A Tourist's Sea Log - Date: January 21st - February 8th, 2006

(Please don't take this too seriously, it's just a bit of fun, my version of events)

Antarctic Expedition 2006

Embarkation - Falklands - South Georgia - Shackleton's Grave - Elephant Island - Antarctica - Humpbacks

Wednesday, 18th January: We set off from home at midday heading for Gatwick and ultimately the Antarctic. We got a lift in Steve's Dad's car and arrived in Ushuaia in Patagonia at 3pm local time on Thursday, via Madrid and Buenos Aires. By plane - not Steve's Dad's car. A first for me, I actually slept on a plane for the first time and arrived refreshed and eager to start the holiday. Our luggage also turned up, which was a bonus. Unfortunately, it didn't turn up for Susan who we met on the way, together with Sonia (the Pink Panther!). We checked in to a very nice Hotel Albatross. The weather was fair/cloudy. Steve and I found a nice little restaurant and we finished off our first night with a few beers in the local Irish Bars (Galway and Dublin). Well, you have to, don't you?

Thursday, 19th January: Spent the day sight-seeing around Ushuaia and ended up much as last night, only for S&S to join us for dinner - which we paid for as they didn't have any Argentinean currency. They promised to pay the next night. Right, where did we see that first-class restaurant? Weather was coldish and windy.

Friday, 20th January: Up at 7.30am. After breakfast we visited the Tierra Del Fuego National Park. Great area, especially for budding wildlife photographers. It was quite windy early on but soon warmed up due to the brisk pace that 'Tanky' (Steve) was setting. We didn't have a map but it was soon clear that the trails were clearly marked out (arrow signposts - Doh!). It was here that an English girl came up to us and asked if we spoke English and that she had lost her bearings. I looked around but couldn't find any. Tanky pointed her in the right direction. Her name was Andrea and she was down here to go to Antarctica. S'funny we said, so are we. The Park was a great start to our holiday. We got back about 3-ish. I was ready for a beer but Tanky suggested a walk around the National Maritime Museum - the old Prison. Very interesting but felt very gloomy. I kept looking for a way out. Again had dinner with S&S - they paid! Quite a warm evening. Checked in to Galway before we checked out.

Saturday, 21st January: Very, very hot, must have been in the 70's. Damn. Where's my summer gear? And we were armed with all our baggage after having to check out of the Albatross. And we weren't due to embark until 4pm. 'Ah! Gracias, Amigo! We can leave our bags here?' Top man. So we walked the streets of Ushuaia until, what does that say? '1ra Fiesta Provincial de la Cerveza' A Beer Festival? Here, in Ushuaia? They must have known we were coming. Ah well, when in Rome. They only had 3 beers and most of the stalls were food areas but we manfully soldiered on. We dragged ourselves away to pick up our luggage and the coach to take us the 400 metres or so to the jetty where we embarked on to the MS Explorer. Our room was small but adequate - somewhere to stow our gear and get our heads down. We headed out to sea at around 6pm. Dennis Mense introduced himself and his team and proceeded to give us all the necessary and important information that we should know whilst at sea. Which I can't remember now but I believe it was important. I do remember being introduced the Bar Staff.

Sunday, 22nd January: First full day at sea heading toward the Falkland Islands (anyone from Argentina reading this I meant the Malvinas :)). Oh dear. Seas very, very rough. I'm an Air Force man, not a Navy man. Pass the pills, Vicar! Even Tanky felt decidedly dodgy. I managed to go on deck about 1.30 in the afternoon to photograph a few seabirds. Southern Giant Petrel and a Black-backed Albatross. The temperature was around 9 degrees. Even managed Dinner.

Monday, 23rd January: Rain at first, then sunny. Felt much better this morning. Even had breakfast. Even managed to keep it down. We had reached the Falklands! Land. Thank God. We touched down first at West Point Island. Saw our first bird colonies, Albatross; Rockhopper penguins (lesser crested); Giant Petrels. Shot off lots of pictures. I wasn't sure whether I was doing it right. This is a new camera. Where's the manual? Ah yes, first, take off lens cap. In the afternoon we went to Steeple Jason Island. Here we saw a Gentoo colony (white earmuffs). Yes, I did listen some of the time! Ahem - we even saw some Black-Browed Albatross - 95% of which nest here, you know. In the evening we had the postponed Captains Cocktails. Tanky and I dressed for the occasion. Excellent start to the trip! Happy Rorke's Drift day.

Tuesday, 24th January: It's Tanky's birthday! That called for drinks in the Mess! We also arrived in Port Stanley. Very hot day. A very nice, but talkative, lady gave us a ride around part of the Island. A stop at a farm where we were shown how to cut peat and how to shear sheep. Sorry, been there, done that in Ireland. So I went off to photograph some stunning Red Meadowlarks. One of our missions down here is to have a beer in a Port Stanley pub. Mission successful. We set sail around 3pm and almost immediately spotted some Pilot whales and a Wandering Albatross. In the evening Tanky received his Birthday cake - with an embarrassed look. He proceeded to eat most of it - you know what to do, old boy! He also got a rousing chorus from everyone. For his birthday, not his appetite. We, of course, retired to the Bar for celebratory drinks. Another good day.

Wednesday, 25th January: Ship's Log up: Latitude: 52degs 28.9S Longitude: 50degs 19.7 W. I looked on my specially purchased Antarctica map. Where were we? The hell I know. Course was 100degs and Speed was 14 knots. The weather was fair to sunny. En-route to South Georgia. Attended my first lecture: 'Glaciers' by Dr. Roy 'Fritz' Koerner: 'Keep those bl**dy birders out! I like ballet but I don't write down the ballerina's names!' Ahem. Also, by Callan Duck - 'Wildlife of South Georgia'. Both excellent! But don't ask me any questions on them. I spent some time on deck and spotted Brown Skua; Wandering Albatross; Southern Giant Petrel, Grey-Headed Albatross. Then finished it off with an excellent documentary on Shackleton. Seas very rough, but managed to stay in bed all night.

Thursday, 26th January: Ship's Log: Lat: 53degs 16.2S; Lon: 43degs 10.9W. Course: 100degs; Temp: 5degsC; Speed: 9 knots; Weather: Choppy with rain. Thanks Dennis. We crossed Shag Rocks at 1600 hours. That's 4pm. Or 8 bells. I still can't find us on the map. Seas still very rough. I saw the first lecture today - Callan's experiences of working on Bird Island. But then I was hit by a fierce attack of torpor, with lashings of stupor. So I crashed out in my bunk for a few hours. Sorry. Then an annoucement over the tannoy: Whales off the Port Bow! Bugger. Where's my camera? Where's my clothes! I got up on deck just in time to miss them. Bugger! Allegedly they were Right whales and Fur seals plus numerous birds. Ok, where's my pep pills? I managed to sit through some more lectures: Shannon Fowler talking about seals and explaining the difference between something and something else. Sorry, Shannon. Then Bob Burton talked to us about South Georgia. At least I managed to stay awake today. We had a rendition of 'Australia Fair' from our Antipodean friends as it was Australia Day. Don't give up the day job, guys. Dinner. Beers. Bed.

Friday, 27th January: What happened to the Ship's Log? Where are we? What's that lump of rock out there? Oh, it's South Georgia. Or 'Heaven' as Callan waxed lyrical. Weather is poor. Time to get my layers on. But Dennis squealed over the tannoy that the seas were so rough that we would be unable to land on Salisbury Plain. Salisbury Plain? 'Tanky, are we back in Blighty?' says I. 'No, you numpty, South Georgia!' said him. With the morning session a washout we eagerly awaited and anticipated an afternoon trip to Fortuna Bay. Fortuna-tely (sorry), the weather cleared up enough for us to land. Great afternoon! We saw King penguins; Skuas; Fur seals; Elephant seals. The weather was changeable all day. Oh yeah, we saw some reindeer as well.

Saturday, 28th January: RED LETTER DAY! Really nice day this morning. The ship stayed at anchor overnight which made for a pleasant - and calm - change. Good night's sleep. Apart from Tanky's snoring. We were given the option of a trek across the mountain - in the wake of Shackleton down to Stromness, or stay on board and view the stunning scenery; Fur seals and King penguins. I opted for the photo opportunity. Tanky opted for the walk. I waved him goodbye, armed with British pluck and bags of stiff upper lip. 'Good luck!' I shouted. 'Don't forget to write!' He held up 2 fingers. He either meant 2 songs or 2 jokes. Or something else. We landed at Stromness and immediately trekked up to Shackleton's Waterfall. Then the highlight: Grytviken and Shackleton's grave! Bob gave a toast to 'The Boss' and we drank down some very fine old Rum. Well, it tasted like Rum to me. There was a very fine old Museum here and a splendid Church. Back on board we gorged ourselves on an outdoor BBQ and again retired to the Bar for tea and medals. What a fantastic day! God, please let my photos turn out ok.

Sunday, 29th January: Woke up to a very sunny morning docked in Gold Harbour. Two trips again today. One in the morning to GH and then Cooper Island in the afternoon. On GH we saw Petrels; Gannets; Seals - Elephant and Fur; penguins - King and Gentoo. Quite a few Kings here. At least a couple of dozen. No, no, my calculator is wet. Someone said over 20,000 pairs. Twenty thousand! And all wearing Dinner Jackets! Mind that smelly penguin poo! There were loads of young, hairy, brown ones - in a crèche. Called 'Oakum Boys'. I forget the reason why. Then it was off to CI in the PM. Here we saw Gentoo and Macaroni (greater crested) penguins, plus one Chinstrap. I even saw the fabled South Georgia Pipit! No photo, though. We finished off the day with a topside look at the Drygalski Fjord with some amazing Glaciers.

Monday, 30th January: Weather - Fine and Sunny again. It's a tough job down here, but someone has to do it. Steaming to the South Orkneys. We have been reliably informed that we should get there just after breakfast tomorrow morning. Another good lecture today - from Bob, talking about Antarctic Heroes. Callan depressed us by letting us know about the Albatross v Longline fishing. Longline fishing 1 Albatross 0. I never did like fishing. And fisherman I always thought of as strange. A bit like train-spotting. Or stamp-collecting. Wait a minute - I collected stamps in my youth! Scratch that one. Today I saw my first whales - Mincke; Sei and Fin. At least that's what I was told. All I could see were some brown blurs and a few spouts. Personal note: must buy a better camera with a longer lens. Some icebergs floated by today as well!

Tuesday, 31st January: Weather - Calm with some cloud. We duly arrived at the South Orkneys just after breakfast. This Captain's very good. Well, he is Swedish. He can drink too, seeing as how we kept seeing him in the Bar every night. We were allowed to land at an Argentinean Scientific Research Station - 'Orcadas'. The whole place was surrounded by seals. And seal poo. I'm not sure I could spend 2 years in this place but the guys here didn't seem to mind too much. Apart from their Doctor. Who tried to burn the place down. He's lucky, he could be working at my place. I'd pass him the match. This place reeked of history. So I bought some stamps. On the way out we saw some spectacular icebergs. Back on board we were told that we were heading for Elephant Island. I hope to get some good shots of it as we pass by.

Wednesday, 1st February: RED LETTER DAY! Weather - Fair and fine. Seas calm. Which meant we had a chance to land, yes land, on Elephant Island! To walk in the footsteps of Wild and his men! Where Shackleton left his brave 22 while he and 5 other brave men sailed away. And where there was a Chilean plaque to commemorate the guy who rescued them. Bleah! Bob wanted to take it down. I'd have passed him the hammer. Also caught a glimpse of a Leopard seal and a white Fur seal. We definitely needed to sink a few beers to celebrate this day!

Thursday, 2nd February: RED LETTER DAY! Arrived Antarctica. We docked off Devil Island and saw our first Adelie penguins - 'white eyes'. Climbed a very dodgy hill - 'only take you about ten minutes'. Hmm. I'd get your watch checked. Anyway, it was worth it for the views. As we headed for Brown Bluff we came across Killer whales! Every camera for himself! Fantastic! A pod of about 8-10 females with young. They were young coz they were yellow. Tyson did the unthinkable and got closer in a zodiac. Not me, I'm a coward. I stayed safely on the Explorer and just to be certain stood behind several people. Hopefully got some good shots, tho'. We then arrived at Brown Bluff and climbed another steep hill. Will I never learn? But again another great view. Saw more Adelie/Gentoo penguins. It was a little cold for me today so I would have liked to have gone straight back to the ship but we had to go for a little tour around the bay in the zodiac first. My fingers and toes were freezing! But then, wait, what was that? A Leopard seal! Attacking some Adelie penguins! My fingers were suddenly warm again as I got my camera out. Great for us, not so great for the penguins. I got off some shots and then, as I looked through my lens, the Leopard looked straight at me. From 6 feet. And I'm in a zodiac. And he's big. I mean really big. Then I noticed his teeth. Ok, time to go back! I don't want to be next on his menu. Back in the Lounge I tried to check the pictures, but again I couldn't quite tell if I had any good shots. Oh, and we also saw an iceberg turn over, right near us. Another great day.

Friday, 3rd February: RED LETTER DAY! Woke up to a superbly sunny day. I thought it was supposed to be cold down here? Better buy a t-shirt from the shop. The sea was again very calm as we ventured deeper into the Continent. Then, over the tannoy: 'Humpback whales off the Starboard Bow!' Bugger! I'm in the shower! 'Tell them to hang on!' Camera in tow, dressed in just jeans and t-shirt - thanks to the Shop - I raced upstairs to the Poop Deck. Or the Crow's Nest. The top deck anyway. Damn! Five-deep at the bar. Then someone shouted 'Whales at 1 o'clock!'. One o'clock? How come they're surfacing at eleven o'clock then? Still, gave me an opportunity to get to the bar first. Yes! The Humpbacks then duly obliged and gave us a show. I gave the other camera which had a movie function in it to Darlene while I took the stills on my main camera. Darlene? Didn't I mention her before? Oh surely I did. No? Sorry, Darlene. Please meet Darlene Orr, a very nice girl from Toronto. Together with her friend from Kent, in England. Andrea - who we met earlier. As the average age of all the passengers was high Tanky and I made firm friends with the girls and a couple of other youngsters - Tim and Ian. I felt positively young again. Where was I? Oh yeah, the whales. I hoped I had got some further good shots. After all, I had read up on my manual. We checked the pictures back in the Lounge again but the only good thing seemed to be the film that Darlene took. I was still keeping my fingers crossed. After lunch we landed again at a place called Almirante Brown. Here we saw Seals; Blue-Eyed Shags; Gentoo penguins and amazing Glaciers. We hiked up another hill, this time plenty of snow and ice and tobogganed down it on our backs! I went up for another run and beat my first time by 3/10th of a second. We ended another perfect day with another BBQ.

Saturday, 4th February: We awoke to find ourselves in the Lemaire Channel. Today was to be our furthermost point south: 65degs Lat. This was at Pleneau Island, where we found it to be cold with a light, needle snow. But no wind and the sea was calm. Great views. Very low cloud cover which made for some good shots. We went ashore and spotted Chinstraps; Skuas and Antarctic Terns. Tanky and I climbed a hill where we found the South Pole! We promptly got the Flag and the Duck out and photographed the evidence to take back to the people at home. The South Pole! We saluted and congratulated each other. Much to the bemusement of Shannon. She was looking at us in a very strange way. We then had a zodiac tour among the icebergs, some spectacular ones as well. We also saw Crabeater seals lounging around. Toes were again very cold. Made mental note to put on 4th pair of socks. There's now a sock crisis. In the afternoon we sailed back up the Channel to land at Port Lockroy, a British base. The southernmost British Post Office and where we were told our Passports were to be stamped. Ah! Stamps. Bought some more. As they had run out of t-shirts. Only XXL left. Ian was very happy. Bob had asked us earlier if we could raise the Cross of St. George (English National Flag) as there were 3 Scotsmen living at the Base. Our pleasure. Another good photo opportunity. Callan didn't seem too pleased and took great delight later in telling us that the flag now graced a penguin nest. Cheek!

Sunday, 5th February: Weather - Cloudy. Arrived at Pendulum Cove in the South Shetlands, where some lunatics went for a swim. 'Come on, where's your spirit of adventure?'. Sorry, reserved this morning to re-arrange my sock drawer. This morning we found ourselves in Deception Island at Whalers Bay where there was a magnificent view of 'Neptune's Bellows' and the remains of a whalers station. Some fine examples of rock geology. Alas, our final zodiac trip was on us in the afternoon with a visit to Hannah Point on Livingston Island. Here we saw a great abundance of most of what we had seen before. By this time, although it was a fantastic sight, I was a bit penguined-out so I tried to concentrate on getting a good shot of the Blue-Eyed Shag. Then just sat down, on a penguin-poo'ed rock and watched the Gentoo; Macaroni and Chinstrap inter-act with each other. Then, unfortunately, it hit me that this was it and that this time next week I would be back at work. Bugger.
Back on board, we sailed for Ushuaia and, after the Captain's Farewell Dinner and as we didn't have to get up too early next morning, Tim and I drank ourselves into oblivion until 2 in the morning.

Monday, 6th February: Seas very rough. So am I. Got up around 10-ish to find that England had beaten Wales in the 6Nations rugby. Any Welsh on board? We were in the Drake Passage and although it was rough I found that it took twice as much energy just to stand up straight. Today we were entertained by all the Lecturers as they talked about their life; their universe and everything. 'Twas very good. Today was a bit strange, knowing we were heading home. Early night.

Tuesday, 7th February: We passed Cape Horn early this morning and got up to get a picture of the extremely rough seas as we passed by. Eh? Wait a minute, wot rough seas? It was a mill-pond! What's all the fuss? We had a good talk and debate chaired by Dennis on the Antarctic Treaty and what should be done for the future. Then after lunch we had a disembarkation briefing, a raffle and an auction. In the afternoon the guys gave us a final recap of what had happened. There was a recap by Shannon; another fine talk by Bob; a misty-eyed Callan; a cheerful Fritz; enthusiastic tales by Steve; Heidi and Tyson. Well, maybe not a cheerful Fritz. We finally rolled in to Ushuaia and docked. Most people made their goodbyes to one and all as tomorrow morning we were dis-embarking and all would be chaos. What a journey! Did we really do all that? No, surely it was all just a dream. After dinner we were allowed off the ship and with shaky legs and fevered brows we wondered where to go?
The Irish Bar of course.

 It was great to meet everyone on board, I know I had an absolutely fantastic time and I hope you all did too!
See you all again in the Arctic. Aboard the Explorer of course! Best Wishes and Happy Holidays, Graham.

Our intrepid heroes think they've found the South Pole.......

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