December 25th: Lemaire Channel and Hovgaard Island

Day 3: Dec 25th. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS from Antarctica!!!

We saw land and ice bergs for the first time today. Somewhere on the boat someone was celebrating winning the "guess when we see the first iceberg" competition. It was not me. I honestly thought we'd see land much earlier... but then again I didn't realize the journey to the peninsula is quite different for us. Since we are aiming to go low - way south into the Antarctic Circle - the ship was steered not just south to the peninsula but SW to a lower part of the peninsular and entered the protected archipelago waters a lot later than a typical peninsular cruise would.

Kelli and I 

One of the many beautiful aspects of an expedition cruise versus a regular cruise is the high crew to passenger ratio. We are invited into the Bridge when Captain Alexi is not staring down rogue waves or navigating ice-berg riddled, narrow passages. The navigation crew are welcoming and the view engaging. Look! They have windscreen wipers!

The day is broken into chunks and even though advice I received ahead of this trip ran along the lines of "take a book, there is a lot of down-time", I beg to differ. Firstly, every time you turn your head it's time to eat again. 3 hearty meals plus cookies and hot drinks all day long and afternoon tea that resembled High Tea with its crustless cucumber sammies, bite-sized cakes and scones with jam and cream. I know, I know... It's a high class problem and this is by no means a complaint.

While lunch and breakfasts are buffet style, dinner is a la carte and when the boat isn't rocking badly, you'll find portions of them up-close and in-person, displayed at the entrance to the restaurant. It's magical!

Beet and goat cheese - a favorite of mine!

Roast turkey with brussel sprouts and a tower of mashed potatoes

Bourbon pecan pie

In between feedings, we have lectures to; make us smarter (Blue Planet caliber lecturers!), bring awareness and make us better stewards of the planet (Citizen Science), off-ship operations (LOVE this term and feel it does do the organization and execution, some justice) briefings and/or group meetings and finally entertainment - maybe a movie, trivia game, sing-along or some such.

Squeeze in some socializing at dinner or cocktail or meeting times and you have yourself an array of like-minded travelers with a diverse array of expectations, backgrounds and perspectives. Super interesting and time well spent to get to know each one just a little bit. The ship appears to be dominated by Aussies and Americans. There are kiwis, Brits, Canadians of course, and a smattering of all the other humans that come from far flung reaches of the globe. 

Steve's roommate was a older gent from Texas. A sweet and interesting person named Mike. Mike appeared to be your run-of-the-mill Republican and we wondered if Steve would survive... but then again, here was Mike throwing himself into a decidedly liberal group of science lovers and attending lectures that were well and truly advocating climate-change. I heard a rumor that Mike offended someone with his gun control/gun safety stories... but that someone wasn't me. I found him to be delightful in his own way, well intentioned and perhaps a little lonely - which made me perhaps a little sad to contemplate. 

Gail's roommate was a strong, independent and easy-to-spend-time-with, woman from Aussie. Jan was petite with a short silver ponytail. She always seemed pretty organized, friendly and smiley. But by Christmas she was bringing the cough and left Gail wondering if she scored the roommate with the 'rona. 

More about that later. We came here to see penguins and what-not, am I right?!

This is what our first glimpses of Antarctica looked like: 

First Zodiac landing! Hovgaard Island. (Detaille Island landing cancelled due to unsafe swell.)

It came after the first go at mastering the mud room flow and protocols. Photog's (that's what they called our group of 20 in the exclusive photo group) get there first... around the same time the kayak crew is being announced to get ready.

Geez, it was a bit stressful I don't mind admitting. Layers started with a wool base from neckgaiter to toe in the room. Then a puffy jacket with or without another mid layer also applied in each person's private cabin or just before entering the mud room. And then the waterproof pants and jacket. On top of it all Muck Boots and a life jacket that has to be adjusted to fit snuggly. 

Just when you think you are done, we are reminded to be "hands free" as we enter the gangway area, so gloves and hats are put on as we reach for the room card/ID that is used to scan us off the boat one by one. 

Then its a quick boot and lower pant dunk in the Vircon to decontaminate areas that will come into contact with land. 

One hands one's bag to a crew member in charge of boarding and then uses the secret (safe) forearm-hold with the Zodiac driver and a 1 (side of Zodiac), 2 (yellow wooden box), 3 (floor of Zodiac) steps are taken before quickly being seated. Your bag is handed to you and it stays off your back and on the floor in front of you during the ride.  

Our ride to the land took all of 5 mins and as the boat diminished in size, we approached a shore comprised of medium sized smooth rocks on a not insignificantly steep shore. 

Getting off the Zodiac was also choreographed for efficiency and safety. No-one one wanted to be christened by the cold Antarctic waters anyway, so compliance was not hard to come by except in cases of those challenged by body shape and flexibility. 

So what does a landing excursion really look like?

The crew have already completed a scouting visit... choosing the easiest landing that didn't interfere with nesting or penguin highways. They had the right to cancel the operation entirely if the swell, wind or other conditions made getting into the zodiak or disembarking the zodiak risky. Once a landing spot was sourced, they also walked the area to determine paths of least destruction (deep boot holes, penguin or seal disruption etc) and they set red pole markers that determined a perimeter or path to a colony etc

We arrived 10 to a boat, about 50-75 people over the course of an hour and found crew scattered around the area, with info about geology, wildlife and even lichen at the ready. Photog's had 2 photo guides to help with camera settings, answer questions and get tips and tricks to accommodate the intense contrast, moving targets and to remind us to both take in the big picture as well as look down at the minute details too. 

I was in HEAVEN! In just one landing, this trip had already exceeded expectations. Wee flightless birds in tuxedos toddled by, taking rocky uphill's in 3" stride with their adorable flipper-arms pointed backwards from their bodies. They turned and stared at us like WE were the novelty... posing and taking their time moving on. I wanted to shove one inside my dry-bag and take it home. Alas my 2' arms were not long enough to violate the 15' social distancing rule that IAATO mandates.

IAATO - International Antarctic Association of Tour Operators. Do you have to join? No... but you do need to get a permit from your home country to step foot on land here and if you are not a member, sworn to uphold the rules that preserve Antarctica, then you'll likely not get a permit, not get passengers, not get paid and not stay in business. The long and short of the story is - No penguins for Dallice! Best I take good pics then, eh?

Most of our landings also featured a hill climb to what Jonathan would describe as "the best view in the whole universe" and he wasn't far wrong. Every. Single. Time!

Taking a few minutes to breathe and TRY to capture it all before zipping off in a Zodiac, I found myself closer to the shore, admiring the lazy life of a seal! 

On our cruise, each landing is usually followed by a period of time cruising in a Zodiac too. I'd say about an hour. It's cooler on the water with the wind in your bird's nest hair! All those layers that felt like overkill while hiking up a snowy hill now come in handy keeping the sweat from getting chilly as we zipped across the water or sat quietly in glass-like bays waiting for seals to yawn or whales to breach. I seemed to have a particular knack for just missing a whale sighting but part of that may be because I turn my head (or contort my whole body) to capture every other iceberg or bergie-bit that that is blue, green, old-timey clear with a reptilian pattern or just a really cool shape.

Excursions are followed by broth or hot chocolate. That is followed by a drinkie with the days recap and tomorrows weather and route briefing and a quick photo-sharing/editing session.

 Then it's dinner time - and even when you think you have already eaten enough today to satiate the tapeworm within, dinner is flavorful and beautifully presented and goes down the hatch a bit too fast!

Since it is indeed Christmas too, I was thrilled to see some of our passengers packed holiday cheer outfits and sported them during the evening. How the heck they had brain space or luggage space to plan for this is a mystery to me...but then again, this journey is full of wonderment!

<sigh> I have holiday-onesie envy!

Today I'm grateful for new friends, old friends, eye-popping scenery, the smell of penguino guano, steep snowy hikes, warm winter hats and the extraordinary culinary skills performed in the bowels of an expedition vessel anchored at the frozen continent!

Preparing for a good nights sleep, the final thought of the day goes to my fur-babies a million miles away... getting acquainted with Heidi the replacement pet-sitter on Xmas night. May they feel cared for and comforted tonight. Gosh I miss those golden retriever eyes gazing back and me, the vibration of a deep purr and that comical chicken-sprint across the yard!

Dec 23 - 24: Rocking and Rolling the Drake Passage

 Dec 23rd: Day one on board.

Slept well but knew fairly quickly in the morning that all was not how it should be. 

Laying down was fine, but any attempt to sit up or stand up was met with nausea. I had dosed myself pretty good with meds and was sporting my Relief Band, but alas it was no match for the violent ocean we were on. 

The boat was lurching and swaying pretty mightily. White caps surrounded us. Every now and then a jarring and loud bang like an explosion shook the boat.

By midday reports of flooding on the 5th floor were emerging. Apparently a series of 3 rogue waves had battered the boat, hitting the Bridge (deck 8) full on and forcing water into ventilation shafts around deck 6. Deck 5 got that water in the hallway before it sloshed into a half dozen or so rooms too. 

Passenger JT Drew shot this video in the hallway of the 5th floor.

Passenger Christine Beadle shot this video from the Bridge.

Then it filtered through the floor to deck 4. Passengers were relocated. Electricity was out sporadically around the boat... including our room on the 7th floor most of the day.

It is important to note that no-one felt unsafe, no-one was injured and the caliber of people aboard could be gauged in the response which was mainly taking it in stride, calling it "part of the adventure" and not complaining at all. We heard "post trip" that a discussion was had regarding whether or not to return the ship to Ushuaia following the water infiltration. As the ship was found to have sustained no damage, we continued on. (To this day, I feel incredibly grateful for this!!! You'll see why in the following posts.)

I was still being sick during all this and Mark was doing his best to keep water, Sprite, saltines etc in me. And he attended my very first photography group meeting for me, taking notes and reporting back to my beside with the briefing.

In the late afternoon I took my pasty self to the Nautilus Lounge for the captains introduction and daily briefing. Almost everything else had been postponed due to rough seas and so many folks feeling it. In fact, they did inform us that the weather forecast had been slightly off and not very specific to our location, so the storm we experienced had been a tad underestimated. 

Fun international crew on board though. Canadians, Welsh, English, Australian, NZ'ers, Americans, Russian, Ukrainian, Philippine, and South Africans. 

Our Captain is a spry, older Ukrainian gentleman. He hails from the Soviet Union era and currently has a brother fighting for Russia and a son on the front lines holding back the Russian forces in Ukraine. His complicated life doesn't stop his keen wit and we all gave a nervous laugh when he mentioned his submarine training came in handy today!

Our photography group met again and everyone was super sweet to me... considering I didn't know anyone yet and couldn't stomach the back deck diesel fumes and view through a lens to photograph the albatross that were flying across the boat!

Dinner was a no-show for me. Just the thought of food - or should I say the smell and look of it - sent me scurrying back to my room for a date with my sick-bag also known by the name; Spuckbeutel.  Our room attendant, Jo, was quick to restock these and also to crank up the heat in our room because it was indeed hard to hold body temperature during this time. 

I took a wonderful hot shower in our wee bathroom and fell asleep with my towel still wrapped around wet hair! 

Dec 24: Day two on board.

The next day it appeared my sea-legs had kicked in. Well, the Drake was certainly more cooperative too, so that helped. Today was a good day for new introductions and some seabird photography - which I'll admit right here and now is way more challenging than it looks. The boat moves, the waves move, the birds are speedy! I did my best to trace them through 300mm of lens but it's also ok to say most of my pictures were not worth sharing and I'm here to experience, improve and eventually present more technically competent as well as interesting photos. Standby!

Christmas Eve was a jolly ol' time on board. Our crew could apparently sing, dance and write poetry. They put on a merry show as we laughed and celebrated together... new friends and old. 

This "Ocean Endeavour version" of the Night Before Christmas was recited by a dozen or more crew:

T'was the night before Christmas, when all through the vessel,

Not a creature was stirring, not even a petrel.

The stockings were hung by the bar with care,

In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there,

The explorers were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of icebergs danced in their heads.

and Jonathon in his gill jacket and us in our beanies

We all settled down for a long summer's evening.

When out on the aft deck there arose such a clutter,

I sprang from me bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the curtains and heard a loud splash.

The sun on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the luster of midday to objects below.

When what to my wondering eye should reveal

But a Zodiac being towed by eight tiny seals.

With a Zodiac driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.

More rapid than orcas his seals they came,

And he whistled and shouted and called them by name.

Now DASHER! Now DANCER! Now PRANCER and VIXEN!

On COMET, on CUPID, on DONER and BLITZEN!

To the top of the spa! To the back of the deck,

No dash away! Dash away! Dash away like heck!

As snowflakes blow in and wild seas fly,

They jump over an iceberg and head for the sky.

Then up to the bridge the seals they flew,

With the Zodiac full of booze and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard a loud din,

The prancing and pawing of each little fin.

As St Nick knew all the guests had behaved,

Down the Deck 5 vent St Nicholas came with a wave!

He was dressed all in Gortex from his head to his toes

And his clothes were all tarnished with snow and guano.

A bundle of booze he had flung on his back

And he looked like Shackleton just opening his pack.

His eyes – how they twinkled, his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.

He had a broad face and little round belly,

That shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.

A wink of his eye and twist of his head

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled up the bar, before turning with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod up the vent he rose.

He sprang to his Zodiac, to his team gave a bark

And away they all flew, off into the dark.

But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!

NOTE: videos may link to a private facebook group where they are published. No guarantees they can be viewed by those not in the group... sorry.