Day 23 Friday 13 February Cape Horn to Ushuaia

 The last day of our incredible journey.  We sailed past Cape Horn and into the Beagle Channel, like so many explorers before us.

                      The iconic Cape Horn

                      Entering the Beagle Channel as viewed from the Explorer's Lounge.

                       Stephen's final lunch of a Viking burger.

Viking Octantis arrived in Ushuaia at about 7.00pm.  We were able to go ashore and have a quick walk around.

                                 A memorial to the Malvinas (Falklands War).

A monument to Adrien de Gerlache celebrating his achievements.  He was the Commander of the "Belgica" and his expedition discovered an important part of the Antarctic Peninsula and was the first to winter in the Antarctic (His ship was trapped in ice).  Amundsen and Dr Cook were on this expedition.  A fascinating tale revealed in "Madhouse at the End of the World".

Captain Joergen Cardestig had summed up our incredible journey.  We had sailed 3,295 nautical miles.  We had journeyed as far as 64 degrees 28 minutes south  (the furthest south the Octantis had ever sailed).

Our return to Australia involved flights from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires (overnight at the Hilton), then to Santiago, then our long flight to Sydney and finally our return to Brisbane.

Day 22 Thursday 12 February Drake Passage

 A two day journey across the Drake passage - Drake Shake or Drake Lake ??  It was somewhere in between.  The Captain claimed it was quite a smooth crossing!

Drake Passage from the Explorer's Lounge.

There was a wonderful farewell reception in the late afternoon.  Many of the staff were rightfully praised for their dedication to making this a most fantastic adventure for all.

It has truly been a most magical experience.

Day 21 Wednesday 11 February Yankee Harbour Antarctica

Our destination was Yankee Harbour - not on the original itinerary.  But the weather rules.  This is a natural ice-free harbour surrounded by glaciers.  It is a safe anchor for ships and was thus used by sealers for many years, both American and British from the 1820s onwards.  There is a large gentoo penguin colony, with over 4,000 breeding pairs.  Skuas often nest there.  Their feathers camouflage them well against the rocky ground.  There could be artifacts from the days of sealing still littering the shoreline.

Early morning view from Explorer's Lounge.

Nearby to Yankee Harbour is Edinburgh Hill which features a volcanic plug.

                    These are hexagonal basalt columns.

This sleek bark "Europa" sailed past our cabin window.

As the morning progressed, the weather became sunny with blue skies.  Still about minus 3 degress C outside.  This was good news for a busy afternoon of activities.  We were booked for a kayaking expedition (Stephen only), a zodiac landing and a Special Operations Boat cruise.  These activities took us through to 7.00pm.

Lunch was a BBQ up on Deck 6.  A bit chilly!

By 2.00pm, we were ready to begin our adventuring for the day.  It was a breathtakingly beautiful afternoon with bright blue skies.  

Stephen's kayaking partner was Mark from Bournemouth.  It would have been about 40 years since Stephen's last bout of kayaking.

They paddled the shoreline of Yankee Harbour, dodging large chunks of ice and taking in the beauties of nature.

Our zodiac landing was mid-afternoon.  We landed on the pebble beach of Yankee Harbour.  From the photo, our ship appears to have run aground!! 

The penguins were scattered all over the rocky shore.

There were many penguins undergoing their annual moult.  These had raffish bits of feathers still clinging to them.  

There were penguin chicks still shedding their down.

We were near a penguin walkway and gave right-of-way to them as they waddled purposefully on their way.

Stephen waiting near the penguin walkway.

                      Sunny Cords product placement - yet again!

                      Female elephant seal

A thrilling Special Operations Boat ride finished off this most glorious of days.  We zoomed across the waves surrounded by the most magical of landscapes.  Such a spectacular day!

Day 20 Tuesday 10 February Hope Bay Antarctica

Overnight, Viking Octantis was heading towards Snow Hill Island.  This had been announced the previous afternoon and was very exciting news.  This was not the original itinerary.  We were heading way south to look for Emperor penguins !!  These elusive animals had generally not been viewed by the scientific staff.  This adjusted itinerary was to put the "expedition" into expedition cruising.

However, by morning - disappointing news (more so for the excited scientific staff).  We had been heading towards an enormous ice sheet.  Initially it was thought that Octantis could sail around this mass.  Unfortunately, overnight it was decided that this could not be done because of the speed at which the ice sheet was moving.  (The scientific staff were the most disappointed.)

It was still to be the most distance south that the Octantis had ever travelled ! (We were only seven miles short of crossing the Antarctic Circle.  No certificate for us this time !!)  We were reflecting on the many polar journeys we had read about where the explorer concerned was aiming for the furtherest south, only to be foiled by bad weather, being iced in for the winter, and death !!

The new itinerary was Hope Island.  Notable for housing the Argentine Esperanza Station and one of Antarctica's largest Adelie penguin colonies.  The bay is surrounded by rugged peaks and glaciers.

                        Rugged landscape from the Explorer's Lounge

                         Very icy decks

Stephen's breakfast - raspberry donut and Viking Toast (thick bread, dipped in custard, coated with crushed Cornflakes and then fried).  Tasted like a cinnamon bun.

Stephen was hoping to call the raspberry donut a serving of fruit for the day!

                                                    Viking Octantis in Hope Bay

                  Back of the boat (zodiac)

         On hearing the zodiac motors, the penguins on the beach scurried to higher ground.

                Lots of zodiacs jostling for space to examine the glacier formations

                Jagged edge of the glacier

                Wind action smoothed this edge of the glacier

Late afternoon, Viking Octantis sailed out of Hope Bay, past the Argentine Esperanza Antarctic Base.

Day 19 Monday 9 February Paulet Island Antarctica

Our ship was originally scheduled to go to Tay Head, but due to weather conditions, we ended up at Paulet Island.  Named after a Captain in the Royal Navy.  This small island is part of the James Ross Island Volcanic Group.  The island is made of lava flows, and there is a cinder cone with a small crater summit.  Geothermal activity keeps part of the island ice free.  The island supports a very large colony of Adelie penguins.

It was an action-packed day with a Special Operations Boat voyage in the morning, and a zodiac trip in the afternoon.  

What did we see?  Penguins, penguins and more penguins.

               First sight of Paulet Island

     

                Viking Octantis near Paulet Island 

                Lots of interesting ice formations 

               Penguins riding the ice floes 

              Thousands of noisy Adelie penguins along the shoreline

             Weddell seal asleep on an ice floe.  Which end is up ?  (Head is on the right.)

                                Adelie penguins

               Very cold in the zodiacs (minus 4 degrees C, and then the wind chill factor)

Day 18 Sunday 8 February Brown Bluff Antarctica

An absolutely spectacular day.  Our ship was in Brown Bluff, Antarctica.  This was to be our first landing on the continent of Antarctica itself.  The weather was quite surreal and gave our landscape an ethereal beauty.  It was overcast with flurries of snow. 

                                       Onboard the zodiac

There was lots of ice in the water where we were to land.  It looked like a giant slushy.  

The crew had to work really hard to get us ashore.  They had to keep the ice clear of the zodiac.  This meant standing in thigh-deep icy water with a large pick axe, chipping away at chunks of ice.

Along the shore line were thousands of Adelie and gentoo penguins.

The penguins were parading up and down the beach, or slipping and sliding over the ice as it bobbed around in the water.

You can't help but smile at penguins.

              Product placement for Sunny Cords glasses leash.

              We were really there.  Honest.  Flags don't lie.

We finished the day with a group dinner in the ship's private dining room.  This was all of the original Atacama Desert extension group.

Dessert anyone ?  Stephen's dessert (on the left) is black sesame ice cream!  Tasted a little like an Oreo cookie, with a hint of aniseed.