Antarctica final days
13th January
On this sunny Sunday morning we planned a hike along the ridge where the Demoy hut is built, this was a British Antarctic survey airstrip from 1973 to 1993. The hut was home to three men who lived in solitude to support British air operations, helping supply planes load and offload their charges as a checkpoint of sorts. A quick look inside the digs, which remain unchanged since they were abandoned some twenty five years ago, gave an interesting insight to the bleak life that these men led during the harsh Antarctic winters. We carried on hiking passed the single-roomed hut to sit on the peak of the ridge beside a small Chinstrap Penguin colony of about fifty, where we lay in the snow observing the boisterous little creatures bully each other and waddle around on highly important missions.
After our little excursion we pushed on to Scunthorpe Cove, after a few hours of breaking through some sea ice we were a few miles off our anchorage when the guests and I made a sneaky getaway in the tender. While Destination ploughed through the ice, I drove them to a cliff face of this beautiful rock that we have become accustomed to. Layered and compressed with what seems like painted patches as the hundreds of different types of brightly coloured moss cover the cliff face. This particular cliff is home to a colony of some thousands of Blue-Eyed Cormorants. I drove the tender right up to the dinosaur-like birds and the squawking volumes reached deafening levels; we were drifting under a breeding colony. After some quiet ogling I drove through the iceberg and sea ice obstacle course to get back to the boat that was now trying to find an anchorage, we would stop at every other iceberg to take some close up shots; the ice sculptures are always unique and stunning, we do not tire of appreciating the natural handywork. We were pushed out of Leith Cove by ice that was gradually packing up tighter and decided to try and find safety in the southern part of Paradise Harbour. Andvord Bay made a cosy nook for us to drop anchor in.
14th January
We have officially hit our southernmost latitude of 65°00’000 South, a number I look forward to improving on when I return (schemes are already under way). Now we sail North through the Gerlasch Straits toward Deception Island, an active volcano bringing some warmth to this cold country.
An excited shout from one of the stewardesses got us up from our game of cards in the crew mess this morning, all the crew and guests mustered on deck to witness the majesty of a pod of Orcas in the straits. There has been chatter of Orcas being the final tick to complete everyone’s Antarctic wildlife list and we are gifted with a sighting just one day before heading back to King George Island.
The dorsal fins pierce the water at the other side of the straits as we slow down and point our nose in their direction, all the while being careful to not drive into their path. As they get closer we can see that these Orcas are not the black and white stereotype that mass media has portrayed to us through documentaries and classics like Free Willy; they are an interesting shade of grey, a product of the krill that they feast on when not tearing apart an unsuspecting penguin or seal. We slowed the boat right down as the giants took note of our presence and cautiously approached us. As is the case with these giant sea creatures, the younglings are the most playful and quickly approach any observers. One of the babies (which was the size of a large SUV) ‘spy-hopped’ which is a move they use to check out what delicious morsels lie on the icebergs in their hood, popping their heads out of the water as far as they can push with their tails. Soon enough the mothers and two enormous males made their way toward us. I have run out of adjectives, they left me speechless, standing dumfounded rooted in my feet as they graciously careened across the water no more than two metres away from me. The enormous animals played with the boat for a few minutes, ducking under our hull and popping up on the other side while the frantic humans followed them trying to get a good look. Unlike the Humpbacks we have become so used to seeing every day, the Orcas actually stop swimming and seemingly stare you right in the eye before moving on, I liken it to the way our dogs look at you when they sit and stare at you so intently you could swear that they were trying to tell you something. This is another moment that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
The pod stuck with us for a good hour as we slowly cruised in formation through the Gerlasch. Once they veered off course we sped up to make good time toward our final destination across the Bransfield to Deception Island while the boat continued to glow with the excitement of our recent sighting.
15th January
Deception Island is an active volcano which last blew up as recently as 1969, after being dormant for decades. The island was a haven for whalers and expedition boats, owing to the protecting nature of its geography. We will enter Deception Island through Neptunes Bellows and sail into Port Foster, a safe haven of balsatic ash that was home to the Hectore whaling station.
The island brings a powerful contrast of jet black ash and the bright white snow that we have been exposed to for the majority of our trip. Once inside the bay we all went ashore to experience what is known as a ‘Polar Plunge’. As there is thermal activity on the ash beach of the island, there are patches of steaming thermal water, so anyone passing this way jumps into the icy two degree water and comes back to a shallow patch of thermal water to warm up. In true Calascione fashion, I attempted to swim back to the boat from the beach, a three hundred metre swim that no one else seemed keen to join in on. Needless to say I did not get very far before my body started shutting down and I quickly swam back to the beach.
We spend a quiet day in the bay, everyone subconsciously unwrapping the events of the last few days. Tomorrow we will sail back to King George Island and the guests will fly off the continent. Our adventure continues North through the canals of Chile to Puerto Montt, before crossing the Pacific.