Friday, 28 December 2018
Bransfield Strait, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica
Following on from yesterday’s blog, we all had a welcome dinner in Jose Noguiera’s former home, a palatial 19th Century mansion on the main square. Relief is overwhelming to find that I’m not actually the only non-Chinese passenger. There’s a retired couple from Oz and Uncle & Nephew from USA. I’ll no doubt have to keep the colonies under control. We all share a table and it’s most amusing! Good characters with stories to tell.
Early morning check in to Antarctic Airways. A swift process and soon at Gate 1. You can tell the passengers that are flying to Antarctica. We’re all wearing thermally insulated wellies. We are told to dress up in polar gear now for going on the plane so when we disembark in Antarctica, we’re hot to trot. Go through the rigmarole of clothing up. By the time I’ve put waterproof trousers on I’m sweating buckets, it’s so hot in the terminal building, so they swiftly come off again.
Excellent flight from Punta Arenas to Frei Base Station on King George Island in the South Shetland Islands, about 1,000km/600miles from South America. About 1hr 50mins flying time. We’re in a BAe-146 aircraft. Used for its short take-off and landing capabilities as the runway at Frei is very short and gravelly. Fly over the Drake Passage and see no white horses so assume it’s calm today. As we approach Antarctica, the cloud cover increases and we descend through low cloud until suddenly the sea appears a few hundred feet below, which reminds me of the time I flew into Honningsvag, northern Norway, at the start of my Cape to Cape trip.
As soon as we touch down, the brakes go on and reverse thrust. It’s an incredibly short runway primarily used as an emergency runway which anyone can land on at anytime. No tarmac just a gravel strip on an island. The stones thrown up on to the underside of the aircraft make a racket. The pilot only made the decision to fly 12hrs beforehand. He needs a 4hr weather window in order to fly, land, disembark/embark passengers and take-off again. A guide tells us that last year they were stuck for 5 days in Antarctica waiting for a weather window but assured that’s a rarity.
Once disembarked, it’s a 20-30 minute walk along the runway and down Antarctica’s busiest road (a car drove past) to the beach and the waiting Zodiacs. More safety briefings on life jackets and embarking/disembarking Zodiacs are just about to start when some penguins suddenly leap out of the sea and waddle up to the beach. Quick. Penguins. Cameras. Click. Click. Click. Reminds me of Africa when you saw impala on day one and it was a big thing but by day two you’re all impala-ed out and they don’t even make you want to take a photo. Suspect it will be the same for penguins.
Once on board the Zodiacs, we float out into the cold sea and are then given a ‘man overboard’ safety briefing before heading to the ship and transferring from Zodiac.
On board the MV Ocean Nova for the next week with Antarctica XXI (www.antarcticaxxi.com). An ice class expedition ship. Told that we have to cross the Bransfield Strait, which, as an extension to the notorious Drake Passage, can get a bit choppy. Hmmm. Cinnarizine tablets taken.
Before the ship can set sail we all have to undertake a mandatory safety briefing and ‘abandon ship’ routine, which entails leaving your cabin on the emergency alarm sound and making your way to the Muster Station. Then shown how to put on an immersion suit, which gives us 6hrs in the freezing water. Yay. Next up is queuing for the lifeboat. Being the gallant and chivalrous type, I bring up the rear for my lifeboat.
As soon as the safety briefing is over, the ship starts sailing out of the inlet into the Bransfield Strait. It’s nice and calm in the inlet but I’m wary. Having crossed from Poole to Cherbourg one stormy English summer’s day, it was nice and calm in Poole harbour but as soon as we left, that was it. It was like being in a washing machine being thrown about all over the place. 20ft high waves and a Brittany Ferries catamaran do not go!
However, as I type this, we’ve been sailing for 6hrs now and it’s been OK. On the port side we have the Antarctic peninsula and on the starboard side the snow capped peaks of the South Shetland Islands.
Welcome drinks before dinner is interrupted by a pod of humpback whales breaching and snorting. Never seen a whale before and it’s quite something to be so close. Never been on a cruise before. So that’s two firsts.
The Englishman and his colonies now have a designated table. We’ve all got stories to tell and it’s a really good laugh. Mrs Oz tells us that in New Zealand they have a possum problem so use the fur to make gloves. And nipple warmers. Apparently, it’s a thing. She refuses to say if she’s wearing nipple warmers though. I’m not sure if she’s winding me up though?!
It’s a 15hr sail to Portal Point so we’ll be there early tomorrow morning and then we can set foot on mainland Antarctica!
