Swimming off the beach. A second swim next to an iceberg was cancelled when a Leopard Seal surfaced
Drake´s Passage is nature´s barrier to tourism in Antarctica. It takes at least 48 hours to cross one of the most violent stretches of water in the world. We saw both extremes, a dream crossing and nightmare return.
We hit a force 10 storm with 15 metre high waves hitting the ship from the side. apparently this is really unusual and despite being built for the Antarctic the boat struggled under the onslaught. There was the constant sound of breaking crockery from the galley, furniture and people where thrown from one side of the ship to the other. A wave smashed a window on the third deck flooding several cabins and setting off all sorts of alarms. During one breakfast the whole buffet shot onto the floor. At another someone was knocked out and was treated by the ship´s doctor while he threw up into a sick bag. By drugging ourselves to the eyeballs Marilyn and I managed to ward off sea sickness and where able to enjoy the drama - we even learnt Texas hold´ em poker
It is impossible to find the words to describe Antarctica.
It is such an awesome, alien and beautiful place. There is nothing to compare it to.
We hit a force 10 storm with 15 metre high waves hitting the ship from the side. apparently this is really unusual and despite being built for the Antarctic the boat struggled under the onslaught. There was the constant sound of breaking crockery from the galley, furniture and people where thrown from one side of the ship to the other. A wave smashed a window on the third deck flooding several cabins and setting off all sorts of alarms. During one breakfast the whole buffet shot onto the floor. At another someone was knocked out and was treated by the ship´s doctor while he threw up into a sick bag. By drugging ourselves to the eyeballs Marilyn and I managed to ward off sea sickness and where able to enjoy the drama - we even learnt Texas hold´ em pokerIt is impossible to find the words to describe Antarctica.
It is such an awesome, alien and beautiful place. There is nothing to compare it to.
We where incredibly lucky with the weather. Where it is normally grey and misty we had sun and cloudless blue skies. Some days were actually warm but we had one tremendous blizzard that gave us a taste of Antarctica´s normal behavior
The wildlife is equally spectacular with massive penguin colonies, sea birds including lots of albatrosses, whales and seals . It is impossible to watch penguins without a broad smile on your face.
The boat was perfect. With just 74 passengers so we had lots of time on shore (no more than a hundred people are allowed on shore at a time). The food was amazing and there was so much free booze we had to leave behind the 5 litres of wine we had smuggled on board.
But best of all was the dining room, high at the stern of the ship with picture windows all round. At nearly every meal someone would spot a whale and a cheer would go up when it dived and we saw its tail. The captain had an open bridge policy, even at times when things were getting complicated, which meant you got great views.
The 24 hours daylight affected everyone and there where several impromptu all night parties.
The wildlife is equally spectacular with massive penguin colonies, sea birds including lots of albatrosses, whales and seals . It is impossible to watch penguins without a broad smile on your face.The boat was perfect. With just 74 passengers so we had lots of time on shore (no more than a hundred people are allowed on shore at a time). The food was amazing and there was so much free booze we had to leave behind the 5 litres of wine we had smuggled on board.
But best of all was the dining room, high at the stern of the ship with picture windows all round. At nearly every meal someone would spot a whale and a cheer would go up when it dived and we saw its tail. The captain had an open bridge policy, even at times when things were getting complicated, which meant you got great views.The 24 hours daylight affected everyone and there where several impromptu all night parties.
Like everywhere else we have been on this trip. Antarctica is under threat. Not only from global warming but also from tourism which is increasing rapidly. The Antarctic Treaty helps control its impact but it is voluntary with no teeth. Increasingly rogue boats are coming to and damaging Antarctica. A guy at a British Base said that there is a Ukrainian boat operating without control this season and last season the Russian Mafia chartered a boat to tour Antarctica - I guess no-one stopped them if they wanted to take a few penguins home. Even with our trip, which was well managed, you could tell that we where affecting wildlife because people cant help trying to get closer for that perfect shot. We feel truly privileged to have had this opportunity
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