Buzzing Around The World With Fellette & Doug

Did I tell you how cold it was?

My apologies for the lengthy post, but we've been out of satellite range for the past 4 days. What follows is the tale of our "Ice Time"...

Day 2, our first look at Antarctica

Coffee and english muffins at 6 AM. Fellette still does her crossword puzzle in bed each morning, plus a little entry in her journal. I did my morning exercises in the cabin. They take a bit longer because I have added some Tai Chi to the routine. A lot of daily activities have been cancelled on board for the next few days so people can get their fill of the ice situation.

Today is Sunday so we went to the church service where Fellette is in the choir. I had to leave after 15 minutes because it was a touch warm there for me and I was beginning to cough. I went to the cabin and put on my parka and went on top. I lasted about 10 minutes, then I decided to get real and put on every piece of clothing I had. Fellette meanwhile was there, church being out. We rugged up and went up top.

You would not believe how cold it was!

The ship moves rather slowly while in the ice, but the combination of the cold air temperature and the ships movement is a killer. [The correct name of this combination is Wind Kill!] I had to take off my gloves to use the cameras. [Three of them!] After about 20 minutes of breathtaking scenery I had to go down and soak my hands in water. There was almost unbearable pain in my fingers. The beach in Maui is looking very good right now. Did I tell you how cold it was?

We had lunch inside near a window and watched this frozen wilderness float by, just a few hundred yards away.

There are two scientist commentators on the bridge, giving narration on interesting things that are happening, as well as the history of explorers here, recent and otherwise. The wildlife is mainly seals and penguins. We did see a bit of a whale earlier and another a few minutes ago. We eventually retired to our cabin where we cranked up the heat and ordered large pots of hot tea. The bow camera is on the TV, so we can see what is coming up ahead. We have a grandstand view outside of the balcony. Did I tell you how cold it was?

What we have seen in these few hours alone far exceeds our expectations of the Antarctic portion of this trip. I had no idea that we would be cruising so close to the ice. The wildlife is a bonus, but after about two dozen seals and several hundred penguins and a whale tail or two, I am ready to start looking for something more interesting, like a hyena or leopard. It is interesting how the commentator can maintain his level of excitement on seals and penguins. It has been a wonderful day, far beyond what we ever dreamed to expect.

[65 degrees and 5 minutes south] that is our farthest point south before we had to turn about because of ice in the intended path. The ship will return to open ocean for the night, for safety reasons and return tomorrow for more ice experience, gradually making our way north.

One last thing, did I tell you how cold it was?

I found out the meaning of the word Antarctica: It is a native word for "If it gets any colder I am moving to Winnipeg."

The photo is of a well rounded iceberg that we floated by as we got up from the dinner table. The ship slowed and turned at the US Research Station at Palmer after dinner. Those poor souls there, they deserve every dollar they earn. Sunset was after 10 and sunrise was 4:57.

Antarctica Day 3

After spending the night safely out to sea, the ship returned to the islands and peninsula for more close ice cruising. By the way, this is an extremely large continent and we are merely putting around the Antarctica peninsula that juts up towards Chile.

After spending time going over the photos taken yesterday, I have decided to reread my camera manuals. I also wonder who besides us are ever going to look at all these pictures of mountains, glaciers, ice bergs , etc. It does help to pass the time away though. I think this is another cabin day, venturing out only for the most spectacular views. The views from the cabin alone are beyond anything I thought we would see.

Did I tell you how warm it is in the cabin?

To me, day three in the Antarctic is like day three on an African safari...you have seen the basics, now you want to see something really different. It really is a pity that after a while all this breathtaking scenery becomes the norm. This may not be the case for some who all their life have wanted to see this, or, have seen it before and keep coming back. The three specialists on board are in the latter category.

As I write this and turn my head out the balcony door there is ice and snow, glaciers, mountain peaks and ice bergs by the score. However my camera will come out for only the most unique iceberg. I did get up for the one in the photo though.

Today is a bit of a disappointment compared to yesterday regarding the weather. It is foggy and visibility is highly limited. Apparently 8 of 10 days down here are like this. We both have the sniffles so we don't mind a snug-down day. We are now heading in a north-westerly direction heading in the general direction of warmer waters.

We went for a brisk walk on the deck a few minutes ago. There was one other walker out there plus three waiters dressed in parkas trying to give away hot cider. I asked how business is, one of them said "down." It is really not too pleasant out, but I do believe it is warmer now already.

I noticed some die-hard computer nerds in the Internet as we came in, so I think I will try to send off some pre written messages. [No luck]. The ship is now turning around to give us all a better view of a rather large iceberg with a mass of penguins resting on it.

Best thing that happened today regarding wildlife. Oddly enough tonight there is a showing, again, of "The March of the Penguins". Amazing creatures. The version that we saw was French with English sub-titles. One person who has also seen the English language version said, "the English one is a documentary, the French one shows the sensitivety of life."

Tonight we will cruise safely around in a large open area east of Deception Island, an extinct volcano rim that is now a crescent, our ship will not go in, there are restrictions on how many ships can go in. It is about five miles in diameter. Tomorrow we head for Elephant Island, farther north, where Shakleton's men waited for him to return and rescue the. He did.

Day 4 in the Antarctic

FOG, FOG, FOG.

We started the day as usual at 6 ish with coffee. The visibility was about 1/2 mile, clearing occasionally as we went back from our safe spot overnight in more open sea to the ice. We were heading for iceberg alley, a spot where obviously the current takes bergs out into a different area. We were detoured by the fog. Change to plan 'C.'

It was not a great day as far as viewing was concerned, many people just took it as another sea day and hunkered down. I started to edit my video on the computer and then in the afternoon we spent most of it with a couple in our cabin on photos and the computer[s].

During the afternoon we did pull up alongside some fairly large bergs with penguins on them, fortunately always on our side of the ship. Since watching "The March of the Penguins" some of us have new-found respect for those little critters.

We then headed for Elephant Island, where Shackelton left 22 men to spend the winter [of 1916], where he and four others took a 22' open boat for help. He navigated many, many hundreds of miles to South Georgia Island where he eventually got the Chileans to rescue his men. We hope to land there in three days time.

If you ever have the time, read one of the many books about this great feat of leadership and endurance, which was the name of his ship.

The picture is of a berg that drifted by, Elephant Island is in the background.

Tomorrow we get back to a more normal routine, Tai Chi starts.

posted by Doug and Fellette @ 10:48 AM