Having waited for years since first realising that it is possible and months since booking, finally I was visiting Antarctica! The night before embarking I met two Canadians who had just returned and they spent the evening regaling me with tales of their trip. I was far too excited to sleep. The only instance I can remember ever anticipating so …

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Due to bad weather conditions we had to forgo our early morning (05:30) landing at Baily Head on Deception Island. This weather is typical of the location but it doesn’t deter the large number (>100,000) of Chinstrap penguins whose Rookery is there. My first sight of land in over 48 hours was of Deception Island, so called because there …

On Christmas Eve I awoke to find that we had arrived in Foyn Harbour on Enterprise Island. It was a complete contrast to yesterday. The sun was out, reflecting off the glistening snow-covered mountains and glaciers and the icebergs and bergy bits that floated in the deep blue sea. Finally, the Antarctica of my dreams.
We had our first Zodiac …

The trip was planned in such a way that we reached our southernmost latitude (65°10’S, 64°07’W) on Christmas Day. After breakfast most passengers went on deck to watch as we passed through the narrow Lemaire Channel. We set off in Zodiacs to explore the Penola Strait. We saw a hauled-out Weddel Seal, cruised around the …

The morning began with the usual cheerful, early morning wake-up call. Snow had fallen throughout the night but by the time we arose blue, cloudless skies and calm waters combined to provide us with an unbelievably stunning inaugural view of Neko Harbour. The snow-covered mountains were reflected in the still waters. The effect was amplified as …

We were awokwn, again very early, by Chris wishing us `Good Morning´. His voice is far more effective than any alarm clock I have ever used. We were to visit Wiencke Island and Port Lockroy this morning. The custodian of Port Lockroy came aboard to explain the history of this British base and how it had been meticulously restored. We …

Our astonishing run of good luck held as we re-crossed a relatively calm Drake Passage. It always seemed to become roughest at mealtimes. We became experts at judging the swell so that we could catch our glasses. I don’t know how the waitress served us in a tight skirt and heels though. These days were spent attending lectures, …