Field Report - Zegrahm Expeditions

Antarctica, South Georgia
& the falkland Islands
January 7 - 28, 2016
Friday - Sunday, January 8 - 10, 2016
Ushuaia, Argentina / Embark Sea Adventurer /
Beagle Channel
“Life is short and we never have enough time for gladdening the
hearts of those who travel with us. Oh, be swift to love! Make haste
to be kind.” ~ Henry Frederic Amiel
Coming from various points on the planet, we all began to assemble at
the end of the world—Ushuaia, Argentina—to begin our expedition
to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and the Antarctic Peninsula.
The Arakur Ushuaia Resort and Spa, perched on the hillside above
the sprawling city, offered fabulous views and many creature comforts.
We enjoyed welcome cocktails, dinner, and brief announcements
before turning in for the night after a long day of travels for many.
The next morning we headed off to experience the end of the world or
el fin del mundo. Birders went in search of South American species.
Many of us went to Tierra del Fuego National Park for views and short
walks before boarding a catamaran to enjoy the sea lions and birds of the
Beagle Channel. We all eventually converged on the Sea Adventurer in
the late afternoon, joined by those who had been on the pre-extension
to Torres del Paine. Though it was calm in the morning, winds built
steadily throughout the day to the point that authorities closed the port
for vessels arriving and, more importantly for us, departing. We remained
dockside with hopes of sailing at 0600 the next day.
We awoke to discover we were still alongside in Ushuaia, as the high
winds had not abated and the port was still closed. The bridge recorded
steady winds of 50-60 knots with occasional gusts over 80. Expedition
Leader, Russ Evans, and our captain watched the forecast and determined that winds would likely drop in the afternoon. Thus, we had free
time to explore town or beyond on our own. While still alongside, Captain
Mykola Tililyuk hosted a welcome cocktail party at which he made
a brief appearance. He was on standby waiting for the winds to drop, so
we could depart. Port authorities eventually agreed to open the port only
for our departure. During dinner, we slipped our lines, put the engines
astern and “escaped from Ushuaia” (to quote the captain) into the Beagle
Channel. Falkland Islands, ho!
Monday, January 11
At Sea
“There is nothing more enticing, disenchanting,
and enslaving than the life at sea.” ~ Joseph
Conrad
With winds to our stern, the rolling seas proved
kind, pushing us along to the Falkland Islands.
Black-browed albatross, white-chinned petrels,
and other sea birds soared seemingly effortlessly
about the ship. We gained our sea legs as we
drifted between the dining room, the forward
lounge for lectures, and the open decks.
Tuesday, January 12
Saunders Island,
Falkland Islands
“An undulating land with a desolate and wretched
aspect.” ~ Charles Darwin describing the
Falkland Islands, 1834.
We spotted land mid-morning and wound our
way through the islands on the west side of the
Falklands, toward our afternoon stop at Saunders
Island. We caught glimpses of Commerson’s
dolphins, and Peale’s dolphins played in the
bow wake for some time; those on the foredeck
were courtside for the action. Strong winds did
not deter us from our first landing, where there
was a bit of everything to see, including
breeding black-browed albatross; Falklands
imperial cormorants; and Magellanic and
gentoo penguins. But the species to savor was
the punked-out, rockhopper penguins with their
yellow head feathers, which we saw nowhere
else on the trip.
Wednesday & Thursday, January 13 & 14
Cruising the South Scotia Sea
“I now belong to a higher cult of mortals, for I have seen the
Albatross.” ~ Robert Cushman Murphy, Logbook for Grace
With wind and current pushing us along, we made our way toward
South Georgia. The thing to do between lectures (and naps) was
to layer up and spend time on deck to see what passed by. There
were plenty of whale blows, though they all proved fleeting.
When watching seabirds soar and dip, soar and dip, one is
tempted to wonder what they are doing so far from home out
here in the ocean. However, as our ornithologist Jim Wilson
emphasized: The birds could very well ask us that question,
as they are most at home in the ocean. We’ve had great sightings
of both wandering and royal albatross, which can look quite
similar, but the former nests in South Georgia and the latter in
New Zealand.
Friday, January 15
Shag Rocks, Scotia Sea
Over the course of the day we watched sea temperature drop
from 7°C to 4°C, which meant we crossed the Antarctic
Convergence putting us biologically in the Antarctic. Near
sunset we cruised past Shag Rocks, a scattering of lumps and
pinnacles in the middle of the heaving seas. These rocks are what
we can see of the otherwise submerged South Georgia Ridge.
They create an upwelling of ocean water that brings food closer
to the surface for birds and other animals. The rocks were white
with guano from the millions of seabirds that have roosted or
nested there since time immemorial. We had good looks at several
southern right whales that swam right past the ship. Though
we usually don’t encounter ice of such size so far north, several
very large icebergs flanked the rocks. In the evening light, they
shone a soft blue as they offered a taste of ice vistas to come.
Saturday, January 16
Salisbury Plain, South Georgia /
Prion Island
“South Georgia is for those who grew up dreaming
of a garden of Eden where you would walk
unharmed among abundant and fearless wildlife
in a beautiful wilderness—an oasis of serenity in a
world increasingly out of step with nature.” ~
Tim and Pauline Carr, Antarctic Oasis, Under the
Spell of South Georgia
We awoke to see South Georgia on the horizon
and spent the morning sailing down its rugged
northern shore. Gray-headed albatross joined the
usual suspects circling the ship; large numbers
of them nest in the northern part of the island.
Leaping fur seals and whale blows appeared
about the ship. In the afternoon we went ashore at
Salisbury Plain. After running the fur seal gauntlet
at the beach, we wandered inland to the edge of
the penguin colony to see king penguins demonstrating a range of behaviors: molting, courting, brooding eggs on feet; and last year’s chicks
molting into adult plumage. South Georgia pipits,
the southernmost songbird in the world, flitted in
the tussock. Loading Zodiacs we realized that
a fur seal near the landing site birthed a pup
while we were ashore! This allowed us to watch
the first hour of the pup’s life in what must have
been a strange, new world. After dinner, we went
ashore to see nesting wandering albatross on Prion
Island in the Bay of Isles. These enormous birds
only come ashore to breed. Once hatched, their
chicks will sit on the nest through the sub-Antarctic
winter with their parents returning occasionally to
feed them.
Sunday, January 17
Hercules Bay / Grytviken /
Stromness / Fortuna Bay
“For sudden the worst turns the best to
the brave.” ~ From Prospice, a poem by
Robert Browning often quoted by Ernest
Shackleton
We began the day with a Zodiac cruise at
Hercules Bay to oogle macaroni penguins.
They nested here and there in the tussockgrass on the steep slopes of the bay. We
could place the boats right where the birds
were entering/exiting the water as they
traveled to/from the colonies. Kayakers
got their first opportunity to get onto the
water. Mid-day we went ashore at Grytviken,
an abandoned Norwegian whaling station
that thrived from 1904 to the mid-1960s.
After toasting at the graves of Sir Ernest
Shackleton and Frank Wild in the small
graveyard, we wandered through the
station grounds, visited the small museum,
post office, and church. In sunshine, we
enjoyed a barbecue lunch on deck as we
sailed for Stromness, another abandoned
whaling station notable as the site where
Shackleton and his team finished their hike
up over South Georgia following their
800-mile open boat journey from Elephant
Island. Most of us walked up the valley to
see the waterfall that was the final hurdle
in their cross-island odyssey. Many of us
continued to hike up over the pass and
down into Fortuna Bay to retrace (albeit in
reverse direction) the final five miles of his
epic journey.
Monday, January 18
St. Andrews Bay /
Gold Harbour
“I must confess the disappointment I now
met with did not affect me much; for, to
judge of the bulk by the sample, it would
not be worth the discovery.” ~ Captain
Cook offers thoughts on South Georgia.
It was king penguins galore at St.
Andrews Bay, site of the largest king
penguin colony in the world with an
estimated 120,000 breeding pairs and
a total of 300,000 birds. The low-angle
early morning light brought out the rich
oranges and yellows of the adult birds
and created halos on the feathered edges
of the immature kings, aptly nicknamed
“oakum boys” by sailors because they
resembled the boys who caulked ship’s
hulls with oakum and tar, who inevitably
got covered with the stuff. While ashore
we could look out on the horizon and
see frequent blows from whales; after
the landing we sailed out for a look-see.
There must have been at least 50 animals
(virtually all humpbacks) displaying a
variety of behaviors—from dives to pec
fin slaps to tail throws to breaching. We
eventually left the whales behind for our
afternoon stop in Gold Harbour, where
we shared the landing site with molting
elephant seals. Though we landed in a
snowstorm, skies cleared while we were
ashore. We sailed in the late afternoon
brilliant sunshine headed for Elephant
Island.
Tuesday & Wednesday, January 19 & 20
At Sea
“There is nothing so desperately monotonous as the sea, and
I no longer wonder at the cruelty of pirates.” ~ James Russell
Lowell, Fireside Travels, 1864
After an action packed time at South Georgia, today afforded
the opportunity to make our own schedules. Throughout the
day we passed enormous icebergs and spotted the tall columnar
blows of fin whales among the tossing waves. We crossed the
same waters that Sir Ernest Shackleton, Tom Crean, and Frank
Worsely sailed through in the 20-foot James Caird.
Dapper black penguins made the perfect accent for the splendid
icebergs we enjoyed en route. To date we have experienced
king, gentoo, rockhopper, Magellanic, and macaroni penguins.
What we have seen on the bergs are largely Adelie penguins, a
sure sign we are getting south to The Ice. Classically black and
white with pink feet, Adelies must have been the species that
reminded explorers of little men in evening jackets.
Thursday, January 21
Elephant Island
“We tried to cheer, but excitement gripped our vocal cords.” ~ Leonard Hussey wrote, upon sighting the Yelcho from shore.
After dinner, Elephant Island emerged from the fog. We pushed in close to shore to get a deck level view of Point Wild, the site
where Shackleton left a total of 22 men under the command of Frank Wild when he sailed to South Georgia for rescue. Chinstrap
penguins still call the place home during the summer months. Compared to historic photos and written accounts, the narrow
peninsula where the men lived four and a half months appears to have diminished and the glacier nearby has receded considerably
through the years. Amidst the penguins, we could make out the bust erected by the Chileans of Luis Pardo, captain of the Yelcho
during Shackleton’s rescue (his fourth such attempt). It is one thing to read the Shackleton story and think, “That was tough.” It is
another to see places like Point Wild in all its stark, uncomforting glory. One can’t help but wonder: “How did they do it?”
Friday, January 22
Trinity Peninsula, Antarctica / Brown Bluff
“… It must be remembered that the men whose desires lead them to
the untrodden paths of the world have generally marked individuality.”
~ Sir Ernest Shackleton
As we neared the continent in the mid-afternoon, we began to sail
past enormous tabular icebergs. Soon the Trinity Peninsula, the
tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, came into view. The crew on the
Bridge sighted a pod of orcas as we turned east into the Antarctic
Sound. At first it seemed like the orcas would simply pass by the
ship. However, the animals (upwards of 15) looped back and dove
around the vessel offering all on deck a splendid viewing. We
continued sailing toward the place where we would set foot on the
Continent—Brown Bluff. The wind whipped up to over 40 knots
over the course of the evening, but we got ashore to visit nesting
Adelie penguins and snow petrels. To celebrate our steps on this
hard-to-reach place, cruise director Kelsey Simmons provided hot
chocolate (and a nudge) for our Zodiac ride back to the ship.
Saturday, January 23
Antarctic Sound /
Paulet Island
“It was impossible to manoeuvre the ship in
the ice owing to the strong wind, which kept
the floes in movement and caused lanes to
open and close with dangerous rapidity.” ~
Sir Ernest Shackleton, December, 1914
Given the thickness of the pack ice, the Bridge
deemed it prudent to wait until daylight
to begin to navigate the ice-choked waters
toward Paulet Island. Even in broad daylight,
it looked like our way was hopelessly blocked
by massive ice. However, slowly we threaded
our way to this island noteworthy of its massive
Adelie penguin colony. It’s also notable for
the ruins of the hut where Captain Larsen
of the Swedish Antarctic (or Nordenskjöld)
Expedition, overwintered with his men (and
the ship’s cat) after his vessel, Antarctic, was
crushed in the ice of the Weddell Sea. Kayakers
took to the water for a fabulous paddle
through ice. We lunched on the back deck,
while enjoying a rare sunny, calm day in the
Antarctic. Heading back through Antarctic
Sound, Russ called for the Zodiacs to be put
on the water for a two-hour cruise through
fabulous ice. En route we encountered humpback and minke whales, as well as Weddell,
crabeater, and leopard seals. After dinner, we
cruised past massive tabular icebergs, which
transitioned from white to buttery to pale blue
in the fading evening light.
Per the Bridge, today we reached our farthest
south: 63° 34.5” S.
Sunday, January 24
Fort Point, South Shetland Islands /
Hardy Cove
“The mariner should exercise great caution when navigating
in these waters.” ~ The Antarctic Pilot
Our final morning on the peninsula, we planned a split
landing between the massive ice at Hardy Cove and the
chinstrap penguins at Fort Point. Nature, however, had other
ideas. No sooner did we get kayakers paddling and others
to shore, then the wind picked up and the waves began
to build. Russ called off the landing in order to get us back
the ship while conditions allowed. By the time we were all
safely back onboard it had begun to snow. We gathered in
the lounge for cocktails as we sailed away from the South
Shetland Islands and headed into the Drake Passage.
Monday & Tuesday, January 25 & 26
Drake Passage
“How inappropriate to call this planet, Earth, when clearly it is ocean.” ~ Arthur C. Clarke
The dreaded Drake Passage proved merciful, as we enjoyed relatively calm seas. Sharp eyes on deck spotted a few whale blows.
Wandering albatross once again looped around the ship. In the evening we held an auction to raise funds for the South Georgia
Heritage Trust. Our Scottish geologist Tom Sharpe proved a quick-witted and quick-tongued auctioneer. Among the auction items
was a nautical chart of our trip, featuring the route and illustrations by Conrad Field and Kevin Clement. Between the auction and
the hectares people sponsored in Grytviken, we raised $10,685 to help with rat eradication monitoring—the most raised by
any ship so far this season.
The seas continued to be kind on our last full day on the ship. Midday we had a brief visitation by hourglass dolphins that rode the
bow of the ship for a few precious moments. Then, we started to see land. By late afternoon we were turning into the fabled Beagle
Channel. Mild, calm conditions made it ideal to be out on deck for final views of whale blows, sooty shearwaters, and Magellanic
penguins. Before dinner we enjoyed the captain’s farewell cocktails. After dinner we enjoyed a chocolate extravaganza created by
our talented kitchen crew, as well as live music.
Wednesday, January 27
Ushuaia, Argentina / Disembark / Buenos Aires / USA
“Once you had been to the white unknown you could never escape the call of the little voices.” ~ Frank Wild
We came alongside the pier in the wee hours of the morning. Over the course of the day we would disembark and scatter to the
winds via buses and taxis and planes. It is clear we had left the Antarctic. But it is unlikely the Antarctic will ever leave us.
Russ Evans
Kelsey Simmons
T.H. Baughman
Nate Christensen
Kevin Clement
Conrad Field
George Lake
Mike Moore
Ingrid Nixon
Rick Price
Fiona Rae
Kevin Sampson
Photo log text by: Ingrid Nixon
Photography by: Michael Moore, Jim Wilson,
Rick Price & Dan Selzer
Produced by: Sara Mulnix
Dan Selzer
Tom Sharpe
Jim Wilson
This photo log has been produced by Zegrahm Expeditions and is the property of Zegrahm Expeditions. Any unauthorized use of images included is hereby prohibited.