Cape Horn and Antarctica

Our adventure continued as the ship left the port of Ushuaia. Captain Chris Norman made an announcement for all passengers that he made a decision to delay our trip south past Cape Horn. There was a very large weather system headed right into our path which would cause 90 mph winds and 36-foot-high waves. By staying in the protected waters for an extra 24 hours, we would miss the bad weather. So, the Captain did circles within the Beagle Channel for a full day before we started the trip down to Cape Horn.

On Christmas Eve, our ship was doing what many explorers have done before us on their way to Antarctica. One of them was Charles Darwin and wrote about his experience in his journals. On December 24, 1932 Charles Darwin was on the expedition team of the S.S. Beagle headed to Antarctica. Their captain decided to spend an extra day in the protection of the bays north of Cape Horn to allow bad weather to pass over. Once the storm had passed, they completed a successful exploration trip to Antarctica.

Just like the S.S. Beagle, by Christmas Day the storm passed us. We were able to have a much calmer crossing around Cape Horn and through the Drake Passage. While there were large waves and the ship rocked back and forth, we were both lucky to avoid any sea sickness that the Drake Passage is so well known for. The clouds cleared just as the ship approached the Cape. The view of Cape Horn was amazing. We were lucky to see hundreds of albatross birds flying around looking for food. 

After a full day at sea, we arrived at Dullman Bay, Antarctica. The beauty of the vast white landscape is hard to put into words. The water is a deep blue and the land is covered in the most pristine white ice. The mountains stick out over the low cloud cover.

The night we arrived in Antarctica the weather was perfect. Low winds, sunshine and around 30 degrees. The sun doesn’t set this time of year until after midnight which allowed us several hours of viewing. Our timing was just right to see more than 25 humpback whales swimming all around us in the bay. Looking out on either side of the ship we could see the plumes of spray in the water where the whales swimming. Within moments we could see them coming out of the water as they dove down with their tails in the air. It was an amazing site to see!

In the evening, the light was amazing. The sun glistened off the water and the ice covered mountains.

The next morning, we were thrilled to see more beautiful Antarctic landscape near the United States supported Palmer Station. The crew of Palmer Station boarded our ship and gave a presentation about their work in Antarctica. Palmer is a small station and is working on several projects including studying algae, polar entomology and fish physiology with a goal of finding treatments for diseases. They also have a small team conducting long term ecological research. We really enjoyed having them onboard and I’m sure they loved having some “home-style” food. 

In the afternoon, we spent several hours on the bow of the ship watching for wildlife. We saw a crab eater seal resting on an iceberg and more humpback whales. Gentoo penguins were swimming in the water along side the ship. The way they move through the water is quite a sight to see.

In the evening, the reflection of sunlight on the ice shows as pink and orange. We spent a few hours soaking in the amazing views.

Our third day in Antarctica we experienced the other side of the weather. It was very windy with extreme fog. There was no chance of us seeing anything. Our captain took us to two different places to explore but the wind had blown ice into the water. Therefore, we spent most of the day playing cards and hanging out with our new friends, the Davis Family (Diane, Jeff and Grace). It wasn’t until late in the evening that we reached Desolation Island. The weather cleared a bit allowing us a short period of time to sail past a huge chinstrap penguin rookery. It was awesome!

The last day in Antarctica was much like the day before. Heavy fog, wind and even snow hampered our ability to see more of the islands and wildlife. We spent two hours looking for penguins taking a rest on the floating “bergy bits.” We were lucky to see many groups of Adelie penguins.

As we sailed north, our captain made one last attempt at beating the weather. We approached Elephant Island as the sun came through the clouds. Elephant Island is the place where Ernest Shackleton and his men we stranded in 1914. 

 

We were able to snap a few pictures before a dense fog settled and the island completely disappeared.

 

 

 

After four amazing days in Antarctica we left it behind and headed north toward the Falkland Islands. We are so excited to share our off-road penguin experience in our next post.