PENINSULA , S OUT H GEORGIA, AND

C HEESEMANS’ E C OLOGY S AFARIS E XPEDITION L OG 2014 2015 EXPEDITION LOG CHEESEMANS’ ECOLOGY SAFARIS , South Georgia and Falkland Islands 15 December 2014 to 8 January 2015

Designed by Teresa Floberg Edited by Nan Eagleson Written by Julianne Restani Images by Passengers and Sta as credited i Cover Photo in Antarctica By John McGarvey

Back Cover Photo Frozen waves By Martin Grosnick

Title Page Photo Gentoo Penguin on a wave By Tonya Nilsson

This Page Photo Moon rising By Alan Jones

COPYRIGHT NOTICE Copyright ©2015 Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris Photographers hold the copyright to their work.

“ ank you, for your enthusiasm, com- mitment to preserving the wild places we visited, your  exibility when nature and weather dictated last minute changes in our operations and your general good cheer...What a fantastic group!” Hugh Rose Expedition Leader

ii TABLE OF CONTENTS

Welcome Aboard 2 Antarctic Peninsula 36 e Expedition 4 Elephant Island 30 December 38 Tierra del Fuego and Embarkation 15 December 6 Brown Blu 31 December 40 At Sea to Falkland Islands 16 December 8 Antarctic Sound South 1 January 42 Falkland Islands 10 and Cuverville Island 2 January 44 & e Settlement 17 December 12 Grandidier Channel and Petermann 3 January 46 Island Steeple Jason Island 18 December 14 Yalour Island and Port Lockroy 4 January 48 19 December 16 Neko Harbour and Danco Island 5 January 50 At Sea to South Georgia Island 20 December 18 Half Moon Island 6 January 52 At Sea to South Georgia Island 21 December 19 At Sea to Ushuaia 7 January 54 South Georgia Island 20 At Sea to Ushuaia for Disembarkation 8 January 55 Arrival at South Georgia 22 December 22 Expedition Sta 56 Salisbury Plain, Fortuna Bay and 23 December 24 Stromness Expedition Participants 57 Hercules Bay and Grytviken 24 December 26 Photo Montage 1 58 Godthul and St. Andrews Bay 25 December 28 Photo Montage 2 60 Gold Harbour 26 December 30 Species List by Date 62 Cooper Bay 27 December 32 e Many Faces of Nature 65 At Sea to the Antarctic Peninsula 28 December 34 Friends of South Georgia Island 66 At Sea to the Antarctic Peninsula 29 December 35

1 WELCOME ABOARD

By Hugh Rose, Expedition Leader trip, I’m struck by the many Southern for this adventure. We de nitely ex- Ocean “best ever” experiences for me. perienced our weather moments (just A FANTASTIC VOYAGE ere are too many to list them all, but think back to Steeple Jason and the Greetings and thank you, to all of my a few that come to mind are; tens of navigation from South Georgia to the fellow Adventurers for thousands of Black-browed Albatross Antarctic Peninsula), but this allowed choosing to join Cheesemans Ecology in the air at Steeple Jason, Christmas everyone to experience the true fury of Safaris on another fantastic voyage to Eve at Grytviken, a golden day at Gold the Southern oceans…from the safety the bottom of the world! Once again, Harbour, New Year’s Eve in the ice in of the stable Ortelius! Overall, Mother it’s that time of year to re ect back on Antarctic Sound, friendly Humpbacks Nature smiled on us with sunshine and our amazing adventure. While writing at Cierva Cove, pirouetting Leopard calm winds when we most needed them an introduction to the log, I know that Seals at Booth Island and leaping Gen- and the wildlife, icebergs and scenery I may have said this in the past, but this too’s at Danco Island! And these are just of Antarctica, South Georgia and the was “One of the best voyages ever!” As a few of the many amazing encounters Falklands did not disappoint! e I sit in my o ce in Fairbanks, Alaska, we all experienced on our voyage south. Cheeseman expedition sta worked at the other end of the world from Ant- Once again, we were fortunate to have tirelessly to get everyone safely ashore arctica (our Latitude in Fairbanks is the very capable Ortelius, commanded and back to the ship, and helped to in- the same as except by Captain Barria with his great of- terpret the show of nature we were all with an “N” at the end of it, I couldn’t  cers, crew and always-smiling hotel so fortunate to experience. And  nally get much farther away geographically!) sta ( ank You Michael, a beautiful I could not ask for a better group of fel- and relive the many highlights of our good morning to you!), as our platform low passengers to travel all those nau-

Hugh Rose, Expedition Leader Michael Pollack Fellow passangers Tom Rivest Sat : Joe Kaplan Marybee Kaufman

2 WELCOME ABOARD

Sat : Elise Lockton Marybee Kaufman

Sat : Sadie Youngstrom Marybee Kaufman Sat : Nick Mooney Fiona Taylor Sat : Steve and Marybee Kaufman, Artist-in-Residence Marybee Kaufman

tical miles with! ank you, for your across the land outside my window and enthusiasm, commitment to preserving I begin to look forward to the summer the wild places we visited (we raised a season in the Arctic, all I have to do is record amount of money at our fund- conjure up the image of the Leopard raising auction for the rat eradication Seals swimming circles under our Zo- project on South Georgia, which is now diacs against the electric blue iceberg completed in part due to your generous backdrop at Booth Island or recall the contributions!), your  exibility when comical scene of Gentoos bouncing o nature and weather dictated last min- the lip of the iceberg at Danco Island ute changes in our operations and your and I smile and think, I can’t wait to general good cheer during all of our head south again next year! landings, Biosecurity and our last min- ute gangway changes! What a fantastic group! Now, as I watch spring  ood Sat : Nan Eagleson Marybee Kaufman

3 THE EXPEDITION

Antarctic Fur Seals, Ortelius in background Uwe Haller

4 THE EXPEDITION

Falklands

South Georgia

South America

Antarctic Peninsula

5 15 December 2014 Tierra del Fuego National Park and Embarkation Day 1

By Julianne Restani

THE ADVENTURE BEGINS Humans mark time by the years an important event took place. We place time markers to years when some- thing big happened in our lives: ‘the year I graduated from high school’ or ‘the year we got married’ etc. Now we will add another marker to our lives: the ‘Cheesemans’ trip to Antarctica.’

TIERRA DEL FUEGO NATIONAL PARK Our year mark voyage began in the colorful city of Ushuaia, the capital of Terra Del Fuego. Like school children on an outing, we got to know each other better by riding Pullmans to Tierra del Fuego National Park. Three buses divided passengers by passions: bird watch- ers, photographers and sightseers. The park was created in1960 and pro- tects 16,000 acres of stunning shore- line, woods and peat bogs. While a few miles of the park is available for camping and sightseeing, the rest of the pristine habitat is closed and home to 20 species of mammals such as Fuegian Fox and Southern Sea Ot- ter. Birders caught sight of a few of the park’s 90 species of birds including the Magellanic Woodpecker, Great Grebe, The adventure awaits Allison Chin

6 Day 1 Tierra del Fuego National Park and Embarkation 15 December 2014

Rufous-collared Sparrow, Tufted Tit- Only a short walk from the museum Tyrants and three di erent species of sat our ship, our home for the next geese: Upland, Kelp and Ashy-headed. three weeks, the Ortelius, named after Beautiful weather and sun dominated a 15th century cartographer, her decks the skies during the day giving pho- autter with crew, sta and sailors. tographers perfect light to capture the Ten passengers were checked in at a shallow shore waters and surrounding time as to not overwhelm our amazing Andes Mountains. ship/hotel manager, Michael Frauen- dorfer, followed by a warm greeting BOARDING THE ORTELIUS by Expedition Leader, Hugh Rose, and Returning to town we made time for introductions to his sta . a quick stop to buy odds and ends or visit the End of the World Museum to We set sail into The Beagle Channel to- see artifacts related directly to the his- ward, for many of us, the voyage of a tory of the city and surrounding area. lifetime.

The End of the World Post Oce Lorraine Reilly

Kate Mulligan Marybee Kaufman Evacuation practice Oliver Strimple

7 16 December 2014 At Sea to Falkland Islands Day 2

By Julianne Restani our in-residence sta birders: Joe Ka- Other activities today included muck plan and aptly named, Nan Eagleson. boot tting for passengers—sorry SAILING EAST fashionistas—boots come only in Sometime during the night the ocean LECTURES AND WORKSHOPS black and green. Our artist-in-res- changed—a dip, a roll and then we Being at sea was the perfect opportu- idence, Marybee, gave out art sup- all knew—we’re really “out there.” Our nity to learn more about the voyage plies and talked about the ins and Captain, Ernesto Berriea, graciously ahead of us. The information-packed outs of wildlife illustration. Wrapping allowed passengers onto the bridge day included Joe’s lecture, “Natural up the day, Hugh and Ron presented for a birds’ eye view of how he and his History of the Falklands/South Geor- “Introduction to the Falklands: Pho- crew sail through dicult passages gia’s Wildlife/Southern Ocean” fol- tos, Tips, Tour Ethics, and Natural His- and straights. We are sailing east to lowed by Hugh’s “Zodiac Safety” and tory” followed by Tim and Pauline the Falkland Islands, known as Islas Marco’s talk, “Sustainability: Tourism Carr’s lecture, “Last Port of Call: Falk- Imperial Shag Mary Schafer Malvinas on Argentine maps. Some in the Subantarctic/Antarctic.” Next lands from the Maritime Perspective.” of the most iconic bird species of the came a workshop on how to correctly region were seen from the bridge to- set up cameras and the basics of na- WAVES OF “MAL DE MAR” day: the sleek Black-browed and Royal ture photography by wildlife photog- Many of us, unfortunately, spent the Albatrosses, Giant, White Chinned, rapher Ron—followed by hands-on day dealing with waves of mal de Pintado, Southern Giant and Wilson’s help from the rest of our professional mar, but lucky for us, Dr. Lynn Hoole Storm Petrels, Great and Sooty Shear- photographers: Tom, Steve and Hugh. helped ease our su ering with kind waters, all spotted by passengers and

DAY 2 AT NOON Location At Sea Latitude 54˚02.5’ S Longitude 64˚00.6’ W Total Sailed 183 miles Wind 45 knots WNW Air Temperature 8°C Weather Partly Cloudy

Black-browed Albatross Martin Grosnick Aspiring photographer Jennifer Zhou

8 Day 2 At Sea to Falkland Islands 16 December 2014

words and even kinder medications. “One hand for the ship” was our con- stant reminder when moving around the decks and stairs because the Ortel- ius began listing and rocking while go- ing through the Southern Ocean. Why is it that babies enjoy being rocked in a cradle while we grown-ups nd it nauseating?

What led you to take this trip? “We chose Antarctica as a destination because it is a wonder, a magical place, a moonscape, intriguing—a place we had not yet experienced with potential of being the trip of a lifetime.” - Judy Moon and Bob Otness The Ortelius Oliver Strimpel Gentoo Penguin Michael Pollack

Many di erent vessels in the sea that day Marc Meijlaers Giant-Petrel Tonya Nilsson

9 FALKLAND ISLANDS

Falkland Islands Mary Schafer

10 FALKLAND ISLANDS

2

Imperial “Blue-eyed” Shag Virginia Robbins 1

Black-browed Albatross Michael Viljoen 3

Point Landing Date 1 New Island & The Settlement 17 Dec 2 Steeple Jason 18 Dec 3 Sea Lion Island 19 Dec Gentoo Penguin Joseph McKenna Footprints John Salmon

11 17 December 2014 New Island and The Settlement Day 3

By Julianne Restani

NEW ISLAND We arrived at New Island in excel- lent time after leaving port in Ush- uaia—400 miles under our belts. We spent the day on New Island, a narrow island whose outline resembles a Ror- schach blot, located at the very south- west corner of the Falkland archipel- ago. Purchased in 1972 by naturalist Ian Strange—who came to the island originally to raise minks for the Hud- son Bay Company—he then turned the island into a permanent nature/ wildlife reserve now run by the New Island Conservation Trust.

Gentoo Penguin Robyn Woodward Today was our rst day on the Zodiacs Sharing the sand with a Striated Caracara Hugh Rose and rst landing day! We all tried to re- member our Zodiac rules: both hands on a small New Island beach. Passen- on the gangway (not gangplank) de- gers could take Zodiacs to the north scent, use sailors’ grip, one foot on Zo- end of the island to see the Black- diac side, slide down toward transom, browed Albatross colony—where don’t stand etc. Do we have our life many of us realized the power of the jacket, dry bag, sunscreen, the correct area winds. Hold on to your hats and footwear, hat, gloves, etc.? Did we tell any other loose garments! A short Julianne our names as she counted us walk led us to a crystal white beach o ? Did I ip my tag? So much to re- where a Gentoo colony lazed in the member! warm sand. Out of the peaceful blue waters—killer on the beach—a prowl- A BIRDER’S PARADISE ing Elephant Seal swiftly snatched, After a relatively easy Zodiac ship killed and ate a hapless Gentoo right launch and beach landing, thanks to in front of us! perfect weather, we found ourselves For passengers wanting to stretch Killer on the beach Michael Pollack

12 Day 3 New island and The Settlement 17 December 2014

What led you to take this trip? “My great uncle gave me a copy of Endurance when I was 13. I read it in one night and then read it at least 25 more times over the years. I wanted to see what he saw. That’s why I’m here, and ev- ery sight I’ve seen overwhelms me. ” - Anon There must be something more interesting in the water than penguins Martha Robbins their legs—a nearly 4-½ mile hike Sheathbills, Blackish and Magellanic that rolled through the hills and fea- Oystercatchers, Peregrine Falcons, tured plenty of Magellanic Penguin Blackish Cinclodes and Dark-faced burrows and a stunning view of the Ground-Tyrants. South Harbor. An additional mile took us to the rookery of Rockhopper Pen- guins. Many of us saw the true nature DAY 3 AT NOON of Southern Caracaras—their endless Location New Island curiosity with our hats, shoes and any- Latitude 51˚42.4’ S thing not nailed down. Longitude 61˚16.8’ W What a day for birders! Today‘s sight- Total Sailed 363 miles ings topped thirty new species. We Wind 35 knots W were graced by the presence of Falk- Air Temperature 7°C land Steamer and Crested Ducks, Rock Weather Partly Cloudy Cormorants, Turkey Vultures, Snowy Gentoo Penguin Siu Kwok

13 18 December 2014 Steeple Jason Island Day 4

DAY 4 AT NOON Location Steeple Jason Latitude 51˚02.7’ S Longitude 61˚13.6’ W Total Sailed 463 miles Wind 50-75 knots NNW Air Temperature 7°C Weather Cloudy

What led you to take this trip? “The overall intensity of the itinerary and the time o the boat. The sta was perhaps most impressive in the qual- ity of the lectures and their ability to tough-it-out in the surf and handle the Zodiacs.” - Dick Benoit Striated Caracara Anthony Yau Persian tapestry Alan Jones

By Julianne Restani Zoological Society/Wildlife Conserva- tion Society Bronx Zoo, which main- STEEPLE JASON tains a small research station on the Today we sailed fty miles directly island. north to land on Steeple Jason—the At 4:15 a.m. thirty-ve intrepid souls most awe inspiring of the Falkland heeded the wake-up alarm, wolfed Island chain since it is home to the down a bar breakfast of pastries and largest Black-browed Albatross colony co ee and hit the Zodiacs by 5:00 a.m. in the world. Over 200,000 breeding This was not a breezy beach land- pairs crowd along a three-mile stretch ing but a tricky, slippery rock landing of Steeple Jason’s coastline. New York where sta lined up to hold out a help- resident and philanthropist, Michael ing hand to get each passenger onto Steinhardt, gifted the island to the NY Black-browed Albatross colony Alan Jones

14 Day 4 Steeple Jason Island 18 December 2014

Nesting mother Cheryl Stewart Gentoo penguins emerging Michael Viljoen the island. Caracaras appeared imme- and drop-o s. To avoid the wind and Finally around 8 p.m. a last attempt diately, excited at our arrival—giddy white caps, the captain relocated the to launch Zodiacs went on and Greg, at the possibility of stealing hats and Ortelius to the north side of the island. Tom, Nick, Hugh, Joe and Ron man- ripping up ags. A short hike took us From the ship we could see our ship- aged to dodge through high winds up to the albatross colony—what a mates on the Island actually basking and thick kelp beds to retrieve tired, sight to behold! in the sun while waiting a ride back to hungry and yet happy passengers, the ship. Time ticked by—would the some of whom spent around 13 hours ALMOST STRANDED 53 passengers on shore have to spend on shore! Around 8:30 p.m., with ev- Meanwhile, Zodiac drivers managed the night on the island? Thoughts of eryone safe aboard, winds grew to to get twenty-two additional passen- calling the Zoological Society to ask over 100 knots and the ocean began gers still on the ship, ashore, in the for use of their research station as tossing the Ortelius around like a wet moments before the winds picked up shelter were considered. Is the key football. to 77 knots—thus stopping all pick up under the matt? Black-browed Albatross pair Kieran Baxter

15 19 December 2014 Sea Lion Island Day 5

By Julianne Restani gressive Southern Fur Seals—we DAY 5 AT NOON ACTIVITIES FOR ALL learned to gently brush the seal’s whis- Location Sea Lion Island A change in weather allowed for activ- SEA LION ISLAND kers—to stop them in their frippery Latitude 52˚24.5’ S ities on the beach. Tim and Greg led a The weather held us back today and tracks. Get out your bird book! Our six-mile hike to seek out a Rockhopper Longitude 58˚03.7’ W we didn’t get out to Sea Lion Island birding experts Joe and Nan took an- Penguin colony while Elise and Pau- until late in the afternoon. During other group out to see the diversity of Total Sailed 599 miles line took plant lovers into the wilds of most of the 20th century the island birds which include Magellanic Oys- Wind 13 knots W the island for a natural history walk. was used to raise sheep but in 1990 tercatchers—instantly recognizable Air Temperature 7°C Sta member Sadie spoke about seals the island was purchased by the Falk- with brilliant dark orange bills, White- Weather Partly Cloudy and their behavior. A running ques- land Island Development Corpora- rumped Sandpipers, Two-banded Plo- tion from passengers (pun intended) tion, who in turn removed the sheep vers and the endemic subspecies of was about the running mucus coming and planted 60,000 stands of tussock Sedge Wren (locally known as Grass grass—which the sheep had nearly Wren) and the endemic Cobb’s Wren eradicated. (a bird found only in the Falklands). There were many Southern Giant Pe- A gentle rain landed while we spread trels sitting stock still on their nests— out along the beach to watch for ag- we gave them a wide berth.

Snowy Sheathbill Joseph McKenna Southern Elephant Seal Joseph McKenna

16 Day 5 Sea Lion Island 19 December 2014

out of seal snouts. Marybee got peo- ple drawing and sketching—all while keeping an extra eye out for curious seal pups-many of whom fell asleep on our dry bags. The earlier beach landing was calm but as we began to pack up our cam- eras and dry bags, the wind rose and the waves started crashing into the Zodiacs. We all were having a tough time getting our bottoms up and on the sides of the Zodiac. All elegance is lost when some of us ended face down or bottom side up in the boats. Back at the ship it was time to pull anchor and head out toward South Georgia. Gentoo Penguin Ty Smedes

What led you to this trip? “When we started dating, Vernon mentioned that he had a few goals. I can remem- ber two of his goals: to see six hundred birds in the US and Canada and to go to Antarc- tica. We retired in June 2014 and just six months later, we’re standing on the Salis- bury Plain with thousands of King Penguins. Life doesn’t get much better than that!” - Winona Howe

Southern Elephant Seal “Weaner” Van Miller Magellanic Penguin love Michael Viljoen

17 20 December 2014 At Sea to South Georgia Island Day 6

DAY 6 AT NOON By Julianne Restani night. Heart pounding, I took my rst staying in accordance with South Location Scotia Sea steps but a squeak made me go back. Georgia laws, we began Bio-security, BIO-SECURITY My footprints were smeared with a also known as getting the sta to Latitude 52˚40.8’ S Steaming towards South Georgia, we little grease that contrasted with the clean your camera bags! Inspected: Longitude 54˚00’ W began our two-day long, by appoint- blinding whiteness of everything pant legs, pockets, hats, socks, gloves, Total Sailed 820 miles ment only, Bio-security inspection. around me. Naively, I felt a rush of kneepads, coats, binocular bags and Wind 24 knots WSW shame for failing to clean my boots.” every strip of Velcro in the ship. Be- “. . .I rst landed in Antarctica on board Jacques-Yves Cousteau. sides nding seeds such as dandelion, Air Temperature 6°C the Calypso. A serene sun shone upon sunower, grape and millet—search- Weather Cloudy a dusting of snow that had fallen over- To avoid feeling like Cousteau and

Humpback Whale Beverly Houwing

Southern Elephant Seals Jennifer Zhou Porpoising South American Sea Lion Jennifer Zhou

18 Day 7 At Sea to South Georgia Island 21 December 2014

ers found a couple of lost keys, change tise. Today’s lectures included Sadie’s techniques on how to use their cam- During the day out on the deck, deni- and some paper money and pockets “Southern Ocean’s Marine Food Web” eras and shooting video in this part zens racked up a nice list of sea birds in clothing and packs that owners followed by Marco’s “Dynamics of of the world—another theme picked including our rst glimpses of Grey- never new existed. Will any of us look Seabird Flight,” which explained how up by Tom as he explained Lightroom headed Albatrosses, Soft-Plumaged at tweezers the same after two hours seabirds y in the harshest weather and shooting raw. Our explores in res- Petrels, White-headed Petrels, Black- of bio-security? conditions on earth. Nick tied up the idents, Tim and Pauline Carr, rounded bellied Storm Petrels and our rst morning with a talk, “Slippery When out the evening with their talk about whale sighting, a short glimpse of a LECTURES Wet: Aquatic Adaptation of Marine the their times traveling on the Cur- Southern Bottlenosed Whale and an Being at sea allows the sta to lec- Mammals/Birds.” Right after lunch Ron lew—the sailboat where they spent Hourglass Dolphin! ture further on their areas of exper- taught passengers more advanced more than a quarter of their lives.

DAY 7 AT NOON What led you to take this Location Scotia Ridge trip? Latitude 53˚09.7’ S “The prospect of being on Longitude 46˚58.7’ W an expedition that would put me in meaningful touch Total Sailed 1077 miles with the land and wildlife of Wind 25 knots WSW Antarctica and South Geor- Air Temperature 7°C gia.” Weather Cloudy - Frank Williams

Northern Giant-Petrel Joseph McKenna

Sunset Jessi Van Dijck Wandering Albatross Alan Jones

19 SOUTH GEORGIA ISLAND

King Penguins, South Georgia Island Cheryl Stewart

20 SOUTH GEORGIA ISLAND

1 2 5 3 4

Oakum Boy (King Penguin juvenile) Kieran Baxter 6

7

8 Southern Elephant Seal Cheryl Stewart

Point Landing Date Point Landing Date 1 Right Whale Bay 22 Dec 5 Hercules Bay and Grytviken 24 Dec 2 Salisbury Plain 23 Dec 6 Godthul and St. Andrew’s Bay 25 Dec 3 Fortuna Bay 23 Dec 7 Gold Harbour 26 Dec 4 Stromness 23 Dec 8 Cooper Bay and Drygalski Fjord 27 Dec Antarctic Fur Seal pup Cheryl Stewart

21 22 December 2014 Arrival at South Georgia Day 8

By Julianne Restani

RIGHT WHALE BAY One last day sailing—the weather was incredibly sunny and hardly any wind—some of the ocean ying birds actually had to ap their wings to keep aloft. Early in the morning the bridge crew sighted 39 whales and numerous Southern Fur Seals. As we get closer to South Georgia, the number of birds ying near the ship will increase. Many of these species feed in the evening hours. To avoid colliding with the Or- telius, we will ‘blackout’ lighted port- holes and windows for the next seven days. Light from the ship can disorient the birds, especially in foggy or snowy weather conditions.

More informative lectures followed: Grytviken, South Georgia Celie Placzek Hugh’s talk on “Plate Tectonics and South Georgia Geology,” plus others on “South Georgia Photo Tips” and “Natural History.” Afterwards, we all gathered in the lecture room to view the group slide show. We then relived our trip to the Falklands with an excel- lent show of guests’ photos—a won- derful compilation of wildlife and the beauty of the area. We all gathered in the ship’s bar to view the mandatory pre-landing video provided by the South Georgia government to ready ourselves for Right Whale Bay Brad Quarderer Crossing the river (with company) Hugh Rose

22 Day 8 Arrival at South Georgia 22 December 2014

our arrival—at 5 p.m. we could see DAY 8 AT NOON thousands of Southern Fur Seals along Location South Georgia Elsehul Bay. Latitude 53˚46.7’ S NEW SPECIES SIGHTINGS Longitude 39˚38.4’ W Today brought us more new species: Total Sailed 1345 miles Yellow Billed Pintails, King Penguins, Wind 10 knots W Macaroni Penguins, South Georgia Air Temperature 6°C Shags and Antarctic Terns. Our rst Weather Sunny Humpback Whale made an appear- ance today too, while a short glimpse of an Orca was seen by a few of us.

Our day ended with Hugh’s announce- Sadie and curious Kings Tom Rivest ment that we will be landing ashore What brought you to this trip? tomorrow—which was greeted with “Antarctica has always been one of my two dream destinations, and over cheers, he then added that we will the years I also learned that South Georgia Island was a “Don’t miss desti- begin at 4:30 a. m. and cheers tapered nation in the same neighborhood.” o … - Ty Smedes Antarctic Fur Seal Judy Moon

Southern Elephant Seal Judy Moon Antarctic Fur Seal pup Judy Moon

23 23 December 2014 Salisbury Plain, Fortuna Bay and Stromness Day 9

What has impressed you the most so far? DAY 9 AT NOON “At rst thought—visions of owing blue ice danced in my Location Salisbury Plain head, bloody mouthed snoozing Leopard Seals and the silly Latitude 54˚08.8’ S alchemy of the hairy Oakum Boys’ scru y transformation into Longitude 36˚48.2’ W sleek, aloof elegance. My fellow travelers transformed me— Total Sailed 1472 miles their energy, exuberance, their passion for expression with Wind 19 knots W photography, drawing and birding. Their ready generosity and sympathetic support when I had camera problems!” Air Temperature 5°C Weather Partly Cloudy - Mary Schafer Ready to be photographed Beverly Houwing By Julianne Restani

SALISBURY PLAIN We landed on the indescribable Salis- bury Plain with its incredible King Penguin colony. Here around 500,000 King Penguins nest while sharing the beach with molting Southern El- ephant Seals and Southern Fur Seals. The beauty of the place is intensied by the nearly 4,000-foot Mount Ash- ley and the vivid Grace Glacier. Try- ing to capture the immensity of this penguin colony with a single photo is impossible—many photographers tried by hiking up and shooting from an overlook. The colony truly seemed never ending; King Penguins and their brown-robed o spring, Oakum Boys, seemed to melt into the distance in an unending gold, black, white and tan ribbon.

King Penguin colony Andy Lee

24 Day 9 Salisbury Plain, Fortuna Bay and Stromness 23 December 2014

FORTUNA BAY on South Georgia, crossing eight hun- Pipet, the world’s most southern pas- extinction by the accidental introduc- We headed back onto the Ortelius to dred miles of open ocean, in the tiny serine—an amazing sight since, until tion of the Brown Rat during whaling sail o to Fortuna Bay, on our way to lifeboat, the James Caird, while wear- recently, the pipet was driven to near days. the whaling station at Stomness. The ing rotting clothing, in need of rest, beach’s surrounding hills, dotted with and starving—none of us complained. tussock slopes, hid more than a few Upon reaching the 1200-foot summit, Southern Fur Seal pups, something to we could take in the amazing views of be extremely cautious of. Many folks the bay behind us and the Shackleton followed in the footsteps of the HMS Valley in front of us. Endurance’s captain, Ernest Shackle- ton, and his rst mate, Thomas Crean, STROMNESS and Frank Worsley—who hiked 32 The hike nishes at the crumbling and miles on ice and snow, to save them- abandoned Stromness Whaling Sta- selves and eventually the rest of the tion—Shakleton’s sole goal when ar- crew. riving on land. One can only imagine hearing a knock at the station man- Our portion of the hike is just 3.2 miles. ager’s door—here in truly the middle Parts of the trek were exceptionally of nowhere—to nd three unrecog- steep—wet and slippery shale rocks nizable explorers of whom no one had made for slow moving—but keeping heard from in nearly three years. in mind what Shackleton and his crew had experienced before even arriving Today we also saw a South Georgia Hiking to Stromness Whaling Station Allison Chin

Antarctic Fur Seal pups Heike Dietzmann “Weaners” Southern Elephant Seals Julianne Restani Greetings Polly Tsai

25 24 December 2014 Hercules Bay and Grytviken Day 10

By Julianne Restani We were able to land at the former The skeletal remains of what was once whaling station in the brilliant after- a thriving whaling station are every- HERCULES BAY noon sun. While there, we toasted to where: abandoned propellers, huge The order of the morning was Zodiac “the Boss”, Ernest Shakelton, who is anchors, processing machinery and cruising in the shadows of the mag- buried in the island’s cemetery. Pau- the rusting carcasses of whaling ships. nicent cli s of Hercules Bay. Our Zo- line read the famous Sir Raymond Looking around, it’s dicult to imag- diac drivers took us from one amazing Priestly quote, “For scientic discov- ine that during 60 years in operation sight to another: plunging waterfalls ery give me Scott; for speed and e- some 54,000 whales were brought in, and colonies of Macaroni Penguins in ciency of travel, give me Amundsen; to be butchered for their oil, blubber their mountainside nests. Watching but when you are in a hopeless situa- and bones. them waddle then “leap” from stone to tion, when you are seeing no way out, A small museum, run for twelve years rock had us all holding our breath in get down on your knees and pray for by sta members Pauline and Tim, hopes they wouldn’t fall. Fur seals oc- Shackleton.” holds incredible taxidermies of marine casionally popped their heads out of Cruising Hercules Bay Ellen Gilkerson mammals and birds from the area. the water to give us a look. We spied more pipets and watched a gang of Southern Giant Petrels in the water trying to break through the skin of a dead fur seal. One group was treated to a Humpback Whale sighting—ah, the luck of the Zodiac draw!

GRYTVIKEN On ship we headed for Cumberland Bay and anchored in the former whal- ing station of Grytviken—it now is the administrative center of South Geor- gia at Hope Point. South Georgia Heri- tage Trust representative, Sarah Lur- cock, boarded the Ortelius to welcome us and to talk about South Georgia’s formidable rat eradication project and how the pipet populations have nally rebounded since the beginning of the project. Anchored in Grytviken Allison Chin Macaroni Penguin Arthur Morris

26 Day 10 Hercules Bay and Grytviken 24 December 2014

DAY 10 AT NOON CHRISTMAS EVE BBQ Location Hercules Bay In the evening we invited the popula- Latitude 54˚36.3’ S tion of Grytviken to join us for an open deck Christmas’ Eve barbeque, with Longitude 39˚36.0’ W grilled beef, chicken, sausages and hot Total Sailed 1509 miles wine sweetened with strawberries. Wind 5x knots Light Air We dined at picnic tables, all the while Air Temperature 5°C surrounded by the beauty of South Weather Overcast Georgia in the waning daylight.

What impressed you the most so far? “Most of our Zodiac drivers had previ- ously worked with Hugh and it showed. The experience of the drivers was impor- tant for sure, especially on the cruises; but an equally important part of the team were the folks who made sure we experienced safe and stable arrivals and departures. We learned that penguins Antarctic Fur Seal Mary Schafer are most vulnerable during the tran- sition from water to land—the same could be said of us.” Antarctic Tern Virginia Robbins - Robert Thompson

Macaroni Penguins in Hercules Bay Chris Clark Christmas Eve Barbeque Van Miller

27 25 december 2014 Godthul and St. Andrews Bay Day 11

By Julianne Restani grey sandy beach is divided by the re- Special thanks to Marybee Kaufman, Expedition Artist- ceding glacial runo —a run that today in-Residence, for conducting drawing and sketching GODTHUL was a raging river. Ron, Bill and Hugh classes on board and in the eld. Getting to Royal Bay was today’s goal, guided those who were determined to but the weather turned on us, so we cross through the freezing, waist-deep landed on Godthul and made our way waters—a sideways-walking human through the Gentoo colony. While chain. Others hiked the length of the there, Nick and Joe found a fur seal river to its source–the snout end of the entangled in a piece of shing net. Cook Glacier. Nick cut the net o the seal while Joe It’s molting and fasting time for King kept the seal in a rm grasp, all the Penguins and around 200,000 lazed while explaining to the seal that they around the beach, basking in the bril- weren’t going to hurt him. liant sun—their calls and trumpeting Drawing Group Marybee Kaufman Tonya Nilsson Marybee Kaufman was all anyone could hear. ST. ANDREWS BAY Our second landing of the day was the The surrounding cli s, just slightly magnicent St. Andrews Bay—three obscured by blowing snow—was magnicent glaciers ring the beach: the perfect spot for another drawing Cook, Buxton and Heaney. The dark- workshop with Marybee.

Crossing through freezing waters Dick Benoit

What has impressed you the most so far? “I was so surprised to be able to get on an iceberg and have my picture taken. I was also surprised by the weather—I was not expecting it to be so nice.” - Kay Emerson Antarctic Fur Seal in trouble Andy Lee Zodiac John McGarvey

28 Day 11 Godthul and St. Andrews Bay 25 december 2014

CHRISTMAS DINNER We returned from the trip to enjoy a lovely Christmas dinner of turkey with all the trimmings! The hotel sta put up a tree with decorations and even a manger scene complete with robed penguins as the occupants of the sta- ble. The sta and the head chef, Chris- tian Gossak, were incredible in making dishes that reminded many of us of home-cooked meals. We were treated to fantastic soups, freshly baked bread and divine desserts. If you’d like to reminisce and hear Michael’s voice again—simply go to YouTube and type in Michael’s Ortelius Morning Greeting and enjoy (thank you Tish Tyson and Mark Gionet for that recording!). Southern Elephant Seal staying cool Jessi Van Dijck

King Penguin Arthur Morris

DAY 11 AT NOON Location Godthul Latitude 54˚17.6’ S Longitude 36˚17.7’ W Total Sailed 1604 miles Wind 19 knots WNW Air Temperature 5°C Weather Sunny

Christmas Sta Tish Tyson Joining the group Lorraine Reilly

29 26 December 2014 Gold Harbour Day 12

Pauline Carr and an Oakum Boy Andy Lee Curious “Weaner” Sandy Pokorny

King Penguin & Elephant Seals Van Miller

Light-mantled Albatross Chris Clark

By Julianne Restani tross, Southern Fur Seals and those non-moving, sleepy Southern Ele- GOLD HARBOUR phant Seals and more. All within the Our last full day in South Georgia ends backdrop of the Bertrab Glacier. with an all-day visit to Gold Harbour, which is literally teeming with more OBSERVING, PHOTOGRAPHING, diverse species of animals in one EXPLORING area than we have witnessed to date: Here the day could be spent hiking or 80,000 King Penguins, Gentoo Pen- simply wallowing in the sand while guins, Antarctic Terns, White-chinned King Penguins gently waddled past. Petrels, nesting Light-mantled Alba- The younger penguins found us decid- King Penguin colony C. Fields & C. Sinden

30 Day 12 Gold Harbour 26 December 2014

What has impressed you the most so DAY 12 AT NOON far? Location Gold Harbour “How the physical appearance of the Latitude 54˚37.7’ S penguins and their behavior kind of Longitude 35˚55.9’ W match. I mean Rockhoppers have sort Total Sailed 1673 miles of a wild disheveled look to them and Wind 5 knots W when they do their ecstatic displays they shake their heads and ippers Air Temperature 5°C wildly. The Kings look sleek and elegant Weather Variable and when they display they move in a Peak of Gold Point Dick Benoit Brown ‘Subantarctic’ Skua John McGarvey stylized and smooth manner. Gentoos are kind of simple, basic penguins and they do short, simple displays.” - Virginia Robbins

Southern Elephant Seals C. Fields & C. Sinden Oakum, Kings and Skua Judy Moon edly more interesting than the adults the beach are tufts of Tussock grass, in the colony and many stopped to see which grows in soil derived from dead if we could communicate and to check roots, decaying moss and foliage. out our camera equipment. Photographers didn’t know where to While on the beach Ron and Sadie point cameras; every inch of the land- gave lectures on photography and scape is asking to be photographed. seal behavior. Many set o with Tim, “You simply can’t take a bad photo Greg and Bill to climb the peak of Gold here.” Exclaimed an exhausted traveler Point—called so because the sun’s at end of the day. “I know, I took 3000 rays make the cli s glow yellow in the photos today.” Added another. morning and evening hours. Ringing Gold Harbour Michael Viljoen

31 27 december 2014 Cooper Bay Day 13

DAY 13 AT NOON By Julianne Restani morning Zodiac cruise and landings. PASSING THE TIME Location Scotia Sea The weather kept us at bay—literally This was a good day for many to get SHIP-BOUND our speed was no match for the high Latitude 55˚02.9’ S their laundry sorted and washed. We had hoped to land at Cooper Bay winds and toppling surf surges. Once Many passengers found that the bar Longitude 36˚28.2’ W and tour Drygalski Fjord today, but again passengers began feeling a bit was the best place to hang out be- Total Sailed 1753 miles “wow” to use a favorite word of Hugh’s, woozy with what Charles Dickens tween landings. There we could nd Wind 70 knots NW the winds topped 95 knots (110 mph) once said about seasickness “ . . . not plenty of outlets, room to spread out, Air Temperature 5°C causing us to cancel our plans of a ill, but going to be.” lots of natural light and a direct door Weather Cloudy

Cooper Bay John McGarvey

32 Day 13 Cooper Bay 27 december 2014

right to the deck in case of impromptu whale sightings. The luxury of having a co ee, cocoa, cappuccino, espresso was not lost on most and the basket of cookies nearby was always a nice treat. People whiled away their time knitting, sharing photos, chatting, reading or just sipping tea and look- ing at the sea.

On the deck Ken Moyle Rough seas Uwe Haller Brad Quarderer Marybee Kaufman

Canon promo John Salmon Tonya Nilsson Marybee Kaufman Penguin drawing Marybee Kaufman

33 28 december 2014 At Sea to the Antarctic Peninsula Day 14

By Julianne Restani in their Velcro, hidden pockets and ton’s epic journey. The day ended with pant cu s. Sadie giving us some excellent advice ROUGH WATERS on how to identify whales. Another day at sea—the bridge was STORIES FROM THE CREW the best place to view the rough Ron and Tom accepted South Georgia waters as the Ortelius got her decks photos for our next slide show. Tim DAY 14 AT NOON cleaned today as monster swells rolled and Pauline spent some time telling us Location Scotia Sea up and over her hull. The decks were of the adventures in their lecture “Sail- Latitude 56˚38.4’ S closed for fear of someone being ing South.” Nick Mooney then took Longitude 39˚21.0’ W washed over board. the helm to explain how penguins Total Sailed 1895 miles Today another round of Bio-security got their shapes: “Footprints of the Wind 45 knots W in the ship’s bar took place but inspec- South: Penguins, Essential Structure tion went much quicker now that ev- and Function of an Iconic Form.” After Air Temperature 5°C ery one knows what might be hiding lunch Elise retold the tale of Shakle- Weather Snowy

On deck Celie Placzek

Leopard Seal Anthony Yau Ice sculpture Joseph McKenna

34 Day 15 At Sea to the Antarctic Peninsula 29 december 2014

Ice Cap Thickening the planet’s sheath. By, Oliver Strimpel Degree by inexorable degree, Where I live, snow falls on ground, I too warm the Earth. Pung it up Melt trickles down, Like a down parka. Oiling the ow, As ice rushes to the sea. In Antarctica, snow falls on ice, Building its bulk Until snow falls on ground, Into arcing horizons of white. To cast just a eeting veil On what lies below. I know it is all there – Valleys, once fertile, No! Blue time-capsule lakes, Inhale that gas, And Gondwana’s fossils. Till the greenhouse wanes.

But snow upon snow And the glistening heights Begets ice upon ice, Grown over an age Ice formations Kieran Baxter Mountain-thick, Remains. That ows north, By Julianne Restani staring out a window—captivated by the waves and swells. ANOTHER DAY AT SEA Befuddling my eye, The sea nally calmed down enough LESSONS ON BOARD Gazing where sky and cloud belong, to let us cruise across the Scotia Sea Today Nick’s lecture, “Long Lines: And seeing incandescent Elysian mead- and head to Elephant Island. Unfor- ows, DAY 15 AT NOON Short Lives,” explained how the use of Location Scotia Sea tunately, Mother Nature wins out to- this shing practice leads to thousand Ethereal, on high. day—too much ice is surrounding the Latitude 58˚05.8’ S of bird deaths. Afterwards, Steve lec- South Orkney’s and Elephant Island, tured on taking photos of wildlife in II Longitude 43˚56.9’ W so much so that we are being rerouted his backyard of Alaska. Total Sailed 2070 miles to the Antarctic Sound. Another day More people, and more, Wind 24 knots WNW shipbound but passengers while away Finally nishing bio-security, Tom and Ron led a rousing photo critique A million more by Sunday, Air Temperature 5°C time by editing and talking about Drive a billion cars, photos, napping, reading and relax- where they gave advice on how to en- Weather Overcast hance photo techniques. Exhaling invisible tons ing. Many of us nd ourselves simply

35 ANTARCTIC PENINSULA

Humpback Whale in Antarctica Kieran Baxter

36 ANTARCTIC PENINSULA

8

2 Gentoo Penguins Beverly Houwing 1 3

4 6 7 5

Dramatic landscape Cheryl Stewart Icicles Beverly Houwing Point Landing Date 1 Brown Blu 31 Dec 2 Hope Bay 1 Jan 3 Cierva Cove 2 Jan 4 Cuverville Island 2 Jan 5 Petermann Island 3 Jan 6 Yalour Island & Port Lockroy 4 Jan 7 Neko Harbor & Danco Island 5 Jan 8 Half Moon Island 6 Jan Beverly Houwing Re ection Cheryl Stewart

37 30 december 2014 Elephant Island Day 16

By Julianne Restani

ARRIVAL TO ANTARCTICA The decks opened for us once again! We had a mandatory meeting regard- ing Antarctica regulations—no food allowed on land and any bathroom breaks must be done in the surf. Today we crossed the 60th south latitude on our way to Elephant Island. Below this line all territorial claims are deferred and lands are governed by a truly one of a kind treaty, The Antarctic Treaty, which is run by unanimous consent among treaty partners. This allows for only the barest of governance to occur. The current and only denizens of the region are ne with this type of government—as long as they can sleep, eat and reproduce at will—they are content to live and be left to live as they have for thousands of years.

Porpoising Adelies Heike Dietzmann We had a great time viewing photos from our South Georgia landings- Thanks to Tom Rivest, who receives literally hundreds of photos from pas- sangers, arranges them into a slide- show, and adds lovely music.

CAPE WILD AND SHACKLETON Tonight we arrived between Clarence Island and Elephant Island. We saw Cape Wild—the tiny beach called Wild Point where Shackleton managed to Ice, ice and more ice Robert Clowers Penguins oating on ice Robert Clowers

38 Day 16 Elephant Island 30 december 2014

land the Endurance’s lifeboats. It was on that beach that Shakleton left 22 of his crew to live in overturned lifeboats for 134 days, awaiting their captain’s eventual rescue. A story retold by Tim and Pauline in their talk and lm, “The Boss, the Skipper and the Man: Shack- leton.”

DAY 16 AT NOON Location Scotia Sea Latitude 60˚10.9’ S Longitude 51˚01.7’ W Total Sailed 2322 miles Wind 20 knots WSW Andy Lee Marybee Kaufman Anita & the Watsons Tish Tyson Air Temperature -1°C Weather Cloudy

Hugh Rose with Leopard Seal’s meal Michael Pollack Photography at sunset Jessi Van Dijck

39 31 december 2014 Brown Bluff Day 17

By Julianne Restani

SETTING FOOT ON ANTARCTICA A brilliant sunny morning warmed the ship’s deck. The sea was picture per- fect, smooth and glowing in the morn- ing sun. Everyone was out taking photos of the ice! Icebergs of staggering masses came and went. Some were adorned with small groups of Adelies and an- other held just one lone Chinstrap, who did nothing but preen and give the Ortelius a momentary glance as we passed by. The ice managed to scuttle our plans for landing on Paulette Is- land but undeterred, we set out and landed on Brown Blu —we are actu- ally on the continent of Antarctica! Under the towering 745-meter cli s, Brown Blu Kieran Baxter

Playful Adelie penguins Joe Cummings Ice fun Dick Benoit Alison Pollak Michael Pollack

40 Day 17 Brown Bluff 31 december 2014

Adelies stretched as far as we could see! Twenty-thousand breeding pairs! Joe took passengers up to see a pair of nesting Snow Petrels whose nest was tucked under an enormous boulder. Once on the beach, we could get back into a Zodiac and cruise around the ice, allowing better views of the vast numbers of penguins on the beaches.

NEW YEAR’S EVE! We returned to the ship to a phe- nomenal dinner of Lox, mushroom Iceberg Van Miller Snow Petrel Michael Pollack soup, tender and beautifully cooked roast beef served with both white and green asparagus and a berry soaked baked Alaska. Ocean Wide gave each diner an engraved napkin ring as a memento of our trip. Afterwards, we gathered out on the deck, under the supernal evening light, to ring in the New Year—Paris time! Champagne for all! Happy New Year!

DAY 17 AT NOON Location Brown Blu Latitude 63˚18.9’ S Longitude 56˚49.1’ W Total Sailed 2600 miles Wind 30 knots NW Air Temperature 4°C Weather Sunny

A toast Uwe Haller Hello & goodbye Fiona Taylor

41 1 January 2015 Antarctic Sound South to Hope Bay Day 18

By Julianne Restani This encounter inspired Winona Howe’s poem: SETTING FOOT ON ANTARCTICA Pride of the Penguins Number 6 It was a relaxing morning of Zodiac exploring in and around Hope Bay, Adelie Penguin and Leopard Seal home to another astounding number eye each other. of Adelie Penguins—a staggering 250, One is suspicious 000 inhabit the eastern side of the Tabarin Peninsula. while the other is voracious. Photographers caught sight of a sleep- One is fast while ing Leopard Seal who was momen- the other is faster. tarily awoken when six Adelies sprang One hesitates on the brink while onto his icy platform—landing very nearly on top of him. No worries for the other hauls out and snoozes . . . the surprised penguins, Leopard Seals but only subsequent prefer to dine on penguins while both to their brief encounter. Penguins on an iceberg Michael Pollack are swimming.

Adelie Penguins Tonya Nilsson Beauty in ice Bruce Whittaker

42 Day 18 Antarctic Sound South to Hope Bay 1 January 2015

This evening we cruised through the Trinity Peninsula’s coast on our way to Cierva Cove.

DAY 18 AT NOON Location Hope Bay Latitude 63˚23.3’ S Longitude 57˚00.1’ W Total Sailed 2656 miles Wind 4 knots ENE Air Temperature 5°C Weather Overcast

Crabeater Seal Marc Meijlaers Weddell seal Micheal Viljoen

Ice crystals Ellen Gilkerson Retrospective Chris Clark Adelie Penguins John McGarvey

43 2 January 2015 Cierva Cove and Cuverville Island Day 19

By Julianne Restani gers and the sound of shutters wind- ing and snapping away, accompanied HUMPBACK SIGHTINGS every whale sighting. Cierva Cove, located on the conti- nent of Antarctica in the Gerlache CIERVA COVE Straight, is also known to guide Ron as Cruising through this cove was like “Humpback Soup.” Today the waters boating through a modern art exhibit. were lled with breeching Humpback Every permutation of ice was sculpted Whales. As though on cue, one ap- into a formation of staggering grace peared before each Zodiac and one and each piece seemed to glow from whale directly under Marco’s boat! an inner light. Dipping gracefully The whoops, ahs and gasps of passen- around the ice were Leopard Seals, Cuverville evening hike Courtney Fields

Humpback says hello Jessi Van Dijck

Whale watching Michael Pollack Ortelius through ice Van Miller

44 Day 19 Cierva Cove and Cuverville Island 2 January 2015

DAY 19 AT NOON Location Cierva Cove Latitude 64˚09’ S Longitude 60˚57.6’ W Total Sailed 2834 miles Wind 4.2 knots NE Air Temperature 4.5°C Weather Overcast

Trekking up snow covered Cuverville Island Uwe Haller

Zodiac cruising Hugh Rose Weddell Seal Hana Moyle

whose heads popped out of the water Gentoo breeding pairs. The snow to give us a quick look and then dash was deep and soft and before going away at lightening speed, while oth- ashore, we were taught how not to ers lolled on their own ice pads and leave ‘postholes,’ or deep holes in the merely yawned at our cameras and us. snow. These holes, caused by careless hikers, are deep enough to entrap a CUVERVILLE ISLAND penguin if it toppled in headrst. It was back to the ship for dinner and We returned to the ship just before then out again to land on Cuverville midnight—a beautiful, illuminated Island or opt for Zodiac cruising. Get midnight! out those hand warmers! The waning light lit up the island—home to 5,000 Cuverville Island, Antarctica Courtney Fields

45 3 January 2015 Grandidier Channel and Petermann Island Day 20

DAY 20 AT NOON By Julianne Restani PENGUIN BUSINESS Location Petermann Island In the afternoon, we landed on Peter- ICEBERGS Latitude 65˚13.6’ S mann Island to be greeted by Gentoo, We now are steaming south through Adelie and Chinstrap Penguins, all go- Longitude 64˚10.5’ W the iceberg thick waters of Grandidier ing about their penguin business. Total Sailed 2987 miles Channel—enough ice to block our Wind 5.3 knots W passage to the Antarctic Circle and Popular photographer, Michael Aw, observed, “The similarities between us Air Temperature 5°C Detaille Island. The ice is truly tremen- dous. We pass a seven-mile tabular and penguins are uncanny—we stand Weather Overcast iceberg. Seven miles—or 112 Ameri- upright, travel in groups, talk all the time and sort of waddle through life.” I Leopard Seal Mary Schafer can football elds, or 70 city blocks, or picture the entirety of New Orlean’s think we resemble that remark! French quarter, resting on top, with Watching out not to leave postholes room to park. Now remember we are in the soft snow, we climbed a small seeing only 1/8th of this vast chunk of hill and watched the Antarctic Shags ice! feeding their chicks, whose beaks dis- appear down their mother’s neck to retrieve its food.

Zodiac cruising Chris Clark Leopard Seals water ballet Hugh Rose Waters thick with icebergs Hugh Rose

46 Day 20 Grandidier Channel and Petermann Island 3 January 2015

Adelies, Gentoos and Shags on Petermann Island Hana Moyle Ice sculpture Alan Jones

Penguin Guano—And How I Learned are traced with it. Droppings, poop, fe- despite our careful boot cleaning. I washed our trousers, socks and gloves. to Love it. ces, guano, whatever you want to call it, I still smell the penguin poop. I washed Back home in New Zealand, I could still it is pink and it’s everywhere—reecting everything again but I still get a whi By Kate Mulligan smell it. How could that be? When I de- the importance of krill to their diets. now and again. scribed the scrupulous nature of Ant- Surprise! Penguins are black, white That pungent smell would suddenly arctic Peninsula Bio-security require- Am I suddenly showing signs of OCD— and reddish pink. Their breasts, those assault our nostrils as our Zodiac ap- ments to the NZ Bio-security Ocer at sning my ngers, sning my gloves smart white dress shirts, are smeared proached a landing site—a rich, or- the Auckland airport and explained that and looking around for other items to and blotched with pink. Small wonder ganic smell that meant we would soon we had scrubbed our hiking boots and sni ? In the end, I welcomed the smell— that o Danco Island they seemed to be up close to the colonies and able to dipped them in Vircon S before packing, it takes me back to those magical days. relish vigorously bathing and preening. watch the intimate aspects of behavior he suddenly lost all interest in a visual Maybe it was a memory, maybe imagi- The rocky outcrops of the colonies are and life. When returning to the ship the inspection. nation or a bit of both. And now, sadly I stained with pink; the penguin highways smell seemed to hang about our cabin, smell it less and less.

47 4 January 2015 Yalour Island and Port Lockroy Day 21

By Julianne Restani Penguin Post Oce. This once aban- PENGUIN POST OFFICE doned and now restored British Ant- arctic Survey base is the most visited At 8 a.m. we motored to Yalour Island landmark on Antarctica. No wonder— where half of us could land on a rocky since its history is so intriguing: built shore or Zodiac around the island. as a secret base in 1942 to report on Adelie Penguins and Antarctic Shags German activities, which never mate- co-exist on the limited shore space. rialized, the base was abandoned in Meanwhile, two Weddell Seals slept 1962. Restored by the UK Antarctic close to the arranged bones of a Blue Heritage Trust, the base is now a post Whale. Then, on to the famous Port oce and gift shop manned during Lockroy—commonly known as the the summer months by thee hardy Port Lockroy Tish Tyson

Leopard Seal Joseph McKenna Gentoo and chick Chris Clark Shells Frank Wiliams

48 Day 21 Yalour Island and Port Lockroy 4 January 2015

souls who have the task of sending out over 70,000 pieces of mail to over 100 countries. Are you interested in working there? Here is the link to put in your application! http://www.ukaht. org/about-us/jobs The Port’s Gentoo Penguin population carpets the area and they would likely nest in the post oce if allowed. Gen- toos are literally everywhere!

DAY 21 AT NOON Location Yalour Island Latitude 65˚10.9’ S Longitude 64˚10’ W Total Sailed 3029 miles Adelie Penguins Andy Lee Chinstrap Penguins Hugh Rose Wind 9.8 knots SW Air Temperature 4.2°C Weather Overcast

Lichen Ellen Glickerson Calm waters Courtney Fields Blue ice John McGarvey

49 5 January 2015 Neko Harbour and Danco Island Day 22

By Julianne Restani two meters and can come from conti- nental or sea ice . . . “ Tim took a group “NEW YORK” PENGUINS of hikers on a short steep climb to en- Neko Harbour looks like an immense, joy an overview of the glacier face and ridiculously-over-the-top movie set iceberg lled harbour. come to life. Surrounding the har- bour is the Deville Glacier, which oc- POLAR PLUNGE casionally rumbled and down came This was to be our last continental rocks and snow—but thankfully no landing and we made the most of it! Zodiac eet Alan Jones Head rst Hugh Rose full calving. This protected anchor- Swimming anyone? Twenty brave age has over 1,000 breeding pairs of souls, the most to date, took the Gentoos, many of whom walked past plunge and swam a few strokes be- us with less than a sidelong glance— fore jumping back into clothes. The rather like New Yorkers on the streets highlight of the swimming was Joe of New York City. The ice along the and Cameron’s pack ice dive! Dr. beach seemed placed there by an ice Lynn reminded swimmers that in this lecturer: “Bergy Bits are small conti- cold water, one doesn’t have to worry nental ice chunks around one to ve about hypothermia but drowning, meters in height and of course, there since limbs will stop working in such is Brash ice—small pieces, less than Courtney and Cameron Cheryl Stewart Joe goes 1st Jessi Van Dijck incredibly cold water, thus making swimming impossible. Good to know!

Community diving board Lou Newman Gentoo Penguins Ty Smedes ...and more Gentoo Penguins Hugh Rose

50 Day 22 Neko Harbour and Danco Island 5 January 2015

ALL ICE AND ALL MOUNTAINS We headed back to the ship to en- joy lunch, thaw out and get ready for Danco Island with more Gentoos and magnicent views of the Ortelius sur- rounded by impossibly beautiful ice- bergs. The scale of the ice and tow- ering mountains made our big ship appear like a toy boat on a pond.

Glacier Jennifer Zhou

Headstand on ice Hugh Rose

DAY 22 AT NOON Location Neko Harbour Latitude 64˚50.7’ S Longitude 62˚32’ W Total Sailed 3103 miles Wind 4 knots ESE Air Temperature 10°C Weather Overcast

Southern Elephant Seal Ken Moyle Evening ice Harriet Strimpel Danco Island Marc Meijlaers

51 6 January 2015 Half Moon Island Day 23

DAY 23 AT NOON Location Half Moon Island Latitude 62˚50’ S Longitude 60˚10’ W Total Sailed 3277 miles Wind 50 knots ENE Air Temperature 1°C Weather Fog

Floating ice Oliver Strimpel

Seemingly stranded Cheryl Stewart

A perfect reection Marc Meijaers Ship surrounded by ice Peggy Pittaro

52 Day 23 Half Moon Island 6 January 2015

By Julianne Restani

LAST LANDING Storms broadsided us this morn- ing—the Ortelius heaved and rocked so much that our stop at Baily Head was cancelled—no worries, our fear- less leader Hugh, determined to make another landing, decided on a snowy beach on Half Moon Island. Today’s weather and landing condi- tions reminded us all of the true power of Mother Nature as we experienced snow, rain, sleet and high winds. To- day was the day that Gore-Tex was in- vented for! A few passengers watched others embarking on the Zodiacs and decided to return to the warmth of the ship and enjoy another cup of hot cof- South Polar Skuas Siu Kwok Chinstrap Penguin and its rock Rick Pittaro fee.

Wet ride Marc Meijlaers The ocean can make ships look miniature Mike Thelen

53 7 January 2015 At Sea to Ushuaia Day 24

By Julianne Restani DAY 24 AT NOON Location Drake Sea HEADING HOME Latitude 60˚02’ S Now we are truly heading home. Many of us have already put away our Longitude 61˚40.8’ W warmest clothes—except the passen- Total Sailed 3486 miles gers who nd it impossible to leave Wind 23 knots E the deck. Air Temperature 6°C Weather Overcast LEARNING ON BOARD Elise took us into the past with a retell- ing of the iconic story—”Race to the Pole: Scott vs. Amundsen.” Maureen and Catie gave us a background on the history of Oceanites and how their research from this trip will be used as Antarctic Tern Elizabeth Neupert the current inventory of penguin pop- ulations. Nan completed the morning lectures with “Climate Change: The Globe from the Bottom Up.”

AUCTION DAY Auction Time! Thank you to everyone who generously gave items for the South Georgia Heritage Trust fund- raiser! A total of $20,000 was raised— more than any other expedition auc- tion. And with items like Nick’s used, white rubber-shing boots—no won- der! We all trust that Joe has a career some- where in the world of auctioneering.

Waves sketch Marybee Kaufman Southern Giant Petrel Siu Kwok

54 Day 25 At Sea to Ushuaia for Disembarkation 8 January 2015

DAY 25 AT NOON Location Drake Sea Latitude 56˚13.9’ S Longitude 65˚21.3’ W Total Sailed 3744 miles Wind 27 knots SW Air Temperature 8°C Weather Sunny

Black-browed Albatross, adult and juvenile Siu Kwok

By Julianne Restani “It’s Not All About Habitat; The Plight of the Tasmanian Devil.” Joe’s presen- CALM SAILING tation “A Natural History of Loons in Cemetary Ellen Gilkerson The morning temperatures were in Michigan” followed by Steve’s “Alaskan the high 40’s and the sun was out—a Photography Images From My Porch: calmer sea couldn’t be imagined, ‘The Finding Beauty in Your Backyard”— Drake Lake.’ Feeling that we are “out and once again Nick graced us with there” is now changing to “we’re going another brilliant retelling of the dev- back here.” astating environmental disaster, “Big Ship: Little Penguin—The Iron Baron Time to start packing, checking for Oil Spill in Tasmania.” errant penguin guano on shoes and clothing, sharing email addresses, FINAL PHOTO CRITIQUE photos and addresses. We settled up bills including laundry, bar and ac- The afternoon wrapped up with a tion items and gured out tips for our rousing photo critique of photos cap- amazing ship’s crew. tured around the last leg of our jour- ney. After a farewell dinner where A FEW MORE LECTURES we said goodbye to all the sta , we all gathered around Captain Berria to Other day’s activities include a urry toast our success and this incredible of lectures: Tim’s lecture “Antarctica voyage. Under Oar and Sail” followed up by the king of lectures—Nick, with his talk Milky Ellen Gilkerson

55 EXPEDITION STAFF

Pauline Carr Tim Carr Nan Eagleson Waimate Waimate Denali Park AK New Zealand New Zealand USA

Catie Foley Lynne Hoole Joe Kaplan Port Je erson NY Mowbray Escanaba MI USA South Africa USA

Steve Kaufman Greg LaHaie Elise Lockton Cantwell AK Denali Park AK Denali Park AK USA USA USA

Maureen Lynch Bill Mohrwinkel Nick Mooney Patchogue NY Palmer AK Richmond TAS USA USA Australia

Ron Niebrugge Julianne Restani Marco Restani Seward AK Saint Joseph MN Saint Joseph MN USA USA USA

Tom Rivest Hugh Rose Sadie Youngstrom Port Hardy BC Fairbanks AK Girdwood AK Canada USA USA

56 EXPEDITION PARTICIPANTS

Expedition group at ’s graveside, Grytviken, South Georgia Hugh Rose

57 Ocean Wide provided us with an amazing hotel sta . Our waiters, Marvin and Joel, who expertly took our orders, carried trays full of plates in wild seas and knew us all by name by the second day of our journey! Noelle—had an amazing memory and patience in listening to drink and food orders. Raquel— who every morning cheerfully manned the slowest toaster in the world. A big thanks to the one and only Rowlando—our one and only bartender whose margaritas became so well-know that he ran out of tequila! Thanks to the kitchen sta who treated us to amazing dishes such as roasted duck, monksh, various pastas and freshly baked bread—the sta also accommodated everyone from those who chose to eat quarter portions to those with special dietary needs. Thank you to our hotel service sta who worked every day to keep our rooms clean and tidy, closed our portholes, laundered our clothes and greeted us all by name!

This fascinating journey, exploring the beauty and diversity of the Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica, was made even more memorable by our fellow passengers. Our shared passion for this planet and its wild beauty made us all kindred spirits. - Nan Eagleson

58 59 60 61 8-Jan √ √ √

7-Jan √ √√ √ √√ √ √√

6-Jan √√√ √√√

5-Jan √ √√

4-Jan

3-Jan

2-Jan

1-Jan √√√√√ √√ √ 31-Dec √√√√√√√

30-Dec

29-Dec √√ √√√√ √ 28-Dec √ √√√ √√ √√

27-Dec √√√ √ √√√√

26-Dec

25-Dec √√

24-Dec

23-Dec

22-Dec √√√√√√ √√√√√√ √√√√ √√√√√√√√

21-Dec √√ √√

20-Dec √√√ √√√√√√√√√√ √ √ √√√√√√√√√√√ √ √ √√√√√ √√√√√√√√√√√√√√ 19-Dec √√√ √√√ √

18-Dec √√

17-Dec √√ √√√ √√√ √√√√√ √√

16-Dec √ √ √√ √ √√√ √ √√√√√√√√√√ √ √ √ √ √

15-Dec √ √√√√ √√√ √ √ √ √√ √√√ √ √ √ √√√ √√√√√√√√√ √√√√√√ √√√√√√ √√√√√√ √√√√√√ √ (part 1 of 3) SPECIES LIST BY DATE SPECIES LIST BY BIRDS Swan Black-necked Upland Goose Kelp Goose Goose Ashy-headed GooseRuddy-headed Steamer-Duck Flying Steamer-Duck Flightless Steamer-Duck Falkland Duck Crested Red Shoveler Pintail Yellow-billed Teal Yellow-billed Grebe Great King Penguin Penguin Adelie Penguin Gentoo Penguin Chinstrap Magellanic Penguin Penguin Macaroni Rockhopper Penguin Macaroni/Rockhopper Penguin Albatross Gray-headed Albatross Black-browed Albatross Light-mantled Albatross Royal Albatross Wandering Southern Giant-Petrel Northern Giant-Petrel unidentied Giant-Petrel Southern Fulmar Petrel (Pintado) Cape Petrel Snow Soft-plumaged Petrel White-headed Petrel Blue Petrel Prion Antarctic Prion Slender-billed prion unidentied White-chinned Petrel Shearwater Great Sooty Shearwater Storm-Petrel Wilson's Storm-Petrel Gray-backed

62 62 8-Jan √

7-Jan √

6-Jan √

5-Jan

4-Jan

3-Jan √√

2-Jan √√√ √

1-Jan √√√√√√ √√√√√√ √√√√√√√ √√√√√√√ 31-Dec √√√√√√√

30-Dec

29-Dec √√√

28-Dec

27-Dec √√√√ √

26-Dec

25-Dec √√

24-Dec

23-Dec √√√√

22-Dec √√√√√√ √√√√√√

21-Dec √

20-Dec √√√ √√ √ √ 19-Dec √

18-Dec √√ √√

17-Dec √√ √√√ √√√ √√ √√ √√√ √√√√√√ √√√ √ √√√ √

16-Dec

15-Dec √√√√√ √√ √ √ √ √ √ √ √√ √ √√√ √ √√√√ √√√√√√ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ (part 2 of 3) SPECIES LIST BY DATE SPECIES LIST BY South Georgia Shag South Georgia Imperial Cormorant Night-Heron Black-crowned Ibis Black-faced Vulture Turkey Condor Andean Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle Snowy Sheathbill Blackish Oystercatcher Magellanic Oystercatcher Southern Lapwing Plover Two-banded Yellowlegs Greater White-rumped Sandpiper South American Snipe Chilean Skua Skua South Polar Skua Brown Skua South Polar/Brown Dolphin Gull Kelp Gull (pending review) Tern Arctic South American Tern Tern Antarctic unidentied (tern) Sterna Ringed Kingsher Magellanic Woodpecker Caracara White-throated Caracara Striated Southern Caracara Chimango Caracara Falcon Peregrine Parakeet Austral Treerunner White-throated Blackish Cinclodes cinclodes (sp.) bar-winged Cinclodes Dark-bellied Rayadito Thorn-tailed Tit-Tyrant Tufted White-crested Elaenia Negrito Austral Ground-Tyrant Dark-faced Black-bellied Storm-Petrel Black-bellied Diving-Petrel Common Magellanic Cormorant Shag Antarctic

63 15-Jan

14-Jan √

13-Jan

12-Jan

11-Jan

10-Jan

9-Jan √√

8-Jan √√√√√√ √√√

7-Jan √√√√√√

6-Jan √√ √√ √√√√√√√√√ 5-Jan √

4-Jan √√√ √ √√√

3-Jan

2-Jan

1-Jan

31-Dec

30-Dec √√

29-Dec √√√√ √

28-Dec √ √√√√√√√ √√√√√ √√ √√

27-Dec √ √

26-Dec √ √

25-Dec √√

24-Dec √√

23-Dec √

22-Dec √ √ √ √√√ √√√ √ √ √√√ √√ √ √√

Oakum Boy Van Miller (part 3 of 3) SPECIES LIST BY DATE SPECIES LIST BY Fire-eyed Diucon Chilean Swallow House Wren Wren Cobb's Sedge Wren Thrush Austral Pipit Correndera Pipit South Georgia Sierra-Finch Patagonian White-bridled Finch Sparrow Rufous-collared Meadowlark Long-tailed Black-chinned Siskin House Sparrow MAMMALS Whale Fin Humpback Whale Minke Whale Southern Bottle-nosed Whale Orca Long-nned Whale Pilot Dolphin Peale's Dolphin Hourglass Seal Fur Antarctic South American Sea Lion Seal Weddell Seal Crabeater Seal Leopard Southern Seal Elephant cetanean unidentied

64 THE MANY FACES OF NATURE

Southern Elephant Seal Joe McKenna Southern Giant Petrel Sadie Youngstrom

Chinstrap Penguin Arthur Morris Female Southern Elephant Seal Robyn Woodward

Oyster Catchers John McGarvey Leopard Seal Ken Moyle

Crabeater Seal Marc Meijlaers Antarctic Fur Seal pup Ron Niebrugge Gentoo Penguin Heike Dietzmann

65

/ Total value: ______Total Zip Code Date Expiration . All sponsors receive a certificate. receive . All sponsors $140 per hectare Email: [email protected] • Website: www.fosgi.org • Website: Email: [email protected] Donations directly into our account should be sent to: Alpine Bank, 711 E. Valley Valley to: Alpine Bank, 711 E. should be sent our account into directly Donations Please check this box if you do not wish to receive FOSGI updates. FOSGI receive do not wish to if you q Please check this box (number)______hectares x $140 each = Date for anyone who cares about preserving our natural world. our natural about preserving who cares anyone for 970 704 9178 (USA) / 970 948 0778 (USA) / +44 (0) 1382 229792 (UK) / 970 948 0778 (USA) 970 704 9178 (USA) Through Friends of South Georgia Island (FOSGI) of South Georgia Through Friends And remember…a hectare of South Georgia makes a unique and appreciated gift a unique and appreciated makes of South Georgia hectare And remember…a Sponsor a Hectare of South Georgia Credit Card Number Card Credit Please make payable to “Friends of South Georgia Island” and send it with this form to the address below. the address to Island” and send it with this form “Friends of South Georgia to payable Please make threatened wildlife and studies to help us understand how best to protect the island’s wildlife. the island’s protect to best how help us understand to and studies wildlife threatened If you would like to receive our updates by email, please ensure your email address is included above. We use email as it is quicker and cheaper – use email as it is quicker We is included above. email address your email, please ensure by our updates receive to like would If you Friends of South Georgia Island, 25 Dakota Meadows Drive, Carbondale, CO 81623 Friends of South Georgia Island, 25 Dakota When you sponsor a hectare (or more) of South Georgia you help support work to conserve endangered and endangered conserve to help support work you of South Georgia (or more) sponsor a hectare When you I would like to sponsor I would like Help give South Georgia back to its birds for only for its birds back to South Georgia Help give Friends of South Georgia Island is a US 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds for the conservation of South Georgia. of South Georgia. conservation for the raising funds to dedicated organization nonprofit Island is a US 501(c)(3) tax-exempt Friends of South Georgia leaving us with more money to spend on our conservation work. We guarantee that your information will never be made available to any other party. any other party. to available be made never will your information that We guarantee work. spend on our conservation to money us with more leaving (the last 3 digits on the back of your card) card) 3 digits on the back of your Security Number (the last Card: q Credit Card Name on Credit Account Number: 55200008332. Routing number: 102103407. Number: 55200008332. Routing Account q Check: Signature Address Street State City Billing Phone Billing address & phone if different from above: Road Ste. 101, Basalt, CO 81621, USA. Bank phone: 970 927 3653. Account Name: Friends of South Georgia Island. Name: Friends of South Georgia Bank phone: 970 927 3653. Account 81621, USA. 101, Basalt, CO Ste. Road Payment Options: Payment Method): (Preferred Transfer q Wire Name be on the certificate wish it to Name(s) as you Phone # Address City/State/Zip clearly) (please write Email address this form obtained you us where Please tell

66 ANTARCTIC PENINSULA, SOUTH GEORGIA, AND FALKLAND ISLANDS EXPEDITION LOG 2014 2015

CHEESEMANS’ ECOLOGY SAFARIS (800) 527-5330 20800 Kittridge Road www.cheesemans.com Saratoga, California 95070 USA [email protected]