Cooper Bay - 21/1/2012

Cooper Bay 21/1/2012 – morning landing
There were flakes of snow on deck this morning, and our passage along South Georgia’s coast was characterised by sightings of increasingly large ice-cubes in the water, bergs bobbing on the horizon and immense glaciers that forced the mountainous terrain to part and swept like giant pistes towards the coast, before concluding in luminous-blue cliff faces that crumbled, almost chalk-like, into the crashing surf below.

The M/S Expedition cruises past luminous Antarctic glaciers

Our morning landing was made at Cooper Bay, to the far Eastern tip of South Georgia. This was macaroni territory, but these dumpy little penguins – who closely resemble the rockhoppers – offer far less accessible viewing, in comparison to the Kings. We scrambled up a rocky slope, dodging fur seals and blubber slugs, clinging to thick tufts of tussock grass as we heaved ourselves over the hummocks so that we could peer down onto the Macaroni colony.

I can see you! - Macaroni penguins hide in the tussock grass

Sleepy fur seal at Cooper Bay

Macaroni penguins at Cooper Bay

Macaroni's live on the cliff top at Cooper Bay

After a spectacular viewing and safe descent, we boarded the M/S Expedition again and travelled up some of South Georgia’s the narrow fjords to gaze in awe at steep-sided gorges and gigantic glaciers, But before embarking on our two day voyage across the Scotia Sea to the South Shetlands and Elephant Island, my companion Sally and I decided to mark our departure of South Georgia with a polar plunge. We stripped to our swimming costumes and leapt into the near-frozen waters, which petrified our vocal chords and turned our toes glacier-blue. Luckily, the M/S Expedition has a sauna, which we had made certain was turned right up before we made the splash.

The M/S Expedition journeys up narrow fjords to find immense glaciers

My first polar plunge!

Still alive after the Antarctic freeze!

This blog-post forms part of a series of adventures experienced on-board the M/S Expedition in January 2012, whilst on an Antarctic Cruise - The Spirit of Shackleton - courtesy of Gadventures

St Andrews, Molke Harbour and Gold Harbour 20/1/2012

Molke Harbour - 20/1/2012: morning landing (2^nd attempt!)

We awoke just offshore from South Georgia’s biggest King Penguin rookery and elephant seal breeding ground but, alas, after a glimpse of the beach from the deck of the M/S Expedition, we had to abandon our proposed landing, due to rough sea conditions. Our prolonged spell of sunny days and calm seas had passed, and we were now given a true taste of the Antarctic weather. We moved onto a more sheltered landing at Moltke Harbour and, as we rode the Zodiacs to shore, the 30 knot winds scratched at our cheeks as if filled with tiny shards of glass and we received a drenching of salt water as we soared over the waves and smashed into the troughs.

Snoozy blubber slugs at Molke Harbour

Headed for a view of Moltke’s cascading waterfalls, interlocking spurs and impressive gorges, we battled against the now 40 knot gusts as we picked our way past teeth-barring fur seals, held our noses as we skirted blubber slug wallows, kept as respectful distance from malting penguins and crossed fast flowing rivers, where the water sloshed dangerously close to the top of our wellies.

Young male elephant seal awakes at Molke harbour

 Hats were blown off in the wind, wellie-boots were sucked off in the mud, noses were numbed and socks were soaked  but Molke Harbour rewarded us with one of the most impressive displays of elephant seal sparring seen so far on the trip: every 15 minutes or so, one of the adolescent blubber slugs at the far end of the sandy beach would rouse themselves from their slumber with a resonating belch, curve their immense trunk-like torsos in the air, widen their goggley eyes and bare their teeth at one of their playmates. A few minutes of body slaps and sparring would ensue, punctuated with reverberating gurgles, burps and toilet noises that echoed deep within their cavities.

Sparring elephant seals at Molke Harbour

Blubber slug in hiding

Gold Harbour 20/1/2012 –afternoon landing

Our missed opportunity at St Andrews Bay was remedied with a fantastic afternoon at Gold Harbour. This long stretch of sandy beach is home to an immense rookery of King Penguins, who position themselves conveniently on an elevated beach platform, allowing easy viewing of the incubating eggs which rest on their feet.

Penguin power at Gold Harbour

Emperor Penguin adults - by Sally Wiltshire

Emperor penguin chicks at Gold Harbour

Greeted ashore by our usual welcoming committee of diving fur seals, waddling penguins and nonchalant blubber slugs, three hours of wildlife watching passed in minutes as we became welcome guests of hundreds of thousands of accommodating King penguins. We watched male and female Kings make egg exchanges; saw nesting parents peck and squawk as passers-by; witnessed mums and dads regurgitate meals of krill down the necks of their demanding offspring; filmed squabbling penguins as they slapped each other with their flippers; allowed curious yearlings to peck at our bags and, on occasion, jump on our backs; tensed as the skuas soared above the rookery; saw snowy sheathbills bounce around on the bow of a Zodiac; purred back at sea pups and growled at the larger fur seals that bounded towards us.

Elephant seals and Emperors - everyone's malting at Gold Harbour 

Getting friendly at Gold Harbour - by Sally Wiltshire

This blog-post forms part of a series of adventures experienced on-board the M/S Expedition in January 2012, whilst on an Antarctic Cruise - The Spirit of Shackleton - courtesy of Gadventures

Back to bay of Islets:19/1/2012 morning landing

Retracing our passage yesterday evening, we made an early start today and were woken at 5:30am by the soft Argentinian tones of our expedition leader, Julio. We had reached Prion Island – an off-shore outcrop and breeding ground for albatross’ in the Bay of Isles.

Prion Island has been made visitor-proof, by installing a wooden boardwalk that climbs the hillside to offer a view of these immense birds as they lie in their nests with an astounding view of the white mountains on the horizon, green islands and broken rock in the bay below and, as usual, the sparring fur-seals, curious pups and occasional blubber slugs on the shore below.

Stunning early-morning view from Prion Island

Clear views and calm seas at Prion Island

Nesting albatross hides in the tussock grass at Prion Island

Nesting albatross at Prion Island

Fur seals awake at Prion Island

Female elephant seals, or 'blubber slugs' at Prion Island

This blog-post forms part of a series of adventures experienced on-board the M/S Expedition in January 2012, whilst on an Antarctic Cruise - The Spirit of Shackleton - courtesy of Gadventures

At Sea: 15-17/1/2012

…which it didn’t. But luckily, I had found my sea-legs and could start to enter into the true spirit of Shackleton, experiencing the reality of an Antarctic expedition as the ship pitched and swayed across the Scotia Sea; feeling my mattress slide off my bed and back; seeing my books rush off the shelves and crash on the floor; clinging to the taps as I skidded in the shower; hearing the glasses behind the bar tinkle and crash; wincing as unfortunate passengers slipped on the deck; and watching the waiters counter-balance their trays of crockery as the floor of the dining room listed to port, then starboard, then port and back again.

Gadventure lectures in the Discovery Lounge

Days at sea on-board the M/S Expedition follow a full program of lectures, meals, socialising and whale watching: if weren’t riding out the swell in the lounge area, we were attending penguin, seal, whale, environmental and history lectures, delivered by Gadventures team of specialists; watching albatrosses and petrels hover above the surf at our stern; gorging ourselves in the dining room; spotting dolphins and seals as they lurched above the choppy waters around the ship; or looking out for the blow of fin whales and humpbacks: one morning, the blows went up right beside my breakfast table, as I was busy buttering my second piece of toast. Breeching followed the blows and we identified a pod of fin whales as they lurched out of the water to the ship’s bow. The show concluded with a spectacular dive as one whale displayed its magnificent tails as it made a slow, controlled descent to the ocean depths.

Whale watching from the stern

In preparation for South Georgia, we attended a rigorous environmental briefing, which included rucksack and Velcro vacuuming, as well as boot scrubbing and disinfecting: with strict environmental procedures in place, every effort is made to avoid introducing new species to the island, and so traces of plants and seeds had to be sucked off our clothes and bags, and soils and animal traces were washed away.

Sunny Stanley - Sunday 15th Jan

A few days into our Antarctic cruise, it seemed odd to see classic English phone-booths and red letter boxes as we walked ashore at Stanley this morning. Before exploring the town, we rambled to Gypsy Cove and clambered over the dunes – avoiding the land mines – to find a group of pink-faced magellanic penguins and a lone king penguin waddling around in the silicon-like sand and surfing the shore break. The king had apparently come ashore to malt – a rather uncomfortable time for a penguin, when its sheds its worn-out coat for an entire new plumage on an annual basis.

White sands and megellanic penguins at Gypsy Cove

Stanley itself is a peaceful town of colourful, corrugated iron houses and welcoming inhabitants - known as ‘kelpers’ - who are keen to chat about the history and daily life of their island. Stanley has roads but no traffic lights and no native trees. The gardens here are dressed in colourful flowers and organic vegetable patches burst with green leaves; “we grow these out of necessity – we need to eat,” one elderly resident informed me; “gardening in Stanley is not just for fun!”. After we'd hiked across the island, perused the gift shops and sunk a few beers in The Globe, the Gadventures team shuttled us back to the ship to continue our Antarctic cruise.

Stanley's colourful houses

Beers at the Globe in Stanley

Now back onboard the M/S Expedition, we enter the next chapter of our Spirit of Shackleton adventure and face two days at sea, on our voyage southwards to South Georgia. Sea-sickness tablets in our stomachs and sick-buckets on standby, we’re all hoping that the Antarctic weather will stay calm for the crossing…

This blog-post forms part of a series of adventures experienced on-board the M/S Expedition in January 2012, whilst on an Antarctic Cruise - The Spirit of Shackleton - courtesy of Gadventures

West Point Island

West Point Island, to the north of New Island, was the Spirit of Shackleton's afternoon anchorage. Disembarking the M/S Expedition, we walked under a hot sun across sheep-nibbled fields and clambered through jungle-like tussock grasses to Devil’s Nose, to spy on nesting albatrosses and rockhopper penguins, which lay centimetres from the concealed pathway.

Nesting albatross' at West Point Island

After staying long enough to observe them without disturbing their daily nesting and feeding schedule, we made for the home of West Point’s owners - Lilly and Roddy Napier - where we swung open the white picket gate, wandered through their sweet smelling cottage garden and were welcomed into their home where we were greeted by a table piled high with coffee cake, Victoria sponge, ginger loaf, raspberry macaroons, lemon tarts, cheese scones, jam puffs, chocolate brownies, vanilla biscuits, cinnamon cookies, huge urns of hot tea and a jumble of bone-china tea cups and saucers. We each indulged in platefuls of cake and biscuits whilst we lounged in their beautiful garden and soaked up the Antarctic rays.

Feeding time on West Point Island

Lupins in the Napier's 'English cottage garden'

New Island - Sat 14th

New Island

Penguins! Our first landing was on New Island; one of the Falkland’s smaller chunks of quartzite rock. The archipelago’s most westerly inhabited island, New Island lies to the far east of West Falkland and is home to unique wildlife and an astounding rookery of rockhopper Penguins, black-browed albatrosses and Antarctic Shags.

Rockhoppers at New Island: First landing on Spiritr of Shackleton  Antarctic cruise

Stepping off the M/S Expedition for the first time, we travelled to the shore via Zodiac, and made a wet landing alongside a rusting wreck, guarded by rooks. We ambled across to the windward side of New Island, stopping where the cliffs gave way to a rocky amphitheatre, populated by hundreds of rockhoppers. The squat little penguins glowered as we approached, fixing us with their fierce red eyes – if it wasn’t for their ridiculous, yellow spikey hair-dos and hilarious two-footed hops up and down the rock-face, they would have seemed almost menacing. The rockhoppers’ fluffy grey chicks squawked loudly in their pebbly nests and, at just 5 weeks old, they were close in height to their parents but their fuzzy coats and downy wings bore little resemblance to the white torsos and black wings that characterise the mature rockhoppers.

Chilled-out Chick: New Island 

Sharing the same cliff-face were one the Antarctic’s biggest birds; the black-browed albatross have a wingspan of around 2.5 metres, which they enjoyed displaying as they made a big show of flying over our heads and crash-landing by their nests. Alongside the rockhoppers and albatrosses were a few hundred shags, characterised by their electric-blue eyeliner and golden-yellow face markings. But as we watched the shags nibble their young in conical nests, the penguins hop and squabble along the cliff face and the albatrosses swoop and soar above them, a menacing and uninvited guest lurked on the fringe of the rookery; bloody-faced and beady-eyes, the skua is a keen enemy of nesting birds. Active predators of eggs and chicks, these dirty-golden slayers have frequently capture penguin chicks, despite weighing in around 5 times less.

Albatross' nest alongside rockhoppers and shags at New Island

This blog-post forms part of a series of adventures experienced on-board the M/S Expedition in January 2012, whilst on an Antarctic Cruise - The Spirit of Shackleton - courtesy of Gadventures

A bumpy ride

The M/S Expedition disembarked Ushuaia at 6pm yesterday (Thursday 12^th), with just over 100 passengers and 50-odd staff members. Destined for The Falkland Islands, we’ve skirted the eastern end of the Drake Passage and are now headed north-east. Scheduled to arrive in the Falkland Islands tomorrow morning (Friday 13^th), we’ve been briefed on Falkland history and birdlife, as well as how to dress ourselves in the mud-room and board our boat-to-shore vessels, or ‘Zodiacs'.

M/S Expedition departs Ushuaia for the Spirit of Shackleton  Antarctic cruise

Followed by albatross at our stern, dolphins were spotted this morning and the bird-watchers amongst us have been on-board for much of the day, peering through binoculars and extra-long zoom lenses. But for many, - myself included - the rough seas have been too much today and several hours have been spent watching the horizon soar and plummet through the port-holes of our cabins. Anti-nausea tablets are slowly taking a hold of the situation now and we’re beginning to find our sea legs but we’re all welcoming reconnecting with terra-firma tomorrow…

Safety onboard the M/S Expedition


This blog-post forms part of a series of adventures experienced on-board the M/S Expedition in January 2012, whilst on an Antarctic Cruise - The Spirit of Shackleton - courtesy of Gadventures

Arrival in Ushuaia

Day one of the Spirit of Shackleton Antarctic cruise with Gadventures: Landing in Ushuaia was remarkable. Three and a half hours after leaving Buenos Aires, we descended over the lakes and bogs of the Tierra del Fuego National Park: a wilderness reserve backed by immense mountains that look as if they’ve been hacked and torn at with a pair of scissors. Here, plateaued glaciers lick towards the valley floors and snow-filled basins contrast the rough-edged silhouette of the Andes mountains as they conclude their epic journey along South America’s western coastline and dissolve into the Beagle Channel.

The jagged silhouette of the Andes form the backdrop to Ushuaia

On arrival at tiny Ushuaia airport, customs consisted of a quick rifle through my rucksack and then it was a thirty peso, ten minute taxi ride to the centre of Ushuaia. With the airport to the west and the prison building of this former penal colony to the east, the most southerly city in the world sprawls along the Beagle Channel. As part and parcel of the  Spirit of Shackleton Antarctic cruise, Gadventures had booked me into the Cilene Del Faro spa hotel and my suite had an uninterrupted view of the harbour through room-length windows; I watched the ice-breakers and cruise-ships depart for - and return from - their Antarctic voyages, and waited in anticipation to catch my first glimpse of the M/S Expedition: my home for the next 3 weeks. It was early evening by the time I made it out onto St Martin - Ushuaia's main street-  for dinner at an Argentinian restaurant, and the evening was well under-way by the time I made it down the harbour to join the groups of tourists who amassed around the harbour, but by the time I made my way to bed, the sun was still hovering above the horizon.

First glimpse of Gadventures Antarctic cruise ship: The M/S Expedition

Lifetime imprisonment
On my first night at the end of the world, the sun finally set at 11pm and my plans to lie-in the following morning were interrupted by a 5:30 sunrise. No problem though, the early start gave me plenty of time to peruse the shops and cafes of St Martin high-street before visiting the prison - turned - museum and art gallery; this unique attraction houses masses of artefacts, with separate galleries dedicated to a history of Ushuaia, Antarctic exploration, the prison itself, contemporary artworks and penguin exhibits, with elements of each showcased in the original cells. One wing of the prison has been left in its original form, where you can shut yourself in a cell and imagine the days spent here by some of Argentina’s most notorious criminals and political prisoners – chilling stuff!

Former cell-life at Ushuaia museum

This blog-post forms part of a series of adventures experienced on-board the M/S Expedition in January 2012, whilst on an Antarctic Cruise - The Spirit of Shackleton - courtesy of Gadventures

A little bit about Ushuaia...

The first stop on my Antarctic trip will be right on the tip of South America  in the  Argentinian settlement of Ushuaia, dubbed as ‘the most southerly city on earth’. With regular flights arriving from Buenos Aires, and Antarctic cruises departing from the port, summer will be particularly busy in this end of the world destination.

Street-life at the bottom of the world, by Luis Argerich

The capital of Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego province, Ushuaia is overlooked by the Marshal Mountain range and set beside the Beagle Channel. First settled by the Selk’nam Indians around 10,000 years ago, HMS Beagle reached Ushuaia in 1833, and British missionaries began settling here from 1869 onwards, living amongst the indigenous Yámana people. Today, Ushuaia is a well-established settlement with schools, hospitals and an efficient transport infrastructure in place.

Cruise boats waiting in the Beagle Channel, by Liam Quinn

The prison buildings
1873 saw the establishment of Ushuaia as a penal colony for notorious Argentinian criminals and re-offenders; the first prison opened and received inmates in 1896, with a second prison opening in 1906. The prisons were later combined, and life in Ushuaia in the early 20th century revolved around prison life and employment. They were closed in 1947 due to poor practice, and the buildings became a Spanish Naval base until the early 1990s. Today, the buildings house the well-respected, Museo Maritimo de Ushuaia.

A reminder of the city's former inhabitants, by Longhorndave

The southernmost city in the world?
There are settlements farther south, but Ushuaia is considered the most significant - the Chilean settlement of Puerto Williams is a close contender, though it lacks city status.

Temperatures in Ushuaia range from around 1.6 °C July to 10.4 °C in January, although lows of −25 °C and highs of 29 °C have been recorded in the past. Surprisingly humid, Ushuaia is subject to strong winds and snowfall.

Penguin spotting in Tierra del Fuego, by Leandro Neumann Ciuffo

Fishing, oil extraction, industry and sheep farming are all important occupations this far south, but in recent history, Ushuaia has firmly put itself on the map as a base for eco and adventure tourism. The Tierra del Fuego National Park is one of the main tourist highlights in the area, and visitors who come for hiking and wildlife watching often choose to access the park via the historic ‘End of the World Train’. Ushuaia’s more adventurous visitors might also try scuba diving or sea kayaking and, in winter, Ushuaia boasts the southern-most ski resort in the world, Cerro Castor. Though many come purely to appreciate the penguins and seal colonies that populate the Beagle Channel, enjoy bird watching and whale spotting, and soak up the atmosphere at the bottom of planet earth.

Photo by Leonora Enking

January in Antarctica

Spending three weeks 'down south' this January, I'll be experiencing Antarctica in the height of summer, but it'll be a far cry from sunbeds and sandcastles...

Summer evenings in Antarctica, by Liam Quinn

January's Climate

Antarctica’s short summer is an important period of birth, growth and feeding in Antarctica, where long days and bright sunshine characterise the continent. December and January are the warmest months but climatic conditions and daylight will vary hugely, across this immense landmass, which can be divided into three distinct zones:

The Interior
The coldest area of the continent is characterised by extreme cold, blizzards, high winds, temperature inversions and light snowfall. The interior receives the least direct sunshine, has a high altitude, is plunged into darkness during the winter months and will be witness to the midnight sun in January. Its distance from the sea means that it received no warming effect from the water and January temperatures often peak at around -30°C.

Coastal Areas
With the tempering influence of the ocean, the coastal areas experience milder temperatures and more snow. January temperatures can reach 9°C. In January, northern coastal areas will experience bright sunshine, with stunning sunrises and sunsets.

Adele Penguin Creche, by Liam Quinn

The Peninsula
This is as far south as my trip will take me and, reaching much further north than the rest of the continent, the climate here will be warmer and wetter, with January temperatures above freezing. At times, fierce westerly winds and wild storms can also characterise the Antarctic Peninsula, which can bring icy winds and immense waves. Despite the bright sunshine, wind chill is a major factor throughout the year on the Peninsula, so I’ll be taking lots of layers and a windproof parka, as well as shades and sunscreen!

January’s wildlife

Following a month of warm weather in December, receding sea-ice in January will make navigation and shore landings easier, maximising our chances of getting up-close and personal with the Antarctic species.

Penguin Chicks, by Liam Quinn

With the sun remaining above the horizon for 24 hours a day at the south-pole, and the rest of the continent experiencing extended daylight hours, the continent will be making the most of the long, bright days, when phytoplankton grows rapidly to produce a vital food source for krill – the basis of the Antarctic food chain.

January is an exciting time for witnessing animal behaviour, when penguin chicks hatch; fur, crabeater and leopard seal pups can be seen feeding on squid and finfish; and whale sightings become increasingly prolific - summer is a core feeding time for humpbacks, and many other species.

Seal Pup, by Liam Quinn

To see the Antarctic summer in action, watch the third episode in the Attenborough's BBC polar series: Frozen Planet - Summer.

Photographer Liam Quinn joined the Spirit of Shackleton expedition in January 2011 - see more of his photos on his Flickr photostream

Off to Antarctica - my trip to come

Photo by John E. Lester

As a prize for winning the Guardian's 2011 'Adventure' Travel Writing Competition, for my entry about the Amazon,  I'll be heading to Antarctica on the 10th of Jan, for a three week tour of the coldest, windiest place on earth, courtesy of G-adventures. I'm going to be blogging about my adventures before, during and after right here.

Let's kick off with an overview of the trip...

Flying from London to Ushusaia, via Amsterdam and Buenos Aires, my first adventure will be one heck of a plane ride, to get myself to the southern-most city in the world, where my G-adventures expedition begins.

Day 1 will be spent on the shores of the Beagle Channel: Ushuaia was originally inhabited by the Yamna people and was once a penal colony for political prisoners and hardened criminals. I'll be interested to see how tourism has shaped the modern-day town, which is now a hopping-off point for Antarctic cruises, as well as a magnet for skiers, hikers and nature lovers.

Photo by 23am.com

Day 2 is the day we set sail. Embarking on our vessel - the M/S Expedition -  at 4pm, I'm looking forward to exploring the ship and meeting my fellow passengers.

Day 3 is a school day
En-route to the Falkland Islands, we'll begin our lecture and information sessions to start discovering all about the human and natural history of the Antarctic region.

Day 4-5 we set foot on The Falkland Islands 
Experiencing the biological diversity and scenery of the southern islands, I've been promised penguins, elephant seals, sea lions, king cormorants, black-browed albatross, skuas, night herons, giant petrels, striated caracaras, plenty of sheep, and some hardy local inhabitants.

Day 6-7 School time in the Southern Ocean
On course for South Georgia, we'll spend more time at school to prepare us for South Georgia, with the distraction of sea bird and whale-watching en-route.

Day 8-11 South Georgia - the true spirit of Shackleton
I can't wait to follow in Shackleton's steps, see his grave, walk through the former whaling stations and be bombarded by king penguins. If this doesn't mean much to you, then book yourself a few hours to watch this fantastic 4OD film about his South Georgia self-rescue.

                     Photo from www.shackletoncentenary.org

Apparently, there's around 300,000 elephant seals, 3 million fur seals, and 25 species of breeding birds, a king penguin rookery of 100,000 and around five million macaroni penguins - good job i got a new camera for Christmas.

Day 12-13 Shackleton's Scotia Sea voyage
Retracing Shackleton's epic sea voyage, we'll be sailing towards Elephant Island in the South Shetland Islands, where the rest of his expedition team, awaited his return. The  rich nutrients of the Scotia Sea, make for an abundance of whales, seals, and seabirds.

Day 14-17 Setting foot on the white continent
Four days exploring the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula! The weather makes the rules down here but, if all goes to plan, we'll be standing next to penguins, sighting whales, watching seals in the  ice floes, seeing the wingspan of the albatross and visiting scientific research bases, all with a backdrop of  ice-choked waterways, glistening icebergs, immense glaciers and snow-capped mountains.

Day 18-19 back via the Drake Passage
Sailing north across the Drake Passage, there'll be two more days to absorb the epic scenery of the south before arriving back in Argentina.

Day 20 Goodbye Ushuaia 
Ending as we started, we arrive back in Ushuaia before the long flight home.