The White Continent: Antarctica: Punta Arenas-Cape Horn-Stonington Island-Danco Island-Deception Island-Yankee Harbour-Punta Arenas Stop 61

Hurtigruten Antarctic Cruise

Jan. 28

We feel like we have barely closed our eyes and our alarms are going off at (gulp!) 3:30 am.  We stumble out to the buses that will take us to our charter flight to Punta Arenas. 

It’s a fairly standard flight—I think I fall asleep as soon as I’m in my seat!  We scored exit row so there’s a lot of legroom.  No idea how that happened, but we will take it!

We arrive in Punta Arenas and grab our bags and head off in buses toward our ship.  It’s many, many hours of sitting around and waiting.  We wait on the bus when we are at the port.  Then we wait in the first of three waiting rooms.  The second waiting room that our group waits in, we have our covid tests.  Then we bite our nails for 20 or so minutes until they declare us negative and we can move on to the next waiting room.  There we pick up packets with our cabin cards and some more information about the ship and covid and such.  Finally, finally, FINALLY we get to board the ship!  And it is GORGEOUS.  (The prosecco they hand out on arrival is definitely making me happy!)  There is a 7 story LED screen with beautiful landscapes.  The gym is all blond wood and our cabins are sleek but cozy.  Very Scandinavian.  The only thing keeping Dmitri from jumping for joy is that he is so tired from being awake for so many hours.  When we booked because #reasons we had to make the reservations with Jack in a cabin with Dmitri and Mia in a cabin with me.  We go to reception and get that all sorted out with keys and such and then UNPACK.  It feels so decadent not to live out of a suitcase.  We hang clothes and put things in drawers.  The normal capacity of the Roald Amundsen is about 500 passengers.  Because of covid regulations they can only take 350 and we have 256 passengers on board.  It’s a nice number and we feel really safe.  This cruise has been canceled for us twice before so we were really nervous that something would go wrong.  A positive test result or the cruise line having to cancel or something.

But here we are!  We have some food and try to nap but it’s the first day so there are soooooooo very many announcements.  We give up on sleep and go pick up our expedition jackets and do our safety procedure.

Lunch is delicious, dinner is delicious, we are happy.  The exhaustion counteracts the excitement and we head to bed.

Jan. 29

The hybrid ship is so quiet that when I first wake up I think—oh no!  What happened and why aren’t we moving.  But it turns out we are moving!!!  This ship is sooooo smooth.  I love it.  Bed is comfy, the food has consistently been wonderful and the portions are very European—just enough and not the HUGE American portions we are used to seeing on cruise ships.  We explore the ship and go to pick up the waterproof boots they are loaning us for the trip.   And hit our first snag, which is very small scale and easily remedied.  When we boarded the ship, we were all assigned groups for the landings.  Jack and Dmitri were Orcas and Mia and I were Weddell Seals.  We fixed that and Mia and I were put in the Orca group.  When we get to the boot pick up, Mia and I are back in Weddell Seals and now Jack and Dmitri are Wandering Albatrosses.  There is no Orca group.  We get our boots and go back to the Expedition Desk when we are all reunited once again in Weddell Seals. 

We think we will have a leisurely day where we can lounge and read and nap and watch downloaded shows, but there are so many interesting lectures going on.  Because of covid protocols, they are streamed to our cabins and Mia and I get a little tipsy on red wine during the lecture on fjords. 

Dmitri and I also spend quite a bit of time on deck as the ship travels through Glacier Alley in the Beagle Channel.  It is nothing short of amazing!  I mean, WOW.  I take pictures knowing they won’t do it justice. 

We have one more lecture about landing procedures before dinner and bed.  We are keeping our fingers crossed that we will be able to land at Cape Horn tomorrow.  So far, on the 4 cruises they have done this season conditions have not allowed for a stop.  Wind and swell decide if we can land on Cape Horn.  As our Expedition Leader Tomski points out in his lecture, “we are not going to fight with weather because we never win.”  We are hopeful.  Well, except Jack who does not care and intends to stay on the ship.  I ask him why and this is his response:

“It’s literally just a few swamps and a monument for a bird."

He’s not wrong, but I’m excited anyway. 

Jan. 30

The landing at Cape Horn is a GO. Weddell Seal departure time is around 10 so we are able to get breakfast while other groups are called.  We see them zip off in the zodiac boats and then it’s our turn.  We layer long underwear and waterproof pants and various jackets and hats and gloves and off we go and it is WINDY.  The zodiac is a mostly smooth ride over until the engine cuts off just shy of the landing site.  We watch as our driver (pilot? sailor?) tries to tinker with things and other zodiacs land.  Another zodiac comes over and it looks like they will need to tow us back to the ship. NO!!!  But then the engine starts and we get to the landing without further incident.  The three of us climb up many steep stairs and we are SO excited to be at Cape Horn.  We stay on the carefully constructed boardwalks so as not to leave much of an impact and explore a bit.  It’s stark but beautiful.  One of the expedition guides has set up high powered binoculars on a tripod and way way way way way off a Magellenic penguin is sighted!  I peek through and catch my very first glimpse of a penguin in the wild.  We do visit the albatross statue and then head back down to the shore, where we catch the zodiac back to the ship. 

After lunch there are more lectures.  We skip one but tune into the next few—on being a citizen scientist and photography in Antarctica.  Until we get all get covid tests a few days in, they are on high alert but there is an AMAZING science center on board with microscopes and other cool sciencey gadgets and we look forward to going there in a few days.

We leave Cape Horn—and land and greenery—and enter the Drake Passage.  There are 6 foot swells but for the most part it seems ok.  Dmitri goes to the Explorer Lounge to chill and reports back that there are people face timing so I call Holly and see what she’s up to!  How very cool to be able to face time from the middle of the ocean!  Incidentally, for those who are wondering what she is up to—she is getting ready to go to the Rams play off game. 

Jan. 31

A day at sea as we head through the Drake Passage.  Looks pretty calm but the boat is still rolling and at times we feel drunk as we walk around the ship.  We get in a workout, which is also interesting. 

Seems like today should be a boring, lazy day.  It is NOT.  There are numerous lectures scheduled.  In covid times, this means they are streamed to the tvs in our cabins.  The staff is doing everything they can to make it work, but clearly we are all wishing we could be in person. 

We have the Evolution of Penguins, a mandatory IATTO briefing of what we can and cannot do in Antarctica, Dmitri and I have a safety briefing for kayaking, there is information on photographing whales for a science group that collects data and a presentation from the hotel and expedition teams. 

Penguin highways!!!!!!

We must also get our noses swabbed.  Dmitri later hears that the entire ship tested negative!  Yay!!!

We do a bit more trip planning and try to decide where to go after the Hurtigruten people return us to Santiago on February 13.  Buenos Aires is looking to be our next destination.  We have been following the restriction/quarantine status of several countries—Australia, Indonesia, and a few others—and are attempting to put together a rough itinerary for the second part of the trip. 

Late afternoon the captain announces that we have crossed the border into Antarctica.  It’s still all water as far as the eye can see.  We are also told we have passed the Antarctic Convergence.  I had to look that one up—here’s what wiki has to say:

The Antarctic Convergence or Antarctic Polar Front is a marine belt encircling Antarctica, varying in latitude seasonally, where cold, northward-flowing Antarctic waters meet the relatively warmer waters of the sub-Antarctic. Antarctic waters predominantly sink beneath the warmer subantarctic waters, while associated zones of mixing and upwelling create a zone very high in marine productivity, especially for Antarctic krill.

This line, like the arctic tree line, is a natural boundary rather than an artificial one, such as the borders of nations and time zones. It not only separates two hydrological regions, but also separates areas of distinctive marine life and climates.

The Arctic has no similar boundary because of the large bodies of land contiguous with the northern polar region.

There is also a handy photo:

Dmitri and I also notice late at night that it’s still pretty light out.  It’s a reminder that it’s summer here in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Feb. 1

Today is more of a lazy, at-sea day.  There are a few lectures, but mainly we are eating, sleeping, napping, watching tv, and catching up on blogging and vlogging.  The kids have dsicovered on ship TV a show called Spy in the Wild and watch all the available episodes. I head to the observation deck and boy is the wind whipping!!!!!  I manage to see a few cute little Cape petrels and albatrosses.  No whales are spotted.  

Late afternoon we see a few icebergs out in the distance.  We are getting closer!

Also we go and have our clothes inspected so as not to take anything on to the Antarctic continent that doesn’t belong there!  It’s starting to feel real. 

In our evening streamed briefing, we learn that there is a landing first thing in the morning and we are in the first landing group.  Unfortunately, that’s the same time as our PCR tests.  Sigh.  Off to the Expedition Desk to get that sorted.  We will land on Red Rock Ridge and apparently there is a PENGUIN ROOKERY there!!!!  The landing is dependent on if ice and swells and wind allow.  During the briefing they showed the weather for Cape Horn and if we had tried to land today, we would not have been able to. 

We have also passed the Antarctic Circle.  And with that, I get ready for bed so I can wake up to a new adventure in the morning.

Feb. 2

Boo!  We wake to find that conditions will not allow a landing today at Red Rock Ridge.  It’s too choppy and swelly according to Tomski.  Ugh ugh ugh.  However, during breakfast we sail around some unbelievably gorgeous icebergs.  Our waiter, Jaime, calls it a paradise of ice.  Small consolation.  We wait to hear whether we will be able to head out in the afternoon on zodiacs for some cruising.  Meanwhile, we visit the gym, listen to a lecture on Birds of Antarctica, and have lunch.

Yay!  At 2 pm they call for our group, Weddell Seals, to go to the Expedition launch.  We get in a zodiac and are about to leave.  Then the engine won’t go.  Sigh.  We are beginning to think we are cursing the zodiac engines on this trip.  They move us to another zodiac and off we go.  Chris, our driver? Pilot?  guide?  (I’m still not clear on terminology) takes us around some really big icebergs.  The snow is blowing sideways and blasting us.  It’s a good test for our gear.  We cruise around for about an hour and come across a strange ocean worm thing.  And lots of icebergs.  Then it’s back to the ship. 

In the evening, we have another briefing for the following day’s activities.  Once again, it’s all dependent on the weather.

At tonight’s briefing we find out that the camping on Antarctica has been canceled.  We didn’t sign up for it, but feel bummed for those who did and were excited to do it.  Tomorrow we head to Stonington Island and the first thing they tell us is that they don’t anticipate seeing  many, if any, penguins there.  And certainly not a rookery.  Darn you, Antarctica!!!  Stonington Island has historical buildings, we are told, which we do not care about at all.  Not even a little.  Apparently, there were some US and British bases there during WWII and the buildings are still standing and we might or might not get to go in them and I am disappointed and don’t really much care because I did not come to Antarctica to go inside a building!  However, at least we get to set foot on the continent so that is cool.  Back in the 1970s the glacier reached the island and the researchers used teams of dog sleds to cross to the glacial shelf.  There is no longer a connection between the island and the glacier and it is no longer allowed to bring animals to Antarctica.  Also the weather looks cloudy.  Sigh.  I’m trying hard to be upbeat and not think about the money, time, and effort it took to pull off this cruise.  On the bright side, tomorrow is the polar plunge!  Jack has already said he is not going to do it.  After today’s briefing and the time spent in the zodiac today Dmitri is thinking he isn’t very interested.  Originally we were thinking we would be jumping from the expedition platform.  Now it looks like we enter the water from shore and then have to get back on the zodiac to come back to the boat.  But no worries, Tomski tells us—they will have towels for us and also the ship doctor will be ashore with us.  Yikes!!! 

Feb. 3

Wow.  Just.  Wow.  I went to bed pretty disappointed and that was so silly because we had an AMAZING day.  We woke up to clearer skies and LAND!  Very exciting.  The Weddell Seal group is up for the landing at 11:45. 

Dmitri casually wordling in ANTARCTICA!!!

We end up waiting until after 1 and we are excited, nervous, and impatient. The landscape is STUNNING. There is one lone penguin on the shore. While we are waiting for the previous zodiac to land, we cruise around and see a few seals chilling on an iceberg. We walk around and see the US base, and also the British one. And the Polar Plunge is CRAZY! Mia and I do it and it's, as expected, very cold.

When we are back on deck after a long hot shower and a late lunch, we find out good/bad news.  But before we get into that, I should explain that this is the not the original cruise we booked. Originally we booked a cruise that was only Antarctica since we didn’t really care about going to the Falklands.  Plus, cruises to Antarctica are really expensive.  Also, at this time, our 12 day cruise was to leave from Ushuaia and not Punta Arenas. However, with the pandemic wreaking havoc with travelers' plans, Hurtigruten sent that boat back to Europe. So they were a boat down and only sending out the one with their 18 day itinerary. Not only did we think that 18 days was a REALLY long time to be on a ship so far away, but it also cost quite a bit more. Luckily, Dmitri can from time to time be a persuasive negotiator and, after some back and forth, the cruise line agreed to let us do the longer cruise for the same price as our original one.  Good on Hurtigruten for being decent about it. 

Back to the good and bad news. Bad first. Unfortunately there are a few covid cases on board the ship.  BUMMER for the people who traveled ALL the way down to Santiago, got tested, flew to Punta Arenas, got tested, cruised through the Drake Passage, got tested, and THEN got a positive test result!!!  We have 9 more days left of the cruise and they have to quarantine.  Which means no landings for them. 

However for the rest of us it basically means no use of the jacuzzis, sauna, gym, and public restrooms.  It also means that authorities will not allow us to sail into the waters of the Falkland Islands.  So we will stay in  Antarctica for the extra days.   YAY.  Annnnnnd, we get 25% of a refund so Dmitri is THRILLED.

Add that to the fact that today’s lecture is on Glaciology and Dmitri having a GREAT day.  He landed on his 7th continent, he’s getting cash money, and he gets  to listen to a lecture on glaciers.  Dmitri is living his best life today!

At the evening briefing Tomski lets us know that the following day we will be going out in the zodiacs.  The navigational officer will be working with the captain now that we have a few extra days in Antarctica to find places to cruise and land. 

Feb. 4

 We wake to gorgeous views of icebergs and chunks of ice around us.  The Weddell Seal group has a wonderful position in the line up—right in the middle.  We won’t be the first off and have to scramble to get breakfast eaten and suited up.  We also won’t have to wait around all day like yesterday, watching other zodiacs head out and hoping conditions stay favorable. 

We board the zodiacs and cruise around and see spectacularly beautiful icebergs.  It’s like master craftsman sculptors have created them.  We spot a couple of crabeater seals—which eat krill, actually, and NOT crabs—lying on the ice and go and have a look.  We pass another younger , female seal lying on her own and she can’t even be bothered to lift her head to look at us. 

Then we are DELIGHTED to cruise over to a zodiac with a few crew in it who are handing out hot chocolate and Bailey’s to passing zodiacs.  We zoom on over and have a drink.  In a zodiac.  In Antarctica.  Surrounded by icebergs and seals. 

We head back to the ship and go to our room to de-suit.  And from the balcony we spot two seals. And one is very, very wiggly.  It writhes and wiggles all around on the ice and it’s so fun to watch.  A zodiac just heading out zips over to watch them up close.   Although we are still practically crawling out of our skin to see penguins, we are pretty happy to have seen some wildlife today.  Oh, and we also saw snow petrels!  After a completely undeserved nap, we decide to head to the Explorer lounge.  We are getting ready and I spot what I think is maybe a whale or something or maybe it’s black ice.  I have black ice on the brain since we just learned about it in the zodiac.  No, there it is again.  It’s a fin.  And then I see the blow.  And the tale.  It’s a whale!  I yell for Dmitri, who is in the bathroom but by the time he comes out it’s gone.  However, he watches and spots one (the same one maybe?) a few minutes later, but I miss it. 

Up in the lounge we enjoy the view and spot some more seals lying on ice.  It doesn’t get old.  Nor does the scenery.  It’s quite calming.  Calm ocean dotted with icebergs.  It’s just lovely.  I wish it were a little sunnier, but can’t really complain other than that.  The icicles and snow on our balcony have melted.  Perhaps the next cruises or landings will be a tad warmer. 

Then we watch as we cruise through A LOT of sea ice.  It’s SO cool. 

In the evening brief, Tomski continued with his theme of “this is what we think we will do, but we have to wait and see.” 

We hear later that after we left the area we were in earlier today, another ship came but they had to turn around in the bay because of too much ice.  After we left, we crossed a belt of ice and now we are headed for the Penola Strait for the night.  Apparently we have some goods aboard (construction materials) for the Ukrainian research station and if conditions are ok, we will head through the French Passage and deliver those to them.  Evidently, that happens a lot—passenger ships bring goods for the researchers and drop them off.  Normally, I think our zodiac boats head over with the goods but due to covid the Ukrainians will send a zodiac over to our ship’s cargo area.  Then a crane will load everything. 

We are following covid protocol even in Antarctica.  Speaking of which, earlier we overheard someone saying something about 6 people on board testing positive.  Total bummer for them.  A woman asked well, do they at least have a balcony.  No, we understand they were in a suite but then were moved to a room with just a window.  My guess is there is an area away from most of the other people on board and the cabins are less desirable.  Anyway, if the Ukrainian station is not blocked by ice, we will deliver the goods and head on our way to the Penola Strait.  There has been a lot of ice there recently so we will wait and see but there are four potential landing sites so that is good news.  Tomorrow afternoon we head toward (and maybe reach) the Lemaire Channel.  Tomorrow looks to be windy and chilly and they will keep an eye on it all because they don’t want to have 100 people ashore and not be able to get them off because the landing is blocked by ice.  It also may rain tomorrow but Tomski is hopeful for more sun in the following days.  Also, north of Lemaire more landings are possible and big news: the latest we will see penguins is after tomorrow afternoon!!!!!  Yay penguins. 

Feb. 5

We wake to another gorgeous seascape.  We drop the cargo off with the Ukrainians and start our cruise toward possible landing sites.  In the morning we hear a lecture on Bioacoustics of Marine Animals and it is FASCINATING.  Later this morning we have a lecture entitled Seals of the Southern Ocean.  By the way, it was pointed out to me that I have now been swimming in 4/5 of the world’s major oceans—Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Southern.  I only need Arctic to complete the list.  We had planned a cruise of the Norwegian fjords last summer but covid put the kibosh on that one.  But it’s something Dmitri and I very much still want to do so maybe one of these days I’ll get to swim in the Arctic. 

For now, as I await the next lecture streamed to my cabin I am just sitting near my sliding glass door watching the ice and the icebergs and the occasional seals rolling about on the ice.  It’s a thrill every time I see them!  I run to get my phone and take lots and lots of photos, but I know that the pictures will not come close to doing it justice.  I am so so so glad we were able to do this longer cruise and we aren’t having to dart back up through the Drake Passage so soon.  Throughout the past few years we have all definitely seen covid giveth and covid taketh away, on small and also rather large scales.  What started as a negative when our first cruise out of Ushuaia was canceled turned out to be a stroke of luck as it forced us to spend longer in Antarctica than we originally thought we wanted.  And with a few covid cases on the ship forcing the closures of the gym, sauna, and jacuzzis it’s forcing us to relax and sit and watch the world.  To quote the great Louis Armstrong, “and I think to myself what a wonderful world.”

As we cruise along to our landing site, what is that in the water?  Omg, it’s PENGUINS jumping through the water.  They are AWESOME!!!  We see a few penguins sitting on the ice and more jumping.  We call the kids and they RUSH up to our cabin and we see seals for quite a bit and then more penguins.  We are all enchanted as the penguins swim next to the ship.  It’s SO fun watching them.  We lose some then spot some others then see a random seal, then more penguins.  It’s delightful! 

In the background we are only partially listening to Wayne’s streamed lecture on seals.  We do get some fun nuggets of information about seals.  Southern elephant seals are seven times heavier than polar bears—they are very dense because of their blubber.

***Mia gives us a marshmallow analogy about blubber:

Basically the marshmallow thing is if fat is one marshmallow, blubber is the same amount of area taken up by the marshmallow but it’s like 10 marshmallows packed in so it's a lot more dense and squished together and keeps the animal warmer.***

That's real science, y'all.

We are the last group to go out today for the landing so after lunch we chill in the Explorer Lounge again and watch as the expedition team members head to land to scope it out.  The earliest we can expect to go ashore is 5 pm and most likely it will be later than that.

PENGUINS!!!!!  We smell them waaaaay before we see them.

Finally, finally, FINALLY we come across Gentoo penguins and they are all over and they are SO cute.  They waddle and they fall and it’s WONDERFUL.  There are babies and we see them being feed by their mamas.  We see skuas flying around antagonizing the penguins.  And penguins on penguin highways!  It’s what we have been impatient for since the beginning of the trip!!! 

It’s quite rainy and so we don’t stay long on Pleneau Island.  We head back to the ship and dry off and warm up.  All are happy as it’s been quite the penguin day.

Feb. 6

Our landing today is at Danco Island.  We have a bit of a cruise to get there so after breakfast we have some free time.  I walk with fellow passenger Sharon on the walking track around deck 11.  It’s a sunny and gorgeous day and there are lots of people out and about attempting to spot whales. 

We have another wonderful streamed lecture from Shayne, the photographer.  She’s giving us lots of great tips for taking photos and we love how she spends time talking about improving cell phone pictures. 

After not too long of a wait, we are suiting up for our landing.  Going ashore is way more fun in the sun.  We walk up the hill in the snow and see penguins and listen to them and it’s magical again. 

Then, ugh, I make a mistake and leave the Insta 360 camera attached to my wrist for the walk back down the hill and it slips off!!!  Argh!!!!  I know better!  This is the same thing that happened to Mia in Peru.  BLURG.  We climb the hill again and look around and no luck.  I am just sick about it.  Off in the distance, very close to shore, there is a humpback whale.  There is much excitement and Dmitri and Mia remind me not to let this ruin the experience.  It’s only a thing and it can be replaced.  They are right and we head back down the hill, where another polar plunge is being offered.  Mia and I are up for it again and just when we are about to go in, Dmitri joins us with the Insta 360!!!!  It has been found and was returned to one of the expedition leaders.  Huzzah! 

So now we are down on the beach, the sun is shining, there are penguins on the beach and we are ready for Polar Plunge #2.  This time in the sun and WITH PENGUINS.

I go in first this time and as I come out of the water, Shayne walks up with her camera.  She’s the ship photographer and got some fab photos of Mia and me when we did our dip the other day.  Well, shoot.  If I’m going to do this thing, I want really great photos.  So I hand my towel back to the expedition guy and back in I go! 

You can see my hair is wet as I'm going into the water. Double dip!

Mia also does a plunge.  We are in much better shape this time and it helps that the ride back to the ship in the zodiac is quite a bit shorter and we aren’t getting hail spit at us from above. 

We find out that snow shoeing has been canceled (snow is too slushy) but we are still waiting to hear if we will get to kayak or not.  Two groups have gone out already and we are keeping fingers crossed that our cabin number will get picked in one of the lotteries.  There are only 12 people—6 kayaks—who can go out at a time and like everything else in Antarctica, it’s weather dependent.  So far, groups A and B have gone.  We watch the evening briefing and actually hope we are NOT chosen for group C.  Tomorrow we head to Orne Harbour and it’s our first continental landing!  The ones we have done so far have been on islands.  Also, the penguins there will be chinstrap and they are SO adorable.  So no great loss to have not been selected for kayaking tomorrow.  Annnnnnd, we also find out that our expedition group, the Weddell Seals, are up first!  An early start to the day means early to bed.  I hope I’m able to sleep.  I’m SO excited about chinstrap penguins.  There is rain in the forecast and I’m less excited about that. 

Oh, and over dinner we see another humpback whale through the window.  A very good day indeed. 

Feb. 7

 Up early, as we are the first landing group annnnnnnd the wind is at 60 knots so we are on hold for a bit.  All good.  We wait. 

And we wait some more until around 10:30 when it is announced that it is too dangerous for a landing.  We will move to Deception Island and try for a landing tomorrow.  Bummer about Orne and the chinstraps but this is the way things go in Antarctica.  In the meantime, we will have a streamed lecture on Antarctic Plate Tectonics.

It’s a lazy day aboard the Roald Amundsen.  We enjoy the Q and A with the expedition staff.  After we hang out and chat with Wayne, the marine biologist, and his wife, Karen.  They are super interesting people.  Just about everyone we meet on this ship has a really interesting back story.  And they are all so well-traveled.  We are picking up lots of great tips for places to go and things to see.  Speaking of interesting, we have dinner next to Andreas from Germany and he is HILARIOUS.  He is traveling solo and regales us with tales of places he has been. 

One interesting side note:  Mia’s Sri Lanka vlog has over 2000 views!  She is getting to be quite popular in Sri Lanka!  It’s great! 

In the evening briefing, we find out that we have a landing in the morning at Deception Island.  It is another opportunity to do the polar plunge.  And there is an active volcano there so there are hot spring. The island is a caldera, much like Santorini. 

Feb. 8

I am up shortly after 6 to head to deck to watch the ship cruise into the caldera of Deception Island.  It is otherworldly, with a black sand beach, the remnants of a Chilean research station, and steam rising up near the shoreline.  It’s spectacular. 

Restless caldera!!!!!

We are the first zodiac to shore around 8 am, as Weddell Seals are first on deck this morning.  We hop out and wander around and watch the steam.  Looks like polar plunge will be a piece of cake with the hot springs!  We walk around for a bit and chat with various expedition team members situated around Pendulum Bay. 

As we make our way over to where the polar plunge is being held, we notice the wind has REALLY picked up.  Wow.  Small black pebbles are flying everywhere and as I shed my jacket and layers, the wind threatens to carry them off.  It’s CRAZY windy.  Mia decides she has had enough polar plunging, but I decide that I’m up for it.  I go in with a fellow Weddell Seal, Betsy.  It’s her first time and my third.  As I wade in I’m not feeling ANY of the heat of the hot springs, but boy am I feeling that wind.  I am about to duck under when Mia calls from shore, where she is filming.  Apparently, there’s a bird right above me.  I look up and it’s pretty big.  She gets great video of it.  (check out her vlog at the 12:30 mark) I do my dip, then fight with the wind as I get dressed again.  It’s a longer wait for the zodiacs, but finally I am back on the ship and in a hot shower. 

We hear over the PA that conditions have started to get dicey so they are pausing sending groups to the island.  As I have been up ridiculously early and there has been much excitement, I am tired and decide to nap.  When I wake up, I hear the captain saying that they have had to cancel any more outings to the island.  When we arrived at the island the wind was just a few knots but now it’s up to hurricane gale force winds of 70+ knots.  CRAZY!!!! Mia said she saw a helicopter flying over near the island.  We are hoping to get the story on that later.  In the meantime, we are feeling SO lucky that we got one last landing.  The captain also tells us that to get out of the bay we are in, we need to go through a very narrow channel and it is too windy to try just now.  So we have the rest of the afternoon to enjoy lectures and lunch and hang out in the Explorer Lounge. 

On another note—we finally got assigned a kayaking group in the lottery, but it looks like we are not going to be able to do it.  Group C went today but since it was so wild and windy they had to cut their outing short, and in fact got blown across the caldera lake by the gale.  They will be trying again tomorrow.  Ah well.  This is the way things go in Antarctica with the weather.  We have been quite lucky to get landings and zodiac cruises and we can’t complain.  Kayaking would have been fun, but it’s all good.  

We have a mellow afternoon hanging about in the Explorer Lounge and in the science center.  Due to covid, the microscopes are covered and there isn’t too much science going on, but it is nice to be around people, even if they are masked.  Mia and I have been making friends with the expedition people.  They are SO cool and interesting.  We stalk them and ask them tons of questions and get their social media info.  We are total expedition team groupies and are geeking out with all the info they are giving us. 

At the evening briefing, we find out about our last day in Antarctica before we head back through the Drake Passage and on to Punta Arenas.  Tomski is funny as he recaps the day and tells us that “every stick has two ends.”  I’m not entirely sure what that means, but ok.  He tells us that the following day we will go to Half Moon Bay on Half Moon Island.  There will be chinstrap penguins and the remains of a wooden boat and gorgeous views of Livingston Island.  We will also be able to see—in the distance—the Argentine research base.  But we can’t go in.  Not that we really care.  Anyway, CHINSTRAP PENGUINS!!!  It’s VERY exciting.  He also tells us that there may be fur seals there but they are VERY fast and they bite.  And we don’t want to get bitten because of all of the bacteria in their mouths.  Yeah, that’s not the only reason I don’t want to get bitten BY A FUR SEAL.  There is also another polar plunge.  I think I’m capped out at 3, but I will wear my bathing suit just in case.  (Spoiler alert—I did not got in.  I was too enthralled watching the penguins.)

Feb. 9

Well, I should probably just go to bed right now since I don’t think this day can get ANY better.  I mean, I just got back from dinner and from my balcony spotted a small group of penguins jumping through the water.  And at dinner, we were treated to the most spectacular landscapes.  Wow.  I mean, we have seen some beautiful things in Antarctica but this was like a fantasy world in the Star Wars universe.  Dmitri got some photos and I don’t think they will do it justice.

Anyway, backing up to the start of the day.   We arrived at Half Moon Bay in the South Shetland Islands first thing in the morning and it was so foggy we couldn’t see a thing. We waited until it was our group’s turn and then headed for the zodiacs.  Chinstraps, we are on our way.  Oh boy.  What an amazing stop!!!  It was so fun watching all the penguins.  We stayed as long as we could and they were rounding us up and herding us back into the zodiacs.  My words and the photos we take I doubt will do it justice (sensing a theme here?)  but we got some great video and I know Mia’s vlog is going to be so beautiful. 

It was our last landing and it was a good one.  Oh, we have truly enjoyed our time in Antarctica.  It’s nice to end on a high note with good weather and cute penguins.  But WAIT.  As we are having lunch, the captain comes over the PA and announces that we have time for a special surprise landing!  We are off to Yankee Harbour for one more landing.  Wooooo hoooooooo.  We eagerly get in the zodiacs and it’s like there is a little Gentoo welcoming party on the beach as we arrive.  They are so close!  They are unafraid of us and waddle around watching us watch them.  It’s amazing and a perfect way to end our trip. 

We had been looking forward to Antarctica and were so worried about this part of the trip because it's not something that can easily be moved around or rescheduled.  And it’s so far away and difficult to get to.  Not to mention, expensive.  And then with covid variants and whatnot we were so worried about test results.  But we made it and it was SO worth it.  Even the unplanned parts, like not being able to go to the Falklands meant that we could stay longer down south and experience more.  We were blown away by the ship and the crew and even when we had disagreeable weather, they kept things interesting for us and we learned A LOT.  We also met some amazing people.  SO nice and interesting.  Travel for us isn’t just the things we have seen.  We have met incredible people of all ages from all over and we feel so lucky to have crossed paths with them.  And let me just say, the Weddell Seal group was the BEST.  ;)

Oh, also there were seals on the beach at both landings today.  Fun!  And as far as I know no one got bitten. 

Here’s a fun fact:  Eleven babies have been born in Antarctica, and none of them died as infants. Antarctica therefore has the lowest infant mortality rate of any continent: 0%.

Feb. 10

Sleep in day.  Also, boat rocking day.  And lecture day.  Today it's on sea birds, followed by Q and A with the expedition team, which is always fun.

One of our absolute favorite crew members is Brendan, the rather enthusiastic ship ornithologist. He is a font of information and all of his briefings are fun and interesting. During the Q and A, a passenger asks what he does for fun in his free time. "I bird," is his response. Brendan talks about birds who are functionally pelagic and why some birds might choose an open ocean lifestyle. We are amused and think it's a good thing he's not a judgy ornithologist. Another passenger asks him how many birds he could take on in a fight, and he think it through and gives an answer. Then someone says "how about penguins?" He thinks about it, describes their high center of gravity and awkwardness on land then then reasons "infinite penguins." We decide this is an amazing name for a band.

Dmitri's new favorite website as we head back through the Drake is windy.com.

Feb. 11

We spot some islands today.  We also return our Weddell Seal patches and our boots.  We hear from the captain that 4 crew members tested positive so, out of caution, they have to close the gym, jacuzzis, and sauna again.  Ah well.  Guess I’ll have to nap today. ;) And read my book.  The ocean seems very calm today.  Much better than yesterday.  We have a lecture on glaciers.  Then Wayne and Karen present seals vs. whales during their streamed lecture. 

Feb. 12

Last day and night on the cruise and then off we go somewhere in South America.  We would like to go to Buenos Aires, but that depends on getting back negative covid tests.  Which we have.  Yayyyy.  Today is a packing and planning day.  We sort out our flights and hotels and such for BA.

So, as we plan and book and such, there are MANY pull down menus, but this is the first time we have seen Old and Bearded in a list of countries! This is hilarious. Someone mistranslated Antigua and Barbuda but it makes for a lighthearted moment during the drudgery of travel booking.

https://www.reddit.com/r/engrish/comments/nrf785/old_and_bearded/

Feb. 13

We are up bright and early in Punta Arenas and leave the Roald Amundsen. We take buses back to the airport and fly to Santiago. One funny moment was during the flight when the captain comes on the loudspeaker and says, "Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for me to say goodbye." Perfectly nice thing to say, but this is BEFORE we had landed!!!!!!

Luckily, the pilot lands the plane in Santiago and we promptly book a flight to Buenos Aires.

The professional photographer on the ship was CRAZY talented. Here are just a few of her amazing shots during our trip, which actually DO do it justice: