January 16th. A remarkable day yesterday – from which we are still recovering. Our aim was to climb the main peak on Lemare Island which is listed on the chart as being 2,490 ft high. Dropped off from nearby Waterboat point where we were anchored beside Gabriele Gonzales Videla Base, we spent the usual amount …
Today we had our first sight of land at noon, catching glimpse of towering Smith Island off to starboard. Not long after we sighted Snow Island directly ahead. The plan is to sail through Boyd Strait between the two, then off to the east to anchor in Deception Island. Deception is ideally suited for this …
We have been motor sailing across the Drake Lake for 72 hours in what has been one of the very few spells of calm in the last two months. Currently we have 6-10 knots of breeze and with full sails set the boat is very stable and comfortable apart from the noise and occasional fumes …
7/1/18 11:30pm Watching the Chinstrap Penguins today was like watching a soap opera, but with far more deadly consequences. The chicks were one to three weeks old, fluffy and very cuddly looking. Returning penguins display and call to their mates and enter into noisy, mutual displays before handing over responsibilities for the two chicks. Nesting …
Read more “Telefon Bay, Deception Island (62° 56’, 60° 41’)”
I heard Lonan whisper to Gry. I had just crawled inside my tent and snuggled into my sleeping bag for the night but my tent is still unzipped and I gaze out the door at a dozen dark fur seals curled up on the rocks 50 metres away, then glance to the sea where 40 …
February 10th. It started as a barely discernible rattle that drew our eyes to the glacier. A few small chunks of ice bounced down the sheer face and hit the sea with a thud. Before you could move, or get your camera out, a block the height of a 2-story house disintegrated in mid-air and …
February 7th. Suddenly the low clouds looked different. My face scrunched up into a confused, anticipatory look. Was that land I could see out to the East? Dave picked up his binoculars and confirmed that we were looking at jagged black rocky spires, emerging from a mass of white shimmering glaciers. The chart put a …
The first orange glow of dawn formed as a thin line on the horizon ahead of us. It slightly illuminated the rolling swell that hit the yacht from the side and white caps that rolled under the hull.My view was slowly expanding from a few metres either side of the boat to a few hundred …
Another fantastic day, this morning Icebird hit a rock and mount hard on it, one hs helping with spirit and vernadsky dinghy to get them out. After we went to Yeluor Is for a Adelie colony, I did Pizzas barbecues and after good nap anchor there , at 4 move to peterman Is where we …
You can find Cherly Randall, Captain Ernesto Barris and me of course on the right in this pic as we crossed the Antarctic Circle. More pics to come…soon.