January 15, 2008 - Aboard Professor Multanovskiy
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We had a late breakfast today (9 AM). After breakfast we gathered around the bow of the ship to celebrate "Crossing the Antarctic Circle" with a Champagne Toast. After a few delays ("We are 17 Minutes away", "We are 13 Minutes away", "We are 8 minutes away" announcements from the Bridge) we finally crossed the circle around 10:30 AM. The Ship sounded its Horn and we all jumped as it was quite loud. Guess it was the Russian captain{s way of signalling the crossing of the circle from his perch on the Bridge of the ship. Maybe he wanted to have some fun as well (by seeing us all jump!).
As there were no other plans this morning, we all lounged about until Lunch. Lunch and dinners on board the ship have all been 3 course affairs. A Soup (almost always vegetarian), a main course and a dessert (vegetarian of course!). I doubt very much if anyone can ever lose weight on these voyages! (Unless of course, you have very very strict dietary requirements which the ship canters to infrequently).
We dropped anchor after lunch around 1:30 PM. It had turned out to be a Gorgeous Sunny Day. Sun was out in Force with a perfect blue sky and very few clouds. PERFECT!
We set out to visit DETAILLE Island.The Zodiac ride was quite a rocky ride as some of us encountered salt water sprays during our ride. On reaching the Island, we made our way to an abandoned hut. The wind was blowing heavily and it was wickedly cold (Yes, I know, it is THE ANTARCTIC!) What an experience (although not very pleasant at the moment of experiencing it)! This used to be an old British research Station that was abandoned in 1956 or so.
Our historian had the keys to this hut and only 6 people were allowed to visit it at a time. I was a member of the first group to visit the hut!. It was quite fascinating to see things remaining here as though they were occupied just a week ago.It appears that the station was abandoned in a hurry and people just took the essentials and went out the door. Numerous Magazines that were apparently being read, boxes of coffee, canned food, beddings and so on. I took some nice pictures from the Island. The perfect day provided a great setting.
The ride back to the ship was less rocky but keeping the Zodiac close to the gangway (while we disembarked) was quite a challenge. The swells were affecting the ship and the Zodiac and each was being tossed about in a different direction. After we clambered on board we could hear the SECOND ANCHOR being dropped to stabilize the ship. A few minutes later, a LONG, SINGLE HORN sounded indicating that all personnel get back on the ship immediately. The wind was getting heavier by the minute and they did not want more challenges in getting the rest of the passengers on board from the Zodiacs.
I went up to the Bridge to take pictures of the ship´s position to show that it was below the Antarctic Circle (66 Degrees, 33 Minutes).
Quark had offered an option of camping on the Antarctic Ice for a night (while the ship stayed in anchor nearby, of course). For some reason, the Quark agent made it appear that the request could be made on board the ship, while most of the Aussies and English had made their camping reservations while booking the cruise. (There was no extra charge for this). The camping was limited to 20 people and it was completely booked. Mike was going camping and Antti and I were disappointed as we both were misled by our Quark representatives!
Because of the heavy winds and swell, camping and kayaking activities were cancelled for the afternoon and night. The Barbecue dinner that was initially planned out on the deck, was shifted inside. After dinner, I watched the final 2 episodes of the BBC Documentary "Life in the Freezer". Quite good stuff and narrated by David Attenborough. I will have to watch the earlier 4 episodes at a later time as I missed seeing them (they were shown on the first 2 days of our Voyage during which I was seasick).
All ships in the Antarctic have a call-in at 7:30 PM each night. They trade weather and wildlife sightings and also indicate where they are heading next. This enables the ships to avoid each other and not have too many people in a single place at any point in time. Our expedition is perhaps the smallest (at 48 People). Most ships carry 100 people or so.
During the 7:30 call is transpired that the weather was getting bad further south. It looks like we are headed North again! Such a shame as I would have loved to spend more time below the circle to see the different conditions and wildlife. We hope to see some additional animal / bird species on the way back.
January 16, 2008 - Aboard Professor Multanovskiy
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We had an early breakfast today (7 AM). There were too many Icebergs around and the ship sailed at a really slow pace in navigating these icebergs. The top speed of the ship is 12 knots. I had a shower and went up to the Bridge and watched the Scenery unfold.
It was yet another spectacular day. Plenty of Sunshine, Blue sky, No Wind and a Tranquil Sea. The best weather so far on this Voyage.
We dropped anchor around FISH Islands (HOLTEDAHL Bay) around 9 AM and set out on our Zodiacs shortly thereafter. There are no assigned Zodiacs. Depending on when one shows up at the Gangway, once boards a Zodiac. There are 5 Zodiacs in operation - carrying 10 passengers each plus the Zodiac driver. Raymond (the Doctor) always accompanies us with a big medical bag on all our Zodiac expeditions. Passengers are not mandated to sow up for all Zodiac cruises. They can chose to stay on board the ship and some folks do it from time to time.
We observed numerous CRABEATER seals and a pair of LEOPARD Seals. Jaime (expedition staff member) had donned a wetsuit and jumped into the water near the Leopard Seals. One of the LEOPARD Seals did a spectacular jump over Jamie. The only person who got a decent shot was the Bartender (Eva - who had accompanied us on our Zodiac).
We landed for the SECOND time on the ANTARCTIC CONTINENT to visit a small group of ADELIE Penguins.As this could be our final landing on the Continent, we all made the most of it.
The Gorgeous day meant that we would finally have our barbecue lunch on the outside deck. The Vegetarians had Pizzas on offer. Many of us spent more time recording this event (Lunch in the Antarctic on an Outer Deck) than eating Lunch! Most of us (including me) had taken off our Gloves and our QUARK Parkas. According to the Chef (who has been doing these voyages for 8 years), this is the best weather he has seen in all his time here!
We continued to stay at anchor here and set out on our Zodiacs again at 3 PM. There was no time for a Siesta :) We saw more CRABEATER Seals and a WEDDELL Seal. We saw magnificent icebergs - similar to the ones shown on TV whenever Antarctica is shown!
Though many of us gripe about not seeing Whales and other Species, we are quite privileged to be in the Antarctic and experience it firsthand.
8 brave folks decided to swim in these frigid (-1.5 Degrees CENTIGRADE) waters. Someone had to record this event. It was me (and 30 others!). It was quite fun watching the shivering and quivering folks emerge from these waters.
During dinner Mike and I decided to open the first of our Wine bottles. The ship serves one free glass of wine during dinner. We had been sampling that for the past few days. The Ship also realizes that folks (like Mike and yours truly) like to bring Wine on board and they levy a corkage fee of $7 per bottle. All shipboard costs are in US$ and are payable at the penultimate day of the Voyage by Cash, Traveller´s Checks or Credit Cards. I digress. Our first bottle was La LINDA, a 2006 Syrah (from Argentina) that had a light nose, and was light bodied wit a long finish. It is decent although I think we can do better!
Post dinner chatted with some folks and killed time. It is still quite bright as I record this in my diary (10:30 PM). Too bad my Cabin mates are asleep! Otherwise, I am in the mood for a party!
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