The Fram
We
had a great adventure on our voyage to the Antarctic on board the Fram.
We traveled on the ship
below not the
one pictured above that it was named after.
Both were specifically
constructed to
ply the Arctic and Antarctic waters.
We had safety training
and
educational lectures.
It is very important to
understand
how to don the survival suits if it became necessary to abandon ship.
Lectures were conducted
for each of
our ports of call, as well as information about seals, sea lions,
penguins, other birds, the geology and history of the region.
Anja gave some of the
lectures
and would keep us informed about anything and everything that
was
coming up.
Every time a change in
the planned
itinerary was possible (say to add a point of interest)
or required (because of changes in conditions) she would tell us about
the wonderful chance
this
afforded us.
Anyone who has ever been
on a cruise
will tell you about all the great food.
It was delicious and
presented with a
flair.
Here are two of the
lounges and the
dining area where we got to know our fellow travelers.
Spectacular views
wherever you looked.
Christmas eve the crew
put on a
show.
They sang, danced,
juggled, and did a
quick step routine.
In this performance the
poles were
repeatedly and quickly struck twice down then together.
The trick was to step in
and out
without ever discovering that your ankle was between them at an
unfortunate moment.
You may have to be airborne to avoid them.
It's not easy, as some of the other passengers can attest when they
were invited to try it.
Our cabin was on deck 6
near the
front of the ship.
Twenty four hours a day
we could look
out and enjoy the view.
It was never dark
because it was
close to the summer solstice and we were so far south.
You can see my GPS on
the
windowsill. I
used it
to check up on the captain.
We were offered a tour
of the bridge.
I asked the captain
about the most
serious problems he had to deal with.
He said that a medical
evacuation was
about the worst and that he had never had a significant problem with
the ship.
(See the Research
Station link to
learn about an evacuation that was needed during our trip.)
During the bridge tour
we got these
pictures of the chart showing our course.
A display in one of the
lounges that
showed the actual track of our ship and it's current location in
greater detail than the captain's chart or my GPS.
To go ashore we were
required to wear
boots that were provided.
Coming and going we
walked through
disinfecting solutions and a water spray.
That was to be sure that we didn't take any contamination ashore or
bring any back to the boat.
We were ferried ashore
on polarCirkel®
boats.
They were a lot like
Zodiacs.
A couple of pictures of
the Fram in
it's native element.
We had a little snow
while we were
there
We disembarked from the
ship on
Christmas morning and left everything in good order, including this
lifeboat.
The tour that left that
evening had a
little problem.
Three days into their cruise the ship lost power and drifted into a
glacier.
No one was hurt but the
lifeboat was
crushed and some railings were bent.
With only one remaining
lifeboat they
couldn't continue.
They went back to King
George island
and then were escorted back to Ushuaia by another cruise ship.
I sort of
wish that we had
been on that trip but we would have missed so many great
sights.
But we can imagine what
Anja would
have enthusiastically announced over the PA system.
"We are about to have an
amazing
encounter with an immense
glacier."
"We will have the opportunity
to get closer
than any other
tour has ever
been."
and
"We may get to go into the lifeboat, an experience shared with only one other
Antarctic voyage in
the past 40 years"...
Always upbeat I am sure
she would
have pointed out
"Everyone will be warm
because twice
as many of us will be
snuggling together in it."
Most of these pictures were taken by Nancy and Alan but I am indebted
to
others on the trip for sharing their pictures.
Our thanks to Marie-Jo,
Dan, Ruth,
Hal, Marilyn, Denny, Laura, Buffy,
Stan and Sasha.
The links
below will take you
to more pictures of our trip to Antarctica.
Chile,
Argentina,
Ice,
Penguins
and other wildlife,
Research
stations and other landings, Vegetation, The
Fram.
Brian, another of our friends from the trip has a web
page with some of his exceptional pictures.
See
other places we have visited here.
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Go
to our Personal
home page
Go to our Community
page
Go
to our Science
Fun page
E-mail Nancy
and
Alan