Fyi—may have to remove the picture from this post as wifi isn’t working very well. Like Laura said, “Well, we are in Antarctica!”
We took the Zodiac to the passage, explored the amazing icebergs and saw some humpback whales—in fact one went right under our Zodiac!! I have the video to prove it but it will not upload. I will try again later.
Our guide said that this has only happened to her once before in her 9 years of leading expeditions!
Pictures will never do this justice. Today was the first expedition via the Zodiac to Portal Point and Charlotte’s Bay. It was our first continent landing.
History: Portal Point is on the Reclus Peninsula. It’s a long stretch directly from the Polar Plateau. There once was a refuge hut built by the British and in operation from 1956-1997. They could use a nearby snow slope as a gateway up onto the Peninsula plateau. The hut is no longer around.
Be sure to also check out our other pictures on the “Antarctica Photos” page.
Agenda for today—January 1st, 2023!
So much fun starting the new year with the other 145 passengers (plus some of the crew). Not sure I will ever be in Antarctica to celebrate the new year again!
Tomorrow we start exploring – zodiac excursions, Helicopter flights and landings on the continent. Everything depends on the weather. It’s 12:30 am here and still a little light out.
We’ve reached the South Shetland Islands!!
Full day today as we approach the 7th continent. I posted our agenda below. The waters have calmed down considerable but I am now using the patch as well. I feel renewed!
We finished the Helicopter safety briefing this morn. Our ship has two Airbus H145. We also entered the “who can spot the first iceberg” contest. I have heard different things but we should see one of islands off the Antarctica coast between 3:00-5:00 pm. For reference it’s 9:07 am in STL and 12:07 pm in The Drake Passage.
Laura and I are sipping coffee/hot cocoa from the 7th deck in the panoramic lounge. It’s time to look for some whales. We’re ready!
In addition to learning about “ice” and how we need to keep 5 meters from any wildlife, we had mandatory briefings today for — How to enter/disembark from a zodiac; 2. Biosecurity. Quark follows the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) to ensure we adhere to biosecurity guidelines so that we don’t introduce alien seeds, pests or diseases and minimize the chance of introducing any non-native species to the continent. In fact, we have an automatic boot washer we will use every time we come back in from the zodiacs (this is also to reduce the risk of avian flu). Any non-new outer gear item had to be checked/decontaminated and then signed off. We can take only photos and memories and leave Antarctica as one of the perfectly preserved places in the world. Click here to learn more: https://iaato.org 🌍
All ship announcement: In 10 minutes (on 12/29) we are going for it! The captain will take us about 5 hours south to Cape Horn. Once we’re there he will reassess if we keep going on through to the Drake or turn around once again. Fingers (and toes) crossed! If anyone wants to follow the ship, go to www.cruisehive.com and put in our ship, The Ultramarine.
Talk about a group of extremely knowledgeable, professional, and interesting people! All of our 34 expedition guides have a specialty—Ornithology (penguins), whales, history, geology, photography, biology, mariner life, helicopter pilots/ops, zodiac, kayak, paddling, and the list goes on. Did you know that there are 8 whale species in Antartica? Blue, Humpback, Orca, Fin, Minke, Sei, Right, and Sperm.
Laura and I are ready for our evening program in the bar with one of the guides, Tim (British but lives in France now). The talk is entitled, “Working as a Field Assistance for the British Antartic Survey.
We’ve been cruising along the Beagle Channel since the captain made the decision not to cross the Drake at 3:00 am ish. While it’s been relatively calm, the waves are even a bit more rough here in the channel.
I want you to see what we’re dealing with here. This is a pic of a weather map. The black line represents where we are in Ushuaia, on the southern tip of South America. Then we cross the Drake Passage where we will be in Antartica. The blue color is what we want—nice calm seas with no storms. Green is next in order of preference and then yellow, orange and red. Red truly does mean “STOP” (and turn back). The black circle represents the eye of the storm.
Update—we just heard that we will try again at 4:00 am to start through the Drake. We found out that we only made it 11 nautical miles through the Drake before we had to turn around.
Our ship is 128 meters in length. Public places are— a library (have yet to see it), the Tundra Spa (I will be seeing this), sauna and stream room, Ambassadors Theater, Balena (main dining). Bistro 487, fitness center, Polar Boutique, Panorama Bar and Lounge (the view is A-mazing!), the ready rooms for putting on our gear, and reception. Dinner was delicious last evening with lots of variety on the menu. They have 4 set main dishes but then offer steak, chicken and some form of vegetarian option every day.
The Ambassador’s Theatre is where they give their talks. We had a history lesson this morn about Antarctica and now listening to one on the birds of Antarctica. The great part—if you don’t want to go to the theatre, you can listen to the livestream on the TV in our room.
You will see much shorter posts from me. The free wifi isn’t that great and I don’t want to pay $50 A DAY for premium wifi.
Hopefully you saw my update to the 12/28 post. If not, here it is again with some additional details—
Holy moly—last night we were rocking. Up to 7 meter waves. And the Dramamine did the trick! This was in the Beagle Sound. We started in the Drake Passage but had to turn back so we remain in the Beagle Sound until the storm recedes and we can make it through. 4-5 ships are sheltering here now. The sound of the waves—the creaking! Comforting but yet frightening. Laura was talking to our head Expedition Leader, Ali, and we were planning to head into the Drake last night even with 7 meter swells but there was a ship coming out that told us to stop—the swells were up to 12 meters. That’s almost 40 feet!
3 days until we leave! Did I mention that I am also super excited about spending Tuesday, December 27th in Buenos Aires and speaking Espanol?
Buenos Aires is known as the Paris of South America. And while we won’t have a lot of time to explore the city, we will make the most of it! The empanadas, the wine, Plaza de Mayo, The Recoleta Cemetery (where Eva Peron is buried), and maybe a little tango??
The packing is ALMOST done. Tip—if you plan to go to Antarctica and have luggage weight limit requirements, start packing early. What started with 4 pairs of shoes is now down to two – the boots I am wearing and a pair of tennis shoes. The cold-weather gear takes up a ton of room and weight but you can’t go without it.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all my family and friends that are following my blog site. This will be my last post until the adventure starts.
FYI I will post the contents of my suitcase in another link. I know it was very helpful for me when I was packing to use other people’s blog posts about what to take and what to leave at home.
Feliz Navidad y hasta pronto!
9 days to go…I have been checking off all the things that need to happen prior to departure. Work, school, Christmas festivities…each tick mark represents another step closer to the 7th continent. Laura and I were talking and it’s kind of surreal. Our Antarctica adventure is right around the corner (well, around the corner meaning waaaay down south)
So let’s talk about our actual ship, Ultramarine. You will find a little more about it in my first blog post. The company we are going through is Quark Expeditions, which has specialized in polar adventures since 1991. Their fleet of research vessels were purpose built for navigating the polar regions, and their newest ship is no exception. Ultramarine has an ice strengthened hull and is still in her inaugural season. Our expedition will round out her first year exploring Antarctica and the Artic.
There is capacity for 199 people + 140 crew. THIS IS IMPORTANT because 200 people is the maximum number that can leave any ship at the same time in the Antarctica, according to IAATO regulations.
Ultramarine is 420 feet long with a cruising speed of 16 knots. There are two twin-engine airbus H145 helicopters on deck and we have two opportunities while in Antarctica to fly on them.
Our room is on the 4th deck toward the middle. We have a balcony, which will be amazing to take in the sites.
There is a water-level zodiac hanger (see prior post), and two ready rooms where we change in and out of our expedition gear (parkas, boots, rain pants, etc) as we use the zodiacs.
The ship has plenty of amenities, such as a polar boutique, restaurant, bistro, ambassador theater, sauna, spa, fitness center, lounge and bar. The focus is also on environmentally responsible tourism and Ultramarine leads the way with special systems to convert waste to energy. This minimizes fuel consumption and helps navigate narrow passages without impacting the land or seabed.
Happy holidays to all my family and friends. I will be dreaming of a white after-Christmas with visions of penguins dancing in my head!
Here is a link to a short video featuring Ultramarine: https://youtu.be/Su2ATds1SLg
But who’s counting?? As I celebrate Thanksgiving and share my gratitude with those that mean the most to me, I am in full packing mode. If you know me, you know I am not a light packer!
When we travel on the charter flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, we are limited to 1 checked bag, 50 pounds max, and 1 carry on, no more than 17 pounds. It’s amazing how fast you get to 50 pounds with all the cold weather gear we need – base layers, wool socks, mid layers, fleeces, rain pants, neck gaiters, ski hats, ski goggles for the Zodiacs, medication “just in case”, etc. Luckily, they have laundry facilities on the ship, they give us a parka (to keep) and muck boots (to use for our adventures). Therefore, I am modifying Marie Kondo’s famous quote, and using this for my packing strategy — “Does it spark comfort and warmth? If it does, keep it. If not, take it out of the suitcase.”
Let me explain what a zodiac is/does because these little “rafts” will be a major part of our expedition once we arrive in Antarctica. Zodiacs are rigid-hulled inflatable boats that will carry us from the ship to land. Once used by Jacques Cousteau, they are advantageous in remote locations, allowing passengers to get close up with nature during the voyage (think whales!) and land in places where big ships can’t. Bottom line, a Zodiac is a necessary and indispensable part of the expedition. We will be on the Zodiacs at least twice a day, exploring the local bays, channels and our landing sites on the continent. The Zodiacs are our gateway to Antarctica’s wildlife—penguin rookeries, humpback and minke whales, and the southern seal species (including the leopard seal).
Signing off for now. Happy Thanksgiving!
I used to have trouble spelling Antarctica. Now I’m planning a visit! My friend, Laura, and I fly to Buenos Aires, Argentina on December 26, 2022. We will board Quark Expeditions’ newest ship, The Ultramarine, on the 28th. Along with 199 other passengers, we leave from “the end of the world” in the resort town of Ushuaia, Argentina on the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. We’ll then cruise to our southernmost continent (AKA the South Pole), passing through the infamous, Drake Passage. This state-of-the-art explorer ship is outfitted with twin engine helicopters and equipped with a Micro Auto Gasification System (MAGS), which converts waste into energy onboard. This year is its maiden voyage, and we are two maidens on a voyage!
While most of the land is covered in ice, this polar desert is important to our ecosystem as 79% of the world’s freshwater reserves can be found frozen on Antarctica. If that ice were to melt, it would raise global sea levels by ~200 feet. Do people actually “live” on this continent? There are around 5,000 people during the summer months (October – February), dropping to 1,000 the rest of the year. These people can be found working at one of ~70 research stations – permanent and seasonal. The US has the largest, McMurdo Station, that can house 1,000 people. These lucky individuals share their space with the penguins, seals, and whales. Side note – No country owns Antarctica. Although some have tried to lay claim, the continent is governed by 29 countries who signed the 1959 Antarctica Treaty System. Under this treaty, no military activity, mining, nuclear activity, or disposal are allowed – only freedom of scientific investigation and environmental protection.
Antarctica is known as the 7th Continent because it was the last one to be discovered. It will be the 6th continent I’ve had the honor of exploring. I’m coming for ya next, Australia!
Christina’s Journey Journal 