Georgiana and Nick's Next Great Adventure... A Splettstoesser Sighting
2009 Grand
South America & Antarctica Voyage
Holland America - ms Prinsendam
January 2 – March 11, 2009
Report #5 – from February 6 - 15, 2009
Itinerary – South from the Falkland Islands to South Georgia, the Antarctic Sound & Peninsula and then back north to the city of Ushuaia, on the southern tip of Argentina
It took two full days to sail the distance between Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands and South Georgia Island, where the story of our Antarctic experience was to begin. During those days there were numerous activities to keep us occupied, but none more interesting or important than the lectures given by two Exploration Speakers. John Splettstoesser, a geologist and retired University of Minnesota professor, has traveled and done geologic field work on each continent and has been a lecturer/naturalist on more than 100 cruises to Antarctica and most of the sub-Antarctic island. John knows almost everything about glaciers, ice formations, Antarctic explorers and the Antarctic Treaty. He’s authored over 175 publications and has a glacier and mountain named after him. Robert “Bob” Hofman retired from the United States Marine Mammal Commission and was an advisor to the Department of State on Antarctica matters. Bob is an expert on the conservation of marine mammals – whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, polar bears, etc. Any lecture by John or Bob was not missed and they helped us prepare greatly for what we were about to see.
We
arrived at Grytviken, Cumberland Bay, South Georgia Island (U.K.), on
Sunday, February 8. It was a sunny day, but the temperature was 35° F
and a cold wind was blowing. Grytviken is picturesque with high
mountains rising around the bay and brief low-lying terrain. Today, it
is home to about 10 very friendly people, who manage and control
activities and tend to a museum, old church, post office and a shop.
The rusty remains of the massive old whaling operations of yesteryear,
the grave of Sir Ernest Shackleton, who died in 1922 in Grytviken,
and the abundant wildlife, are the main attractions. Grytviken is home
to many penguins, seals, sea lions and birds and the number of tourist
allowed ashore is extremely limited. When ashore, tourists are allowed
to walk only in pre-arranged small groups, along designated paths and
are required to stay clear of all wildlife, as to not alarm, disturb or
agitate them. Good advise, as we saw a few people charged by seals when
they got closer than they should.
Photo at right - Rare white seal with playmate
at Grytviken, South Georgia
For more information on South Georgia Island,
visit – www.sght.org
After our interesting day in Grytviken, we sailed south for what was to be our first view of Antarctica – Elephant Island, on the very northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Unfortunately, when we arrived two days later, the fog and snow obscured all view and we saw absolutely nothing. There was no choice but to sail by, continuing our southward journey. Gratefully, the weather improved by the afternoon when we got our first view of several giant icebergs (and we mean giant) around Hope Bay. We also had amazing views of the Antarctic landmass with its rock, ice, snow and glaciers that make up this very uninviting landscape. In spite of an outside temperature of 30° F, and a wind chill factor closer to zero, most of the passengers were on the outside decks taking thousands of pictures. The day ended as the Prinsendam headed for open water and away from the threat of less than obvious icebergs that might be lurking. After all, we where near the spot where the good ship Explorer sank last year following her encounter with ice.
The next day was spent cruising in the South Shetland Islands and, with the weather still improving, the views got better and better. The islands are flush with ice, snow and mountainous rock formations. There are numerous colonies of penguins with one reported to have over 130,000 nesting pairs, not mention all the chicks. Nick’s 400mm lens was very valuable in recording these “dirty little buggers” – a name given to penguins by our onboard Holland America (British) Port Lecturer.
The third and final day in Antarctica was truly a once in a lifetime. As we approached Palmer Station (the U.S. Base), we awoke to a clear blue sky and two incoming zodiacs loaded with scientists and staff from the base. They were schedule to tell us about life there and the science they were conducting. They came aboard and gave an interesting presentation, but were somewhat eclipsed by the experience topside. The Captain was maneuvering our ship through the most amazing waters of Lemaire Channel and we could almost touch the ice and rock walls forming the channel. As we cruised, there were small icebergs all around, but we stayed way clear of any large bergs and the danger they would cause. The sun was warm and the air was crisp as we all realized that this was what had beckoned from the pages of the Antarctic advertising. After a quick trip back to Palmer Station in late afternoon to drop off our visitors, we cruised through Neumayer Channel and then over to Paradise Bay which surrounds Bayde Bay. Again our Captain and the navigation team provided an amazing tour of some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere. Their expertise in positioning the ship for a maximum experience was outstanding. When in Lemaire Channel, we achieved our most southerly position of 65° 07.6’ South by 64° 01.4 West. This position importantly represented the point in our voyage where we would begin our long northerly trip home. As the sun set to the northwest, the ship lingered for last looks and finally set a course of due north toward the Drake Passage and our next port – Ushuaia, Argentina.
After a rocking-n-rolling 36-hour sail, we arrived in Ushuaia, early morning of February 15. Ushuaia is located on the Beagle Channel and in Tierra del Fuego, the land area in the southernmost part of Argentina. The city was a penal colony for serious criminals in the first half of the 20th century and today is a major vacation destination in the summer (our winter) for those interested in outside activities in Tierra del Fuego’s mountains, forests and lake areas. As evidenced by the large number of multi-language speaking backpackers in town – this is the place to be if you’re serious about outdoor sports. Leaving Ushuaia, our agenda called for scenic cruising in the Beagle Channel and we certainly did enjoy the view as we sailed by a number of beautiful glaciers, while having dinner in the dining room that evening.
Since a picture is worth 1,000 words – check out Nick’s photos at www.nide.smugmug.com
Next stop – Punta Arenas, Chile