Antarctica

While Antarctica might not be new to Mui and me, there are still many parts of it that we have not been to. The Neumayer Channel isn’t one of them. But we are counting it as good as new to us. You see, when we sailed through the channel in 2007, it was so socked in by thick fog that we did not see anything.

We were already on deck 10 around 2:00p when Insignia approached the entrance. It was still overcast … low lying clouds wreathing the tall mountains. But there was a brightness to the afternoon light that gave us hope that we’d be seeing some sunshine. We did … and patchy blue skies, too. Perfect!

There were a surprising number of ships in the Neumayer Channel … a big change from when we were here in 2007 … and even in 2015. Back then, we rarely saw another vessel as we explored the Great White Continent. That Antarctica’s popularity is growing in leaps and bounds was proven by the presence of the vessels. (That’s not necessarily a good thing, but I won’t get on my conservation box.)

Wildlife once again made their appearance during our time in the Neumayer Channel. Yes, there were gentoo penguins … on shore and porpoising through the water. Yes, there were whales. We also saw some seals — two crabeater seals … one of which was quite close to the ship; and a leopard seal … one of the two predators in the Antarctic.

Frankly, Mui and I were expecting that we’d be seeing things from a much farther distance! Captain Stjepan and his bridge team, with the advice of the ice pilot and Stephanie, the leader of the expedition team, did an amazing job of getting us through the channel and “safely” close to what we came here to see … Stupendous Antarctica!

P.S. We are especially grateful that Captain Stjepan was willing to dip into the bay where Port Lockroy is situated. It was fun to get a glimpse of the places we roamed when we landed here in 2007 … and then were rushed back to the ship early because of a fast-moving storm moving in unexpectedly.Read more