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Antarctica: more than 25,000km from the chilly Arctic and endpoint of our southward travels.
The coldest place on Earth; site of legendary feats of endurance and suffering by Scott and Shackleton; a visionary experiment in international cooperation; the last great wilderness - Antarctica has endless projections into the common imagination. The oft-asked, "Why would you want to go to Antarctica", misses the point. Who wouldn't want to paint their dreams onto this icy white canvas? |
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The End Of The World
Ushuaia, self-proclaimed southern-most town in the world. We raced south to intercept fellow travelers, Gary and Kirstin, on their Arctic to Antarctic adventure. |
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A Long Hose
Final docking maneuvers for the Wandering Albatross before scenes of jubilation erupt on deck. Jubilation that quickly subsided during a complex fuel loading process that involved sucking noxious mouthfuls of diesel from a tube, in order to siphon it into the boat's fuel tanks. How to get rid of that nasty taste? |
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A Festive Feast
When not provisioning for Antarctica or extensively sampling Argentinean wines, Kirstin & Gary rustled up non-stop feasts in the tiny galley of the Wandering Albatross. New Year was greeted on board with mouth-rinsing flaming sambuca shots, saluting Robert (we now call him "Bobby") de Niro in the yacht across from us! Apparently. |
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Braving The Drake Passage
Round Cape Horn and off to Antarctica on the expedition ship Sarpik Ittuk. Twice we would have to cross the most dangerous seas in the world, the Drake Passage. After steeling ourselves for the worst, the outward trip was surprisingly calm. However, light winds meant few albatrosses passed by - they thrive on strong easterly winds to power their flight around the Southern Ocean. |
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Due South
After days at sea, we reached the Antarctic mainland at Neko Harbour where gorgeous icebergs and glaciers surrounded our ship. Each moment brought new vistas of pristine beauty. |
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Stepping Out Onto Antarctica
We were so excited, we might as well have set foot on the surface of the Moon! |
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Iceberg, Straight Ahead!
With an ice strengthened ship and canny Finnish captain, we navigated the Errera Channel, dodging majestic cathedrals of ice without major mishap. The scale of these monoliths - sculpted by wind and waves - was breathtaking. |
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Little Britain
Port Lockroy: a remnant of the British Empire where the Union Jack still flies, postcards can be sent from the end of the earth and vintage tubs of tasty lard are on display! |
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A Reptilian Grin
The leopard seal is a top predator in the Southern Oceans. Its varied diet includes krill, penguin, other seals and - as attested by Shackleton's Endurance crew - the occasional attempt to nab an unwary human from an ice floe... |
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Tabular Icebergs
Close to the Antarctic Circle we ventured into uncharted territory at Duchaylard Island, sonar soundings helping us avoid grounding as we inched carefully into the bay. Not a good place for a re-enactment of the Titanic! Safely anchored, we were surrounded by gigantic tabular icebergs that loomed 100 feet high, dwarfing our ship like a child's toy. Gazing up at these goliaths our conversation stilled, substituted by mouth-open agoggedness (surely not a word? - Ed). |
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Splash Landings
Our adventurous expedition team were always ready to take on a challenge. We explored bays never before visited and got thoroughly wet splash-landing zodiac boats in the face of big swells. |
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Carlops Conquers Chilly Continent
On volcanic Deception Island we made the first known summit of a hill, naming it Windy Gowl. To our astonishment we discovered that in the vastness of the Antarctic Peninsula, the little boat we saw anchored in a harbour below was, in fact, the Wandering Albatross. After hijacking a zodiac we were soon celebrating this piece of incredibly good fortune in time honoured fashion - over a nice cup of tea! |
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The Polar Plunge
A leap into water at barely 1 degree C. Afterwards everyone wanted to know why Cheryl started screaming BEFORE she hit the freezing water... |
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A Passion For Penguins
We were lucky enough to encounter 4 species of penguins: icebound Adelie, gorgeous Gentoo, fancy dan Macaroni and cliffhugging Chinstrap. Visiting rookeries we were able to get close and observe the behaviours of these captivating birds. |
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Pebble-o-maniacs!
Facing a very short summer season, constructing (and protecting) a good rock nest can make all the difference to breeding success. Penguins get pathological about stealing each other's rocks. There is a glint in this Adelie's eye as the Gentoo mother strains in vain to stop him from pinching one of her stones. She can't give chase as chick-eating skuas hover closeby. When her partner returns, he'll probably steal the same stone right back - a game that will continue all summer! |
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The Penguin Super-Highway
At Bailey Head in the South Shetlands, a mind-blowing encounter with a rookery of 200,000 chinstrap penguins. The noise of courting partners, the stench of guano and the crush of tubby bodies were an assault on all senses. In the march from craggy hilltop to sea and back, the mountaineering chinstraps try to keep to orderly lanes of traffic. |
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Odd Man Out
Amidst the throng of chinstraps, a lone foppish macaroni seeks directions back to the rest of his brood. |
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Maude, That's The Strangest Looking Penguin I've Ever Seen!
Sitting still, Cheryl draws a small crowd of inquisitive chinstraps. They toddle right up to see what strange monster has arrived on their island, sometimes taking a gentle peck at a boot to see what we taste like. |
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Caption Competition: Round 3
These guys are just TOO good! Send us your suggestions e.g. 1) With my patented "Lighter Than Aire" fur booties, I WILL be the first penguin to fly! e.g. 2) HELLOOO?!?!? Now, aren't I the CUTEST thing you've ever seen? |
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Penguins Really Can Fly!
Ungainly waddlers on land, penguins transform to graceful and speedy missiles in the water. Though flightless they can "porpoise" like dolphins, flashing out of the water in a visual throwback to their airbound ancestors. |
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A Whale Of A Trip
After an intense week of endless days (it never gets dark...) we turned northwards, leaving the frozen wastelands behind. We had found that in this forbidding environment, the few areas not covered by snow and ice are teeming with life. Likewise the seas where we sighted orca, seals and whales like this humpback which waved us farewell! Hopefully this incredible place will remain protected from the worst ravages of human activity for generations to come. |
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Payback Time
After incredible weather all trip, the Drake Passage unleashed its full fury on the return to Ushuaia. Winds gusted to 70 knots, kicking up swells that rolled the boat alarmingly like a cork on water. A final silver lining: the strong winds brought the giant albatrosses - wandering and royal - soaring majestically behind the Sarpik as we adjusted slowly to post-Antarctic life. |
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