March 2-6, 2012

March 2, 2012 12:30 am

This is the fastest ship I’ve been on yet. Only a few hours in and I can already feel the beginning of the Drake. It’s just a slight roll right now, and feels quite peaceful...like I’m in a giant baby rocker. That combined with this seasick medication, means this blog entry won’t last too long.

The crew is top notch…very experienced and complete with a biologist, ecologist, and expedition leader who has spent 18 seasons in the Antarctic. We’ll be in good hands. They tell us we’ll reach the Peninsula in about 50 hours.

The waves are getting bigger…off to bed I go.

March 3, 2012 12:58am

Today the Drake was the calmest I’ve ever seen it…a dream crossing. We have changed course to avoid a big storm, but apparently we may not be able to miss it entirely, and even as I write this I can feel the Beast stirring in the water beneath me.

It was a typical day on the Drake…we’ve got about 10 people who are down with seasickness, others are drowsy from meds. We saw a beautiful sunset with the moon rising right behind us, while albatross glided next to the boat. The endless horizon keeps pulling us south…           

March 4, 2012 1:18am

We reached the Antarctic islands today. “Land Ho” was called around 6pm, and because the ship made it through the unusually calm Drake so quickly, we were able to squeeze in a zodiac cruise before dinner. We boarded the rubber boats and headed back out to the Drake in time to catch sight of a whale breeching. I can now add “surfing waves at high speed in a small rubber boat in the treacherous Drake Passage” off my list of things I never thought I’d do in my lifetime.

Now that we’ve arrived, I have the sensation of being “home”…

March 4, 2012 – 2:10pm

This morning we woke at sunrise and headed on deck as we approached the Lemaire Channel, one of my favorite places. Imagine spectacular snow covered mountain faces rising straight up on each side of our boat, icebergs floating by, orca whales breeching, and the colors of the sky changing every minute. The wind is on us today, and we could see the snow flying off the tops of the peaks. Once out of the Lemaire, we boarded zodiacs for another cruise. Since the wind was gusting up to 60 knots we bundled up and held on as our driver navigated us around Pleneau Island. Within a couple of minutes we had seen leopard seals, crabeater seals, penguins, and more orcas from a distance. The leopard seals love to play with the zodiacs, and we had one showing off for us, swimming up close, and twisting around to show us its spots. They are magnificent, and the true predators of the Antarctic. The water was extremely choppy due to the wind, but that didn’t stop our driver from jetting through the waves and catching some air. It was awesome. I got soaking wet, but I’ve got good gear so I stayed warm.

We are currently holding next to Peterman Island, waiting to make a landing and go on a trek. Wind is still gusting, which is difficult for the zodiacs, so we have to wait and see…

Landed at Peterman, walked up to top of ridge. The new team members were excited to see penguins for the first time. I feel at home.

March 5^th

Two landings today at Cuverville Island. Nice hike up to the top where the members had a ropes course.

March 6^th

Paradise revisited

Last night I camped out in Antarctica. No tent. In the rain. It’s quite rare for it to rain in Antarctica…it’s actually a desert and the driest place on earth. But, perhaps because of the changing climate, I saw rain here for the first time. Before the rain started, as we were building ice walls to protect us from the wind, we looked out to see a playground of humpback whales frolicking in the bay. There had to have been at least 20 of them. About 30 yards from my sleeping bag was a lounging Weddell seal, and about 20 yards in front of me, on the edge of the bay, was a group of penguins settling down for the night. A fur seal came close and growled at us in the middle of the night, but fortunately didn’t feel like picking a fight. The night was cold, uncomfortable, and wet, and more of a mental test than anything, but a luxury compared to what Shackelton had to endure here...

Today I returned to Paradise Bay, where I scattered my dad’s ashes four years ago. We held the first ever TEDx event in Antarctica here today, which was very cool. The whole thing was pulled off using renewable energy…another first.

After the event, one of the expedition members played her bagpipes to honor my dad (a small version of the big bagpipes you are probably picturing). Then I hopped on a zodiac to cruise around the bay. I wanted to spend some time out on the bay, thinking about my dad, and feeling his presence in this beautiful place. Then, I spotted a humpback whale. And another. In moments we had made our way to where they were, and suddenly we were surrounded. A cow and her calf began playing with us, gliding under our small rubber boat, and surfacing just two meters from us. It was magnificent. They were huge, and beautiful, and the moment was simply magical.

Thanks, Dad. I love you.