So far we have only sighted gentoo penguins. This afternoon’s zodiac cruise through Cierva Cove promises sightings of chinstrap penguins.
A petrel walks on water
Primavera is yet another Argentine station. This one is occupied over summer.
Leopard seal
Our final patch of sunshine in Antarctica and some interesting sunset effects
At this stage of the trip we have mastered the art of dressing and undressing for our trips ashore. Gone is the stress of getting ready and out onto the zodiacs. This morning’s trip has us on Trinity Island the site of whaling operations from last century. Once again Antarctic conditions preserve everything and the wooden boat and whale bones on the beach are particularly atmospheric.
A quick trudge over the hill through the snow there is a small unoccupied typically bright orange Argentine hut overlooking the bay. Just outside is a little freshwater pool which the local gentoos are using as a “fun park”.
Whimsical Weddell seal
Fur seal
The rest of our time off the ship was spent zipping around in our zodiac. With sunshine and relatively clear skies a wonderland of mountains, icebergs and glaciers was revealed.
Not to mention wildlife. Such as leopard seals.
And crabeater seals
More leopard seal
Back on the ship the view from the upper deck was no less spectacular.
Finally a sunset.
Ooops!
I have just found a cache of unprocessed pictures that belong to the post before last. It also happens to be probably the best of the weather we had in Antarctica and the photos sparkle as a consequence. I have decided to split these into two posts. This one is on the island and the next one is cruising around in our zodiac around the island.
Firstly we encountered the most sociable of the gentoo penguins here and at times they were downright cheeky!
Then some lazy fur seals.
And so the weather turns and we have drizzle and even snow but this turns out to be a very special afternoon and we spend hours in our zodiac cruising around chasing humpback and minke whales with some amazing and very close sightings. This remains one of my more memorable excursions.
Fur seals
Humpback whale breaching
More humpbacks
Crabeater seal
Yet more humpbacks
This little island was one of the few times we caught a bit of sunshine and the photos sparkle as a result. It was most notable for the up close and personal interactions with the sociable little gentoo penguins.
Juvenile gentoo being fed by its parent.
Landing at Almirante Brown station is our first landing on Antarctic mainland. This, incredibly, is an Argentine station named after the first Admiral of the Argentine navy, an Irishman called William Brown. Go figure! The Argentinians have built a whole series of huts along the Antarctic Peninsula to keep a foothold and a claim on the continent. Unlike most, this one is actually manned. Built in 1951 it has an interesting history. On 12 April 1984 it was burnt down by the station’s doctor after he was ordered to stay for another winter. The station personnel was rescued by the USS Hero but he was left to stay there for another year as punishment.
The surrounding seas are known as Paradise Bay. A short zodiac ride around the corner is the beautiful and massive Suarez glacier.
Antarctica is a great 20th century historical reserve as well as a natural reserve. Here in the frigid temperatures and and dry air (Antarctica is the driest continent on earth), buildings and objects remain well preserved and are designated historical monuments with strict codes of conduct enforced to protect them. In 1947 the British established a base her that they named Faraday station (or Base F). With only a short period of closure in the 1950s it was continuously occupied as a meteorological station until 1996.
Wordie Hut was the first building here and was in use between 1947 and 1954 when it was superseded by the newer base. This charming old hut is in a remarkable state of preservation and is a unique time capsule right down to the preserved food items that are still in situ.
In 1960 a newer station was built nearby and it was this station that first picked up the hole in the ozone layer in the 1980s. This station was eventually sold to Ukraine in 1996 for the nominal sum of 1 pound. It is now renamed Verdansky station and between 12 and 26 scientists over winter here every year. It is here that we see our first glimpses of sunshine and blue sky.
Constant low cloud engulfs our ship but the seas are mercifully calm. We are on our cruise ship RCGS Resolute which is home to us for the next 10 nights. It is a smaller ship with a capacity of 150 passengers but is beautifully appointed and luxurious. Our first 2 days we see no land as we cross Drakes passage a notoriously rough stretch of sea between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands which mark the beginning of the Antarctic Peninsula.
The third morning we turn into the beautiful Lemaire Channel and, for the first time we are in Antarctica. All around are mountains, glaciers and icebergs but the sky is grey, cloud cover is low and there is a consistent fine drizzle. We are called to get suited up for our first excursion ashore and the sense of excitement is muted by the preparations involved. In our cabins we don 2 layers of thermal clothing. Final toileting occurs as no such thing is permitted ashore. No yellow snow! Then we don the waterproof overalls and parkas before trudging 3 levels down to squeeze into our special boots and wash them off in antiseptic. Antarctica is a pristine wilderness and there is no contamination allowed. Trussed up like a “teletubbie” we descend the ramp to our “rubber duckie” zodiacs for the short trip to land.
Plenau Island is our first landing and was named by the French explorer Charcot in 1904 after his photographer which is ironic considering the issues I had with photography here. On landing I chatted with the ship’s photographer regarding exposure settings here. He had a look at my pictures and said that my settings looked OK. I was less certain but being trussed up and struggling to keep the drizzle off my lenses I felt out of control and I am unhappy with the photos here. It is another day and a half before I get the right advice and successfully adjust my camera to the right settings for Antarctica. Nonetheless this is a pretty spot with lots of cheeky gentoo penguins and icebergs all around.
Leaving the island we spend another hour or so in our zodiac sailing between beautiful icebergs.
Ushuaia, even the name has an exotic sound to it. How about “Tierra del Fuego”, “land of fire”? Evocative names for a unique place. This is the southernmost city on the planet. Below here its ocean and then Antarctica.
This is a small new city with a population of only 70,000. It is the starting point for most cruise ships bound for Antarctica but tourism is not the main source of income here with fishing and extraction of oil and gas bigger industries. An interesting new development here is that this is a tax free haven and responding to the government’s attempts to encourage industry to relocate there big players such as Samsung have moved in and the town is experiencing a bit of a construction and population boom. Nonetheless the heart of town is centred around the docks and sees mostly tourist shops and restaurants. Boldly emblazoned on most souvenirs is the phrase “El fin del Mundo” which translates to “the end of the earth”.
The HMS Beagle carrying the naturalist Charles Darwin on his way to scientific fame in the Galapagos sailed through here in 1832. It is from this that the name of the sea channel that Ushuaia straddles derives, the Beagle strait and it forms a spectacular back drop to the city. When sailing through the Beagle’s crew noted multiple fires dotting the countryside lit by the natives, hence the name Tierra del Fuego. Going ashore they meet the indiginous people. Despite the extreme cold they are naked and Darwin describes them as subhuman savages.
Despite it being just on the end of summer the weather here is best described as brooding. Thick clouds fill the sky, there is no rain but all around is grey and the daily maximum struggles to reach 10C. Our hotel here sits on a cliff overlooking the Beagle strait with magnificent views. Across the strait is Chile as they have claimed all the lands south of Ushuaia including the bottom tip of South America, Cape Horn.
