the Drake Passage, we were treated to a stunning sunset and moonrise.  After a sunny and active day, there could not have been a better ending.

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!