Last Dispatch

While I was at Northern Voice, Pam’s final email came in:

There won’t be many photos from the Zodiac cruise through Pleneau Island, also known as ‘The glacier graveyard’. Getting from iceberg to iceberg for observation proved to be a wild ride. Wind, waves, and snow hindered picture-taking for all but those being paid to do it. The rest of us clung to the side robes with heads turned into sleeves. I suppose we learned that form of protection from the penguins.

When icebergs become grounded, it’s erosion that shakes them apart, eventually becoming ‘burger bits’. It might take an iceberg 10 years to rot. They look snowy from a distance but up close you see accumulated rocks frozen in the solid ice. We cruised through icy chunks where a leopard seal hid out and taunted Zodiacs trying to land.

The next day opposite weather in quiet, sunny Cuverville Island. We observed more gentoo penguins in a big smelly rookery. One of the guides noted that in the past 3 years, snow cover has retreated from the shore exposing sharp rocks and producing new mosses. We could hear the penguins squish as they stepped across the tour trail.

In the evening a British base commander lectured on ‘A Year in Antarctica’. He described how a particular scientific group physically and mentally handled a 12-month rotation. In addition to working in pairs, they also had to deal with personal annoyances such as soup slurping. If a coworker got the better of you, they were asked to ‘repair a meter’ in the outermost hut. (It was equipped with essential overnight gear.) When the base supply vessel returned the following year, the commander explained that, naturally, outgoing crew went through withdrawal and grief. Replacements were to allow them a few days for introspection before they left.

Our stops over the last 5 days have included Deception Island, Petermann Island, Halfmoon Bay, Paradise Bay, and Neku Harbour. We crossed 66-degrees south latitude, a joyous moment for the captain, within spitting distance of the Antarctic Circle, the furtherest south this vessel and this captain have ever been.

We’re now thinking about home. Tonight at the Captain’s farewell party ‘Las Penguinas’ my picture-taking buddies and I will reminisce about this incredible journey to the awesome Antarctic.

Pam will be back on Tuesday, and I’m hoping that her photos will be up shortly after that.

The View from 65.36.21S, 64.46.65W

The news from your’s truly is that today I finally was able to go back to work, after about 5 days of on-and-off fever and chills. It sure feels good to be almost normal (coughing and weakness is fine by me compared to that other stuff). Unfortunately, during my retreat into a fetal position under the blankets, I missed about 5 days of sunshine, or so they tell me. Never saw any of it. So much for any Vitamin D that doesn’t come out of a bottle…

Anyway, at least Pam wasn’t here to have to hear me whining about how crappy I felt. The news from her is quite a bit more interesting and far more uplifting:

We’re all back inside after a morning of seeing and smelling Gentoo and Adelie penguin colonies on Petermann Island. We had to tread very carefully as the little guys blend in with the rocks. Fortunately guides were placed next to chicks sleeping on the path. As we knelt to take their pictures, some curious chicks approached to nibble on camera straps. At some point you don’t take pictures but just have to take a breath and stand in awe in the quiet, majestic, surroundings.

Today’s snow got everyone in the mood for exploring, but after the crew planned a festive BBQ on the pool-deck, we had other ideas. Entertainment was provided by a band and passengers willing to dance in the slush (including me), and then an impromptu snowball fight broke out and everyone, including the captain, were on deck as some point.

Outside temperature is about 39°F/4°C. The red Explorer jackets are quite warm, as are the insulated rubber boots. It’s a good thing they are waterproof, as we have to step in “decontamination” buckets before and after leaving the ship and zodiac rafts.

Just moments after everyone came in from lunch festivities, and as the crew was breaking down, the ship suddenly rocked, hard. Chairs tipped over and there was a loud crash from the kitchen followed by another crash on the return wave. The captain has turned off the stabilizers as they also slow the ship and having them off is better for navigating around ice. He’s announced that as of an hour ago, we’ve come farther south in this ship than ever before because of the good weather and relatively ice-free conditions. We’re actually now less than 6 hours sail from the Antarctic circle. Although we’re not planning to cross, it’s exciting to have come so close to that point on the Earth.

Yesterday evening (after 2 landings and a zodiac cruise past ice shelves 40 metres high) we started heading through the Lemaire channel. The Channel is in every guide book of Antarctica. A National Geographic ship was in the area and we watched it disappear thru a tiny speck of an opening off in the distance. At around 22:00 the captain invited everyone up to the bridge as we slipped through the passage. With shear mountains on either side, and glaciers, which could have spilled off at any moment perched atop them, we glided into the opening and away from the sunset. The captain got a round of applause; it was an unforgettable moment. Many people have been moved to tears, (me included), by the astounding beauty of the scene.

Pam goes on to say that her next message will come on the sail back toward Tierra del Fuego.

Here’s the kind of picture those guide books of Antarctica have of the Lemaire Channel:

Another Dispatch from the South

Another email from Pam arrived about mid-day today:

Today, Monday, we went to Deception Island. The day started off sunny, around 37°F. Then it started to sleet but we nevertheless got to take a dip in the thermal water of Whaler’s Bay. I handed my camera to a stranger and shouted “Please take me”, and she did, so I have some smiling photos of me briefly dipping into the pool. I didn’t need my bathing suit as I only went up to my ankles.

I’ve been doing activities with the woman from Chicago (mentioned earlier), a woman from Annapolis who lives on a boat, and another woman from Texas who’s on the trip to celebrate her 40th. We had a birthday bash last night complete with a Mariachi band. It was fun but we all knew we’d have to face the dip this morning. I can’t believe I did it but we ‘girls’ made a pact! It’ll be something to talk about tonight.

Today I saw my first iceberg. It’s so hard to describe; it takes your breath away. Also saw loads of chinstrap penguins and fledglings. We really wanted to run up and hug them, they are soooo adorable. Also saw fur seals, and yesterday, an albatross with an 11-foot wingspan. I honestly can’t describe how awesome it’s been.

This is the first successful attempt to send mail from my room and and I’m excited to send this off. Right now, my room faces an Argentinian military ship. They gave us a bit of a problem coming ashore where we wanted to, but eventually relented. Our Captain is a good negotiator.

Well, I have 35 min left on the clock so I’ll try to send another dispatch in a day or 2. There’s so much more to describe so next time I’ll have everything in a note pad and then send it off.

The ship’s log hasn’t quite caught up with Pam’s account, but I suspect it will, soon.

A Message from position 57.55.08S, 064.58.11W

After nothing for a few days, I was pleased to get a message this morning from Pam, onboard the Explorer II. Here are some pertinent excerpts:

Thank you for the “Welcome aboard” email. It was hand delivered in an air mail envelope when I arrived.

My internal clock has no clue about the day or time. I decided to sleep until I was ready to get up around 10:30 ship’s time.

Here we are, in the middle of the Atlantic/Pacific coming up to the convergence. I already feel it in my being, not in a sea sick way, just a constant reminder that these 2 oceans have met. The captain referred to this as small swells. Kinda nice being lulled to sleep last night.

The room is comfy. Again I took pics before making a mess of it. The curtains are tilting about 15degrees. Didn’t try showering today. I’ve used the tub to anchor loose things. Okay, we’re really heaving now….

I bought 1 hr of internet time ($27US) which I’ll use for the next 10 days onboard. Oh, how I wish I could send you some pics. There’s a very happy one of me as we head thru the Beagle Channel. I’ve met a picture taking buddy, a business analyst from Chicago. She wants a pic of her in her U of I sweatshirt with a penguin for her alumni mag. We are getting to know each other’s cameras as well as our own for such documentary shots.

Today there were several albatross sightings. Since I don’t know exactly what they look like I’m not sure I could claim seeing them. There are some gull type birds following the ship’s wake. Long wings but smaller bodies than all the seagulls we see at Granville Mkt.

I’ve saved this msg as a draft and now will make my way to the library to mail it. The Library has public terminals and WiFi.

It sounds like pretty rough seas to me. It’s a good thing she took some Bonine (like Dramamine, but with less drowsiness) with her, just in case it gets any rockier.

As near as I can figure out, here’s where that Longitude and Latitude position is (roughly) on Google Maps (I think it’s the white dot at the centre of the map):

Off She Goes

On Monday, Pam and I drove down to Seattle, where we stayed at the Raddison hotel, by the entrance to the airport. She slept well, despite more than the usual amount of ‘travel butterflies’. Given that she was headed to Antarctica, I can imagine why there might be some of those.

We said our good-byes Tuesday morning by the airport loading zone (as shown above). I didn’t hear from her during her layover in Los Angeles, but got an email on Wednesday morning from her that explained why:

“I was quite nervous at that point, in LAX. The Seattle leg was a little delayed but the distance between domestic and international terminals was unmarked. I didn’t know how far away it was. The airport is being reno’d and you had to walk outside to get to the Int’l terminal. How odd for a city that only drives.”

The next photos she put on Flickr are of her hotel in Santiago, Chile. It certainly looks luxurious, and I think it would make a nice destination in and of itself.