Up and down the slopes

The weather was a bit grey, cloudy and it snowed, it looked almost “mystical”, when MS Fram passed through the narrow opening called Neptune’s Bellows at Deception Island. 

We made our landing at Whalers Bay, once the southernmost Whaling station in the world. The hikers were set on land, and set off towards the other side of the caldera. The slope was steep, but the slide down on the other side towards Baily Head was worth the exhaustion. 

A natural amphitheater packed with ten-thousands of Chinstrap Penguins was awaiting us, what an amazing view. After a break and a stroll between the colonies, we headed back up again. 

It was hard to find our path back in the snowdrift, but we reached the other side all well, and some of us might got a little bit of a taste of an Antarctic explorer’s life. The rest of us wasn’t bored neither, there was lots to see at Whalers’s Bay: the remains of the Norwegian whaling operations, the stunning view through Neptune’s Window and even the Hangar, where the first Antarctic flight took place! And last but not least: the brave Antarctic swimmers! Some fearless passengers jumped into the icy waters from Deception Island and went for a polar plunge.

In the afternoon we had a little rest before we arrived at Mikkelsen Harbor, a small rocky islet located in the Palmer Archipelago. And what a small but fine place: the views on all directions were – once more – stunning. 

We were surrounded by huge glacier fronts and the evening sun made beautiful horizons over the Gentoo rookeries. It was a coming and going on the penguin highways up and down the slope. On the landing side the Weddell seals had a rest on the snow and it was a very peaceful ending of the day. 

The many dimensions of Antarctica

This three-part expedition cruise we are on has reached the final “episode”- Antarctica. It took three days of sailing to get us here from South Georgia, although we did stop by Elephant Island  yesterday afternoon. That broke up the crossing nicely (see yesterday’s blog).

Overnight we sailed southwest to the South Shetland Islands and made our first landing in Antarctica at Arctowski Station on King George Island. In this small microcosm, we could see the many facets or dimensions of Antarctica from the plants and animals to the human element- the research that is going on here every day of the year.

The area around Arktowski is an Antarctic oasis. It is unusually green and lush.

Both species of Antarctic higher plants can be seen there as well as snow algae, terrestrial algae, mosses and lichens of various species. Whale bones encrusted with lichens lay around the beach.

About 5000 pairs of Adélie Penguins breed up on the hill behind the cove, in what is an Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA). Scientists at the station are monitoring the colony annually. Nearby Gentoo and Chinstrap Penguins breed if you are lucky, like we were, you can see all three species in one place.

Many varied artefacts, both animate and inanimate, were strewn over the beach.

Inside the station scientists from several countries welcomed us with hot tea and biscuits and discussed the work they are doing.

Over lunch and most of the afternoon, we cruised down to Half Moon Island, our second destination for the day. Regular Fram blog readers will be quite familiar with this small island nestled between Livingston and Greenwich Islands. A sizable Chinstrap Penguin colony calls Half Moon its home, as does a variety of other seabird species including Wilson’s Storm-Petrel and Antarctic Tern. The Chinstraps were fully into incubation and chicks should not be too far behind!

Antarctica Terns were very active all though our stay, displaying, mobbing skuas and sheathbills, and fighting amongst themselves. As the landing went into the evening, we were treated with several Wilson's Storm-Petrels coming out of their crevices for the night.

In the middle of one of the Chinstrap colonies, stands “Mac” our lonely Macaroni Penguin, who we have been seeing in the same place for several years. We don’t know if Mac is a boy or girl but we do know (s)he is in breeding condition because we have seen a brood patch on a previous trip (note the small slit at the base of Mac's belly). On this trip we also saw Mac making the "ecstatic" display, advertising its nest. We are all hopeful that a mate is eventually found!

Elephant Island, the entrance to Antarctica

Today was the day when the wait was over. We had crossed the Scotia Sea and straight ahead was the island with a name steeped in legend. Elephant Island, an icon for us “Antarctics” the way Cape Horn is for mariners. This imposing and desolate island, belonging to the South Shetland Islands, was home to 22 marooned members of Sir Ernest Shakleton´s fabled 1914 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition for four and a half months while they awaited rescue.

The “entrance to Antarctica” greeted us with fresh wind, sun and whale blows on both sides of M/S Fram. We could confirm at least one Fin Whale and one Humpback Whale among the blows and there were possibly Antarctic Minke whales there as well.

Well at place, we slowly coasted in to the bay and Point Wild, originally known as Cape Wild, a beautiful rugged place with a mighty glacier on its right side. We all gathered on M/S Fram´s deck to view and photograph this historical spit, and if you looked carefully you could see the bust of Captain Luis Pardo, master of the Chilean Navy ship Yelcho that eventually rescued Shakleton´s men.

After enjoying this historical place, we sailed deeper south towards King George Islands and Arctowski Station accompanied by the blows of the whales.

Bored on board?!

After two days at sea, we are getting closer to Antarctica where we hope to land at Elephant Island. These two days in the southern ocean were anything but boring.

On Wednesday, passengers were able to enjoy six different lectures in English and German about (amongst others), Penguins, Marine wildlife and the polar ship Fram. In the afternoon, everyone was invited to come to the Observation Lounge to have a Recap of South Georgia with the entire Expedition Team. We quickly shared our impressions, demonstrated a few emergency procedures and showed the passengers what the guides carry with them in their backpacks. This includes radios, GPS equipment and chocolate! Some of our passengers were lucky enough to see whales. The first on this trip! We were also able to spot a big table iceberg on our way. Our amazing musician Myles enchanted the Observation Lounge with his music while we held a Fruit and Ice carving show, which was a great success. Our Team member and birder John found a diving petrel and showed it to some passengers before releasing it.

Picture by Tom Warmolts

On Thursday, our passengers were once again able to attend our lectures. In the same rooms we showed two movies during the evening about Shackleton and the giants of the seas: Whales. Something else the passengers were able to do was visit the Bridge. In groups they were allowed to come in the place to be. There where everything happens and everything is decided. Our captain and second officer welcomed the guests and showed them how the most important equipment works. It was very interesting for them to see how the sonar and radar tools help the crew to navigate through these hostile environments. After the presentation they were able to ask questions regarding the ship and its trips. In the afternoon, our expedition team members Therese and Mattias hosted a Quiz in the Observation Lounge on deck 7. Passengers were divided in groups and asked to answer a few random multiple-choice questions regarding the expedition, its destinations and the encountered wildlife. The winners were offered free drinks from the bar and received a nice certificate.

In the evening we had our first snow! Visibility was fairly low but this only added to the beauty of the moment. Sea days always hold surprises and it is a nice way to get a sense of the distance we are travelling. It makes our destinations feel much more special as this is the only way to get there.                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Happy Hikers & Penguin Heaven!

This day started early for some of us. Short before 8 am the hikers went on land at Maiviken. The beach was – once more – packed with fur seals, but the shore team managed to keep a little passage “free” and 55 happy hikers set off to walk to Grytviken, a former whaling station on South Georgia. 

We walked steep uphill trough tussock grass, passed by the beautiful Crean Lake and up to the viewpoint. As the wind picked up together with a bit of snow, we proceeded after a short break down towards the church in Grytviken. 

As the hikers arrived, the other passengers came ashore as well and visited Shackleton`s & Frank Wild`s grave while walking towards the center of the settlement, looking for a good route between the fur seals and elephant seals which literally “plastered” the path to the museum. Two “local” guides from the place gave us a nice guided tour through the remainings from the station.

In the afternoon we headed for St. Andrews Bay – the biggest King penguin colony from South Georgia was breeding here, over 200`000 pairs! Can you imagine? Already from the boat we could see them and note the scent – penguin-smell was in the air! And for the first time, MS Fram made a landing at St. Andrews Bay. Thousands of elephant seals were lying around the beach area, mostly weaners but also some adults which lay close together while they are moulting. 

After passing two rivers and up green meadows we stood on the top of a hill and looked down to – Penguin Heaven! We hardly couldn`t believe what we saw, thousands and thousands of King penguins and their chicks were trumpeting and whistling! Unbelievable… 

We just sat, looked and enjoyed. It was hard to leave this amazing place in the evening, so much to see! The weaners (young elephant seals) at the landing site didn`t make our leave easy – they were very interested on the safety gear, cones and flags from the expedition team! But it was time to go, off to Antarctica, ready for new experiences, seals, penguins and whatever we might encounter on this beautiful voyage..

King Penguins and Fur Seals

Our second day on the unparalleled island of South Georgia took us to Fortuna Bay in the morning and Stømness in the afternoon. After visiting the second largest King Penguin colony in South Georgia yesterday (Salisbury Plain) one might have thought that the much smaller colony at Fortuna would be of little interest. Far from it! First only a handful of people were able to land at Salisbury Plain due to very bad swell on the beach. Second, the Fortuna Bay colony though small, is more accessible and allows closer study of these amazing birds. So, you guessed it, we had an fantastic time at Fortuna! Landing conditions were excellent with little swell and a light wind so we were all able to see the colony this time! Halfway through the morning, fog rolled in from the Southern Ocean and shrouded the hillsides around the bay with heavy fog. This caused the Shackleton hike over to Strømness to be cancelled.

Once we landed, we hiked towards the colony though a gauntlet of Antarctic Fur Seals. This is Fur Seal breeding season, and the beaches were chock full of large males, their females, and the totally cute young pups.

The males were much more interested in fighting off other males and protecting their females so it was relatively easy to find a safe route through the fur seal colony and up above .

Many adult King Penguins were back in the colony getting ready to lay or feeding their full-grown chicks, and a few were still moulting. A few chicks were already showing their adult plumage but it will be a while before most will be ready to go! There was a constant din over the colony caused by singing adults and whistling youngsters. The King Penguin has to be one of the most handsome of birds!

It started raining in the morning and continued for most of our afternoon landing at Strømness. Regular readers of the Fram blog will know that there is a derelict whaling station at Strømness, which provides a frequent backdrop to the local wildlife. 

Few penguins breed at Strømness but this is made up for by dense fur seal colony along the entire beach. There is constant activity in a fur seal colony with males chasing other males and females fighting with their partners, all the while the tiny young pups sit underneath all this activity “hoping” they don’t get trampled. They occasionally do but they are clearly tougher than they look and usually come out of it unscathed. (Your faithful blogger can't resist showing another image of a pup!)

Dotted here and there amongst the tussac and on the beach were Elephant Seals of various ages. Many were moulting as evidenced by the patches of dead skin and hair (Elephant Seals moult a layer of skin as well as their hair).

Most of us made a hike up the valley behind Strømness to a beautiful waterfall. This is the last part of the hike Shackleton and his men made from Fortuna.