Antarctica Classic Aboard G Expedition Ushuaia, Argentina Sunday, March 05th 2017 On behalf of G Adventures, Captain Sergey Nesterov, Expedition Leader Sarah Auffret, Hotel Manager Alessandra Malaquias, the Expedition Team and the entire crew, we extend a very warm welcome to you aboard G Expedition. It is our goal to provide you with a wonderful experience during our time together both at sea and on shore. If there is anything we can do to make your stay more comfortable, please do not hesitate to contact any of the crew or staff around the vessel at any time. Expedition Program Tea & Coffee Self Service Tea and Coffee is available 16:00 Beginning of embarkation. Welcome on board! 24 hours in the Discovery Lounge (Deck 4). Once everyone is on board we will have a Expedition Team mandatory Safety Briefing and Life Boat Drill in The Expedition Team will be happy to the Discovery Lounge (Deck 4). answer your questions and will be available to help you whenever time permits. 18:00 G Expedition is expected to set sail. Hospital (Deck 4 Aft) Medical Care is available 24 hours: Following our departure we will have a Welcome Briefing In a medical emergency, please activate with your Hotel Manager Alessandra and an Intro to the the alarm by pulling the string on the Voyage with Expedition Leader Sarah and the expedition emergency button in your cabin. team in the Discovery Lounge (Deck 4). Bar (Deck 5 Aft) 19:15 Dinner is served in the Dining Room (Deck 5). Polar Bear Bar after dinner until late. After Dinner Following dinner, please proceed to the Gift Shop (Deck 4 port side) Discovery Lounge to receive your Expedition Closed in port. Open after meals from March 6th Parka. Also, if you plan to use the ship’s Internet system during your voyage and require assistance connecting, there will be staff available to help you at reception. 21:30 Kayakers, please join Phil & Dany in the Library (Deck 4, port) for a Kayak Briefing. USHUAIA / FIN DEL MUNDO Perched on the northern shores of the Beagle Channel, Ushuaia is the largest city in Tierra del Fuego and is commonly regarded as the southernmost city in the world. While there are smaller settlements farther ABOUT G EXPEDITION south, the only sizeable one would be the Naming History: Statistics: Chilean naval base Puerto Williams 1972 - 1978: M/S Kattegat Tonnage: 6,336 GRT (~2500 inhabitants including civilians) on Isla Navarino across the Beagle Channel to 1978 - 1986: M/S Tiger Length: 105.20 m (345’ 2”) the South of Ushuaia. In the past, Ushuaia 1986 - 2008: M/S Ålandsfarjan Beam: 18.93 m (62’ 1”) has been a missionary base, penal colony 2008 –present: G Expedition Draught: 4.71 m (15’ 5”) and naval base for the Argentine navy. Today the provincial capital with its ~60,000 inhabitants is a bustling tourist town, complete with casinos and numerous restaurants and hotels catering to all budgets and tastes. Antarctica Classic Aboard G Expedition At Sea, Drake Passage th Bound for Antarctica Monday, March 06 2017 Expedition Program Breakfast 08:00 – 09:00 09:30 Join Jackie for her lecture, ‘Creative Travel Photography’, in Lunch 12:00 – 13:00 the Discovery Lounge. Dinner 19:00 11:00 Lecture: ‘Seabirds of the Southern Ocean’ with Diego in the Discovery Lounge. Sunrise 06:20 Sunset 20:00 15:00 Workshop: If you are interested in participating in data collection and research during your trip to Antarctica, join Message from the Purser Phil in the Discovery Lounge for an ‘Introduction to Citizen If you would like to settle Science on board G Expedition.’ your accounts by credit card at the end of the Afterwards: cruise, kindly register your Bird Survey: Join Diego & Phil on Deck 5 aft (behind the Polar card at Reception as soon Bear Bar) to complete a seabird survey and learn some tips & as possible to help simplify tricks for spotting wildlife. Bring your binoculars! and speed-up check out procedures at the end of 17:00 Join Julia in the Discovery Lounge for her lecture the trip. Thank you for ‘Not just frozen water-Glaciers, Ice sheets and Sea ice’. your cooperation! 18:30 Please meet Sarah and the expedition team for a Recap & The Gift Shop will be Briefing for tomorrow’s plan in the Discovery Lounge. opened daily after breakfast, lunch & dinner. After Dinner Andrew will be playing Music in the Polar Bear Bar! Documentary: ‘BBC Frozen Planet: To the End of the Earth’ in the Discovery Lounge (58min). Drake Passage: Sir Francis Drake was born in Devon, and at the age of 13, he began traveling to the West Indies. Between 1577 – 1580 he Kayakers sailed around the world – the first Englishman to do so – looting If you are participating in Spanish ships and creating nautical charts of the new territories he the Kayak Program, please navigated. On September 6th, 1577, Drake completed his pass through meet Phil & Dany in the the Magellanic Straits, however the next day he was caught in a big Mud Room (Deck 2): storm that pushed his ship, The Golden Hind, below 57 degrees GROUP 1: 12:30 - 14:00 latitude south. It was here that he found the meeting of the Pacific GROUP 2: 15:30 - 17:00 and Atlantic Oceans, the turbulent area that is now known as the “Drake Passage”. This also proved that Tierra del Fuego was not a part of “Tierra Australis Incognita”, a fact that the cartographers of those days had refused to accept for a long time. “If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in the water…its substance reaches everywhere; it touches the past and prepares the future.” - Lorne Eisley Antarctica Classic Aboard G Expedition Bound for Antarctica, Drake’s Passage Tuesday, March 07th 2017 Morning Breakfast 08:00 – 09:00 Lunch 12:00 – 13:00 08:00-08:30 Come out and join us on the aft deck behind the Dinner 19:00 Polar Bear Bar for a Bird Survey! 09:15 Mandatory IAATO & Zodiac Briefing: Please join Sarah in the Discovery Lounge. This is a mandatory briefing that everyone must attend. Attendance will be taken! We will learn about Sunrise 06:22 the regulations we are required to observe when conducting Sunset 20:04 our landings in Antarctica and our Zodiac procedures. Following, you will sign up for a Mud Room Group at Reception. Mandatory Biosecurity Check & Boot Distribution. You will be called by Deck Number. When you are called for Biosecurity, please empty and check all hoods, cuffs, seams, pockets and Velcro for seeds and plant matter, and bring all of the gear you intend to wear in Antarctica for inspection. You do NOT need to bring any new items that you have not yet worn, like your Expedition Parka. To bring for inspection: all outer layers (waterproof pants, gloves, hats, etc.), backpacks and camera bags, tripods, monopods and walking sticks. Please stand by for announcements and when you are called for Boot Distribution, proceed to the Mud Room (Deck 2). Remember to bring socks and your Passenger ID card! Expedition Afternoon In the afternoon, and depending on weather, wind, sea and wildlife conditions, we may reach the South Shetland Islands and do a landing and/or zodiac cruise. The ‘Adélie’ Group will be called first followed by Chinstrap, Gentoo and Magellanic. of the Earth' (60 mins) in the Discovery Loun 18:15 Please join the expedition team in the Discovery Lounge for the Captain’s Welcome Cocktail with Captain Sergey Nesterov, followed by a Recap and Briefing of tomorrow’s plan. After Dinner Documentary: ‘BBC Frozen Planet: Spring’ in the Discovery Lounge (58min). Did you know? The South Shetland Islands lie about 1000 km south of Ushuaia, and between 93 km (58 mi) (Deception Island) and 269 km (167 mi) (Clarence Island) northwest and north from the nearest point of the Antarctic continent, Graham Land. The South Shetlands consist of 11 major islands and several minor ones, totaling 3,687 km2 (1,424 mi2) of land area. Between 80 and 90 percent of the land area is permanently glaciated. The highest point on the island chain is Mount Irving on Clarence Island at 2,300 m (7,546 ft) above sea level. Antarctica Classic Aboard G Expedition Antarctic Peninsula Cuverville Island, Brown Base, Skontorp Cove & Lemaire Channel Wednesday, March 08th 2017 Expedition Morning Breakfast 07:30 – 08:30 Lunch 12:00 – 13:00 07:00 Wake-up call Buffet Dinner 18:30 Dependent on weather, wind, sea and wildlife conditions, we hope to land and Zodiac cruise at Cuverville Island in the Errera Channel. Sunrise 06:33 The ‘Chinstrap’ Group will be called first followed by Gentoo, Magellanic Sunset 20:08 and Adélie. Expedition Afternoon Dependent on weather, wind, sea and wildlife conditions, we hope to land and Zodiac cruise at Brown Base and Skontorp Cove. The ‘Gentoo’ Group will be called first followed by Magellanic, Adélie and Chinstrap. 18:00 Please join Sarah and the expedition team in the Discovery Lounge for a Briefing. After Dinner Join us on the outer decks as we will be transiting through the very scenic Lemaire Channel. CUVERVILLE ISLAND lies in the Errera Channel, between Rongé Island and the Arctowski Peninsula. The island was discovered by Gerlache’s Belgica expedition of 1897-9, and named after a vice-admiral in the French Navy. This small rocky island has vertical cliffs measuring 200 m (650 ft) in elevation with extensive moss cover. Cuverville Island is home to the largest gentoo penguin colony in the region (5,000 breeding pairs), along with southern giant petrels, kelp gulls, Antarctic terns, snowy sheathbills and south polar skuas.