cruise – IT'S ABOUT THE JOURNEY………..

MORE SEALS, PENGUINS, ALBATROSS AMID GLACIERS AND FIORDS

One of the exciting activities on an Antarctic expedition is exploring in the zodiacs. To the south of the island of South Georgia there are a few bays with spectacular backdrops. Amongst these are Golden Harbour which is a small bay that leads to the Bertrab Glacier. The bay is called as such because the cliffs around the bay shine yellow in the hour after sunrise and again before sunset. We were lucky to witness this and found the beach ringing with the cries of king penguins, gentoo penguins and elephant seals all of whom like to breed in the sheltered bay. Add to this the cries of the sooty albatross who come here every year to mate and raise their chicks.

At nearby Larsen Harbour we found our first Weddell seal – these seals are amongst the largest of the species and are commonly found on ice fastened to land. They gather in small groups around cracks and holes within the ice and in the winter they stay in the water to avoid blizzards with only their heads poking through breathing holes in the ice. When on land they are often found lying on their sides. Some populations breed on land, which is why we found a couple in South Georgia. Normally they live on the ice and around ice holes and cracks underwater. They forage and feed on fish, squid, octopus and prawns and can stay underwater for up to 45 minutes to an hour. They are placid and the more we heard about their habits and lives, the more fascinating they became especially as it is rare to see them on land.

Living in harmony with the Weddell seals are the elephant seals – and these are also huge creatures and were just lying in the shallows and were not bothered by our zodiac or the little penguins close by.

Approaching the Drygalski Fjord, the ship found safe anchorage and we set off for a trip in the zodiac getting close to the glacier and the waterfalls as well as the wildlife. The Fjord lies just a short distance from Cape Disappointment which was named by Captain James Cook when he rounded it in 1775 to learn he was circumnavigating an island and had not, after all, discovered the fabled southern continent. The fjord is 14 km long and sits above an important geological faultline. The mountains on the southern side are covered with the Risting and Jenkins glaciers which slowly pour into the head of the fjord.

There is a feeling of amazement when riding in the zodiac among huge mountains, hearing the birds’ cries above and seeing the waterfalls fall into the fjord while on the other side, the glacier sits majestically. Our guide asked us to sit silently for several minutes to absorb the quietness and beauty all around. A roar of what sounded like thunder pierced the silence and then a small avalanche up in the mountains occurred with tons of snow tumbling down. This apparently happens regularly at this time of year, the start of summer and warmer temperatures after a long, cold winter.

At the mouth of the fjord was a large iceberg – one of many we encountered later in the trip but first we had to cross the infamous Drake Passage to reach the Antarctic Peninsula.

WILDLIFE AND HISTORY COMBINED

Our first glimpse of penguins in their rookery was three days after we left South America. What a sight it was along with the noise of their chatter and an odour which I didn’t find offensive at all! We had reached South Georgia, a region formed by an underwater mountain chain that extends from the Andes to the Antarctic Peninsula.

Our three days at sea were productive. We settled in and found our way around the ship which was Ponant’s ‘Le Lyrial’ – and had a total of 120 passengers on this voyage. It was small enough to easily find our way to either of the restaurants, the library, observation lounge, spa, gym and photography studio. Our suite was very comfortable with a lounge and bedroom plus bathroom and balcony area. We were on Deck 6 and close to both the lounge/bar and the casual restaurant.

Each day there were a couple of lectures – both in French and English – and these varied from wildlife talks, history and general information regarding the area to geology and iceberg formation and so on. Our Expedition leader was John Frick, an American who has spent decades in and around the Antarctic region and his knowledge knows no bounds. His expedition team presented lectures according to their own speciality and one of the first talks was on Penguins and the different types varying from the tiny Fairy up to the Emperor. We would be encountering Gentoo, Chinstrip, Adelie and King penguins on this trip if we were lucky!

It was also an opportunity, whilst at sea, to introduce the passengers to the rules and regulations applicable to all visitors to Antarctica according to the Antarctic Treaty and the International Association of Antarctic Travellers (IAATO). Attendance was mandatory and we discovered the strict Biosecurity measures which take place at every stop in Antarctica. This involves vacuuming all outerwear, including gloves, parkas and hats, inspection of boots and the scrubbing of boots in soapy disinfectant each time we reboard. It seemed a lengthy process at first but soon became second nature. Inspection officers came aboard in South Georgia and randomly selected a few passengers to double check! Fortunately we were not ever in that group – to be selected and found to have a speck of fibre or a hair or piece of grass on your clothing or boots would be embarrassing to say the least!

Our first landing was Fortuna Bay in South Georgia, but just before entering the bay we spotted our first iceberg of the trip!

Then we sailed into the bay and landed on the plain to be greeted by fur seals, penguins and hundreds of birds. This was quite unlike anything I had ever seen and once ashore, walking amongst the wildlife who showed no fear of us humans was an unbelievable experience. This is a pristine land and it was fantastic to be wandering amongst these creatures in the bright sunshine and sharing, for just a moment, their lives in this place.

There was a hike to the top of a hill where the views were amazing – thousands of penguins all grouped together in the rookery – some sleeping, some playing, some wading across tiny streams and nearly falling in! They are hilarious to watch. The babies are covered in a brown fur like down which falls out once they reach a certain stage in maturity. I could see hundreds of young ones – some quite large and obviously about to change from baby to adult (or teen?).

What an exhilarating day! I had never imagined a trip to Antarctica would be like this. Like everyone else, I had seen pictures and films of the wildlife of this area but it was all snow and ice. To be here, on an island, with nothing but penguins and seals, tussock grasses and wildflowers, pebbles and rocks and bright sunshine was truly out of this world. And, did I mention, I have fallen in love with penguins!