Hi,
It’s been a while. Mainly because we’ve all been having way too much fun exploring Antarctica to sit down and write blogs about it, but now, on our final day before reentering the drake passage bound for ushuaia we figured it’s time for an update. Here i hope to include a quick rundown of some of the highlights of our almost 20 days cruising through the peninsula and various islands with a special focus on our last two days in the Melchior islands.
The trip has been a truly awesome experience. No wait, is awesome better than amazing? It’s been whichever of those words are the best. Having left deception island we got to spend a few amazing days anchored next to an old whaling shipwreck in a sheltered bay of enterprise island. There we got to play with some aggressive fur seals, see lots of penguins, get the sea kayaks out for the first time, and even have our first experiences tobogganing in Antarctica. Eventually we pulled anchor and headed towards paradise bay, cooverville, and the chilean base of Gonzalez Videla. On the way we passed through stunning white mountains, glaciers spreading as far as the eye can see. Humpback and minkey whales appear in the ice dotted waters though these have proven to be few and far between throughout our trip, something very much not to be expected in February here. We eventually land at a huge gentoo penguin rookery before continuing onwards to enjoy a generous invitation on board ocean nova (a larger cruise ship) for a bbq and general merriment with several crew members who are good friends with our captain Darrel.
We spend the next few days anchored near the Chilean base, here some of us experience camping in Antarctica for the first time, while others catch sight of our first leapord seal after examining a fortress of an iceberg floating out in still blue waters. We’ve had an excellent run of weather throughout this trip, only a few days spent inside the boat and more than a few blue sky gems. We also spend some legendary evenings with the Chileans enjoying the warmth of Chilean hospitality on this cold continent. After some close encounters with the gentoo penguins that surround the base and a rare encounter with a white penguin (lucistic) we are ready to move on.
From Gonzalo Videlo we make a one day stop at the Argentinean Brown base anchoring alongside the aptly named avalanche glacier and catching a few amazing sights of small avalanches while also enjoying incredible zodiac rides and a terrific snow slide down a mountain above the argentinean base before continuing onwards to our southernmost point on the trip at vernadsky station, a Ukrainian scientific base open year round and home to some incredible people. We have brought them some presents and are rewarded not just by their company but by the chance to make use of their sauna which for most of us allows our first polar plunge, though Enora beat us all to it jumping off the ship a day before. We kayak through the Argentine islands which house Vernadsky, I enjoy my first and only night camping, we see a narrow channel we’d kayaked through the day before entirely blocked off by a massive ice wall collapsed across the opening, and we make merry with our Ukrainian hosts.
Eventually though we do head north, bound for the british outpost of port lockroy complete with gift shop and post office (and yes they do accept credit cards) We get some excellent weather here and take full advantage climbing through penguin rookery’s, having a toboggan world championship (Antarctica division) and even getting invited aboard an Argentinean naval vessel recently purchased from Russia. That’s one thing I did not expect from Antarctica, in our three weeks here we’ve met countless fantastic people which is strange to think about. Many others of us including myself also take our first polar plunge, MAriana and Ulises jumping intogether, me staying in the water the longest (1:15) and Tash being a superstar climbing up the mast and jumping in from there. Wow!
After one windy afternoon in the boat we continue our course north hoping desperately to see some whales which have been strangely absent. We’re in luck as we head towards the melchior islands and everything suddenly changes. Dozens of humpbacks surround us, and we’re even lucky enough to get a curious young mother and calf approaching the bow of the ship and Spyhopping (picture whales coming and sticking there whole heads out of the water right next to the boat to spy on us) and one young whale breaching a short distance up ahead of us. To top this off as we continue through towards the Melchiors the grey sky starts to clear and countless penguins and seals can be scene swimming all around us, feasting on the crill rich waters which have been absent from the rest of our trip thanks to a late melting time of winter ice this year.
The whales continue with us just about all the way to our anchorage, one almost smashing into the front of the ship before we manage to evade it. (for all their size humpbacks must not have the largest of brains).
After anchoring we have a huge snowball fight at the recently emptied Argentinean base, our mexican friends Mariana and Ulises also make their first snowman, surrounded by penguins and seals. On the way back to the boat a curious leopard seal approaches the zodiac, and thanks to Josh’s great spot we manage to bring him all the way back to the yacht with us for some fun photo opportunities.
We wake up the next morning (today) and half of us head out kayaking, the rest doing a zodiac ride. We both get the incredible luck (and benefit of Darrel’s skillful spotting) of getting up close and personal with several humpbacks approaching both our boats and swimming with us for a while, just a few meters away. It’s breathtaking to see these massive animals glide through the water, lifting their tales in the air for dives and spraying up water out of their blowholes in impressive bursts.
It’s an utterly magical way to spend our last full day in Antarctica before heading back into the drake passage. We should be back in Ushuaia sometime between march 4th and march 7th but with the drake anything is possible.
Regardless this entire trip to Antarctica has been utterly fascinating, exhilirating, and everything i could have hoped for. I have no doubt that all of us will hold on to these special memories made together aboard the spirit of sydney for the rest of our lives. And what a wonderful last two days the whales have made for us. Unforgettable. Awesome, amazing, and utterly impossible to put into words.
All the best and thanks for reading,
Luke
