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Christmas & New Year Cruise
  • Lorna Spaas
  • Paul Spaas
Dec 2024 – Jan 2025

Christmas & New Year Cruise

Ushuaia to the Falkland Isles, South Georgia and Antarctica. More to explore! Read more
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  • Trip start
    December 16, 2024
    Christmas & New Year Cruise

    Ushuaia & Departure

    December 16, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    We were up early this morning because we had to change cabin yet again. Unfortunately the cabin we needed to move to was still occupied, so we left our luggage tidily in the current cabin and went for breakfast. By the time we came back, the new cabin had been vacated, so we could move our stuff in. The room hadn't been prepared yet so we left our things in a tidy heap near the window until later on.

    This should be our last move as this is our last cruise which ends on 5th January, when we get off the ship.

    So far we have just about lived on every floor! Except for level 4 where there are a few staff cabins. We started off in a staff cabin on level 3, moved to a guest cabin on level 6, moved to the staff captain's cabin on level 8, then down to a guest cabin on level 5 and now we are up to level 7 - another guest cabin.

    Paul had to get a "secret santa" gift for a work colleague (the H.R. Manageress). All officers are involved in the scheme. So, we ended up taking a half hour walk along the coastal road to a shopping mall to look for a gift. We weren't impressed with the mall as there wasn't much in it, compared to what the website said. In the end Paul found something for the secret santa gift. There was a supermarket next door so we picked up some 'rations'. Crisps and some chocolate, one of which was a big 1kg bar of nutty chocolate! That should last us for a while!

    We were back on board at about the time that the new intake of guests arrived, at lunch time.

    Paul has been assigned his shifts for now: 16:00 to 20:00, and 3:45am to 8:00. There is a new officer on board that needs to be shown the ropes as he is not familiar with this type of ship. We shall see what happens over the next couple of days, but it will be nice if Paul can get off the ship when he isn't sleeping.

    The Pursuit is now heading towards the Falklands Islands, and should arrive for a landing on the morning of 18th December.    Read more

  • Christmas & New Year Cruise

    New Island, Falkland Isles, Rookery Walk

    December 18, 2024 in Falkland Islands ⋅ 🌬 10 °C

    After a day's sailing, we reached the western side of the Falkland Islands archipelago, stopping in a bay near New Island.

    Paul was quite awake after his very early morning shift so he came ashore with me, where we did a walk over the narrow part of the island to see a rookery.

    There were blue eyed shags (cormorants), black browed albatrosses, and southern rockhopper penguins. Many were nesting, a few had chicks! It was a lovely area, very rocky and steep in places but we had good views of the rookery and down to the sea.

    On the way back to the ship we stopped at the Barnard Memorial Museum which talks about the history of the island, including whaling, and then sheep farming. Now the island is a wildlife sanctuary with a few residents to manage take care of the island. According to the Lonely Planet Guide about the Barnard Museum, I quote: the "museum incorporates the remains of a rough stone hut built by Captain Barnard, marooned here after an encounter with the crew of a shipwrecked British vessel in 1813. All but two of the shipwreck survivors took over Captain Barnard’s ship, leaving him and four others stranded for almost two years. But just as the pirates were sailing away, the British gun-brig Nancy arrived and took her as a prize of war. Barnard and his fellows, meanwhile, were left behind until December 1814." Interesting!    Read more

  • Christmas & New Year Cruise

    New Island, Afternoon Walk

    December 18, 2024 in Falkland Islands ⋅ 🌬 10 °C

    When we got back to the ship, we had lunch an then Paul put his head down to catch up on sleep. I left him to it in the afternoon and went on a 6km walk towards another bay, to see a variety of birds such as the Striated Cara Cara, oystercatchers, Magellanic penguins who burrow into the ground to nest.

    Back at the landing area there was a basking an elephant seal who was moulting. It must be very itchy!    Read more

  • Christmas & New Year Cruise

    Saunders Island

    December 19, 2024 in Falkland Islands ⋅ 🌬 9 °C

    We arrived at Carcass Island during the early hours of the morning. The landing at Port Pattison was cancelled because of strong winds and high waves. We relocated to Leopard beach on the south east part of the island where it is more protected, but there were still 30 knot winds, with a strong rip tide and undertow. It was not ideal for landings so it was cancelled.

    We sailed on to our planned afternoon landing site at Saunders Island in the hope it would be calmer there. The beach landing on the neck was cancelled because of wind speeds up to 40 knots. We ended up sailing a bit further around the island to Cliff Point, but again it was not a good place to do a landing.

    The owner of the island, living on farm, came on the radio and suggested that we sail further around the island to Port Egmont to see the remains of the first British settlement. Winds in the bay were manageable and therefore we were able to get ashore for a while this afternoon.    Read more

  • Christmas & New Year Cruise

    Port Stanley, & Bluff Cove With Tea Tour

    December 20, 2024 in Falkland Islands ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    We were able to sail into the inner harbour of Port Stanley, Falklands, as the weather was quite good. There was a ship docked at the port, and another expedition ship was at anchor, so Port Stanly was fairly busy. The Pursuit let down her anchor and soon 2 tenders were underway to get guests to shore.

    Unfortunately the tenders didn't make it because there were problems and they broke down. Paul had asked if, over the last few months, the tenders had been looked at and put down in the water to test them out. Nope, it hadn't been done.

    Usually ships regularly test their tenders to ensure that any problems, including mechanical ones, are sorted out. The Pursuit doesn't use the tenders very often to ferry people to piers. Either we dock or we use the zodiacs. And nobody thought to check the tenders out, assuming that mechanically they were sound. Well, not being used for a long time - things had gone wrong. Oops! Needless to say, the passengers were rescued and they were put on zodiacs to go ashore. Fortunately it wasn't a long ride to the pier. All in a day's work and a mini adventure.

    Paul and I went ashore and had a walk down the main street which follows the coastline. After that, we headed back to the pier for our tour. We discovered that when I made the booking for the tour, Paul hadn't been booked on it, which I did ask for them to do. We waited until everyone was loaded up in the mini vans and there was space available so Paul was able to come along.

    We had a nice drive out to the farm where there are colonies of nesting King, Gentoo and Magellanic penguins. We were able to walk between the colonies but we weren't allowed to get up close - there were markers designating how close we could get, but not cross them. If a penguin came towards us, we had to keep our distance of up to about 5 metres, and move away if need be.

    There were lots of chicks! Some penguins had two chicks, others had one. It was lovely to see them. The surrounding area is beautiful. The farm owner raises sheep and a few cattle, and has been doing penguin tours for a few years now, after gentle persuasion from Holland America Line after someone went out to see the farm and saw the penguins.

    About 45 minutes with the penguins, the rain came, along with a bit of hail. We would have liked to have stayed but we started to get cold, and walked along the shoreline to the gift shop. We had a browse around. Wool from the farm's sheep has been woven into tweed, and there were lovely wool products to purchase, as well as other nice items. After that, we had a wander around the small museum and went to the Sea Cabbage Café for a mug of hot chocolate and a slice of cake and scones with jam and cream. Yum.

    Our time at Bluff Cove came to and end and we headed back to Port Stanley. Paul had time to quickly go into a shop and purchase two books he had seen earlier but didn't buy at the time.

    Unfortunately time was marching on and Paul had to get back to the ship for a meeting. He made it just in time.

    The Pursuit is now heading towards South Georgia, a 2 day sail away. We hope for good weather there, but according to 'Windy' the forecast isn't looking so great at the moment.... I just hope mother natures smiles favourably upon us and gives us the good weather we hope for as from 23rd December when we arrive there.    Read more

  • Christmas & New Year Cruise

    Grytviken

    December 23, 2024 in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands ⋅ ⛅ 1 °C

    We visited a former whaling station, Grytviken, this morning where explorer Ernest Shakleton is buried. There is a museum, post office, church and a warehouse that we could visit, as well as Mr Shakleton's grave.

    There were lots of seals and seal pups, and a few penguins. It was wonderful to see.    Read more

  • Christmas & New Year Cruise

    Hercules Bay Zodiac Cruise

    December 23, 2024 in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands ⋅ ☁️ 2 °C

    We did a zodiac cruise in the bay. There were lots of sealions, king penguins; and macaroni penguins that had delightful yellow feathers sticking out from their heads. There was even a chinstrap penguin (last photograph) amongst the macaroni penguin colony. Why it was alone, I don't know.

    The scenery was impressive with its layered cliffs, caves and inlets.    Read more

  • Christmas & New Year Cruise

    Fortuna Bay Rookery (morning)

    December 24, 2024 in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands ⋅ ☁️ -1 °C

    This morning we did a landing in Fortuna Bay, a bay that Ernest Shackleton reached before climbing over the last mountain to reach a whaling station in Stromness to get help for his men.

    At the beach we were surrounded by seal pups, adult seals and penguins. It was fantastic, all within sight of a beautiful glacier.

    We had a nice walk to a rookery where there were lots of King penguins, adults and chicks. Some chicks were moulting and one poor chap was so itchy from moulting, he was driven to distraction with trying to stop the itch. One adult penguin in the stages of seasonal moulting was a bit grumpy too. We didn't blame him. It was a beautiful sight, nevertheless.

    Back on board the ship, we are now waiting to see what is going to happen this afternoon.    Read more

  • Christmas & New Year Cruise

    Stromness & Leith Whaling Stations (pm)

    December 24, 2024 in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands ⋅ ☁️ 1 °C

    Our afternoon walk from Fortuna Bay up to a hill viewpoint overlooking Stromness was cancelled. We think there may have been a landing site problem but nothing was said.

    Around late afternoon we sailed around to Stromness to catch sight of the former whaling station where Ernest Shackleton finally arrived after his epic trip to get help. Unfortunately the sun was not a in good position for photographs so they have not come out well.

    We also sailed around to Leith whaling station to take photographs from a distance too.

    We were unable to do landings at either site because of bird flu, so all we could do was view the sites and try to appreciate what life was like during the whaling and sealing years. Certainly it was a way of earning a living but in terribly harsh conditions; but also to the detriment of the whale and seal populations.

    In the evening Paul and I went to help the H. R. Manageress distribute gifts to staff. It was nice to help out and feel useful for a change!    Read more

  • Christmas & New Year Cruise

    Salisbury Plain

    December 25, 2024 in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands ⋅ ☁️ 2 °C

    We arrived back at Fortuna Bay this morning, after sailing slowly back from Stromness. The aim today was to hopefully do a nice hike up a hill to look over into Stromness, partly following a route that Ernest Shackleton took. And for those who didn’t want to do the long hike, a zodiac ride would be possible.

    It was snowing and foggy, too unsafe to do a hike up the steep track. The ship waited most of the morning for it to clear, but it remained foggy so the morning’s walk was cancelled. Unfortunately zodiac tours and kayaks were also cancelled because of the weather.

    At 11:00 we sailed to our afternoon’s planned destination, Salisbury Plain. It was foggy but not as bad as in Fortuna Bay, and zodiac cruises were organised for after lunch, starting at around 13:30. Paul and I decided it wasn’t worth going out so we had an afternoon nap after an early lunch.

    Announcements woke us up at around 15:00. When we looked outside, the fog had lifted, revealing glaciers in the distance. We decided to go out for a zodiac cruise after all, making the most of going out with one of the last scheduled groups at 15:30.

    There were plenty of seals and penguins on the very long beach. A haven for wildlife. The air was full of the sounds of adult penguins and twittering chicks, as well as high pitched seal pups and their lower voiced parents. Sadly a badly injured penguin was spotted, with an awful gash across its chest, and blood running down it’s beautiful white feathers. People thought that it wouldn’t survive. I did see it and felt quite traumatised and sorry for it. I could almost feel its pain. I have refused to see photographs of it that guests and Paul took. I can only think that the penguin had maybe been too close to a zodiac propeller, despite drivers being very careful to avoid swimming penguins when taking us out on the water. Or it could have suffered the traumatic injury from something else. I can’t unsee what I saw.

    Paul had to go back to bed to catch up on some more sleep before his midnight shift. I downloaded my photographs and sorted them.

    Festivities for guests start at around 21:30 but I'm tired so I won't go. I'll have an early night instead. I've taken Meclizine, an anti-seasick tablet and it is making me tired. I don't get seasick but the motion of the ocean can make my head feel as if it is in a washing machine - it feels all over the show! The Meclizine seems to settle it a bit.

    We have 2 days sailing ahead of us and we expect to arrive in Antarctica on 28th December.    Read more

  • Christmas & New Year Cruise

    Sea Day, Heading to Antarctica

    December 26, 2024, South Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌬 3 °C

    Paul had to get up for work at midnight so his alarm clock woke me up, and then 5 to 10 minutes later the Bridge called to wake him up for his shift (ha, Paul was already up!). I went back to sleep, and the next thing, the Bridge rang to find Paul. I explained that Paul had gone to the Bridge at midnight (it was now around 2:30). They said they would send security to look for him. I started to panic because maybe something had happened between leaving the cabin and going to the Bridge – had he collapsed and was ill somewhere??  I quickly put on a dressing gown and went to the Staff Captain’s office in case Paul was there for some reason, but it was locked, so I went back to the cabin - just as the Bridge called back again, to say Paul had been found in the bow lounge, and that he was ok. Whew! A few minutes later Paul phoned, hail and hearty. He explained that the fog dissipated eventually, and there was no ice around either, so he was able to stand down from his duties.  Not a problem. But he was wide awake, so he decided to go to the bow lounge to read for a bit instead of disturbing me in the cabin by putting a light on to read.  A chap from security found him there and told him he was needed back on the Bridge because of the fog. At least he was ok, but it had left me feeling very worried!

    About an hour or so later, my sleep was interrupted again. It was one of the officers on the Bridge putting in a ship-wide announcement, asking for the crew medical assistance team to go to deck 3. Yawn... I managed to fall back to sleep again.

    At some stage, after Paul got back from his shift, the Captain made a ship-wide announcement that woke me up yet again. He apologised for he medical assistance announcement during the early hours and disturbing our sleep. Apparently, a young man had collapsed during the early hours of the morning, needing medical attention. He also advised us that we were changing sailing course. We were heading towards Antarctica via the largest iceberg, A23a, in a south easterly direction. However, because the man’s condition is over and above what the ship’s emergency medical team and ICU can deal with, we were now heading towards King George Island, Antarctica, in a south easterly direction, a distance of 700 nautical miles. Ushuaia is 1000 nautical miles away so we might as well head to the closest place for a medical evacuation. At King George Island, the man would be able to get medical assistance or will be flown to Ushuaia. It means that there is a change in the sailing schedule to meet the needs of a critically ill person, and it is something that is of the essence when so far away from land. So the ship is sailing faster, bearing in mind weather, sea and wind conditions can affect it.

    After that last announcement, Paul and I were wide awake and didn’t go back to sleep. We ended up having an early lunch and then sitting in a hot tub for a while. Paul has to get some sleep in before his shift this evening, so he’s out like a light again.    Read more

  • Christmas & New Year Cruise

    Elephant Island: Patient Transfer

    December 27, 2024, South Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌬 1 °C

    Another sea day, heading towards Antarctica.

    This morning we were notified by the Captain that a medical aeroplane cannot land at King George Island due to adverse weather conditions. Either we would have to return to the Falklands or Ushuaia for the patient to get the medical attention he needs.

    Fortunately the sister ship, the Venture, is heading towards Ushuaia, and the staff could help.

    The Venture altered course a bit to meet us at Elephant Island, and the patient was transferred via tender between the two ships.

    The water was quite rough and I felt sorry for those in the tender - it was quite a ride!

    We are now heading towards Half Moon Island and should arrive there around midday tomorrow.    Read more

  • Christmas & New Year Cruise

    Half Moon Island

    December 28, 2024 in Antarctica ⋅ ☁️ 2 °C

    It has been interesting to see Half Moon Island today, compared to when we first saw it in October/November, when it was covered in snow. What a difference today with most of the snow gone.

    Today we walked in "recycled krill" as the expedition team leader put it. Or walking in guano. Some of it was dried, some of it was wet (niiiiicccceee..... ) from melted snow and puddles. It stank too!

    It was nice to see the Chinstrap penguins. There were a few Gentoo penguins but it was mainly a Chinstrap rookery that we were able to see. We also saw female elephant seals and a skua.

    The afternoon was nice for an outdoor walk, with a few clouds but some blue sky.

    When we got back to the landing site we had to clean our boots very well because the guano stuck fast. No matter how much of a dance I did in the water of the pebble beach to get the stones to scrape off the muck, and no matter how much I used the boot scrubber, it couldn't get the stuff off. Paul found a small nail brush and scrubbed the bottoms of my boots, and then I did the same for him after I had inspected them. Fun!    Read more

  • Christmas & New Year Cruise

    Edinburgh Hill

    December 28, 2024 in Antarctica ⋅ ☁️ 2 °C

    We passed this basalt plug around 22:00 as we sailed away from Half Moon Island.

    The basalt plug has been coated in snow over the past few cruises. It has now almost melted. Can you see a face in the last photo?Read more

  • Christmas & New Year Cruise

    Deception Island, Telefon Bay Hike

    December 29, 2024 in Antarctica ⋅ ☁️ 2 °C

    We are back again within the caldera of Deception Island, and we were able to do a hike that we have not been able to do, earlier in the expedition season, due to snow and ice. We did a short walk previously but that was it.

    Today the snow had almost gone so it was perfect to do the walk. However, foggy conditions didn't give us the nice views we had hoped for, especially when we stopped at a cairn for views but all we could see was fog!

    It doesn't matter. It was a nice circular walk, steep in some places, and we did see smaller craters, and former pyroclastic flow.

    Back at the landing site, there were two chinstrap penguins on the beach. A seal surfaced next to a zodiac, curious about what was going on, and then disappeared.

    There is no expedition planned for this afternoon but there are lectures on board if we want to attend. We shall see, later, what is planned for tomorrow!    Read more

  • Christmas & New Year Cruise

    Paradise Bay Zodiac Cruise (AM)

    December 30, 2024 in Antarctica ⋅ ☁️ 0 °C

    Paul was sleeping after a long night's duty on the Bridge, so I headed out on an early morning zodiac cruise in Paradise Bay, near Brown's Base, an Argentinian summer research base.

    There were a few penguins around and about, but not as many as we had expected. I think bird flu has hit the colony, sadly.

    During our cruise, a callout to some zodiacs was received. One of the zodiacs had broken down so we went to see if we could take on a few of the guests. After that, the stricken zodiac was towed back to the ship.

    We weren't needed because there had been enough zodiacs to transfer guests to, so we were able to get back underway and have a quick visit to see the blue-eyed shags (cormorant) rookery. A few chicks were seen but I didn't see them. We also saw a small petrel colony, and then went on to see a small glacier face. On the way back we saw a crabeater seal who had just climbed onto a piece of sea ice. It took him a while to get comfortable and settle down but it was well worth watching him.

    This afternoon I think we might be going for a short walk near Brown's base. We shall see!    Read more

  • Christmas & New Year Cruise

    Leaving Paradise Bay

    December 30, 2024 in Antarctica ⋅ ☁️ -2 °C

    Unfortunately, ice started to block the entry to Brown's Station just as the expedition team was getting ready to set up a route. So the team had to get everything back into the zodiac in a hurry and head out, back to the ship, before the entry was entirely blocked.

    The submarine was recalled and towed back to the ship because ice was beginning to build up in their area, too. The submarine was towed as it was faster.

    We ended up sailing out of Paradise Bay through a narrow channel past Gonzalez Videla Base, a former Chilean station, and are heading into Andvord Bay to get to Neko Harbour. In other words, we took a small but scenic shortcut. 🙂    Read more

  • Christmas & New Year Cruise

    Neko Harbour (late PM)

    December 30, 2024 in Antarctica ⋅ ⛅ -4 °C

    After the Brown's Station landing had been cancelled earlier this afternoon, we would have liked to have gone on to Neko Harbour straight away. Unfortunately we couldn't go in any earlier because the site had been booked to the other ship. Ships book landing sites as soon as slots are open for the summer.

     So we did a very, snail's pace sailing, through Canal Agire, and ended up near the entrance of Andvord bay where we waited. Eventually the ship left and we were able to sail through Andvord Bay to Neko Harbour.

    When we arrived at around 18:00, there was a whale next to the ship, feeding. It was wonderful to see it diving and coming up to the surface a couple of times.

    The ship couldn't get close to the landing site, as in previous times, because of icebergs and bergy bits, but the distance to get to the landing site wasn't too far in any case.

    Paul was awake so we both got off the ship at 19:00 for an hour or so, walking up to a viewpoint which had good views of the nearby glacier, penguin rookeries, and the bay itself. Beautiful.    Read more

  • Christmas & New Year Cruise

    Börgen Bay Zodiac Cruise

    December 31, 2024 in Antarctica ⋅ ☁️ -2 °C

    I've been awake since 3:30 when someone from the Bridge called for Paul but he wasn’t here. I told the chap that Paul would probably be in the Bow Lounge, reading (I figured he had been stood down from duties for a short time, and then recalled when needed but didn’t want to disturb me so went to read in the Bow Lounge).

    When I saw Paul when he came back to the cabin, he confirmed what I thought. He also that he had told the Bridge where he was going and to call him in the Bow Lounge, and not disturb me. Well, they did and I could not get back to sleep. And then Paul started snoring loudly and I still couldn’t sleep. I started to get rather ratty and was glad announcements were made for the start of a zodiac cruises so that I could get off and air my head for a bit.

    It was a nice cruise in a beautiful bay, a few miles/km from and within sight of, Damoy Point. We saw penguins – many Gentoos with a Chinstrap amongst them, trying to blend in with the crowd 😉. Further away there was a leopard seal but I couldn’t see it very well – it didn’t help that a guest in front of me kept standing and wouldn’t sit or kneel down for those behind him to see. Also, my phone’s camera couldn’t zoom in close enough.

    Whales were spotted so we went to see them. They were feeding so they were surfacing and going down, then coming up again. I wasn’t able to catch the whale flukes on my camera phone quickly enough. It doesn’t matter. It is the beauty of being out in nature and appreciate what there is to see. If there are no animals – so what. The beauty of the surrounding areas are always stunning. Photographs cannot do it justice. It is the memories we take back with us that are more precious.

    We are heading towards Damoy Point now and should do a landing this afternoon.    Read more

  • Christmas & New Year Cruise

    Damoy Point

    December 31, 2024 in Antarctica ⋅ ☁️ 1 °C

    There was a delay in doing landing this afternoon. A Hurtigruten ship was at the site this morning but there seemed to be a delay in them leaving, so we stayed a good distance from them until they left sometime after lunch.

    Paul had to go to a meeting at 15:00 but was back in time to come ashore with me, with one of the last groups to go ashore. It was fine with me because it gave me the opportunity to have a nap for an hour or two! 😊

    We visited a preserved British hut which was built in 1973 and used as a British summer air facility and transit station for scientific personnel. It was last occupied in 1993.

    We had the option of going up the hill to the viewpoint to see Port Lockroy on the one side, along with the 7 sisters mountain peaks, and across into Börgen Bay . Paul wasn’t feeling very energetic so we just went to a small ridge to look into the bay where Port Lockroy is situated, not that we could really see much. We could have gone for a walk to a see a penguin colony but I rather think Paul was “penguin’d” out and wasn’t bothered. So we headed back to the ship.

    We are now sailing towards Pleneau Bay for a landing tomorrow at a peninsula on Booth Island.    Read more

  • Christmas & New Year Cruise

    Pleneau Bay (Iceberg Graveyard)

    January 1 in Antarctica ⋅ 🌧 1 °C

    I was desperate for sleep so I took half an antihistamine (one that can make me drowsy) and went to bed early. I slept through the New Year festivities on board – I needed it.

    Paul went to work and came back at 7:30 this morning. I woke up briefly but went back to sleep again, and woke up at around 10:00. It was wet and miserable outside so I’m glad I didn’t get off the ship! Guests went ashore at Booth Island to see a cairn that a French explorer, Jean-Baptiste Charcot, had built. Guests could also visit a penguin rookery.

    Usually we access the island from Port Charcot, which is named after Mr Charcot, but this time we were able to get there via Pleneau Bay, which was not iced up for a change.    Read more

  • Christmas & New Year Cruise

    Lemaire Channel

    January 1 in Antarctica ⋅ ☁️ 1 °C

    As we left Pleneau Bay, another ship made its way to where we had been.
    It is another ship's turn to visit the site.

    We sailed through Lemaire Channel and were going to go to Hidden Bay for a zodiac cruise.

    Paul had warned the expedition team about the wind conditions not being good, and overall it was blowing in the wrong direction so the bay wouldn’t have been sheltered. By the time we sailed part-way through the Lemaire Channel, the wind conditions hadn’t changed.

    Deloncle Bay is about midway through the Lemaire Channel and currently it is quite sheltered, so the expedition team have decided to do a zodiac cruise here instead.    Read more

  • Christmas & New Year Cruise

    Deloncle Bay Zodiac Cruise

    January 1 in Antarctica ⋅ 🌬 1 °C

    Paul and I had a brief nap in the afternoon and decided, as the rain had stopped, we would go out on one of the last scheduled zodiac cruises around the bay. It was quite pretty. I suppose, standing one of the balconies of the ship – we would have got just as fantastic views as we did from water level. But we were able to get closer to icebergs, bergy bits and growlers, and a bit closer to one of the glaciers. Some of the snow has a pink or yellow/green colour - it is from algae growing on the ice. The darker pinky purple, leading up to penguin colonies are actually bird shit/recycled krill.

    In the evening Paul and I had dinner in the Dining Room – the first time in ages. We hosted a table of 5 guests. It was a pleasant evening and we enjoyed the food. {Soon after this cruise began, senior staff and the expedition team were asked to dine in the staff canteen because of the amount of guests on board using the Colonade restaurant. Breakfast and lunches there are buffet style, and in the evenings dinner tends to be served a lot quicker than in the Dining Room, which this particular intake of guests prefer.)

    Paul has to go to the Bridge for his shift at midnight. He can’t wait to go home now!    Read more

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