Wednesday, February 18
Posted from SOI World HQ
We have crossed 60º south and the Antarctic Convergence: We are officially in Antarctica!
This morning the team woke to calmer seas en route to our first destination on the Antarctic continent, Elephant Island. 60 miles to go before we reach the island at 16:00hrs this afternoon. Spirits are high! The education program continues to roll and our team is recovering from mild seasickness.
Elephant Island is one of the best known of the South Shetlands, as it served as a refuge for explorer Ernest Shackleton and his crew after the loss of their ship, the Endurance, in the Weddell Sea pack ice in 1916. They had spent five months drifting on the pack ice before landing there. They established a camp at a place they called Point Wild. Shackleton left 22 of his men behind on the island to set out in an open boat, the James Caird, to seek help. He succeeded in what is one of the most daring rescue missions ever attempted.
Its name dates to both its elephant head-like appearance and the sealing days of the 1820’s when Elephant seals were much sought after. It has short, cold and cloudy summers, with the temperature never rising above zero.
Plants grow only on the moister north facing slopes, and include about 100 species of lichens, as well as mosses and liverworts. The island is 38 kilometres (24 miles) long and 19 kilometres (12 miles) wide at its widest.
Our visit to Elephant Island will include sightings of the Endurance Glacier, the main discharge glacier on the island. We also hope to be greeted by Gentoo penguins and Elephant seals, which may be found on its shores. Stayed tuned for more updates later today!
Students on deck in rolling seas as ship approaches Elephant Island
Journal Entry by Andrew Budnick, Wayland, Massachusetts
Just a bit south of 60ºS
Well, I haven’t written anything in the past day because I’ve been pretty much incapacitated. The “Drake Shake” has taken its toll on me. I guess to get to the most remote continent on Earth you have to give up a bit of your lunch. Yesterday we sick people in the lounge decided that the Drake Passage was comparable in pleasantness to the Ebola virus. Not sure how accurate that is, but we certainly agreed at the time.
The good news is that I’m feeling much better today. I slept well last night (the night before I slept badly and all of my dreams were on rocking boats…) and I have only been slightly nauseated so far today. We hope to see Elephant Island in a few hours. Hopefully overnight we’ll enter the sheltered waters of the Weddell Sea and the perpetual rocking will cease.
I’ve got one more thing to say, and that’s a tip to aspiring adventurers: if you are ever given the opportunity to take a shower while in a ship crossing the Drake Passage, don’t do it! Just be smelly for a few days. You’ll thank me later.
Student Ashley Peter-Rennich off the coast of Elephant Island
Journal Entry by Ashley Peter-Rennich, University of Alberta
From Elephant Island to the Weddell Sea
It’s incredible that I left home one week ago. Already, this journey has been eventful and now today for the first time we’ve past the Antarctic Convergence and the 60º latitude. The Albatross, Petrels, Penguins and even Dolphins have become more prevalent as we came closer to Elephant Island. The Dolphins were especially unique to see since they are very rare this far South.
Elephant Island was a small silhouette of a pointed mountain that grew to a fortress of glaciers and bedrock with vertical bedding. It reminded me of soldiers guarding the gates to Antarctica. As we got closer, Geoff drew our attention to Point Wild were Shackleton left 22 crew members for over 4 months before successfully rescuing every member. How could anyone live on such a small area of land and with such horrid stench coming from those Penguins!?! For all you people who wanted me to bring you back a penguin…believe me it’s for your own good that I won’t!!
Canada AM co-host Seamus O'Regan with Elephant Island in the background
Journal Entry by Cathrine Sopracolle, Goodsoil, Saskatchewan / U of Ottawa
Elephant Island
I never imagined in my lifetime that I would set eyes upon this place! Point Wild: desolate, yet majestic and all the more commanding because Shackleton’s men survived four months here. It’s summer now, but the wind whistles briskly and still it’s cold. The glaciers reach down to the water, and the penguins sit in their rookeries, tiny dots of white upon the reddish “guano” that they produce in great abundance. We caught a whiff of it on the ocean breeze and it was horrid! Poor Shackleton’s men had to live with that smell up close. The tiny beach where they made their shelters out of overturned life rafts and salvage was lonely and windswept looking, and it is truly amazing that they survived the winter there. We had hoped to be able to go out for a closer look in the zodiacs, but the weather was not ideal, so instead we contented ourselves with the Ushuaia coming in a little closer so that we could see. A bit later we cruised past Valentine Point, the site of Shackleton’s first landing. It was even more desolate and exposed than Point Wild was. The island was socked in by mist and clouds, and it was hard to see a hundred meters past the shoreline, so it wasn’t possible to get an idea of how huge it is. The water teemed with penguins, and in the air were Petrels, Wandering Albatross, and a rare Amsterdam Albatross. We also saw some Hourglass Dolphins and fur seals. We are told that some of these animals are fairly rare in this part of the southern ocean. The fur seals and whales in the area were hunted almost to extinction. The fur seals are recovering, but the whales may never. It was such a privilege to come here today and I will never forget this experience!
Student Dan Hammond aboard the MV Ushuaia
Journal Entry by Dan Hammond, London, ON/UWO
Heading for DANGER!
First day in Antarctica
This morning, we crossed the 60th degree, making our official way into Antarctic waters. With land ahoy, lectures on glaciology, a zodiac briefing and fauna everywhere, our first day in Antarctica has been truly unforgettable.
After breakfast, we were given an introduction to Antarctic Icebergs and Ice sheets by Dave Burgess, Luke Copland and Olle Carlsson over two consecutive lectures. This brand new science is truly incredible with three main techniques of measuring mass balance in glaciers and ice sheets all over the world. We’re getting to the bottom of the true science behind glacier melting and studying the concrete causes and analyses of sea level rises.
As we approached Elephant Island, the incredible biodiversity of Antarctica became visible for the first time. Lunch was pleasantly interrupted by our first whale sighting; a few fined whales (2nd largest in the world!), and dolphin sighting; very rarely seen this far South. I recall first seeing Point Wild – named after Frank Wild (one of Shackleton’s crew members) – emerging from the mist and as I looked down, I saw my first penguin! With the mighty wandering Albatross soaring over our heads, we approached the Island and the shear beauty of the desolate coast was overwhelming.
The frigid breeze carried the stench of penguin guano off the coast and officially welcomed us to Antarctica. Santiago, our Argentinean birdwatcher spotted an Amsterdam Albatross – one of roughly 150 that exist in Antarctica – who breed on Amsterdam Island near New Zealand, also an incredibly rare sighting.
We had our zodiac briefing and are now ready to explore the continent! It turns out that I can’t bring food ashore of remover anything from the ecosystem – that means no rocks or sand to bring home – sorry mom & Erynne! We learned of a ship that recently went aground around the south part of the continent – DON’T worry, it wasn’t us!
We’re now on a rarely travelled, normally ice covered, course, heading south toward Heroina Island, part of Danger Islands, via the Weddell Sea. This area is home to some of the biggest tabular icebergs in Antarctica, as well as the largest colony of Adelie penguins. Tomorrow’s early morning will be the debut to our first full-fledged expedition day, with two landings as I set foot on the continent for the first time!
Whales, seals, penguins, icebergs, seabirds, can’t wait to explore!
Bon soir!
Albatross
Journal Entry by Dylan Polacek, Boca Raton, Fl / Boca Raton High School
South of Elephant Island at the east end of the Bransfield Strait
The M/V Ushuaia has been sailing for over two full days now, and we are now well into Antarctic waters. The Drake Passage has proved to me its reputation, for I have been seasick on and off. The great swells and the rolling of the ship has prevented me from doing much, which is why I am writing this a few days late into the trip. However, this afternoon, excitement has distracted me from the nausea. At 1530hrs, we arrived at Point Wild, Elephant Island, our first sight of land since the end of the Beagle Channel. The freezing and windy weather caused me to layer up on clothes, and the anticipation caused me to head towards the bow of the ship, where the beautiful land of mountains and glaciers came into view. The most amazing part of it was the island’s history. Decades ago, the great adventurer Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew, made it to this island, where he and five other men headed towards South Georgia to save his entire crew. After hearing many stories of his bravery and endurance (also the name of the perished ship), I grew more and more interested in the land of which I was now face to face with. Not to mention seeing an Amsterdam Albatross, one of the world’s rarest species, many chinstrap penguins, a pod of finback whales, and the deploying of a CDT (an oceanographic tool that measures the conductivity, depth, and temperature of the water), I experienced one of the most amazing days of our journey- so far. Tomorrow we reach (hopefully) the Danger Islands, where we finally enter the zodiacs and set foot on land!
Student Emilie Hebert-Houle on deck
Journal Entry by Emilie Hebert-Houle, Trifluvie, UQTR
past the 60th degree, in the Southern Ocean
PAPA, Papa, Papa!!!!
C’est si beau ici, c’est si grand, c’est si gros. Je pense a toi depuis qu’on a largué les amarres, je pense à tes yeux qui regarderaient la côte, les cartes météo, les cartes des courants. Je me demande aussi, si tu aurais le mal de mer toi dans ce roulis incessant. On est tellement petit nous ici, un tout petit bateau qui fonce vers le Sud, malgré les vagues qui arrivent de côte et qui voudraient bien nous faire dériver. AAA, si tu voyais la mer, elle est tellement bleue, je ne pensais pas que l’eau pouvait vraiment avoir cette couleur. Avec les vagues qui gonflent, qui cassent c’est bleu fonce, aqua et blanc, c’est juste grandiose, de l’eau à l’infini, des vagues plus grandes que nature et les oiseaux qui se fraient un chemin entre elles. Comme c’est irréel tout ça. Le réaliserais-tu toi?
Aujourd’hui on verra l’Antarctique, la terre, la stabilité, Elephant Island, ou une grosse partie de l’équipage de Shackleton a attendu pendant des mois. C’est fou non? Si peu de gens sont passes ici, mais des histoires tellement incroyables s’y sont déroulées.
Aujourd’hui c‘est ton anniversaire. Quand les îles antarctiques défileront autour de moi, vous mangerez du gâteau (je vais manger mon dessert en ton honneur ce soir J). Je pense à toi Pops, j’essaie d’ouvrir mes yeux le plus grand possible!
Je te souhaite l’océan, hier j’étais sur le deck et je pense que je me suis fait prendre. Je pense que pour le restant de ma vie je vais avoir le goût de revivre ce sentiment, d’être si petite au milieu des vagues, mais de me sentir si grande en même temps.
Je te souhaite aussi une famille unie (clin d’oeil Hugue).
Bonne fête Pops!
Je t’aime
Ta petite fille
Emilie jolie xxxx
Excited students on deck approaching Elephant Island
Journal Entry by Faryn Lyseng, University of Alberta
Just past Elephant Island, Antarctica
The biggest thing that happened today was that we reached Antarctica! We crossed into Antarctic waters sometime this morning and set sight on land late this afternoon. As we got closer and closer to Elephant Island (and in particular Point Wild) there were birds everywhere in the sky and many, many penguins swimming in the ocean around us. Point Wild is very important in Antarctic history as it is the point that Shackleton, the explorer, left behind most of his crew as he went to get a rescue ship, for about 4 months! After seeing the conditions that these men survived in today, I can’t imagine how they managed to all survive this location in the winter. The swells were too high for us to make our first landing here today, but we hung around long enough to take lots of pictures and videos.
Today, there were penguins covering the landscape as we approached the land. Tomorrow we are heading for another site in the Weddell Sea, where we will be able to see lots of Adelie penguins and also a few icebergs. We are only able to get to this position due to the lack of sea ice in the area this year. Here’s to hoping we get to make our first landing tomorrow!
Cape Petrels
Journal Entry by Jodie King, Nippissing University
Almost to Elephant Island
Well, for the past day and a half it has been a little rough out here. We definitely experienced the Drake Shake, and it wasn’t always pleasant. Now I have pretty much gotten my “sea legs” so I can walk around the ship better, and not feel so sick all the time. We are coming to the end of the Drake Passage, and hopefully that will bring more calm waters so we can all feel a little better. We are officially in Antarctica now, we passed the 60 degree line of latitude this morning! We have had a few presentations on the things we will see first, such as seabirds and icebergs. Our glaciology class is going well, apart from one huge swell this morning which sent most of our class flying across the library!
Our first site of land in two days will be tonight when we hit Elephant Island, Shackleton’s famous landing spot. Weathering permitting, we will have our first run in the zodiacs! It will be great to be able to get off the ship, even if we have to stay in the zodiac. The air outside doesn’t really seem all that colder. However, having come from pretty cold weather at home, I guess it shouldn’t seem like too big of a deal.
We have been seeing many birds flying all around our ship; mainly Albatross and Petrels. We also had our first whale sighting today at lunch! Hopefully it won’t be long now before we start seeing some icebergs and eventually penguins, seals, and all kinds of other Antarctic wildlife.
Students on deck approaching Elephant Island
Journal Entry by Kevin Turner, Kitchener, Ontario/Wilfrid Laurier University
Antarctic Peninsula - Elephant Island
Land Ho! After rockin’ away in the Drake Passage for the better part of the day, we started noticing that whales, dolphins, penguins and more albatross were within site of the boat. We then arrived in the area of Elephant Island. What an amazing place. Not necessarily the best spot for a summer home, but definitely majestic. The waves were a little rough for getting out the zodiacs, which is normal for this area, so we checked it out from the big boat. We pulled in as close as possible to Point Wild and hung out there for a while. This is where Shackleton and his men from the Endurance found refuge after having to abandon ship and live on the ice flows of the Weddell Sea. It’s cool to see this place after reading about it.
Currently we are heading along the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula. Everybody seems to be doing much better now, as the seas are friendlier in this area. Lectures have been great and I’m pumped about getting into the zodiacs tomorrow. I hope Hayden liked his peas.
Student Maéva Gauthier onboard the MV Ushuaia
Journal Entry by Maéva Gauthier, Mt-Tremblant, QC, University of Victoria
South of Elephant Island, Antarctica
Francais:
Une belle journée remplie aujourd’hui, on est arrivé en Antarctique officiellement! On a eu droit à des rorquals communs, dauphins, manchots, albatros et pétrels au courant de la journée! Wow… On est arrivé à Elephant Island en fin d’après-midi, l’île où l’équipe de Shackleton s’était réfugiée pour attendre le retour de leur capitaine pendant 4 mois en plein hiver de 1916. On a approché l’île entourée de brume et parsemée de glaciers énormes et de falaises rocheuses où nichent certaines colonies de manchots.
Nous avons eu quelques présentations aujourd’hui pour en apprendre plus sur ce qui nous entoure. Dave nous a expliqué la glaciologie 101 et j’ai appris que la température de la
péninsule Antarctique a augmenté de 2.5 degrés celcius en 50 ans (comme en Arctique d’ailleurs), ce qui est le taux le plus rapide de la planète! Aussi, pendant que la péninsule perd en glace, le reste du continent gagne en précipitations de neige, mais il s’en résulte une diminution nette de couverture de glace tout de même. Aussi, j’ai assisté au cours d’impact du tourisme en Antarctique, ce qui fut bien intéressant et je me rends compte que l’impact du tourisme est très certainement moindre que l’impact de la science sur ce continent de glace. Olle et Luke ont donné une présentation sur les icebergs, la première consistait en un regard plus artistique sur ceux-ci et la deuxième, plus scientifique. Saviez-vous que la formation d’icebergs est la source majeure de perte de glace en Antarctique? C’est un processus naturel, mais le fait que de plus en plus d’icebergs se détachent du continent de l’Antarctique pourrait être lié aux changements climatiques.
La soirée s’est terminée avec la projection du film IMAX de Shackleton dont Alex faisait partie de l’équipe de production du film. Intéressant d’en apprendre plus sur cette histoire incroyable de survie et d’exploration.
Demain, on s’en va vers Danger island!! Arrgggg! L’endroit où il y a la plus grosse colonie de manchots Adélie de l’Antarctique.
English:
We had many first times today: we arrived to Antarctica officially! Elephant Island was visible in the foggy mist of Antarctica by the end of the afternoon… So nice to be here where Shackleton’s team waited for their boss to get back with rescue during 4 months in 1916. Dolphins, fin whales, penguins, albatrosses and petrels were part of the landscape and it was pretty amazing!
We had many presentations today. David taught a bit of Glaciology 101. Temperature rise of 2,5 degrees Celcius was found in the last 50 years (as it is in the Arctic), which is the fastest rate on the planet. Also, the Antarctic Peninsula experiences a net loss of ice sheet, which is not good. I also attended the class about the impact of tourism and realized that tourism has probably much less impact then science on this frozen continent. Olle and Luke explained about icebergs; Olle in a more artistic way and Luke in a more scientific way, it is good to have both! Did you know that icebergs production was the largest source of ice loss from Antarctica? It is part of natural processes, but changes in icebergs production may be linked with climate change.
Tonight, we had the showing of an IMAX movie about Shackleton by Alex. He was part of the production team that went there to film a few years ago. Very interesting to learn more about the history and exploration of Antarctica!
Tomorrow, we might see Danger Islands! Arrgggg! The largest Adelie penguins colony can be found there. Then, we might go to Paulet island. Everything is flexible.
Students Emilie Hebert-Houle and Marianne Mathis on the MV Ushuaia
Journal Entry by Marianne Mathis, Université Laval, Québec
En direction de Danger Island, Antarctique
Enfin, l’Antarctique, mon rêve blanc. 11 h 11, le temps de faire un vœux: que le reste de l’expédition soit tout aussi fantastique que ce que nous avons vécu depuis notre départ. Les deux jours de bateau valaient grandement la peine du petit mal de cœur: l’Antarctique s’est dressé devant nous aujourd’hui, avec ses grandes falaises qui protègent fièrement les glaciers aux couleurs qui s’entremêlent. Les colonies de manchots nous attendaient, posant pour l’occasion. Demain nous attend, les bras grand ouverts.
Cape Petrel
Journal Entry by Mireille Deschamps, University of Ottawa
Antarctica
The Drake Passage: the never ending roller coaster!
Well it is my second morning here in the Drake Passage and I am happy to say that today I’m off to a much better start. When we first hit the Drake Passage Sunday night excitement was still in the air. A few members of the expedition and I made it to the bow of the ship and enjoyed the ride in the darkness. It was an awesome feeling to be out there on the bow with nothing but the wind and the waves. However, on my way to bed that night this great feeling subsided as sea sickness slowly grew in the pit of my stomach. Thankfully, laying in bed everything seemed to calm down, except for the waves. Some maintain that seat belts should be added to our mattress while we pass through the Drake Passage because it is quite a ride. I myself learn the hard way that my choice of pajamas was also a crucial choice in this expedition. While packing in Ottawa my bag was getting very full and I opted to pack pajamas that took a very small amount of space in my backpack. The pajamas pants that I packed were these silky types of pajama and well this is a very slippery material. Therefore, I can say that I managed to stay on my mattress during my first evening on Drake Passage, but it was hard work and sadly I didn’t sleep very much. The waves were so strong that we find ourselves rolling around on our small mattress and well with my slippery pants; I was all over the place! This was only a glimpse of what the rest of the Drake Passage had to offer. I now know what sea sickness is and I would never wish it on anyone. Our morning lectures were postponed so we could take the time to sleep and get use to the constant movement. In the afternoon we were able to assist to a sea bird presentation as well as a Southern Ocean presentation. Also, we had access to the port side of the boat and the fresh air and weather was very settling for my stomach and also great gave me a great view to soak in. We had Albatross flying around and gorgeous blues ocean. Last night, after a rough afternoon, my stomach relaxed and I felt a lot better. Also I changed my pajamas to fleece and I would say they are ideal for the Drake Passage. They grip to the fabric a bit more and prevent some rolling on the mattress. My second day on the Drake Passage seems off to a much better start. I’m now enjoying the waves and the great presentation we had about Glaciers and the Ice Shelf this morning.
Chinstrap Penguin jumps out of the water
Journal Entry by Pat Maher, Prince George, BC/ University of Northern British Columbia
Point Wild, Elephant Island
After days of seasickness and postponed lectures we’ve now finally arrived in the Antarctic. Students sat in course lectures this morning as we crossed 60°S and this afternoon we arrived at Point Wild on Elephant Island. While it was too windy to land or zodiac tour at Point Wild, the menacing sight of the cliffs and glaciers through the fog set quiet a scene. Penguins swam and jumped in front of the ship, and a rare Amsterdam albatross soared overhead. For me it’s exciting to be back in the Antarctic Peninsula region, and the enthusiasm amongst the students is contagious.
Point Wild is such a great site to begin the ‘true’ Antarctic voyage. It is where heroics of Shackleton’s Endurance expedition took place - 22 men waited 4 months for rescue, while Shackleton himself and a team of five others went to South Georgia (800 miles away) for help. Named after Frank Wild, who stayed with the Endurance team on Elephant Island, the site inspired the students and made them think about how lucky we are in these days of ice-class ships and Gore-Tex clothing. We stayed at the point for about an hour, before setting sail for the Weddell Sea, and potentially our first Antarctic landings tomorrow morning at the Danger Islands.
From a faculty perspective, today’s events are why I wanted to be involved in this expedition: students are in awe of this place, and they are engaged to learn. For all onboard, spirits are high and there is a noticeable thrill at having finally arrived in the Antarctic.
A view of Point Wild, Elephant Island
Journal Entry by Sandra Borton, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, B.C.
Elephant Island
Holy Guacamole, Batman! We’re finally here! We arrived at Elephant Island about an hour ago, and it is SPECTACULAR! The glaciers and rock faces were 10 fold in scale than what I had expected. The weather is too rough for us to go out in the zodiacs, but the captain was able to maneuver the ship really close to Point Wild (named after Frank Wild of Shackleton’s expedition.). Point Wild is where Shackelton’s men spent 4 months living under two small sailing dinghies, awaiting rescue. There were hundreds of penguins, both in the water and on the land, unbelievably clinging to nearly vertical rock faces! There were also quite a few different types of birds around the ship – Santiago was quite excited to see a light-mantled sooty albatross Taking pictures was a little challenging, as I was all bundled up and wearing gloves, but hopefully a few will turn out. I did spend a few hours brushing up on my photography skills this afternoon.
I’m energized for tomorrow. Hopefully we will be jumping in the zodiacs and getting on shore, weather permitting. It is quite overcast, foggy and a little drizzly here now, but hopefully conditions will improve overnight. The food has been great and the lectures interesting (often comedic when big waves tip us out of our chairs!). Tonight Alex is giving one about the Antarctica IMAX film, which should be very, very cool. Whatever the weather or sea conditions decide to do, we have plenty to keep us entertained and engaged.
Elephant Island
Journal Entry by Sierra Pope, University of Ottawa
Drake Passage, near Elephant Island
Today started early; I woke up before Geoff’s “Good Morning Students on Ice” message, so the common room was pretty quiet for a while. I saw some pintado or cape petrels flying around the ship, and spoke with Marianne about her talk yesterday, specifically the hydroacoustics they use to measure krill concentrations in the ocean. It’s really neat to hear about the other science going on in these regions. The currents were a little calmer this morning, so attending the morning lectures in the basement conference room went a bit smoother. There was an ice focus today: first, Dave Burgess’s talk on the general trends of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, then a course meeting for those of us in Glaciology, discussing the Sheperd paper we read, then Luke and Olle’s presentation on sea ice and icebergs.
In the afternoon things got really interesting—we approached Elephant Island. Everyone got pretty excited and started getting into our cold weather gear—splash pants and thicker jackets, mittens and bright coloured hats—and we all rushed out to the deck as soon as the island came into focus. It was a pretty foggy day, so the first peaks were surrounded in mist, with petrels and albatrosses flying around us. Santiago tells us there was also an Amsterdam albatross in sight today, one of only about 150 in the world, which generally live on an island near New Zealand. The water was so blue surrounding the island; it was almost a tropical blue! We started to see some small penguins as well, diving alone or in pairs in and out of the water. It was so windy on deck! We gathered at the front of the ship as more of the island became visible and we sailed towards Point Wild, the location of Shackleton’s men’s 4-month survival, waiting for Shackelton to return after setting off to the whaling stations. The rocks were dark and jagged, and a fair sized glacier came down towards the sea. There were colonies of penguins on several rocks and hill slopes; we couldn’t sail too close, though, so I was glad I had some binoculars! It was exciting to see so many penguins, and I’m sure we’ll see many more in the days to come. The evening recap started with people sharing some of their day’s thoughts…several focused around how humbling it is to see the conditions Shackleton’s crew existed in. Here we are, sailing in comfort with three warm meals a day and beds and comfy couches, seeing the place that men existed on penguin foot stew and desperation, not knowing if they would be rescued. We’re so fortunate to be here, seeing this, like this. Through the night, through calmer seas, thank goodness, we sail towards Danger Islands.
Wandering Albaross
Journal Entry by Florian Hofmann and Lukas Sundermann
Elephant Island
Gegen Mittag kreuzen wir den 60. Breitengrad, wir sind nun offiziell in der Antarktis! Um die lange Zeit zu überbrücken, finden den ganzen Tag Vorträge statt. Nach 2 Tagen Tortur für Lukas heißt es dann auch nachmittags endlich: Land in Sicht. Im Nebel vor uns taucht Elephant Island auf, die Insel auf der Shackleton damals einige seiner Männer über vier Monate lang zurück gelassen hat, um Hilfe zu holen. Unseren ersten Blick auf den antarktischen Kontinent erleben wir also genau aus der Perspektive, aus der ihn die ersten Seefahrer jemals erlebt haben. Noch bevor der Nebel sich gelichtet hatte, schlug uns der Gestank der Pinguinkolonie ins Gesicht. Die starken Winde machen eine Landung auf Elephant Island unmöglich, daher geht es weiter Richtung Danger Islands (das klingt ja schon besser…).
A view of the Endurance Glacier
Grise Fiord Student Jason Qaapik Pijamini with Elephant Island in the background
Nunavik Students Penina Kleist and Susan Nulukie onboard the MV Ushuaia