December 1, 2011 and December 2, 2011 The days were spent cruising north to Macquarie Island. The time was spent attending lectures, cleaning our gear for our anticipated visit to Macquarie Island. The sea was rough with swells up to 20 -22 feet which was enough to cause some passengers to stay in their cabins. Other passengers boldly ventured outside on the fly bridge. (This is Laurie’s fourth visit to [...]
November 27, 2011 The Ross Ice Shelf came into view about noon. Size of France and is about 600 miles The vastness cannot be captured in with any lens. The icy cold winds coming off the shelf stirred my imagination about the explorers that had to tackle this massive piece of ice before beginning their journey to the south pole. November 28th, 2011 Sadly, we continued to head north out [...]
NOVEMBER 18TH, 2011 — 7PM Tomorrow will be another day of crushing ice as Coulman Island is still 170 miles away. Due to the large ice floes and sea currents, we have traveled only half as far as yesterday. Now we are heading in a southeasterly direction because that is where the lightest ice is taking us. Ice charts are not always accurate so the captain completed three helicopter recon [...]
NOVEMBER 15TH TUESDAY — SOUTHERN OCEAN 7AM Last night we were warned to expect the worst and to secure our items in our cabins. Surprisingly, most of us, I believe, slept well through the night to awake to very calm seas. The Southern Ocean has been flat like a lake nearly all day. We are ahead of schedule and should be in the pack ice by tomorrow at 10. November [...]
Friday – Nov. 11, 2011 This afternoon we conducted bio security which entailed of vacuuming out our personal backpacks and outer gear to prevent pathogens from being introduced into the delicate environment of the Subantarctic Islands. Also, attendance of the zodiac briefing was required to ensure everyone’s personal safety. Pete McClelland from the New Zealand Department of Conservation gave a lecture about the unique plant life and wildlife on the [...]
Tuesday – November 8, 2011: Anticipation is increasing. Tonight, I will meet the other travelers at a welcome dinner, then, in less than 36 hours, we will be on the Kapitan Khlebnikov departing Lyttelton. From my past Antarctica trips, I recall an exhilarating yet scary feeling watching the land become smaller and smaller and finally disappearing while the icebreaker departs the harbor. During the first seven days, we will see [...]
