10 Jan 2011 - Sea Kayak from Waterboat Point to Skontorp Cove, Paradise Harbor

 


Paddling within metres of giant humpback whales.....






Leopard Seal contemplating Tim for lunch



Rafts of porpoising penguins chase the kayaks & disappear whenever you turn around



Our anchorage for the night

9 Jan 2011 - Cueverville Island to Chilean Naval Base at Waterboat Point



Introducing Commander Alejandro Gonzaeles & Eduardo Soto to Vegemite!



8 Jan 2011 - Enterprise Island to Cueverville Island

7 Jan 2011- Sea Kayaked around Enterprise Island

6 Jan 2011 - FIRST Icebergs, FIRST Whales! Deception Island to Enterprise Island.

Not much wind! - full day motor-sailing.

5 Jan 2011 - Landfall in Antractica at Deception Island

Our course across Drake Passage has us making landfall in the South Shetland Islands, sailing between Snow Island and Smith Island (Boyd Passage) en route to Deception Island in the Bransfield Strait.  Despite sailing close to Snow Island, we are enveloped in a heavy fog reducing visibility to approx 100 metres.  Smith Island to the south has sea cliffs rising 2000 metres vertically out of the ocean - YES - that's only 300 metres less than the highest mountain in Australia!  But we see nothing in this fog, including no icebergs so far. Our first hint of land is a welcoming visit from a small wallow of seals who are out to sea fishing, until the outline of Deception Island finally appears from out of the fog.  We sail into and anchor in the sunken caldera of this live volcano, in the dull light of Antarctic night. We have a few hours sleep and then go ashore for the day to explore the black sandy beaches, smouldering with active sulphur fumeroles; and the debri from the abandoned whaling station that was violently strewn around Whalers Bay in the last major eruptions of this volcano in 1967, 1969 & 1970. The eight of us have the whole island to ourselves and enjoy stretching our legs after crossing Drake Passage.

1-4 Jan 2011 - Crossing Drake Passage

We depart Ushuaia at 1.00pm on Saturday 1 January and motor-sail down the Beagle Channel (in Argentinian waters) on our way to Antarctica. 12 hours later we enter the open waters of Drake Passage for our much anticipated crossing of the trecherous southern ocean.  We make landfall in Antarctica 3 & 1/2 days after leaving Ushuaia, at Deception Island, at midnight on Tuesday 4 January.