Icetent.com/blog

Daily updates will begin around June 13. 2010

One of the lodges we are staying at is in the picture. They are only a few years old and very comfortable. There are no roads to the lodges, everything comes here by horseback.

We were told to expect a special meal today. We were served guinea pigs cooked underground. My first time eating rodent. It tastes something like duck.

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While in the Drake Passage, Stephen climbed the mast and brought down the halyard so a trysail could be hoisted to give us more speed.

We rounded Cape Horn under sail in bright moonlight Thursday morning at 3 AM. There was not much talking as we all watched respectfully from the deck and passed by one of the most famous, and infamous, places on earth.

In the last hours, I copied everyone’s digital pictures and videos onto my laptop: 26.3 gigabytes, 8,286 photos.

That night we glided to our moorings in Ushuaia, Argentina, experiencing the sights and sounds of civilization for the first time in a month. The next day brought the inevitable and surprisingly emotional break-up of ten people from seven nations, who had come together for a once in a lifetime experience.

Saturday evening we took in shore lines and left Barbara Bay for Buchanan Channel. We didn’t name the channel, it’s printed on the chart. Coincidentally it’s Barbara’s maiden name.
This passage of the Drake is a lot rougher than the last, even some of the crew are seasick. And our mainsail halyard has ripped free. It can’t be fixed without climbing the mast; however that’s dangerous in these seas. Therefore our speed is limited.
We hope to reach Cape Horn early Thursday.
I saw my first Albatross today.

We were scheduled to leave Antarctica at 5 AM today, however Stephen was not happy with the weather forecast. We would be sailing into the wind most of the way and have 60 knot winds off of Cape Horn. Not the best plan. Therefore we will be spending more time in Antarctica, perhaps three more days.
This afternoon we went ashore for a sliding contest. One picture is of the group, the other shows Julie, Audrey and Stephanie sliding down the hill on some of Xplore’s fenders tied together. My best slide was headfirst on my back with a large trash bag over my head. However Cecilia clearly had the distance record.

This morning Stephen, Serge, Sonia and myself took the zodiac out for some map making. These islands are mostly uncharted so with GPS, depth sounder, paper and pencil we tried to correct that condition. In the process we named Serge Rock and Barbara Bay.
Later in the day quite a few seals were spotted. One picture shows four Fur Seals and another is of a Crab Eater Seal. Thank you to Stephanie for the photos.
Stephanie, Serge and Audrey are from France. They tell me I am the only person they have ever known that has a French last name but speaks no French. They are amazed that such a thing is possible. They have convinced all aboard to use the French pronunciation of my name, so I am “Reechaaar” on board Xplore. I also receive daily French lessons.
Au revoir les amis, rendez-vous pour le prochain blog tout droit venu du fameux Drake

Today we moved down to the Pitt Islands. We passed through some ice in cold clear weather. One picture is James behind Julie while she is at the wheel.
We entered Troll Cove through a narrow passage with three feet of water under the keel and a glacier overhanging the boat. The picture doesn’t do the glacier justice, it extends much higher than my camera could record.
There is also a picture of the southern end of the LeMaire Channel.
Answers:
The ice is blue for the same reason the sky is blue, scattered light and the relative strength of the blue photon.
The countries represented on board are France (3), New Zealand (2), United Kingdom, Australia, Argentina, Germany and the USA.
It can be 70 degrees Fahrenheit in Antarctica because it is summer down here.

Last night we visited the 13 man Vernadsky Ukrainian station. They gave us an interesting tour of the base. It is the place where the hole in the ozone layer was first discovered.
The last stop on the tour was the bar where we were acquainted with a couple of the bases unofficial projects, making strong vodka, and seeing to it that visitors drink plenty of it. Today we are talking softly and sitting out a snowfall. My laundry froze on the rail last night before it was able to dry. It’s now hung in my tiny cabin.
Xplore is secured in place by means of shore lines. When we arrive at a new location Stephen finds a secluded area protected from icebergs. We drop anchor and back into the desired location. The zodiac is quickly launched and attaches heavy lines from the boat to shore at the four corners. The lines are tied to steel cables that are wrapped around large rocks on shore. Sometimes an acceptable spot is hard to find and requires going far back on shore. The lines are winched tight on board Xplore to secure us in place.
Pictured is a Weddell seal we found today.

Today we explored the ice caves on Galindez Island. One of the pictures shows Cecilia, Audrey and Stephen in the ice cave. Another shows me climbing up the outside to the entrance. The caves where deep and very difficult in places but Stephen took in small groups throughout the afternoon.
Back on board Xplore we used the warm sun to dry out and do some laundry. The hatch in my cabin was opened for the first time since we departed Ushuaia.
This evening we are invited to the Ukrainian station nearby.
Congratulations to the Steelers for their last minute Super Bowl victory.

Today we moved to an Adelie penguin rookery on Yalour Island. Glacier came ashore and was a big hit. The chicks were large and molting, not very cute to be honest.
Later we moved to the Ukranian station at Stella Creek. On the way we spotted several Humpback whales, and came close to two. This time I left my camera in my pocket and simply enjoyed the experience.
The good news is the bread I made was a big hit. The bad news is now I have to make more.

Everyone helps out in the galley preparing meals. I made the mistake of admitting I had made bread. Actually all I had done was put some ingredients in a bread machine and pressed the start button, a few hours later I had bread. Anyway, today it was my job to make bread so I opened the “Joy of Cooking” book, found a recipe and made bread. It looks good but nobody has had the courage to eat it yet.
This afternoon Stephanie and I climbed 1,200 foot high Mount Hovgaard on Hovgaard Island. The view from the top is spectacular in every direction. In the iceberg picture you can see Xplore near the bottom and to the left. The other picture shows the LeMaire Channel entrance in the center of the picture.

This morning we investigated Circumcision Bay where the Charcot Expedition wintered a hundred years ago. In the bay we found a Leopard Seal, about nine feet long, on an ice flow. We were able to get to within a few feet and took some nice pictures.
In the afternoon we sailed down the LeMaire Channel. A narrow passage with mountains and glaciers on both sides, incredibly beautiful.
On the down side we have decided to stop serving red wine at lunch. The reason is we only have enough red wine for 3 or 4 bottles per day until the end of the trip. And we are completely out of fresh apples and pears. We will try and survive.

Today we moved to Port Charcot, a historic site dating back to 1909. Google Charcot and Antarctica if you are interested. The weather is not very good so we are staying inside today and hope to venture out tomorrow. This is Antarctica and perfect days like yesterday don’t come very often.
Our keel touched bottom yesterday as we were attempting to find a way out of an ice filled Port Lockroy. No disaster since we have a steel hull and Stephen was going dead slow. But not something that brings a smile to anyone’s face either. Audrey and Simon took a portable depth sounder out in the zodiac and found a route with enough water for Xplore.

This morning while I was on deck talking with Barbara on the satellite phone a glacier on the other side of the bay calved. An enormous section of the glacier fell into the water sending a wave the surged around the bay for some time. One of our mooring lines snapped under the strain. The sight and sounds were very impressive; unfortunately Barbara could only get a verbal description of what we were observing.
Later in the day we visited the historic British station at Port Lockroy and we purchased some items from the gift shop there. Stephen invited the three women that work at the station to take and afternoon sail with us to an abandoned Chilean station down the channel. After that they were our guests for dinner.
Warm sun all day and fantastic views, temperature about 70. I understand there is a snow storm back in Massachusetts.

This morning, in light snow, we went for a cruise in the Zodiac and visited several icebergs. One had a hole in it that we were able to take the boat through. What looks like a crack in the picture is actually dark blue ice.
James spotted a few Weddell seals on a small, football field sized island. The island at 64° 33.231′ South, 61° 59.715′ West is charted but unnamed. As the first ashore I took the liberty of naming it Carter Island. When I am home I will contact the Antarctic Naming Committee and try to make the name official. The seals were huge and not intimidated by us. We were able to approach within a few feet for pictures.
On the beach I collected a number of interesting stones. Enough to give one to each student of Miss Hughes’ Fisher School class.

This morning six of us climbed Enterprise Island in strong wind and light snow. A wonderful view even with the limited visibility.
After a big lunch we ran the generator and water maker so we could have hot showers. Xplore is like home now, very comfortable and the meals are first class. The boat being from Australia we have “A Cuppa” (coffee, tea or hot chocolate) all day long. Choosing the right wine and music is a regular topic of conversation.
The ten of us seem to be compatible, a good laugh is a regular occurrence. We have no difficulty agreeing on where we want Xplore to go and what we will do there. Stephen, the captain, will take us wherever we choose, if ice and weather allow.
One picture is from Enterprise Island with icebergs in the distance. The other shows the grounded Norwegian whaler we are moored to and Explores mast behind. Both shots are a little blurred from the snow.

Failing to find good holding ground after a wind change, we sailed out of Deception at midnight. Crossing from the Shetland Islands to the mainland was very rough. Happily I was not the least seasick. We spent an idyllic day today sailing down the Gerlache Straits in the warm sun, about 20 degrees.
In the afternoon three enormous Humpback Whales showed up to play. They circled the boat, passed under the boat, sometimes surfacing slowly just inches away from us. Ten cameras where clicking away as they rolled, blew, growled and splashed alongside Xplore for some time. An incredible experience!
This evening we are at Nansen Island moored to a wrecked Norwegian whaling boat in a tiny bay surrounded by high glaciers on all sides.

This morning we arrived at Deception Island and sailed inside. Deception is a sunken dormant volcano that last erupted in 1969. Neptune’s Bellows, a narrow channel, leads into the volcano’s crater where we dropped anchor in Whaler Bay near an abandoned whaling base.
We did some exploring in the morning and went for a swim in the afternoon. The volcano’s thermal vents heat the water in places, sometimes to hot for comfort. The picture is myself, Stephanie, James and Serge enjoying an Antarctic swim in the crater of a volcano, a first for us all. Several penguins swam with us.

This morning we went ashore on King George Island. A Chinstrap penguin walked right up to us as if to welcome us to Antarctica. The picture is attached. There is also a picture of Glacier the Penguin sitting on a whale bone with Xplore in the background.
Men from the Brazilian base on the other side of the peninsular drove ATV’s to our anchorage to say hello. Unfortunately they rolled an ATV and a man broke his arm. Audrey landed our Zodiac and took the injured man back to his base by water.
The base commander insisted we visit the base so they could say thank you. In the afternoon we brought Xplore around to the base and spent the rest of the day being treated like royalty. On arrival they asked our nationalities, we are ten people from seven nations. For the afternoon the base flew the flags of our seven countries beneath the flag of Brazil. Impressive to think a Brazilian base flew the Stars and Stripes just because I was there. The base is large and very impressive with many scientific projects underway.
During our stay a small iceberg drifted against Xplore. Stephen and Audrey spent about an hour making sure the berg didn’t damage Xplore or ground on our anchor.
We have departed King George Island and will spend the night sailing to Deception Island.