Antarctica - Expedition Day 1

Argentina | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Ultramarine

After boarding our ship the Ultramarine we were ready to start the main part of our adventure, but the ship stayed docked due to high winds. After a few hours we eventually left port and sailed out of the safe confines of the Beagle Channel and into the rough waters of the Drake Passage. After a night of moderate rocking we awoke to find ourselves still at the Beagle Channel. Overnight the ship had turned back due to a storm in the Drake Passage. The captain waited until evening before making another attempt. We succeeded and began the two day journey across the passage to Antarctica. Unfortunately we had lost a day which meant we would only have four days to explore the continent. Luckily those remaining days all had good weather and were completely packed with activities.

Near the end of our second day across the Drake Passage we got our first sighting of whales which included fin and humpback whale. Soon afterwards we sighted land at the South Shetland islands. It was New Year's Eve so we joined the crew and passengers at a party to celebrate the new year. It was a social situation I didn't enjoy, but I did take part in the traditional champagne toast at midnight. The sun was setting around 11pm this far south so it wasn't dark when the new year rang in.

Our adventures finally started the morning of New Years Day. The ship first stopped at Portal Point and we took a helicopter flight to a plateau on the Antarctic Peninsula for a snowshoe hike. The hike was short and easy due to the unknown state of the glacier and the varying fitness levels of the group, but we may have been the first people to walk that area. More exciting was the helicopter flight which provided great views of icebergs, mountains and glaciers.

In the afternoon the ship moved to Graham Passage and from there we embarked on our first zodiac cruise. The heavy-duty inflatable zodiacs held ~15 people and were used for most of the activities we did during the trip. For this day's trip we toured around the passage getting close up views of icebergs and glaciers. We also sighted humpback whales and gentoo penguins along the way.

Once back at the ship we got ready for a polar plunge which was a jump into the open Antarctic water. It was cold, but not much different from jumping into mountain lakes at home. We got a shot of vodka after the plunge to help recover. After that the ship set course for the next day's activities at Fournier Bay.