Friday, 14 January 2011 – Antarctica

ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE

When I looked out my window this morning I was dazzled by the white continent - a clear blue sky, calm seas and the sun shining on mountains of pristine snow. Throughout the day the only colours outside the ship’s environment were white, the blues of the sea and sky, and black and greys of rock showing through the snow and ice and of seal, penguins and birds. Magic!

Despite the clear skies, glass-like seas and little wind, it’s still very cold on deck. I spent at least 7 hours outside, coming in to get thicker gloves, hot chocolate or change lenses. So the majority of passengers were rugged up to the teeth – except for a couple I saw on the back deck around 8 am who were in HAL’s cotton bathrobes taking photos. No, they weren’t on their way to the hot tub but had come to breakfast dressed like that in the Lido and stepped outside to take some photos. To each his own – except I personally wouldn’t go to breakfast in a hotel restaurant in my dressing gown, and certainly wouldn’t go out in the outside temperatures around here without being rugged up – it’s too uncomfortable.

This morning we cruised through the Lemaire Channel and into Paradise Bay. If I thought yesterday was great viewing, it ranks as 6 against today’s 10. Looking ahead as we were going along the channel you’d think we couldn’t go any further then suddenly there would be dog-leg turn and the Veendam would continue gliding through. We were very close at times to the sides of the channel. I didn’t see as much sea life as yesterday, some seals resting on icebergs and penguins either swimming or also on icebergs. Paradise Bay wasn't named for its beauty but because it was a safehaven for whaling vessels in storms.

 



Going through Lemaire Channel








Chilean station in Paradise Bay

 


Paradise Bay

 


Paradise Bay

 

We saw a few other vessels, a sailing boat which brings down about 6 passengers and a couple of smaller expedition ships. We saw a couple of places where the expedition ships allowed passengers to land in zodiacs and in my opinion paying 4 times what I’m paying for the privilege of saying you’ve stepped on Antarctic rock or ice isn’t worth it. Neither place was particularly interesting, you were restricted to the shoreline – but you would have got a great shot of the Veendam cruising past! It’s really surprised me where the Veendam has gone, virtually a lot of the same places as the expedition ships without the landings. Add to that the visit to the Falklands to see those wonderful king penguins – priceless!

  

Yacht carries about 6 passengers to Antarctica



I don’t have the attention span of a gnat but after spending hours on deck yesterday, again today and tomorrow, by then I’ll have had my fill of Antarctic scenery for now. You can only take in so much of this beauty before you start suffering from sensory overload and start thinking of going inside for a nap or a read. I’m staying outside to absorb it all but I’ll be glad to have a boring old sea day soon.

I sailed to Alaska on HAL’s new 14 night Alaskan cruise last June as just about everyone raves about Alaska. I would describe it as my least favourite destination  – although scenic it didn’t really appeal to me - but this cruise is stunning. At dinner in Canaletto’s tonight I was speaking to another CCer, Pat, who loved Alaska and has cruised there twice and wants to go back but even she rated Alaska as a 2 against the 10 of this cruise. High praise indeed!

Thursday 13 January 2011 – Antarctic Sound

ICEBERG ALLEY

What an amazing day of spectacular viewing! At 5 am we circled Elephant Island (or so I’m told) and then mid morning we started seeing serious icebergs. Some were like huge mesas – flat-topped and straight sided – and bigger than our ship. The other two kinds tended to be smooth and undulating or very lumpy (they’re not the technical terms by the way).

Out on deck the temperature was 0ºC but with strong winds the wind chill factor lowered it to way below freezing. Regardless, I stayed out on the various decks taking lots of photos until I had to retire inside to thaw out my fingers. Even though I had gloves, my camera was freezing so with my fingers in constant contact with it, they seemed to bear the brunt of the cold.

After lunch we cruised near Esperanzo Station at Hope Bay, an Argentinean station. It is also home to a huge Adele penguin colony. The pinkish coloured ice is penguin excrement – they eat a lot of krill – and when you really want your sinuses to be blocked, wouldn’t you know it they suddenly clear and you get a really strong whiff of penguin poop!




Esperanzo Station



While this morning was overcast, this afternoon the sun came out, dramatically lighting the icebergs. Apart from the dazzling pristine white of the icebergs there is this incredible light blue ice in parts, especially just below the water line.




My 3 categories of icebergs: smooth, tabletop and lumpy

 

The seas have still been pretty calm but as the Veendam slices through the water, every now and then from my cabin on Deck 5 I can hear loud crunching and banging as small iceberg fragments bump against the ship. It’s really easy to see why the Titanic was ripped down the side – and it must have made the most horrendous sound.

We’re heading out to sea for the evening and will come back in tomorrow. You definitely wouldn’t want to be in an iceberg field at night and also I think I heard that we have to head out so that the Veendam came make fresh water.

We have another two days cruising within the Antarctic Sound, seeing South Shetland and Lemaire Channel tomorrow.

As I write, we appear to be turning pretty quickly so we must be trying to avoid an iceberg ahead. If I post tomorrow, you’ll know we were successful.

Wednesday, 12 January 2011 – At sea

DRAKE’S LAKE

Today’s been a bit dreary weather-wise as we cross Drake’s Passage for the first time. It has been overcast all day with rain this afternoon and there is the possibility of snow this evening. Drake’s Passage can vary from very calm (hence Drake’s Lake) to extremely rough (Drake’s Shakes) but we have been fortunate and on the crossing down to the Antarctic Peninsula the seas have been surprisingly calm with minimal swells and no white caps. I consider myself a very good sailor so someone else might dispute this!

This morning I attended a lecture by Bob Hofman on Antarctic Birds and Penguins. This was interesting as it identified some of the birds we will be seeing on this cruise. I was then able to put it into practice when I was watching the seas from one of my favourite positions – a leather armchair with footstool in front of the large windows in the Explorations Café. Instead of looking out and seeing a bird, another bird, a slighter smaller bird, a black and white bird, etc, I saw a wandering albatross, another wandering albatross, another species of albatross and a storm petrel. I’m going to invest in a book on Antarctic and sub-Antarctic bird and sea life once we get to Ushuaia. Each day there is a Bird Watchers Gathering so I might have to go along to one of the meetings in the hope that I’ll learn to identify more birds.

I aleady feel that I am an expert on penguins – King penguins photographic, Gentoo penguins black and white with orange beaks and Magellan penguins have fleas! I wish I’d had this knowledge before booking an excursion in Punta Arenas to visit a very large Magellan penguin colony with thousands of penguins – shore excursion information gives information on how far you have to walk etc. but nowhere is any mention made of fleas. It was my driver in the Falklands yesterday who imparted this interesting titbit. Her brother and his wife had lived at Volunteer Point as wardens for a period of time and found that the Magellan penguins had fleas. As a joke, Toni had presented her brother and sister-in-law with cat flea collars to wear around each ankle. Hopefully Chilean Magellan penguins will have a higher standard of housekeeping and pest control in their burrows! To play it safe though I’ll use a long lens.

On a cruise such as this one with extreme differences in weather, from hot and humid in BA to cold and snow in Antarctica it’s hard to know what to pack. Today I saw clothing for the whole weather range. The ships officers are in their dark, heavier uniforms, the stewards are still wearing short sleeves and the staff at the Bar at the Retreat on the back deck are in fleece jackets. Passengers’ attire today has also varied from one person in tank top and shorts, quite a few in t-shirts and capris, to the rest in long pants or jeans and sweaters. I hate the cold but I was comfortable in jeans, a t-shirt and a lightweight sweater – even when I went out on the outside deck.

This evening I noticed sick bags placed near the elevators on the Lido Deck and as I haven’t found anything wrong with the food served there, I presume they must be expecting rougher weather soon.

Tomorrow should be a big day, especially as we should sight our first icebergs. We will cruise around Elephant Island tomorrow from 5 am and should enter the Antarctic Sound around 1.30 pm.

Tuesday, 11 January 2011 – Falkland Islands

PENGUIN PARADISE

The remainder of this cruise is going to have to be pretty extraordinary to beat today! We didn’t get off as early as we had hoped but when we did we found our drivers and their 4WDs waiting for us. Forty passengers booked with Patrick Watts to go to Volunteer Point to view the large king penguin colony - 25 of the group were CC members.

There were 12 vehicles in our convoy and I joined a couple from Alabama in Toni’s vehicle for the cross country drive. Toni is a sixth generation Falkland Islander and the drive across the countryside provided us with a great opportunity to learn more about island life from a local – and her experience of living through the Falklands war in 1982. Argentina is trying to strong arm them again now by forcing the other South American countries to refuse to let shipping use their ports for refuelling before going to the Falklands, and they are even now trying to put pressure on South Africa to also ban ships conveying goods and supplies to the island. It will be interesting to keep an eye on developments here.  

Once we left Stanley the road was good for a few kilometres before turning onto a very dusty gravel road. It continued this way until we reached a large farm, below, where we waited for all the vehicles to catch up.

From here we went offroad, through paddocks where the first vehicle opened the gates and the last vehicle through closed them after us. Definitely not recommended for people suffering from back problems – otherwise it was quite an exciting ride. One vehicle became bogged and required help to get it free but after more than 2 hours we arrived at Volunteer Point. This is private property but is home to over 2,000 king penguins, plus gentoos and magellanic penguins. Hopefully these few photos show what a great time I had photographing these fascinating creatures. I mainly concentrated on the king penguins, as apart from being more colourful, they were real photo hogs, being very aware of their regal bearing.

  

The gentoos had lots of chicks and mainly kept in large groups and I didn’t bother much with the shy Magellanic penguins – these are the penguins that live in burrows and, we were told, are prone to fleas. Say no more!



Gentoo penguins

After two hours we headed back to Stanley. It was quite amusing as each time we all went through the gates, the drivers good-naturedly tried to jockey for the best positions in the convoy.

 

Holding down a fence so that the vehicles can drive over it.


We arrived back in Stanley half an hour before the last tender. After a day in the sun, open air and winds I opted for dinner in the Lido and then some time spent uploading my photos. It’s hard to examine them in a lot of detail on the netbook but from what I’ve seen, I’m pretty pleased with them. The real test will be when I see them on a bigger screen at home.

Monday, 10 January 2011 Cruising

Somewhere at Sea

If you’re following this, here’s a map of our proposed route. It is expected that we will also visit Lemaire Channel and Paradise Bay while we cruise in the Antarctic waters.

I attended lectures today by two of the guest speakers for this cruise, one by John Splettstoesser on icebergs, ice shelves and glaciers and the other by Bob Hoffman on Antarctic marine life and the type of whales, seals and penguins we’re likely to come across. Both lectures were interesting – and both were accompanied by a cacophony of coughing. A lot of passengers seem to have colds or sinus problems (I still haven’t got rid of mine yet).

As I had lunch in the Rotterdam dining room today, plus cupcake afternoon tea, I opted for a lighter dinner in the Lido this evening. 

Tomorrow is, for me, one of the highlights of this cruise – visiting Volunteer Point in the Falkland Islands to photograph the king penguins. Only 50% of cruises scheduled to visit the Falklands actually do so because the rough seas often make tendering impossible so the ships have to skip this port but at this time it looks as though we’ll make it.

Sunday, 9 January 2011 – Puerto Madryn

IT’S A LONG WAY TO PUNTA NORTE

Our port of call today was in Patagonia, but not the Patagonia of travel brochures. Here it is extremely dry and very flat. The place was settled by the Welsh in 1865, hence the Madryn part of the town’s name.

Relatively few ships stop here so that may explain why it took so long to disembark, even though we were docked and didn’t require tenders. I chose a 7.5 hour tour to Peninsula Valdes to view its sea life but even though we docked about 9.45am and our tour was to start at 10am, it took so long to queue up and get down the gangway that our tour didn’t leave to 11am. We still had to be back by the same time, all aboard by 5.30pm so we effectively lost one hour from the tour.

Leaving the town we passed houses which were unlike any I’d seen elsewhere in South America. They could easily be transposed to beachside towns in Australia or North America and not look out of place. After a quick stop at the Interpretation Centre we reached the little beach resort of Puerto Piramides, where we stretched our legs and had a look around the few shops and dark sandy beach area for half an hour.

 



Puerto Piramides

  Most of the Valdes Peninsula is privately owned by one person and is used for sheep farming, in particular merino sheep which had been brought in from Australia many years back. The land here is flat, there is no grass or water or shade and the only vegetation is scrubby bush about 60 cm high – the ratio is one sheep per 5 hectares. From the leaves the animals get their liquid intake. The poor sheep looked really scrawny and I bet they were lamenting the day their ancestors had been earmarked for export to this hostile environment.

We finally arrived at Punta Norte just after 2pm to spend 1 hour and 20 minutes viewing the Southern seal lions and seals – so it was a long time spent in a coach today to view them. I’ve seen what have been called sea lions before but these do look like sea lions with the males sporting huge heads with ‘manes’ – seriously ugly!!! We were extremely lucky with the timing of our visit as there were a lot of newborn pups – they sounded like lambs bleating – and some of our group saw one being born while we were there. There were also quite a few fights between the very territorial make sea lions who also chased off male seals whenever they tried to come ashore. 




Male sea lion with crab eater seals

 


Sea lion family - including new pups which are black

  

We also saw an Orca offshore too. All up a good afternoon of wildlife viewing.

The big advantage of choosing a HAL sponsored excursion is that the ship will wait if the tour is back late. All aboard was at 5.30pm but our coach didn’t make it back to 5.40pm with several other coaches arriving after us. As soon as the last passenger got onboard the gangway was removed and we pulled away from the dock at 6 pm.

The entertainment tonight in the Showroom was David Aitken – an interactive comedic juggler – meaning don’t sit too close to the stage otherwise you are going to be part of the entertainment (I sat upstairs). It was a pretty funny act!

Saturday, 8 January 2011 – Cruising

ALL AT SEA

A lazy day cruising in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Before going up to the Lido for breakfast I checked to see if there was a washing machine free in the self-service laundry and as there was I put on a load of washing. Anecdotal reports say that more fights break out in the laundry room than in any other part of the ship, including the bars and casinos. There aren’t a lot of machines and some people put in loads then go and forget them for lengthy periods so someone else will come along and remove the load so they can put their own in. Hence some heated exchanges!

I seem doomed to have accommodation with electrical problems. I spent some time working on my netbook this morning and my cabin lost all power for about two and a half hours.

At 2pm we had our Cruise Critic Meet & Greet up in the Crows Nest. This was a chance for all those on our online roll call to finally meet in person. Patti, the Cruise Director, attended to answer any questions and our main concern was how we could get onto a tender as early as possible in the Falklands so we could do our excursion to Volunteer Point. Normally we would have to wait until all HAL shore excursions have gone ashore on the 20 minute tender transfer, but she has kindly offered to get us off after their own Volunteer Point tours.

Next on today’s agenda (there were numerous things offered but I didn’t do many of them) was to meet our exploration speakers for this cruise. HAL has brought four specialists on board – a geologist, an ice pilot, a political scientist and a wildlife expert. All have spent quite some time working in Antarctica and a couple have consulted on the Antarctic Treaty. Their individual presentations sound very interesting so I’ll make sure I attend them.

This evening I went to the show in the Showroom at Sea, Juan & Eileen Los Gauchos who presented a sample of Argentinean dance and music. Think Las Vegas, not the more authentic show we saw in BA.

Finally, a 50’s & 60’s sock hop in the Showroom, followed by the Adagio String in the Explorers Lounge and bed at midnight. Still got sinus problems but a great improvement on yesterday.