Month: January 2017

Day 278: Antarctica Cruise Day 14 – Half Moon Island

Our first and last stop of the New Year in Antarctica was at Half Moon Island – a small island within the South Shetland Islands with a rocky beach and a very large colony of Chinstrap Penguins (Alex’s daily nest-count puts it at 1,983 pairs). We could have spent hours just standing around, watching the loud, feisty little birds stealing rocks, fighting with their neighbors and feeding their chicks (oh wait…we did do that!). When the rookery got a little crowded with fellow tourists, we continued down the crescent-shaped beach to check out some whale bones, a dilapidated old waterboat, and some of the island’s other resident nesting birds.

 

The decaying skeleton of an abandoned waterboat greets us when we land on shore at Half Moon Island

 

Sadly, our streak of fabulous weather seems to have disappeared with the old year – the snowy ground and the cloudy sky are almost the same color, and it’s getting chilly

 

A huge colony of about 2,000 pairs of Chinstrap Penguins have built their nests under the lichen-covered rocks on Half Moon Island

 

Like the Gentoos, the Chinstraps have a little more flexibility toward their changing environment and their population numbers have remained strong – they are the second most abundant penguin species on earth.

 

Chinstraps are quite athletic little guys, and prefer to build their nests in rocky cliffs high above the beach – watching them hop their way up the hillsides is alternately amusing and nerve-racking as you are sure their stubby legs are too clumsy to climb over the jagged rocks without toppling over

 

Several nesting Chinstraps start squawking and snapping at a bothersome neighbor who was getting a little too close for comfort. Wary of rock-stealing, several penguins gang up on the interloper, peaking at her face, wings and legs until she finally runs away

 

Chicks! This Chinstrap rookery is full of fluffy gray babies, each chirping for a barf-induced lunch from mom. Even though she’s probably tired and covered in shit, this dedicated mama spews some regurgitated krill for her chick. #parenthood

 

Chinstraps aren’t the only birds with babies on the island – on the other side of the path we find a small colony of Kelp Gulls, with some healthy-looking spotted chicks demanding a meal.

 

While we don’t see any eggs yet, several Skuas are guarding their territory on the beach, making us think a bundle of joy may be on the way

 

A lone Weddell Seal naps on the snow, occasionally scratching his fur as he finishes his summer molt

 

At the other end of the beach we find the remains of a Blue Whale jawbone and skull

In the distance, we can see the bright blue flags painted on the Argentinean Naval Base, Camara Station

Day 277: Antarctica Cruise Day 13 – Waterboat Point

We woke to yet another gloriously sunny day for our visit to the Chilean Naval Base, González Videla Station, located on the small peninsula of Waterboat Point. Though it is now claimed by the Chileans, the beach’s first human inhabitants were British. Back in 1921, an ambitious expedition project was started by a Brit named John Cope – he planned and tried to raise funds for an outfit of over 100 researchers. He came up more than a bit short and ended up coming down to Antarctica with only 3 other people, two of who were barely teenagers! When their boat ran ashore, the leader and his second mate abandoned the project to go get help, but the youngsters volunteered to stay behind and continue the year-long project by themselves. They spent the entire winter in Antarctica (literally, the only two people on the entire continent at that time), living in an overturned lifeboat and surviving on penguin and seal meat. When their boss returned 11 months later to rescue them, they insisted that he go away and pick them up a month later – they wanted to finish the full year! Best. Interns. Ever.

The Chileans moved in to Waterboat Point in 1951 and built a small station that is still maintained during the summer season (empty in the winter) by 9 residents – five Navy and four Air Force. Since the Antarctic Treaty (signed by Chile in 1959) prohibits any nation from claiming any sovereignty over Antarctica, González Videla is considered an inactive military base, whose sole purpose is to conduct scientific research (mostly weather-related). In addition to the living area and research building, the base has a small museum & gift shop as well as a post office to lure cruise ships into stopping by – not only do the residents get an exciting afternoon with foreign visitors (and a rare chance to talk with someone new!) they also get a resupply of fresh produce (those guys must be *dying* for a fresh apple!).

 

Waterboat Point – a naturally protected beach within Paradise Harbor on the Antarctic Peninsula where an (inactive) Chilean military base is located

 

González Videla Station – a scientific research center run by the Chilean Navy and Air Force

 

Though it is now a Chilean base, the first people to spend the winter at Waterboat Point was a pair of British kids (aged 19 and 22) who continued a year’s worth of experiments even after their boss literally abandoned ship – to this day their data is used as a baseline for modern research

 

A shrine to the Virgin Mary has watched over the station since the 1960s. Igor climbs up the lookout tower just to be sure there is no danger on the horizon

 

It may be small, but the living quarters for the station’s inhabitants look pretty cozy (the high-def TV and case of Frontera must make the isolation much more bearable)

 

The base is super excited to welcome foreign visitors, and is one of the few places on the continent where you can send a postcard. Granted, it costs USD $5 a pop and will probably take over three months for delivery…

 

As we are taking a picture of the New York sign post, we hear an annoyingly wealthy teenager comment behind us, “I’ve been to every single one of these places.” Spoiled brat.

In addition to the nine Chilean officers, Waterboat Point was also home to a rookery of exactly 3,186 mating pairs of Gentoo Penguins. Once again, we found it very difficult to comply with IAATO’s 5m distance regulation – not because we were intentionally invading the penguin’s personal space! – it was because the penguins chose to build their nest and lay their eggs a foot away from the paved walkway that connected the dock to the base! As a result, we got incredibly close-up shots of the nesting birds, their eggs, and even their *tongues*!

 

Staying on the paved path to avoid stepping on the penguins’ nests…and also to avoid penguin poo. Seriously – every inch of the beach was covered in guano. And those guys can get projectile: just look at the sides of the buildings!

 

Nesting Gentoos – each couple splits their time sitting on a pair of eggs

 

Did you know that penguins have *barbed tongues*? It was really warm today, so the birds were panting, revealing their mouths to our cameras. Since they don’t have teeth, penguins tongues have evolved to have these barbs to prevent the fish they have swallowed whole from coming back up and escaping

 

It’s a warm summer day here in Antarctica, and all the birds are throwing their heads back and enjoying the sunshine

 

Hidden within this Gentoo colony is a very unique bird: “Marilyn” – a leukistic penguin! Leukism is a genetic abnormality that occurs in Gentoos about once per 10,000 where the bird doesn’t produce any melanin so it is white instead of black (similar to an albino). The Expedition Team isn’t positive Marilyn is a female, but the bright red bill just looks so much like lipstick against the blond feathers that the name stuck.

 

Gentoo Penguins aren’t the only birds on the beach – we spot a couple Snowy Sheathbills. These chicken-like birds look deceptively innocent – they are actually scavengers, and are lurking around the penguins’ nest to try and steal the eggs

 

When we try to return to the zodiac at the end of our allotted hour, we run into an obstacle that delays our return – a Gentoo Penguin decides it doesn’t want to walk in guano and starts taking up the paved walkway! A traffic jam builds up behind us as we snap pictures and wait for the bird to move. Eventually it does…but in the wrong direction! This little guy must really want to be on the cover of National Geographic because he keeps coming in for a close up

 

A beautiful Gentoo Penguin, making love to Igor’s camera – work it, baby!

Once we got back on ship, we decided to have lunch on the outdoor patio where we had a great view of the scenic landscape surrounding Paradise Harbor. As we sailed away that afternoon, we were treated to more beautiful icebergs, ice-capped mountains, and even a pod of about a dozen Orcas!

 

Lindsay’s descent into carnivorism is complete as she devours her first cheeseburger in months. #OMNOMNOM

It is just our imagination, or has someone been *skiing* down that mountain?

Passing by icebergs as we sail through Paradise Harbor

Another gorgeous sunny day on the Antarctica Peninsula

 

Everyone in the ENTIRE boat comes rushing to the deck when the captain tells us there is a big pod of Orcas surfacing just off the bow

 

Although they are common referred to as “Killer Whales,” Orcas are technically a dolphin.

We made late reservations at the ship’s fancy steakhouse restaurant, the Thomas Keller Grill, in order to celebrate New Year’s Eve. After dinner we listened to the guest performer, comedian Scott Harris, wax nostalgic about the Baby Boomers’ good ‘ days and rip into the absurdities of Millennial parenting (being childless we were a bit surprised to find out that kids have to use car seats until they are 8yo nowadays…seriously?). After the funny man wrapped up his show, we only had about an hour to kill on the dancefloor before our midnight countdown (even though Igor’s foot was still hurting, he couldn’t resist getting up and showing a pair of dancers attempting a rather violent hustle how it’s REALLY done). While 2016 might have been a shit year for most Americans, we had one of the best years of our lives since we got the hell outta dodge! While 2017 can’t possibly top last year for us, we’re optimistic that we’re at least getting off to a great start.

 

It’s formal night again, so we get all dolled up (except for Igor’s sneakers) and grab a table for two at the ship’s fancy steakhouse

 

The main stage is decked out with balloons and streamers, ready to welcome the new year

 

We’ve got another hour to go – keep those champagne glasses full!

 

Despite the older demographic (or maybe because of it…?) the dancefloor is *packed* on New Year’s Eve. We manage to find a little space for a few rumbas and a hustle or two

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

Just after our midnight toast we peek outside to illustrate the 24 hours of daylight we have in the Antarctic – this year will definitely be one-of-a-kind

Day 276: Antarctica Cruise Day 12 – Torgersen Island

Just when we think Antarctica can’t get any better…well, the weather *did* hold out for us, so we had a lovely sunny morning for our kayaking excursion around Torgersen Island – a small rocky island where a rookery of Adélie Penguins was just barely hanging on. The area was extremely familiar to the Expedition Team, as many had spent a season or two at Palmer Station – an American research facility within the same harbor. The compound was set up in the 1960s and hosts some 4 dozen researchers during the winter, with only half that number staying throughout the winter as well. Of the many on-going projects, Palmer Station monitors the local Adélie population (sadly, on the decline) and the impact of tourism on the environment.

Since Palmer Station is a small facility, it is only open to 12 tourist visit per year, and we were not one of them. So instead of landing on shore, today’s visit was limited to zodiac rides and kayak tours – lucky us! We had the 8AM time slot for our kayak tour. It was a nice change of pace to explore the icebergs from the water, although we were a bit disappointed we didn’t see more wildlife (we’ve been spoiled with all our onshore penguin encounters!).

 

Zipped up in our drysuits, we hop in the zodiac and wait on shore (Yay! Techically, that’s a landing!) while the Expedition Team arranges the kayaks

 

We slide into our sturdy kayak and paddle out into the calm waters of Aurther Harbor

Kayaking in ANTARCTICA!

 

Getting up close to the funky-shaped icebergs

This fluffy, cloud-shaped ‘berg looks like it might be grounded, as the bottom is getting worn away by the tide

More stripy icebergs

 

Apparently, icebergs are not just for looking at…they are for climbing! Lindsay squeals in delight at our first encounter with Adélie Penguins

 

While the Adélies are endlessly entertaining – porpoising through the water and hopping on icebergs – the Crabeater Seals and Elephant Seals continue to do what they do best: imitate rocks

After our kayak tour, we had a short 1hr break before our zodiac tour. During the interim, we got word that several Humpback Whales were feeding just off the starboard side of the ship! We were incredibly antsy, waiting for our turn to get back onto the water – luckily for us our patience was rewarded! As soon as we were seated, our zodiac floated over to the area where the whales were surfacing. There were a couple of pairs of whales in the harbor, each “hunting” for krill by creating “bubble nets” underwater.

We watched in awe as a whale’s fluke (tail) dipped below the surface about 50ft away from us. We scanned the horizon, trying to anticipate where the cetacean would pop up next, when all of a sudden the waters surrounding the zodiac started to fill with bubbles. O.M.G. THE WHALE IS DIRECTLY BENEATH US.

“Do they know we’re here?!?”

“Can they tip us over? They’re going to tip us over!”

Not even exaggerating – the whale surfaced less than 5ft from our zodiac – it was SO CLOSE that Igor’s camera was too zoomed in to capture it. Lindsay’s GoPro, however, was running and captured the whole encounter on video! (Once we get stronger Internet we’ll post it to YouTube – promise) It appeared that these Humpback Whales were very curious about us, as they proceeded to surface within a few feet of each of the three zodiacs in turn (and just for the record, no one’s boat got overturned).

 

A pair of Humpback Whales keeps surfacing just off the starboard side of the ship – we are getting so jelly of the previous zodiac group – we wanna get out there!

 

The Humpback Whales show off their beak, flukes, and dorsal fins as they repeatedly surface right in front of us!

 

Our feeble little Mack 6 zodiac is suddenly surrounded by bubbles as the Humpbacks hunt for krill directly below us. When one of them surfaces 5ft from the boat, Igor can’t capture the entire back in his viewfinder!

 

The whales pay a visit to each of the other three zodiacs floating in the water. See how close he is to that zodiac? That happened to us!!!

After the adrenaline rush of our whale encounter, we continued our tour around Torgensen Island, revisiting most of the places we already kayaked through. We saw more Adélie Penguins, more Crabeater Seals and more icebergs (one which calved about 60sec after we drove by!). By the time we got back on the boat we were wondering if there was anything left to see in Antarctica – we’ve kinda ticked off every box!

 

Crabeater Seals snoozing on an iceberg. Funny enough, these seals don’t eat crab – they eat krill (apparently the name is due to a mispronunciation of the German word for “krill”). Happily, the Crabeater population is incredibly heathly – at about 15million, it is considered the world’s most abundent seal

 

An Adélie Penguin stands in front of a Crabeater Seal and looks back at us as if to say, “Guys! He’s THIIIIIIIIS big!”

 

Tobogganing penguins sliding around the snow near the Adélie rookery on Torgersen Island. Sadly, these cute little guys are declining in the Antarctic Peninsula due to the warming temperatures in the area. Unlike the Gentoo Penguins, who can delay their mating schedule and/or move to more favorable nesting sites, the Adélies have a very rigid reproduction pattern – they always lay eggs at the exact same time every year (the last week of November) and they always return the same nesting area. Along with the Emperor Penguin, the Adélies are the only true Antarctic penguins, as they do not mitgrate north in the winter. They love the cold, and spend most of their time on the sea ice.

 

A tuxedo-clad Adélie Penguin dives off an iceberg and porpoises off in the waves

 

Cruising around in the zodiac, admiring the weird and wonderful shapes of the icebergs – some are fluffy like clouds and others look as sharp as broken glass

 

The “Blue Berg” – the stunning blue color is the result of the compacted snow and ice of the original glacier

 

As we return to the ship, we see several zodiacs from the Palmer Station floating in the harbor – looks like even the scientists got excited about the Humpback activity outside their window!

Once the zodiac tours were finished for the day, we sailed away through the beautiful Neumayer Channel where we were surrounding by towering peaks of snow. Around 5PM we got a surprise announcement on the PA – every Seabourn cruise to Antarctica hosts a “Caviar on Ice” event, and today was our lucky day! Lindsay immediately dropped whatever she was doing and ran out to the Patio deck to literally feast on delicious blinis topped with black caviar and guzzle champagne to her hearts content. Guys, I FUCKING LOVE THIS CRUISE!

 

Enough with the wildlife already, it’s time for some ridiculously decadent food! It’s Seabourn’s signature “Caviar on Ice” event! Igor gets in line as the staff dollop out heaping spoonfuls of black sturgeon caviar

 

Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne, paired with Caviar Blinis topped with sour cream and egg salad – YUM!

 

A near-endless supply of Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne sits nearby, plus a variety of vodkas for the Rusky-at-heart

 

LET THE CHAMPAGNE FLOW!!!

 

Damn, this would be such a classy event, if it weren’t for Lindsay running around in her hippie pants going back for seconds, thirds and forths of caviar. Seabourn’s Marketing Team is going to have to spend some time editing her out of their photos…

 

After filling up on champagne and caviar, we finally look up and remember we are surrounding by breathtakingly beautiful scenery

 

Ice-blue icebergs floating in the glittering Gerlache Strait

Scenic cruising through the narrow Neumayer Channel

 

We have company! Why, it’s the Holland America cruise ship! Guys, we were SO CLOSE to booking this cruise instead – it has practically the same itinerary but it costs about 2/3 less as the ship is too big to make landfall (oh, and booze is NOT included). Even though Seabourn had a huge price tag, we decided to “go big or go home” – if you are only going to visit Antarctica once, you better do it right and set foot on land, not just look at it from afar. Lindsay raises her champagne to the scenic cruisers: “So long, losers!”

Our streak of perfect weather continues as the wind dies down in the evening, giving us mirror reflections of the shoreline

Postcard-worthy landscape in the Antarctic Peninsula

 

Evening clouds roll in providing a dramatic ending to the day

We kinda overindulged on the rich caviar and champagne (OK, Lindsay did…), so we ofted to skip the fancy menu of the sit-down restaurant and call in for room service. Comfort food (cheeseburger and pasta) and comfort clothing (bathrobe and PJs) were the perfect end to a perfect day.

 

Five-star room service – we don’t even have to sacrific the breadsticks! Thanks, Seabourn!

Day 275: Antarctic Cruise Day 11 – Neko Harbor

OK, if we are going to get technical, today is the first day we step foot on THE CONTINENT of Antarctica. Yesterday’s landing at Yankee Harbor was on an island, today we would be getting off at Neko Harbor which is actually on the peninsula of mainland Antarctica. So, super official now.

We are the only ship planning a stop in Neko Harbor today, so there was no need for a 5AM wake-up call (good thing too, as we were assigned to the first group of the day at 8:00AM!). Neko Harbor was home to another large rookery of Gentoo Penguins (1,141 nests according to the researcher’s daily count), although these guys didn’t have any chicks yet. Since this beach was covered in snow, this colony of penguins delayed their mating by a few weeks to wait for the perfect nesting conditions – instead of chicks, we saw many penguins still sitting on a pair of recently laid eggs.

 

We peek out our curtains after our alarm goes off, and we are breathless – the water is GLASS

 

While we could technically make it up to the buffet for breakfast, we decide to schedule room service as an extra alarm to make sure we don’t sleep through our landing time.

 

Can we all just stop for a moment and recognize that Igor is having a FABULOUS hair day? My baby be FOXY

While Yankee Harbor was very flat yesterday, the beach at Neko Harbor gave us an opportunity to take a little hike. The Expediation Team set up a trail through the snow, giving us access to a rock outcrop with a fantastic view.  After climbing up, we got a beautiful vista of our ship in the iceberg-filled harbor, plus an aerial view of the neighboring glacier and the Gentoo rookeries below.

 

Zodiacs zipping across the flat waters in Neko Harbor – it’s a beautiful morning in Antarctica!

 

We are so excited to be first to the landing today!

The beach at Neko Harbor – unlike yesterday’s rocking landing, today the ground is covered in snow! Hey – they don’t call it the “White Continent” just to be racist!

 

Penguin encounters are even more amazing today as the snow forces both humans and birds to walk in the paths. We are required by IAATO regulations to “yield” to penguins on these “penguin highways” – but even though we have to step aside to let them pass, the penguins couldn’t care less that we are standing nearby and waddle within a few feet of us – GUYS, IT’S SO MAGICAL!

 

The Gentoos build their rocky nests on any available patch of bare earth. Many of the mating pairs have already laid their eggs already – we catch a glimspe of some eggs though the Expedition Team’s XX-scope every now and then when one of the mothers adjusts

 

A pair of busy penguins commuting down the “Penguin Highway”

 

Penguins aren’t the only wildlife on shore today – we also see a pair of spotted Weddell Seals resting on the snow

A view of our ship and a stunning iceberg from the shore

 

Chillin’ on the White Continent – even though it’s covered in snow, the day heats up under the bright morning sun and we start shedding layers as we climb up to the viewpoint

 

The glacier next to the beach is really pretty – the terminus of the glacier is covered in picturesque jagged crevasses. The glacier is known to be very active with frequent calving. Sure enough, as we are busy admiring the penguins we hear a loud crack and a roar as a big chuck of the glacier overhanging a rock crumbles in a cloud of snow

View of Neko Harbor and the glacier from the top of the viewpoint

 

As we carefully make our way back down the hill, we see the morning kayak group returning from the ice fields – today would have been a great day for kayaking, but at USD$295pp it’s way too expensive for us to go every day. We booked a kayak tour for tomorrow – keeping our fingers crossed that the weather holds out!

The Gentoo Penguin rookery at Neko Harbor

 

Before heading back to the zodiac, we hide out at the crossroads of a penguin highway to try and record some video footage of the passing penguins. Lindsay jams the GoPro selfie stick in the snow and steps away to allow the penguins to approach in peace. We wait patiently, and it seems to be working! A trio of Gentoos waddles along – as they come to the crossroad, it looks like one is going to walk right up to our camera!

 

Wait, wait! Why are they all running away? YOU BITCH!!! An oblivious fellow cruiser doesn’t see our camera and not only chases off the penguins, SHE SITS DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR SHOT! Lindsay indulges in some mild, under-the-breath cursing, but evenually forgives the innocent accident. Igor, on the other hand, has decided to hate her forever. It’s been over a week since “The Incident” and he still give her the evil eye every time we pass in the ship. Bitch better keep a lifejacket handy.

Somehow time has just flown by and it’s just about lunchtime by the time we return to the ship. Despite “The Incident,” this morning has been pretty perfect – we raised a toast over lunch to our good luck as the wind picked up and the clouds rolled in. The rest of the afternoon was spent in leisure as we waited for the rest of the groups to take their turn on shore. As we sailed away from Neko Harbor, the winds died down again, giving us more breathtaking mirror images of the passing mountains and odd-shaped icebergs.

 

A glass of Nicolas Feuillatte, a shrimp-parm wrap, and an al fresco table in Antarctica…sorry, I know y’all must be jelly…

 

Dark clouds roll in, giving the Antarctic landscape a new, dramatic look

 

When the wind dies down, we are once again treated to rare, mirror-images of the shoreline

We pass many odd-shaped icebergs as we sail away from Neko Harbor – this one seems to be melting from the inside, with a little freshwater pool sitting in the middle

The Glaciologist on board (yes – that’s a real job) goes nuts when Igor shares this picture. The grooves in the ice were actually formed before the iceberg broke off of the glacier – most likely carved by a rock as the chuck of ice slowly slipped sideways. The streaks of brown were created by layers of dirt that landed on the glacier inbetween the seasons – each winter a new layer of snow would bury the line of dirt

 

Finishing off the day with a decadent dinner (poached quail egg with truffles, anyone?) and dessert (sharing a “chocolate bomb” with toasted marshmallows!)

 

As if the food and (ahem!) stimulating conversation wasn’t entertaining enough for Lindsay’s husband, Igor excused himself in the middle of dinner because he was SO DISTRACTED by the view out the window ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RESTAURANT he just had to get up to take a picture. Yes, yes, dear – it’s very pretty.

Day 274: Antarctic Cruise Day 10 – Yankee Harbor

OUR FIRST DAY IN ANTARCTICA! As of today, we have officially set foot on all seven continents at some point in our lives, so we can cross that off our bucket lists. J

Our first landing in Antarctica was on a small, protected beach called Yankee Harbor (named after the American whalers who used to camp out on the beach in the 1820s). The anchorage was protected by a 1KM-long gravel spit that juts into the water, creating a practically wave-less harbor that is easily accessible for cruise ships. In fact, Yankee Harbor is so popular, a second cruise ship was visiting the beach that day as well.

Since IAATO regulations only allow 100 people to go ashore at any one location at a time, our captain had to negotiate our time slot with the other ship. All the guests were divided into 5 groups and randomly assigned landing times. The first group had to get up at 5:30AM (hey – the sun doesn’t set in Antarctica, so we have plenty of daylight to work with!) for their 6AM landing…poor souls. We got lucky and ended up in the last group – we were a little antsy, sitting around waiting for our turn at noon, but not only were we well-rested for our first visit the shore, we also got the best weather as the morning clouds burnt off by the early afternoon.

 

Watching Gentoo Penguins as they “porpoise” through the water (i.e. jump out like a dolphin)

 

Igor waits impatiently on deck for our turn to go ashore. As he jealously watches the earlier groups head out to the island, he spots a few humpback whales and penguins breaching the surface of the water

Yankee Harbor, Greenwich Island – within the South Shetland Islands along the Antarctic Peninsula (check out that HUGE ice sheet coming down to the water!)

 

We watch zodiacs carrying a dozen guests zip back and forth from the ship to the shore (there’s a close-up of that MASSIVE ice sheet)

 

Finally! It’s time for our group to go ashore! We zip up our parkas, clip on our lifejackets and head down to the zodiacs

 

Our new couple of boots get a thorough washing before and after we go on land (to prevent transferring any illness from one penguin colony to another). We step into the zodiac and drive over to Yankee Harbor

We had an hour and a half allotted to explore the island (although, Igor soon learned that no one was *really* keeping track of how long we stay…if we stayed an extra 30min here and there, it didn’t hurt anyone…). The #1 attraction, of course, was the PENGUINS! Yankee Harbor is home to 5,466 nesting pairs of Gentoo Penguins (we know, because Alex Borowitz, a researcher from Stonybrook University, had to go and count each penguin 3 TIMES). Of the three types of Antarctic penguins we saw during our trip, the Gentoos were the healthiest population because they had the most flexible reproduction habits. As the climate changes, they had no trouble moving their nesting sites to cooler locations and delaying/speeding up mating to fit that year’s weather conditions. Overall, the population of Gentoos are on the rise in the Antarctic – it was nice to hear that the environment wasn’t all “doom and gloom”.

 

A couple of boots in Antarctica!

 

Igor taking pictures of the Gentoo Penguin colony in Yankee Harbor, with our ship in the background

 

We have to follow the IAATO guidelines regarding how close we can get to the wildlife (no closer than 5m). To comply with this, the Expedition Team set up flags and ropes for the guests to stay within. Now, that being said, the birds have no idea that this rule exists and would often walk up to *us*! After all, they are curious creatures and do not have an instinctual fear of humans. As long as we are not standing in the middle of a “penguin highway,” we are not required to run away to maintain the 5m distance from the birds so we are able to get quite close and we get some AMAZING pictures!

 

The Gentoo Penguins build their nests out of rocks, so that the eggs will stay dry if it snows during incubation. While many of the eggs in Yankee Harbor have already hatched, we still see several fathers hobbling around, picking up rocks (often stealing them from other nests!) and presenting them to their mates. The mothers and fathers take turns sitting on the eggs – when one mate gets tired or hungry and wants to switch shifts, s/he throws their head back and starts calling for their mate to come home

 

Another mother calls for her husband, while he’s busy stealing the neighbor’s rocks

 

So many baby chicks! Gentoos typically lay two eggs per season, so there were a lot of these fluffy little guys

 

Fat, lazy slugs…I mean, Elephant Seals! About a dozen of these tubers of blubber were sleeping (and burping) on the beach. The poor guy on the right looks like we may be recovering from an Orca attack – feel better!

 

These Elephant Seals look pretty gross, because they are molting. Unlike dogs, who just shed their fur, Elephant Seals undergo what is called a “catastrophic molt” where they shed both their fur *and* and layer of skin. The whole process is rather itchy and uncomfortable, so we see many of the seals wiggling around and scratching.

 

“I’m done!” This relatively small Elephant Seal looks like he is done molting – it takes him about 10min to wiggle his way down to the water. Hard work, buddy – you’ve earned a break.

 

Although Elephant Seals are the world’s biggest seal (breeding males can weigh over 6,600lbs and be 30ft in length – that’s equivalent to 7 polar bears!), they are not penguin predators – they only eat fish and krill – so the Gentoos are fearless, walking among the slumbering pennipeds. These Elephant Seals aren’t that big – they are juveniles (around 3-4 years old) and aren’t big enough to fight off the dominant males and claim a “harem” of females to breed with. Not only are they quite young, but because they can’t feed while they are molting (not enough insulation for the frigid waters until they grow their new coat of fur and skin) they are losing a lot of body mass

 

While the penguins have nothing to fear from the seals, the Skuas are another story. These huge, gull-like birds often set up their nests adjacent to penguin colonies as they prey on penguin eggs and chicks

 

Sadly, this little Gentoo chick was victim to a Skua attack. Since Skuas don’t have any thumbs to tear the meat apart, it’s a gruesome scene as the bird repeatedly shakes the corpse to break away bite-size pieces. Circle of Life, yo.

 

After two hours of snapping pictures, we start to make our way back to the zodiacs, when all of sudden we notice something…different! A Chipstrap Penguin! Looks like this little guy got lost and followed the wrong penguin home. (There is a Chipstrap rockery on the neighboring island, so he’ll find his way back eventually)

All good things must come to an end, so at 2PM we had our All Aboard so the other cruise ship could have their turn visiting the beach. The weather that afternoon was GLOROIOUS, and the views we got of the Antarctic Peninsula as we cruised further south were AMAZING.

 

Scenic cruising along the Antarctic Peninsula

 

It’s so beautiful…I think Igor is about to cry…

Postcard-perfect pictures of the Antarctic Peninsula

Seriously…it doesn’t get any better than this!

 

Icebergs floating in the Bransfield Strait – nothing too big to worry about, just the perfect size for seals and penguins to take a little break

Late that afternoon, our Captain came on the PA to share an exciting piece of news: the weather was so phenomenal that he had decided to take us on a detour to visit Deception Island! Deception Island is the flooded caldera of an active volcano, which has a narrow opening on the northeast side of its perimeter – it earned its name because it took sailors decades to realize the opening led into a protective harbor in the middle. The 230m wide passage into the caldera – called “Neptune’s Bellows” due to the strong winds that can blow through the opening – can be very dangerous in bad weather and have sunk several ships over the years. Most cruises to Antarctica (especially in ships our size – the biggest that can make landfall) have to bypass Deception Island – several members of the Expedition Team and repeat guests told us this was the first time they could *see* the island, let alone sail inside! We’re just lucky, lucky, lucky!

 

Calm waters in the Bransfield Strait as we sail up to Neptune’s Bellows – the entrance to Deception Island’s hidden harbor

 

Sailing inside an active volcano – Deception Island!

Inside the Whalers Bay, where we see the rusting remains of the New Sandefjord station. Back in the summer of 1912-13, the waters of Whalers Bay turned red as over 5,000 whales were hacked to pieces in order to boil out the precious oil from the meat and bones. Nowadays, the buildings are used as a research station. Sadly, we are not permitted to make landfall within Deception Island (only ships with fewer than 300 passengers are allowed) We’re a bit jealous as we watch the smaller cruise ship that was behind us in Yankee Harbor stop and ferry its guests to shore.

A clear view of the 230m-wide “Neptune’s Bellows” – alternately called “Hell’s Gate” and “Dragon’s Mouth”

 

As we sail past the headland, we can see thousands of little black dots covering the cliffs – an estimated 50,000 pairs of Chinstrap Penguins are nesting on Deception Island

Day 273: Antarctic Cruise Day 9 – The Drake Passage

Today marked a transition in our journey, where our trip changed from “scenic cruising” to “expedition-mode,” as we left human civilization and entered the dreaded Drake Passage. The Drake Passage is the turbulent body of water between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica, connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. While it is infamous as having the “roughest seas in the world,” the 1,000KM crossing is the shortest route from any continent to Antarctica (which is why over 90% of all expeditions leave from Ushuaia, Argentina, rather than South Africa or New Zealand).

We were expecting to suffer the “Drake Shake,” especially since our cabin was at the very bouncy position at the front of the boat. When we woke up, we peeked out our balcony window and were greeted by the sight of massive white caps and stormy skies. We popped some seasickness tablets as a preventative precaution and stumbled about our activities as the ship lurched back and forth.

 

We wake up to rough seas – we are about halfway through the Drake Passage. Winds were gusting over 50 knots!

Luckily for us, the swell didn’t last very long. Around noon, the clouds started to part and the wind died down. All of a sudden, we were sailing through a relatively calm “Drake Lake”! We were soon to discover that we were just starting a week-long stretch of abnormally good weather. Igor spent the afternoon on deck with the Expedition Team, looking for whales (didn’t spot any) and watching huge albatrosses soaring gracefully behind the Quest as we continued our journey south.

 

Crossing the Antarctic Convergence, where the relatively warmer (4⁰C), blue waters of the north meet the ice-cold (+2⁰C to -2⁰C), sleet-colored waters of the Southern Ocean. Despite the drop in temperature, Igor keeps an eye out for albatross.

Our day was surprisingly busy for an at sea day as we had a lot of prep work to complete before our arrival in Antarctica the next day. First of all, all the guests on the ship had to attend a mandatory briefing from the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO) – an organization that sets strict guidelines for *anyone* setting foot on the continent, to ensure the environmental protection of the most pristine land on the planet. Many of the rules were quite obivous, following the standard, “Leave nothing but footprints; take nothing but photographs; kill nothing but time,” mantra of most eco-tourism outfits. However, the IAATO guideline included an extra layer of protection by requiring all guests to undergo a Bio-security check – similar to Chile, Australia and New Zealand’s prohibitions against foreign foodstuff and soiled shoes, only WAY more intense.

In order to get the greenlight to get off the ship, we had to bring EVERYTHING we planned to bring offshore (pants, hats, gloves, cameras, backpacks, hiking sticks, tripods, etc.) to the Expedition Team for approval. Every item was thoroughly inspected for bits of dirt that might carry bateria and seeds that might accidentally introduce invasive species, and then vaccuumed clean for extra measure. It was a bit time consuming, but it’s a relief to know that a even a huge commercial operation like Seabourn goes the extra mile to ensure that their trips do no harm to the environment.

Everyone on the ship must attend the mandatory IAATO presentation if they want to step foot on Antarctica.

 

Our rental boots arrived the night before, so we try them on to make sure they fit before storing them in our assigned locker at the back of the ship, where our used gear goes through a Bio-security check and gets vaccuumed clean of foreign contaminants