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On board USHUAIA

Expedition Log February 2nd to February 11th, 2007 and Peninsula

MASTER of the VESSEL Bernardo Padilla

ICE PILOT Sergio Osiroff

EXPEDITION LEADER Sebastián Arrebola

HOTEL MANAGER Ludwin Zavala

CHEF Rubén Leguizamón

LECTURERS/GUIDES Berenice Charpin Agustín Ullmann Shoshanah Jacobs Andrea Raya Rey Marcelo Zárate

PHYSICIAN Dr. Konstantin Petrosyan

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Our Itinerary

February 2: Ushuaia, , Beagle Channel. February 3: Drake Passage. February 4: Drake Passage. , Aitcho Islands. February 5: Hannah Point, . Whalers’ Bay, . February 6: . Paradise Bay. Lemaire Channel. . February 7: , . Jougla Point, Weinke Island. . February 8: . , Greenwhich Island. February 9: Drake Passage. February 10: Drake Passage. Mouth of Beagle Channel. Ushuaia, Argentina. February 11: Ushuaia, Argentina.

Daily Log of Our Voyage

Friday, February 2nd Evening Temp.: 12º C Ushuaia, Argentina - Lat. 54º 48' S, Long. 68º 18' W Winds: 8 Knots NW

Antarctic Facts Our voyage to the frozen land of the Antarctic started at 6.30pm from the Ushuaia pier as we left behind us unusually warm temperatures. Prior to our departure, most of us had spent some Antarctica is a continent time getting to know the quaint little town. capped by an inland ice sheet up to 4.8km thick, Once onboard, we settled into our cabins and right after setting sail, containing about 90% of we gathered in the pub for a Welcome Cocktail, with chances to meet the world's fresh water. our fellow passengers and the staff of the USHUAIA.

The ice sheet is so During our first briefing, the expedition staff and officers were heavy that it has pushed introduced to us. The Expedition Leader of the USHUAIA, Sebastián the land below sea level Arrebola presented the staff who would accompany us during the in places. landings and help us to understand how sensitive the ecosystem in Antarctica is. Berenice Charpin, Andrea Raya Rey, Shoshanah Jacobs, Because of the thickness Agustín Ullmann, and Marcelo Zárate would teach us a lot of interesting details about the wildlife, history, geography, and of the ice sheet, conservation, and would guide us safely through the landscapes of Antarctica has the this wild part of the world. All of them have long been bitten by the highest average altitude polar bug and could not help but love the White Continent. We felt of all of the continents. that we were in good hands with this enthusiastic team. Our hotel manager, Ludwin Zavala, would take care of all our needs and Doctor Konstantin Petrosyan would care for our health as the case may be.

Sebastian also introduced us to the Third Mate Guido Grandi. Our captain, Bernardo Padilla was on the bridge at that time, as the USHUAIA sailed through the Beagle Channel on our way to the Drake Passage.

Later on we had our mandatory lifeboat drill. Donning our lifejackets, we made our way to the lifeboats on the outer deck and hoped that we would never all meet there again.

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We ate dinner, our first meal onboard, as we left the Beagle Channel towards open water. It was a perfect way to start our adventure.

Saturday, February 3rd Morning Temp: 10ºC Winds:8 Knots NW Evening Temp: 10ºC Drake Passage Winds: 24 Knots N

Antarctic Facts During the night, we encountered calm seas and as we awoke, only gentle winds continued to blow. We enjoyed our first breakfast on board, after which we wandered around the inside The is 1235 km and outer decks to familiarise ourselves with the ship and our from the closest coastline, surroundings. With such calm conditions, we marvelled at the and is situated high on the wildlife that we were already seeing. Wandering , polar plateau (height 2800 Southern Royal Albatross, Black-browed Albatross, and Giant m). were some of the birds that we spotted following us to the White Continent. Here it may be as cold as - 75°C, but the world Before lunch, we attended a lecture by the ship’s seabird record lowest temperature specialist, Andrea and learned many useful things for the proper is from an even more identification of and petrels, all of us aware that there remote Antarctic station, would later be a test during a birdwatching session, should the Vostok, which logged - conditions allow.

89°C. After a filling lunch, we attended a lecture by Marcelo, our on board geologist, who taught us about the geological . It certainly is a busy place with many different formations and conditions that were became excited to see. After tea, we attended a lecture by Berenice, our naturalist, who gave us a comprehensive introduction to the and where they are placed within the complicated ecological web. This day’s educational program would be sure to prepare us for our adventure to come.

Giant Petrels In the evening, we gathered in the conference room to watch the film Shackleton’s Antarctic Adventure.

Sunday, February 4th Morning Temp: 8ºC Winds: 24 Knots ENE Drake Passage Evening Temp: 6ºC Aitcho Islands, S. Shetlands – Lat 62°24’S, Long 59°47’W Winds: 13 Knots NE

Antarctic Facts Very early in the morning, at 02.00, we crossed the where the sea temperature dropped from 7ºC to 2.2ºC. This is a very rich area, biologically, hosting many birds and whales. Antarctica is a cold In the morning, we attended a lecture by Agustin, on Antarctica, the desert, with snowfall land of records, and learned all the reasons for why Antarctica is equivalent to only 150 truly a unique place, and a lecture on the of Antarctica by mm of water each year. Andrea.

This snow builds up In the afternoon, we attended our IAATO briefing, learning about the sensitivity of the Antarctic ecosystem and how we are to conduct

3 gradually, and ice flows landings to ensure a minimum impact. We also reviewed the Zodiac towards the coast as operations; how to safely enter and leave our ´taxis of the huge glaciers. In many Antarctic´. places, these extend out over the sea as massive The seas were rather calm and many of us ventured out on the ice shelves. decks to watch birds and our approach to the frozen continent. We saw Giant Petrels, Cape Petrels, , Black-browed Albatross, Prions, and Wilson´s Storm Petrels.

Since we had made excellent progress over unusually calm seas, it was possible to make our first landing at the Aitcho Islands after dinner. On Barrientos Island, we were greeted by a fur seal laying on the beach. We spent over an hour walking around the Gentoo and Chinstrap Penguin colonies, watching their funny behaviours as they stole pebbles for each other. Both species had very large chicks running all over the place and some of us were lucky enough to witness them being fed by their watchful parents.

We returned back to the ship tired and ready for bed, anticipating tomorrow’s activities.

Monday, February 5th

Morning Temp: 5ºC Hannah Point, Livingston Island Winds: 8 Knots NW – Lat 62° 39’ S, Long 60° 37’ W Evening Temp: 6ºC Whalers Bay, Deception Island Winds: 13 Knots NNW – Lat 62° 59’ S, Long 60° 34’ W

Antarctic Facts We landed at Hannah Point on Livingston Island; part of the South Shetland Archipelago, in In Whalers Bay lay the the early morning after an even remains of the Norwegian earlier breakfast. This point “Hektor” Station forms the eastern side of the (1911-1931). The remains of entrance to Walker Bay on the the abandoned Biscoe House South coast of Livingston Island. (Base “B” of the Operation It was named after the sealing Tabarin) and the BAS (British vessel Hannah of Liverpool, which wrecked here in 1820. Antarctic Survey) base can also be seen. This beach is a microcosm of fauna, with Gentoo and Chinstrap Penguins, , Blue-eyed Shags, The old barrels, equipment, Southern Giant Petrels, Cape Petrels, and Snowy Sheathbills whalebones, and other debris nesting in close proximity. There were also many Southern Elephant Seals hauling out. Some of us also had the chance to are partially buried by black see a young male Fur Seals on the beach. In addition, we and reddish volcanic spotted three Macaroni Penguins among the Chinstraps. pyroclastic sediments of various sizes related to the As we walked along the path through the penguin rookeries, and eruption of 1969 which past the noisy and rather smelly elephant seals, we spotted forced the BAS to abandon patches of Antarctic Hairgrass and Antarctic Pearlwort, the only this scientific station. two species of flowering in all the White Continent!

In 1995 the whaling station Our last stop on Walker Bay took us to a rock where anonymous was designated as Historic hands had placed a number of fossils from a nearby moraine, Site under the Antarctic mainly remains of ferns and Nothofagus trees, inhabitants of the Treaty. forest that once covered this part of the sub Antarctic Islands;

4 an indication of a previously warmer climate.

We returned to the ship to rest and warm up but soon realised that this would not be our fate. Just as soon as we entered the warmth of our cabins, we were enticed out to the outer decks to watch several humpback whales swimming around the area. We stood with our cameras, binoculars, and video cameras, ready to capture the activity. There were even a few young whales spotted swimming next to their mothers, copying every movement that she was making. We stayed with them for an hour and a half, noticing the cold and wind only every so often. Then, slowly, the USHUAIA began navigating towards our next destination; Deception Island.

In the afternoon we visited Deception Island. We started our Chinstrap Penguin crossing through the Neptune’s Bellows, the narrow entrance to this horseshoe-shaped island. The scene was breathtaking as we turned to starboard side and navigated next to the north eastern cliff. After crossing the Bellows the captain sailed inside , the 9.2 miles diameter flooded caldera, resulting from the collapse of the volcano. Port Foster is 5.8 miles long from the northwest to southeast and more than 3.5 miles wide being the most protected anchorage site on the South Shetlands.

Right after crossing the bellows, we landed at Whalers Bay. There was a lot of mist in the air but it seemed to clear just for us as we walked along the beach. Here lay the remains of the Norwegian “Hektor” Whaling Station (1911-1931). The remains of the abandoned Biscoe House (Base “B” of the ) and the BAS () base can also be seen. The old barrels, equipment, whalebones, and other debris are partially buried by black and reddish volcanic pyroclastic sediments of various sizes related to the eruption of 1969 which forced the BAS to abandon this scientific station. In 1995 the whaling station was designated as Historic Site under the

Weddell Seal Antarctic Treaty. We climbed to the Neptune’s Window a panoramic from which we could see the bay and also the sea surrounding the island. Later, some of us decided to have a bath in the warm waters of this mystic volcano. The water was hot and cold at the same time and it was funny to see our fellow travelers laying down on the beach, just like elephant seals.

Tuesday, February 6th

Neko Harbour, Antarctic Peninsula – Lat. 64° 50’ S, Long. 62° 33’ W

Almirante Brown St., Paradise Bay – Lat. 64° 53’ S, Long. 62° 52’ W Morning Temp: 5ºC Lemaire Channel Winds: 3 Knots E Petermann Island Evening Temp: 8ºC - Lat. 65°10' S, Long. 64°10' W Winds: 5 Knots NE

Antarctic Facts Right after breakfast we made our first continental landing at Neko Harbour, a small bay indenting the east shore of Andvord Bay, along Did you know that the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Neko Harbour was discovered by De Gerlache’s Belgian Antarctic expedition, 1897-

5 there are really five 1899, and named after a Norwegian floating factory ship, the Neko, Antarctic Poles? which operated in the South Shetlands and Antarctic Peninsula in 1911-1912 and 1923-1924. 1) True Geographic South Pole: There were many Gentoo Penguins walking around. The stunning • Intersection point view of the giant glaciers and icebergs around us were breathtaking. with the axis of We also walked along the beach to the Argentine Refuge “Felipe the Earth’s Fliess” (who was an officer of the Argentine vessel Uruguay on the rotation rescue operation for the Otto Nordenskjöld’s Swedish Expedition in • Moves 10 m per 1903). Shortly after our arrival on the shore, a large piece of ice year calved from the glacier just across the bay. The wave was very • Nearest to impressive and washed up far onto the beach. We were all releaved Amundsen-Scott that we had been told to move to higher ground. Then we were Station joined by a Minke whale and many of us spent a few minutes • 2900 km from watching it swim along the precipitous walls of the glacier on the magnetic pole other side of the bay.

2) Magnetic South We stepped on the continent for a second time at the Argentine Pole: Station "Almirante Brown" in Paradise Bay after lunch. This bay was • Location where the named by early 20th century whalers not only for the beauty of the magnetic field is glaciers and the surrounding mountains, but also for the calm vertical waters. • Moves about 5 km per year The station was partially destroyed in 1984 by a fire set by the • Approx. at 65ºS, station's physician/leader, who didn't want to spend another winter 138ºE there! After the fire, the Base was reopened in 1989 as a summer • Currently moving station until the year 2000. We were greeted by nine members of northwest the team that were staying there to restore the station. They had arrived about twenty days before and were busy with the restoration. 3) Geomagnetic South Pole Some of us climbed up the hill from where we had a panoramic view • Intersection of of the bay and its many glaciers rolling over the mountain peaks into the surface of the the water. Our zodiac drivers took us for a cruise along a Blue-eyed Earth with the Shag colony settled on the nearby cliff and also we came closer to extended axis of a the glacier and many icebergs floating in the bay. magnetic dipole which is assumed In the evening before dinner, we navigated through the Lemaire to be located at Channel where we were amazed by its natural beauty. This narrow the centre of the passage lays between the Antarctic Peninsula and . It is Earth a 7-mile long, one-mile wide channel controlled by a geological • Approximates the fracture line, extending from Splitwind Island and False Cape Renard source of the (called “Una’s tits”) to Roullin Point (Booth Is) and Cape Cloos Earth's magnetic (continent). There were six leopard seals on ice flows as we made field our way through the channel and we managed to get close enough for some great pictures. 4) Pole of Inaccessibility Just after navigating the channel, we were called to dinner. Thinking • Point furthest from that this was the end of our exciting day, we quickly learned that all coasts indeed there was another surprise landing for us after we finished • Located at 84ºS, eating. Some of us skipped the meal to take photos of the stunning 65ºE view, while others gulped down the food quickly and then we all gathered on the gangway for a landing at Petermann Island. The 5) Ceremonial Pole weather was perfectly calm and we wandered around the Gentoo • Near Amundsen- Penguin and Adelie Penguin colonies. After watching a rather Scott Station beautiful sunset, we made our way slowly to the beach, to the 12 Flags from Treaty- zodiacs, and then, to bed. signing countries

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Wednesday, February 7th

Lemaire Channel Morning Temp: 5ºC Port Lockroy, Goudier I – Lat. 64°49’ S, Long. 63°30’ W Winds: 5 Knots SSE Jougla Point, Wiencke I - Lat. 64°50’ S, Long. 63°30’ W Evening Temp: 6ºC Cuverville Island - Lat. 64° 41’ S, Long. 62° 38’ W Winds: 5 Knots NNE

Antarctic Facts In the morning, after sailing through the Lemaire and Peltier Channels, we made landings at Jougla Point () and The Antarctic Port Lockroy (Goudier Island). Port Lockroy was discovered and Convergence marks the named by the French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot and later used true ecological margin of as a mooring place by whalers. In 1943-44 Bransfield House was Antarctica, being formed built. This was Operation Tabarin Base "A". Later on it served as a by the meeting between scientific base until it was closed in the 1960s. This Antarctic Historic warmer water masses Site was restored by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust in 1996. flowing southward from Nowadays, it's a museum, gift shop, and an Antarctic post office. the tropics and colder We visited the different rooms of the museum, recognising many of waters flowing the brands of food and marvelling at the old technology that was northward from used in the laboratory. We sent postcards, got our passports Antarctica. At this point, stamped and bought some souvenirs from the gift shop. Once the cold and dense outside, we explored the rather domesticated Gentoo Penguins and Antarctic Water dives watched the Sheathbills scavenging around the nests. beneath the warmer At Jougla Point we had the chance to see a huge composite whale water. skeleton, made up of the bones from different species, laying on the Further south, the beach as well as many Gentoo Penguins with their chicks. Jougla upwelling of a deeper Point is also the home of nesting Blue-eyed Shags. water mass is pushed apart by the s opposing Back on board, we sailed through the during West and East Wind lunch and arrived at Cuverville Island. Drift systems to bring nutrients to the surface, In the afternoon we landed at Cuverville Island, at the north mouth which feed the vast sea of Errera Channel passing between Rongé Island and the Antarctic of in the area. Peninsula. This is a rocky island with considerable covering the high elevations. The rock outcrops to both sides of the beach are the nesting sites for many Gentoo Penguins. The nest upslope and thus there were lots of them roosting in the beach and looking to prey on penguin chicks.

Before leaving we walked along the west beach seeing some Fur Seals. On the way back to the vessel our Zodiac drivers took us for a short cruise among beautifully sculptured blue icebergs!

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Sheathbills Black-browed Albatross

Thursday, February 8th

Half Moon Island - Lat. 62° 36’ S, Long. 59° 55’ W Morning Temp: 6ºC Yankee Harbor, Winds: 3 Knots S - Lat 62° 32’ S, Long 59° 47’ W Evening Temp: 6ºC Drake Passage Winds: 19 Knots WSW

Antarctic Facts During the night we made our way back to the South Shetland Islands. In the morning, we landed at Half Moon Island. This 1.25 Britain has played a mile (2 kilometer) long, crescent-shaped island lies in the entrance of major role in the between Greenwich and Livingston Islands. The island was exploration and study of known to sealers as early as 1821. There are some excellent hiking Antarctica. Captain opportunities and some truly glorious scenery. The remains of a James Cook was the Norwegian water boat that was stranded during a storm can still be first person to circle the seen on the beach. A short climb uphill and over the cobble was continent in the 1770s. required to reach the first of the breeding chinstraps. Kelp Gulls, Later expeditions were Antarctic and Skuas were also abundant and there were a few searching for fur seals on the beach and in the water. A short walk to the other commercial reasons, end of the island took us to the Argentine station “Teniente Camara” usually for seals where the personnel of the station warmly welcome us. or whales. At the start of this century, Scott After lunch, we landed at Yankee Harbor, a sheltered area with a prominent gravel spit extending far out into the harbour. As we and Shackleton made made our way to the beach in the zodiacs, we spotted several fur purely scientific seals wandering around on the gravel. Once landed, we walked up expeditions, a tradition and down the spit, seeing Gentoo Penguins, fur seals, Weddell seals, which continues to the one elephant seal, remains of past sealing activity, and nesting present. skuas, with rather large chicks. We made it safely on board and left with some trepidation as we would now be heading towards the open Drake Passage.

Friday, February 9th Morning Temp: 5ºC Drake Passage Winds: 24 Knots SSW

We awoke to slightly rougher seas than our crossing last week. After a quiet breakfast, some of us felt well enough to attend a lecture by Marcelo on the fossil remains found in Antarctica which gives us important information about the past climate and regional conditions in this

8 area of the world. In the afternoon we joined Andrea on the outer decks for birdwatching. Though the winds were bitter, they provided the perfect conditions to watch the experts of the air and sea. In the afternoon some of us attended lectures by Shoshanah on and by Sebastian on Antarctic Ice. We also watched films and tired from the ship’s movements, we retired early to bed.

Saturday, February 10th

Drake Passage Beagle Channel Ushuaia, Argentina - Lat. 54º 48' S, Long. 68º 18' W

Gradually we started to leave the Drake Passage behind. In the morning Agustín gave us a lecture on Ozone Layer.

In the afternoon, we all gathered in the conference room to watch the presentation of our final log. Our Expedition Staff had prepared a CD with detailed maps, a wildlife checklist, the lectures summaries, this daily log and a presentation of the whole trip.

We joined the Captain for the “Captain’s Dinner” to thank him for his skilful navigation that took us to all the wonderful places we visited in Antarctica. Later, we celebrated the end of this wonderful trip with a toast at the bar.

In the late evening, the USHUAIA arrived at the pier of Ushuaia. We spent the night at the pier, packing our bags and preparing for tomorrow’s departure.

Sunday, February 11th

Ushuaia, Argentina - Lat. 54º 48' S, Long. 68º 18' W

The light in the morning marked the end of our trip. It was a memorable expedition with many highlights, including spotting humpback and Minke whales, terrific weather conditions, and an erupting volcano (just kidding!).

The Captain, Officers, Expedition Staff, Hotel Staff and Crew of the Ushuaia were very happy to have you on board. We hope to see you again soon and wish you all a safe trip home!

Thank you!!!

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