Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15) Ushuaia and the Antarctic Circle After our journey through Patagonia, we stayed on in Ushuaia for four days waiting for the start of our voyage south to hopefully cross the Antarctic Circle. The city of Ushuaia is not a city to spend more than a couple of days rather it is a city to arrive; catch your ship; and then sail away. Unfortunately we weren t able to do that Figure 1. Our cabin for 4 days in Ushuaia Figure 2. Keep on truck in the weird staircase to loft in cabin Page 1 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Ushuaia is the capital for cruises to Antarctic since the Antarctic Peninsula, the northernmost part of the mainland of Antarctica, stabs like a finger towards Terra del Fuego. Even so, it is still some 1,000 km from Ushuaia to the most northerly portion of the Antarctic Peninsula, while the base of the Antarctic Peninsula is still some 2,000 km from the geographic South Pole. The Antarctic Peninsula is dotted with numerous research stations and nations have made multiple claims of sovereignty. The peninsula is part of disputed and overlapping claims by Argentina, Chile and the United Kingdom. None of these claims has international recognition and the respective countries do not attempt to enforce their claims. Figure 3. Location of Antarctic Peninsula on Antarctica Antarctica is the southernmost continent, containing the geographic South Pole. It is the 5 th largest continent in area after Asia, Africa, North America, and South America for comparison, Antarctica is nearly twice the size of Australia or about the size of the USA and Mexico. Most of the continent, except for the Antarctic Peninsula, lies south of the Antarctic Circle. About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice that averages 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) in thickness, which extends to all but the northernmost reaches of the Antarctic Peninsula. Page 2 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Finally after too much waiting in Ushuaia, our ship came in and we were able to board her for our trip to hopefully get south of the Antarctic Circle. Figure 4. Our ship, MS Expedition (130 pax), beside giant Golden Princess (2,600 pax) Leaving Ushuaia bound for the Antarctic Circle Figure 5. Welcome aboard time for lifeboat drill Page 3 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 6. Sailing down the Beagle Channel toward Drake Passage at sunset It takes two days to make the 1,000 km crossing from Ushuaia to the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Most of this crossing is on the Drake Passage. The Drake Passage named after he 16th century English privateer Sir Francis Drake can be very rough but in our case is was just a lot of heavy rolling. The rolling added to the challenge of taking meals and encouraged a number of the other passengers to wear little anti-motion medicine patches behind their ears. It also caused the cutlery in the dining room to slide about and onto the deck. Figure 7. Entering Drake Passage at sunset Page 4 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 8. Albatross on Drake Passage Figure 9. Rolling across the Drake Passage Page 5 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 10. Heavy rolling on Drake Passage made meals a challenge As we were on the lowest passenger deck, the rolling caused the waves at times to crash against our porthole. When this happened, the room went dark and it sounded like someone had just flushed the toilet Figure 11. Rolling across the Drake Passage suited some Page 6 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 12. Our porthole drown by waves (sounded like toilet flushing) Figure 13. Helping to steer ship across the tempestuous Drake Passage Page 7 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 14. Adjusting foot pegs in kayak Figure 15. Staff bio-cleaning our gear prior to landing in Antarctica Page 8 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 16. Our Russian captain s (Captain Sergei Nesterov) welcoming reception First Stop Penguin Island in South Shetland Islands Having finished crossing the Drake Passage, we made our first stop in Antarctica on Penguin Island in the South Shetland Islands. Figure 17. 1 st stop Penguin Island in South Shetland Islands This was our first kayaking paddle following which, we went ashore via a Zodiac. Page 9 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 18. Kayaking past giant petrels Figure 19. Fur seal striking a pose ashore Page 10 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 20. Ashore with chinstrap penguins after kayaking Figure 21. A punk chinstrap penguin with Mohawk (moulting) Page 11 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Cruising south along Gerlache Strait to Port Lockroy Figure 22. Giant whale bones from the age of Antarctic whaling Departing the South Shetland Islands, we sailed south along Gerlache Strait to Port Lockroy, a British base. Figure 23. 2 nd stop Port Lockroy near Anvers Island Page 12 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 24. The Gerlache Strait In the Gerlache Strait, we passed by the large krill-collecting vessel, Juvel, that is operated by rimfrostkrill.com. This is a Norwegian company that catches Antarctic krill, a tiny shrimp-like creature because it is rich in phospholipid-bound omega-3 fatty acids, proteins and antioxidants. Krill is the basic species that supports whales, seals, penguins, squid and fish in the Southern Ocean. Figure 25. The krill-collecting vessel, Juvel, In the Gerlache Strait Page 13 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 26. Gentoo penguins on iceberg in the Gerlache Strait As we approached the entrance to the Neumayer Channel on the south side of Anvers Island, the beautiful French cruise ship, Le Soléal, was exiting. Figure 27. Le Soléal (250 pax) emerges from the Neumayer Channel Page 14 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 28. Supervising Captain Nesterov as we enter the Neumayer Channel Exiting the Neumayer Channel, we stopped at Port Lockroy and made a difficult landing due to the rough sea. Port Lockroy (Station A) on tiny Goudier Island was a British Antarctic base established in 1944 during WWII to monitor any German activity in the region. The base was abandoned in 1962 and restored in 1996. It now operates as a tourist attraction during the austral summers. Port Lockroy s staff of four typically process 70,000 pieces of mail sent by the 18,000 visitors that arrive during the five month Antarctic cruise season. Figure 29. Port Lockroy s main building Page 15 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 30. Gentoo penguin chick guarding Port Lockroy s Union Jack Figure 31. Can goods from the 50s in the main building After visiting Port Lockroy, we made the very short Zodiac cruise to Jougla Point to see its Gentoo penguin colony. It snowed covering both us and the Gentoo chicks. As it was getting to the end of the Antarctic summer, the chicks were desperate to get food to bulk up for their first winter. Page 16 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 32. Gentoo chick looking for Donna to cough up some food Port Lockroy was used by the whaling industry between 1911 and 1931 so there are whale bones scattered about. Someone assembled some bone into an impressive skeleton on Jougla Point. Cruising south from Port Lockroy to Yalour Islands Figure 33. Whale skeleton assembled from old whale bones From Port Lockroy, we sailed south through the Lemaire Channel into Pleneau Bay where we made our 2 nd kayak paddle. Page 17 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 34. 3 rd, 4 th and 5 th stops Pleneau Bay, Port Charcot and Yalour Islands Figure 35. View from dining room of iceberg passing by at breakfast After breakfast we entered the Lemaire Channel which has been nicknamed "Kodak Gap" by some. It is one of the top tourist destinations in Antarctica with steep mountains on both sides. The channel is 11 km long and just 1,600 metres wide at its narrowest point. Page 18 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 36. Entering the Lemaire Channel Exiting the Lemaire Channel, we stopped in Pleneau Bay where we went kayaking while others went on a Zodiac cruise. Figure 37. Kayaking past iceberg in Pleneau Bay Page 19 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 38. Kayaking can give good opportunity to see wildlife like this Weddell seal up close After kayaking in Pleneau Bay, the ship moved on to Port Charcot on Booth Island and then steamed on to the Yalour Islands where we kayaked before going ashore to see an Adelie penguin colony. Figure 39. Group photo of kayakers at the Yalour Islands Page 20 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 40. Kayaking back to ship Figure 41. Adelie penguins on Yalour Island Page 21 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Cruising south from Yalour Islands to Detaille Island Figure 42. Adelie penguin Leaving the Yalour Islands, we sailed south towards Detaille Island in Crystal Sound. Because of its location 22 miles south of the Antarctic Circle, tiny Detaille Island is commonly the goal of expedition leaders on Circle crossing cruises, but getting to the island can difficult due to ice conditions and even once there, landings often cannot be made due to high winds and seas. Figure 43. 7 th stop Detaille Island Page 22 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 44. Sunrise at 6:41 AM as we head south towards the Antarctic Circle Figure 45. Towers of ice in the golden light of sunrise Page 23 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 46. Mimosa to celebrate crossing the Antarctic Circle Figure 47. Cold and windy out on deck looking for wildlife Page 24 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 48. Crabeater seals on floe as we head south Figure 49. Crabeater seals Page 25 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 50. Chinese couple takes wedding photos Figure 51. Sea ice floes on Crystal Sound Page 26 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 52. Plowing through fresh sea ice floes Figure 53. Watching icebergs pass by Finally after pushing through the ice, we arrived off Detaille Island which is the site of Base W. Page 27 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 54. Arrival off Detaille Island (Base W) While other went ashore on Detaille Island, we went kayaking in the ice-filled waters. With kayaking over, we then went ashore to see Base W. Figure 55. Kayaking at Detaille Island Detaille is the site of Britain s Base W, built in 1956 and hurriedly evacuated in March 1959 (summer 1958 59) when solid sea ice prevented the base from being restocked for the season. The resupply ship was unable to break through the sea ice and reach the island so the men were given an hour to secure the buildings for winter and then had to sledge over 25 miles across the sea ice in order to reach the ship. They only took with them only the minimum of their belongings and scientific records. Page 28 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
As a relatively unaltered base from the late 1950s, Base W provides an important reminder of the science and living conditions that existed 55 years ago. The completeness of both the buildings and artefacts (there are an estimated 5,000 on site) provide an evocative insight into the way the base was occupied during this period. Figure 56. Adelie penguin look at visitors on Detaille Island Figure 57. Base W living quarters on Detaille Island Page 29 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 58. Food left in the pantry Figure 59. Magazine left on table in austral summer of 1958 59 Page 30 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 60. Work space in living quarters Figure 61. Fantastic-shaped icebergs at Detaille Island Cruising north from Detaille Island to Neko Harbour and Overnight Camping Returning to the ship from Detaille Island, we pushed our way out of the ice clogged Crystal Sound and then sailed back up north towards Neko Harbour and our scheduled overnight camping site on Danco Island. Page 31 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 62. 8 th and 9 th stops Neko Harbour and Danco Island (camping) Figure 63. Ice passing by our porthole as we prepare for bed Page 32 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 64. Sunset s red afterglow at 10 PM Figure 65. Sailing through icefield as moon sets Page 33 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 66. Ship s searchlight pierces darkness looking for radar-avoiding ice Figure 67. Ship s twin searchlights illuminate icebergs Page 34 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 68. Sun just below horizon at 6 AM Figure 69. Sun s disk appears on horizon Page 35 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 70. Passing by line of mountains on Anvers Island Figure 71. Glacier flowing into Gerlache Strait from Antarctic Peninsula Page 36 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 72. Keeping cool while waiting to launch kayak in Neko Harbour Figure 73. Kayaks look small against a big iceberg Page 37 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 74. Kayaking past crabeater seal at Neko Harbour The crabeater seals are by far the most abundant seal species in the world with perhaps as many as 75 million individuals. It feeds on the Antarctic krill of the Southern Ocean - crabeater seals do not eat crabs. It is preyed upon by killer whales and leopard seals which consume about 80% of all crabeater pups! Figure 75. Kayaking past leopard seal The leopard seal is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic (after the southern elephant seal). It is a predator, feeding mainly on other seals, penguins, fish, and krill. The leopard seal is second only to the killer whale among Page 38 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Antarctica's top predators. Killer whales are the only known, albeit infrequent, natural predators of leopard seals. Occasionally leopard seals have attacked black Zodiacs and punctured an air chamber. Figure 76. Leopard seal not amused by visitors Figure 77. Ashore at Neko Harbour Page 39 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 78. Ashore with Gentoo penguins Figure 79. View out over Neko Harbour Leaving Neko Harbour, we sailed to Danco Island for overnight camping. However it was late in the day and we only got ashore near 10 PM in the dark after sunset. For better or worse, the ship used its searchlights to illuminate the campsite to facilitate the erection of tents. The searchlights did take away from the experience but in any event after we erected our tent and had the camping toilet demo, we went to bed in our down sleeping bags and listened to the Gentoo penguins squawking and snow falling on the tent during the night. It was not a very comfortable night and we were up at 5:30 AM to pack up and head back to the ship for breakfast. Page 40 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 80. Gentoo penguins in colony at campsite illuminated by ship s searchlights Figure 81. Penguins in distance watch tents being set up Page 41 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 82. Camping toilet demo Figure 83. Up at 5:30 AM ready to brush snow off the tent and pack up Page 42 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 84. Packed up and loaded on Zodiac to get back to ship for breakfast Cruising north from Overnight Campsite to Deception Island After reboarding the ship at the campsite, we sailed north through Wilhelmina and Charlotte Bays and then across the Bransfield Strait to Deception Island. Figure 85. Cruising north to 10 th stop at Deception Island Cruising through Wilhelmina Bay, we happened upon a group of Humpback whales, one of whom breached repeatedly over a period of about an hour very near our ship. The display was amazing to watch. Many reasons have been suggested for breaching: Page 43 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
1. Whales are more likely to breach when they are in groups, suggesting social reasons, such as an assertion of dominance, courting or warning of danger. 2. The loud "smack" upon re-entering is useful for stunning or scaring prey. Noisemaking is believed to be the reason for lobtailing. 3. A breach allows the whale to breathe in air that is not close to the surface, which may aid breathing in rough seas. 4. To dislodge parasites from the skin. 5. The behaviour may also be a form of play. Figure 86. Humpback breaching in Wilhelmina Bay In our case, we interpreted the repeated breaching by one whale over a period of about an hour very near our ship as a form of showing off to us. Page 44 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 87. Humpback s ventral pleats clearly visible during breach Further north we came upon a pod of 5 humpbacks that were actively lunge feeding. Baleen whales such as the humpback are known to feed in a series of lunges, each lasting about six to 10 seconds, in which they fill their mouths with krill-laden ocean water to accommodate the massive volume of water the whale's ventral pleats distend. After engulfing entire schools of prey, the lower jaw is closed. The muscular tongue and the elastic properties of the ventral walls of the throat act in concert to force water out through the baleen to filter out the krill. Figure 88. Humpback with its ventral pleats distended surfaces after lunge feeding for krill This sequence in Figure 89 illustrates the six-second feeding lunge of a fin whale, which can carry the whale some 35 feet and collect as much as 25 pounds of shrimp-like krill. The volume of water the fin whale engulfs is about the size of a school bus. Page 45 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 89. Sequence illustrating how baleen whale lunge feeds Figure 90. Humpback sounds (brown organisms on tail flute) Leaving the whale behind, we sailed north through Charlotte Bay where we encountered a pod of killer whales. The ship stopped in the bay and offloaded the Zodiacs and kayaks to allow the passengers to perhaps glance the killer whales up close. We opted out of kayaking as we felt it gave us our best opportunity to see the killer whale a 50 HP outboard motor vs. paddling. In the event this proved to be the right call as a killer whale passed right beside our Zodiac. Figure 91. Killer whale passes right beside our Zodiac Page 46 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 92. Pod s alpha killer whale with large 6 dorsal fin in distance The killer whales in Charlotte Bay are the largest form of this whale (Large Type B killer whales). They are mammaleating killer whales that hunt co-operatively in the pack ice. These big killer whales are the world s largest top predators. They specialize preying on Weddell seals but occasionally prey on the Antarctic minke whale. These are the whales that wash seals off ice floes using a cooperative wave-washing behavior to rock the floe back and forth until the seal falls into the ocean. Figure 93. Cruising past the ice boulder of doom in Charlotte Bay We encountered a flock of white-faced storm petrels which hover over the ocean surface and patter on the water surface using surface tension as they pick planktonic food items from the ocean surface. Since it walks on water, it is also known as the Jesus Christ bird. Although it can walk on water, its walking ability on land is limited to a short shuffle to its burrow. Page 47 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 94. White-faced storm petrel (a.k.a. the Jesus Christ bird) walks on the sea using surface tension Leaving Charlotte Bay, we heading across the Bransfield Strait towards Deception Island passing by the wreck of the Norwegian MV Governoren that was run aground run aground in Foyn Harbour on 27 January 1915 to save the 85 crew on the ship when its full cargo of whale oil caught fire. Figure 95. Modern sailboat alongside wreck of Norwegian whaling vessel, MV Governoren, aground Foyn Harbour Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands archipelago has one of the safest harbours in Antarctica being mostly free from ice and winds. The harbour is called Port Foster and was the site of sealing and then whaling which almost wiped out both in the waters of the South Shetland Islands. In early 1931, the Norwegian company Hektor closed the whale processing factory which ended commercial whaling at the island. The island is now a tourist destination as well, there are Argentine and Spanish research bases. Page 48 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
What makes the island s harbour so safe is that it is sheltered in the interior of the caldera of a volcano. However it turned out to be an active volcano which erupted seriously damaged local scientific stations in 1967 and again 1969. Figure 96. Deception Island The bay has a narrow entrance, just 230 m (755 ft) wide, called Neptune's Bellows. Adding to the hazard is Ravn Rock, which lies 2.5 m (8.2 ft) below the water in the middle of the channel. Just inside Neptune's Bellows lies the cove Whalers Bay, the site of the abandoned Hektor Whaling factory, which is bordered by a large black sand beach. Page 49 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
We arrived off Baily Head on Deception Island for a 6:30 AM Zodiac cruise along the coast and into Whaler s Bay via Neptunes Bellows. Figure 97. Chinstrap penguin colony at Baily Head Figure 98. Giant petrel attacking penguin Page 50 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 99. MS Expedition entering Port Foster via Neptunes Bellows Figure 100. Abandoned Hektor Whaling factory at Whalers Bay Page 51 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 101. Straightening giant whale oil tank Figure 102. Remains of British base evacuated after 1969 volcanic eruption Page 52 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Returning across the Drake Passage to Ushuaia Figure 103. Fur seal near Hektor Whaling factory We departed from Deception Island and returned back across the Drake Passage to Ushuaia and the end of our cruise. Figure 104. Returning back across the Drake Passage to Ushuaia Page 53 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 105. Leaving icebergs behind as we head out across the Drake Passage back to Ushuaia Figure 106. Exploding nuclear bomb sunset on the Drake Passage Returning to Ushuaia we rounded Cape Horn, the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile. It is located on the small Hornos Island and marks the northern boundary of the Drake Passage. For decades it was a major milestone on the clipper ship route, by which sailing ships carried trade around the world. The waters around the Cape are particularly hazardous, owing to strong winds, large waves, strong currents and icebergs. Page 54 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Figure 107. Rounding a cloudy Cape Horn Figure 108. Arrival in Ushuaia at 7 AM Page 55 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)
Summary of our voyage to the Antarctic Circle Figure 109. Offloading luggage for 8 AM disembarkation In summary, we made a voyage starting in Ushuaia across the Drake Passage and then along the Antarctic Peninsula to Detaille Island which is about 22 miles south of the Antarctic Circle. Figure 110. Route to Detaille Island, south of the Antarctic Circle Page 56 of 56 Voyage to the Antarctic Circle (20 Feb 03 Mar 15)