Antarctica Christmas 2008
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Transcript of Antarctica Christmas 2008
We fly from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, Argentina landing
at this air strip
Our ship, the Corinthian II is waiting for us at the dock
Docked next to us was Mel Gibson’s Yacht
CORINTHIAN IIDecember 22, 2008 – January 1,
2009 Drake Passage
Weddell Sea
Elephant Isl.
King Georges Isl
Robert Isl. Racon Isl.
Greenwich Isl.Livingston Isl.
Snow Isl.
Smith Isl.
Low Isl.
Deception Isl.
Anvers Isl.
Brabant Isl.
D'Urville Isl. Joinville Isl.
Dundee Isl.
James Ross Isl.
Vega Isl.
Seymour Isl.
Snow Hill Isl.
Trinity Isl.
Clearence Isl.
Bransfield Strait
Neumeyer Channel
Lemaire Channel
Larsen Ice Shelf
Cuverville Isl.Pleneau Isl.
Neko Harbour Paradise Bay, Almirante Brown
Port Lockroy Dorian Bay
Penguin Isl.
Brown Bluff Paulet Isl.
Walker Bay Our route across
the Drake Passage and
various stops in Antarctica
Our incredible expedition staff that will take us exploring
through the Antarctic
On the third day, we arrive
at our first stop
Six Zodiacs are lowered into the
icy waters
I was proud to be riding on the safest transport between the ship and each shore destination, boats manufactured by our company, Zodiac
Sally with a quarter million
penguins
This “rookery” covers the entire island
From the seashore all the way up the hill mating pairs are nesting
Feeding their young
Skipping up the rocky hillside
At locations where snow is present,
penguins develop a roadway between their
nests and the sea
These roadways are complex and allow for two way traffic during the busiest times.
To feed, these penguins have to make their way to the sea shore and then develop the courage to swim in these dangerous waters filled with hungry seals
Courage to enter the water is best developed in groups
We saw many species of seals, mostly molting and
sleeping
They seem so docile while resting, but these are fierce hunters that prey on the penguins
We celebrated Christmas with special carvings by the
talented crewmembers and a delicious feast
Notice the wonderful lighting patterns in the ice
This iceberg rolled over right in front of our eyes
There were spectacular formations
It is simply impossible to describe the majesty that surrounded us in every direction. Everywhere one looks is magnificence on a scale none of us had ever seen before.
We were simply in awe
and spent hours sitting in
the middle of all this
splendor
The weather was magnificent. We were all fortunate souls as it is not always this “perfect”
We saw millions of ice formations in the sea
Our ship had to carefully maneuver its way through ice fields
One day, we had a barbecue lunch on the aft deck
Whale skeletal remains on the beach
A rock shack built by 20 of Ernest Shackleton’s men to
survive the bitter winter
There were many opportunities to climb to great heights like this
volcanic island
And this snow and ice covered island
It was windy at the top
Conditions were ideal for sliding down these slippery slopes
Our Group Photo
We were blessed to have an extraordinary group from around the
world including Russia and Singapore
Oh yes, where there are kids and water……………
The water temperature is 33 degrees Fahrenheit
And in some places, thermal springs to make bathing more relaxing
Beautiful birds were in abundance
A penguin kill
The woman to the right (with hat), was a wonderful 65 year old guest from Singapore
Tragically, on New Year’s Day she was found unconscious in her cabin as we docked back in Ushuaia. An ambulance took her to the hospital in a coma. She died the following evening.