Antarctica

Antarctica!

The last discovered continent; a land of ice and cold, dangerously beautiful and beautifully dangerous. Where evolution allows only the most adapted creatures to stay and mankind treads with care.

An even more surprising land awaits me; of emotion hope and joy. With trimmed down expectations I meet Julie and find a bridge: tempting beauty and beautiful temptation into new life for both of us. The natural restraint, as we are part of a crew is only good.

This is to announce for all who want to know that Julie and I want to continue our life together.

You know about this land of Patagonia; barren, moody in its changing weather and for those who look surprising beauty. What a backdrop for these last weeks for me and Julie!

The choice for the weatherwindow to pass the Drake passage was carefully taken, with much advice from the experienced charterskippers. Nonetheless we are rookies and feel uncertain when violent williwaws hit us en route to Cape Horn when the general wind is only 20 knots. Where do they come from? The forecast talks about twice as much wind within a day but by that time we will be in deep ocean and if you wait for less wind to pass the Drake, you will never leave.

The Cape of Horn itself is unimpressive modest amongst it neighboring islands, yet it is the end of a continent spanning the globe from pole to pole. It took 400 years from Magellan to Amundsen? to find that southern continent hidden just 500 miles south of this rock, yet many sailing ships battled the wind and seas and gave this cape its fame.

We now are heading for Melchior island, a group of rocks that shield the icebergs from a safe anchorage. Most storms pass north of there and only occasional williwaws from the vast iceplateaus of the Antarctic will hinder us. The grapevine of the charterboats tells us that, this year, an exceptional amount of ice is floating around the antarctic peninsula, just where we want to sail. We get the impression that with every windgust and every change of tide groups of icebergs and square kilometers of floating ice are moved around in the labyrinth of canals and islands where we intend to explore. Gerlache street, just beyond our first anchorage in Melchior, is full of ice they say. Lemaire strait, alias Kodak Alley is blocked with bergs and Vernadsky base our southermost goal and manned by Ukrainian scientists is unreachable. They may have to wait for our next trip to receive the prepared greetings from Dana Felicia in Ukrainian and to receive the presents from a Polish Charterboat who failed last week to reach them.

22-12-13 The shortest night, Drake passage

What a delight! sailing high on the wind, little waves with a speed of nearly 6 knots. Unexpected Drake. Yesterday there was a confused and higher wave pattern of 4 meters. However we still made good speed of 4-6 knots mostly and at times 8 knots. The wind was never more than 30 knots, where the experts told us that 40 knots is quite normal here. We are treated kindly by the weather gods here.

In our wake we are followed by a group of albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters and more. They use the upwind on the luff side of Dana Felicia to gain speed. First a big albatross passes at less than a meter from our starboard side followed by a group of smaller birds. The albatrosses are mostly in pairs. Their wingtips just brush the water and with the higher wind speeds here they never seem to move their wings. Just gliding.

Julie and I have developed a whole new language to tell how we feel without words. At twelve o'clock at night when my watch starts it is still light enough to read.

On our way out to Cape Horn we saw a pod of Orca's, a first for all of us. Frequently tumbler and bottlenose dolphins came to say hallo.

23-12-13, in view of the Shetland Islands

Many big fishing vessels from many different nationalities, typically 100m long or more, are frantically fishing here. We see two Norwegian and one Chinese trawlers here grabbing what they can. The Chinese boat is called 'Endless Riches of the Sea', obviously they use the name as an excuse to catch whatever they want.

On starboard is Smith island 2100 m high and covered in bright sunlit snow. On our port is Snow Island, low and inconspicuous, but brightly covered in snow. The ideal cross country skiing site.

Our first iceberg has been spotted and a big whale crossed our bow within 5 meters. The sail is now full out and we are doing a good 8 knots in gentle waves. What more do you want?

Julie and I have prepared a nice lunch with smoked salmon, a Waldorf salad, potato salad and tomato salad. For diner we have taken out the prepared lasagna when we will be at anchor in Whalers bay on Deception Island. This is a water filled caldera with an Argentinian and Spanish base on the island.

24-12-13, Whalers Bay, Deception Island

Penguins fish around the boat, every now and than popping up and making quack sounds like ducks. Yesterday a group of gento penguins was strolling along the black beach of the old whaler station. Their body leaning forward and their feet following as not to fall over. They looked like the puppets that can walk by themselves down a slope.

Deception island is a huge circular volcano filled with seawater where we are anchored in the loose ashes. The circular edge rises snow covered 500 meter around us. Parts are red yellow and green ashes, others are jagged rock walls. A penguin colony is on the slope right on the entrance to the caldera. We are the only vessel in this area. The Argentinian and Spanish base on the island have not been heard yet.

For Christmas Eve we are making a joint effort to create a Danish inspired meal: a starter with king crab, the main with red cabbage apples and caramelized potatoes and argentinian lomo's. The dessert is still to be unveiled but I guess there will be something with rum in it.

We consider ourselves very privileged to be here, having sailed ourselves with a crew of five. The weather has been kind to us. We can view the mainland of Antarctica 130 nautical miles south of us!

Julie and I are making poems for each other to explore our emotional landscapes. Private area dear readers, so you will not see a word of them on this website.

Happy Christmas.

25-12-13, Christmas day, Whalers Bay

Three cruise ships turned up this morning; two russians and one from the Marshall islands. Groups of around 100 people go ashore in remarkable similar patterns. Some wander off and others flock together around the obvious points of interest. Penguins amuse these visitors by gliding on the snow or waggling off on clumsy feet. A snowstorm rages all around and obscures the view at times.

26-12-13, Whalers Bay

Today we go ashore. The storm has passed the air is clear. The volcanoes other side, 10 kilometers afar, looks close to touch. We wait for two more cruise ships to release and regain their flocks and then the beach is there just for us and the penguins.

Where we beach a hot water spring heats the seawater and it steams. This is the favorite diving spot for the penguins. A seal pops up between them. On shore the penguins are delightful inquisitive, waggling up to you as close as half a meter and making it quite difficult to focus at such a short distance while you are filming them. Every now and then they topple over in the snow and land on their belly. In that position they are quite agile actually. Later we see on film that they at the same time gulp large mouthfuls of snow and nibble at it.

Julie and I walk up to Neptunes window, a lower part in the crater rim caused by a secondary caldera. We have a lovely view out to sea. Icebergs float past as we enjoy the first moments of privacy together.

Neptunes window.....

27-12-13, towards Enterprise Island

Grey low hanging clouds with yellow light beneath illuminating high Antarctic mountains like a bedside lamp. Then the sudden flash of blue, an iceberg floating by.

We have left Deception Island and are now doing our largest daytrip in Antarctica: 106 nautical miles. All other trips together will not be more then 75 miles. That will bring us to Vernadski base if the ice allows us. Icebergs are now coming on a regular basis. Enterprise island is promised to be a safe spot where we can tie up between a wreck and some rocks ashore. A glacier will provide us with melting water to fill our tanks. With five persons on board, even the huge tanks of Dana Felicia are not sufficient for the whole trip to Antarctica. And as the watermaker on board is broken, we are looking forward to fill up again with drinking water.

Some time ago a vessel in Enterprise Island got damaged by the tsunami from an iceberg breaking from the glacier. We are advised to tie up well off the side of the wreck to avoid hitting the side in such an event. Another concern for us is the predicted easterly wind of 30 knots on Monday. Most anchorages here are not protected in this wind. We will have to see and possibly seek another place to hide. That could be Port Lockroy where all cruise boats pass by and mail postcards home (yes there is a postoffice in Antarctica!).

The warmth of our relationship is in tender harmony with the special beauty and freezing temperature around Julie and me. Our mutual trust and comprehension has formed a firm basis for our lives together.

Sunday 29 December 2013, Port Lockroy

We arrived at Enterprise Island at 1 o'clock in the morning. It was still light. The wreck at Enterprise Island was a disappointment; too tight a spot for Dana Felicia's size to safely tuck into, too much snow on the sides with dangerous overhangs of 10 m high, threatening to fall down with the side of the wreck at an angle that would damage our boat at any movement. So we decided to continue to Port Lockroy that will provide good shelter in the high easterly winds predicted for Monday.

The extra travel time was 10 hours, making our total trip an unexpected 30 hours. We were rewarded with a bright sunny day, a sunrise of 360 degrees with a red horizon all around. Mountains up to 3000 m high around us and a very confusing view as you look around and see mountains seemingly close by in any direction, yet when you look on the map you see open water for 20-100 miles around. On one side a plateau of snow, 3000 meters high with the mountains protruding at the shoreside from a wall of white. Impossible to make out where there was snow and where there was clouds in this wall of white.

Unlike any mountains I know, these were covered in snow of 20 to hundreds of meters thick. Frequently avalanches had occurred or where just in balance to occur. As we navigate the waters we encounter frequent groups of icebergs, growlers and small pieces of floating ice. When they align perpendicular to the wind these are called floes and require careful navigation through them. The alien shapes come out beautiful in the very bright low sunlight. Groups of penguins reside on them like they are riding a bus.

By 10 o'clock in the morning we arrive at Port Lockroy, the only safe all weather harbour in Antarctica. Our preselected anchorage spot is still frozen in by sea-ice and three other yachts have taken the spots between little islands in the bay. We manage to bring out our anchor just beside the sea-ice and get a good holding on a rocky bottom with two shorelines attached to rocks ashore. During the next days pieces of sea-ice break of and kiss our hull. Sometimes these pieces are the weight of our boat and the kiss becomes a roughing up.

On shore an abandoned British base has been converted into a museum, souvenir shop and post office including passport stamping station. 4 ladies perform these services for four month in the year. Last year they received 18.000 visitors so you can imagine that this is not a lazy job. The cruise ships that frequent here are eager to please the ladies and offer all kinds of comfort like a free warm showers on board and deserts. We piggyback with the ladies to ask for fresh water as our tanks are nearly empty and the watermaker has given up in the cold. The only other way to get fresh water here is by melting snow in buckets, a slow process.

Wednesday, 1-1-2014, Port Lockroy

Happy New Year to you all. The year of the snake has nearly passed and dramatic it has been. The future is ahead of us and yet unknown.

Breathing your breath

lips suggesting

our course is set

the choices made.

My independent lady, who travels on this globe alone with many friends, let me be your companion, for a while.

New years eve was special; the five ladies of the base Helen, Jane, Christel, Rachel and Sarah invited us over to listen to Big Ben on the antique museum piece short wave radio. That was our official 00:00 hour date line, in local time only 21:00 hours. Champagne, best wishes and hugs at 64° South with full daylight with people linked in a sense of remoteness and common interest.

Yesterday Julie and I strolled ashore between the penguin colonies on the west side of the base. Cormorants were breeding on feather nests between the stone nests of penguins. Besides the watching of the eggs, the penguins occupied themselves with beak-kissing and stone stealing form their neighbours. We saw one naughty guy(?) proudly waggling to his nest with a stolen stone in his beak.

On the ice 5 Weddel seals were lazily scratching their backs while Julie and I were waiting for the dinghy to pick us up. Only after some time we realized we were right in view of the BBC camera across the bay, filming a new born penguin chick.

It is getting time to move on. Within range of a daytrip we have Lemaire Strait, a narrow pass sided by high snowy mountains on both sides and locally known as Kodak Alley. After that lies Vernadski base with Ukrainian scientists known for their hospitality and vodka. All depends on how much ice we will encounter if we can reach these places.

Thursday 2-1-2014, Lemaire Street

We are scraping ice regularly now. A big crunching sound on the hull. The question is when to decide to return to Port Lockroy and give up reaching Vernadsky base. In the end I threw in the argument that I was frightened of the wind picking up and blowing all the ice into the entrance of the Lemaire channel and effectively cutting us off from going back. Thus we returned.

The Lemaire street was the superlative of all we have seen: think of the Torres del Paine national park in Patagonia, add 30 meters of snow on everything and imagine a narrow passage with the high cliffs on both sides and a full bright sun on everything. That is Lemaire street! On top: no tourists to be seen, only a couple of cruise ships mostly too far to see.

Yesterday was devoted to assessing the ice situation. A South African sailboat with a crew of five had attempted to return to Ushuaia but failed due to large ice-fields floating in deep water of the ocean outside the island range within which we are cruising. A cruise ship with a Russian first officer was very helpful by providing us with satellite photo's of the ice in that area. It was clear from these that large ice-fields were present there, all the way south to Antarctica. The clear way out was first going North and then out to Cape Horn through the Melchior Islands. It was also clear that for the next 6 days no weather window would open up to sail to Cape Horn. No problem, as we still have plenty of food and water is given to us very friendly from the cruise ships on request. On top of this Port Lockroy is an all weather safe anchorage with nice company around.

In the evening the sky cleared and we enjoyed a lovely evening, sitting short sleeved on the deck and photographing the ever changing light on the scenery around us. See for yourselves, we are out of words to describe what we see.

4 January 2014, Port Lockroy

Yesterday was a relaxing day. Julie and I collected water from two cruise ships like two buddhist monks with 7 jerry cans as begging bowls. The crews are always friendly to us, on Boreal we were allowed into the large and luxurious kitchen to fill our 150 liters of drinking water. Initially at the small tap to make coffee and later the boss realized that that would take hours and showed us the large tap to fill next to the huge boiling pan for spagetti. About 100 liter of spagetti was being prepared while we were filling up. One of the cooks gave of nice freshly prepared pastries while waiting. Before the guest returned we left on our our boots and with the water through the crystal laid out dining room with white roses on every table.

The moments of privacy for Julie and me when we are in the dinghy returning to Dana Felicia are precious to us, used for making close-up foto's of the blue ice in the growlers (chunks of ice) and other things.

A closer look at the wind predictions showed us that it would be possible now to pass the Drake Passage. Thus decided we were on our way hoping for little ice in the way out and up north.

5 January 2014, Drake Passage

Ice seems completely unpredictable for us, on the way north from the Melchior islands we encountered three lines of pack-ice, just at the edge of deeper water. The ice was at most place densely packed and 800 meters wide. On top a large swell moved the ice in unpredictable ways. With luck and skills we managed to get through and out in the open water.

The next morning we noticed ice-forming on the sea-railing caused by saltwater spray freezing up. If this increased we could be covered in a thick layer of ice quickly changing the stability of the boat. Happily the ice disappeared after a couple of hours.

After that we enjoyed the sail in 35 knots of easterly winds, bright sunshine and again albatrosses around us.

Monday 6 January 2014, Drake passage 60° South

Julie and I have made up our mind to leave Dana Felicia at the first possible moment. We feel unwelcome as a pair of new lovers in a crew of singles. Our need for talk to find our way in the labyrinth of new emotions is met with a harsh command to stop the chitchat. Our need for privacy is ignored and we are accused of selfishness. Julie in particular cannot understand the hostility shown towards her.

A boat is like a world onto itself and rules that apply on land can fade in this confinement. Detangling us will be a cure for all. No more words on this.