Research
Stations and other
Landings
To and from
the shore.
Even though it was the
beginning of
the Antarctic summer we had to put
on our winter jackets and pants.
The ship provided boots
that were
washed and dried between each landing.
This was to minimize the
transfer of
undesirable organisms (bacteria,
seeds, etc.) between the ship and between places we visited.
We would board the
PolarCirkel®
boats and head for shore.
Their design resembles a Zodiac but with a hard shell.
The boats
could carry eight
passengers with a crew of one.
It could be a wild ride.
Disembarking and
reboarding at the
shore was easy.
A typical landing spot.
At every landing the
crew took
supplies including tents, food,
blankets, etc.
This was just in case
the weather
changed and we would not be able
to return to the ship as planned.
It didn't happen to us
but on an
earlier trip some passengers had a
very wild windy 10 hour delay.
Half
moon island
We cruised past
Argentina's Camara
base
And went ashore nearby
where we saw
our first penguins close up.
A link at the bottom of
this page
will take you to pictures of them.
Deception
Island
The navigable entrance
to the caldera
is only 330 ft (100 m ) wide.
As we entered we saw
this sailboat.
We don't know if it
carried
researchers or tourists.
Whaling Station Hektor
1912-1931 and
WW II British Base B were located
on the island's central bay.
Both were destroyed by a
mudslide
during a volcanic eruption between
1967 and 1969.
Cullerville
Island
One of the most
picturesque of our
landings with its ice filled bay and
the Gentoo penguin colony.
We passed the Chilean
base Gonzalez
Vedelia on the Antarctic mainland
at Waterboat
point.
One of the passengers on
the ship
became seriously ill when we were
about as far south as was planned for this trip.
The only possibility for
evacuation
was an airstrip at a Chilean base.
That base was 15 hours
north, so the
captain ordered the ship to come about and head for it.
As we were making our
way there we
met our sister ship the Nordnorge.
The captain knew that we were going to beat the plane to the base so he
was able to stop briefly.
That
permitted the transfer of
some essentials
that were in short supply on board our ship.
King
George Island
Here there are bases for
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Korea, Peru, Poland, Russia, and the UK
.
And the reason for our
visit, the
airstrip from which the passenger
would be flown to Chile for treatment.
In the distance we could
see that the
base was much larger than any other that we saw on the trip.
But when compared to
it's setting, it
was tiny.
Even in this collection
of bases it
is hard to imagine spending
months in the dark frigid winter.
Two of the polarCirkel
boats were
launched, one for the patient the
other to assist if required.
This is the plane that
was chartered
to transport the patient back to
Chile for treatment.
Several days later we
were told that
his treatment was going well and
he was expected to make a full recovery.
However, he may have a
setback when
he is presented with the bill for
the flight and 50,000 liters of fuel the ship used for his evacuation.
Despite appearances the plane is not on the runway, it was doing a
flyby and so it appears
larger than if it were.
While we were there a
huge transport
plane also came in carrying another group who would board their ship
here.
You can see the effect of a crosswind both in the dust kicked up and
the alignment of its wings.
This is
the Russian Orthodox
Trinity Church at the Bellingshausen
Station.
If you look closely at
this panorama
of the base you can see it near
the right end of the picture.
Arctowski
Research
Station
Located on King George
Island well
south of the cluster of stations and
airstrip.
Here we had the
opportunity to meet
some of the researchers and see
what an active research station was like.
They have a sign post
just to remind
them of how far they are from
anything.
Remnants of whaling that
once took
place here.
Inside the station we
had the chance
to talk with some of the
researchers and support personnel.
Most of the
investigations are
related to the marine life in the
area.
The sailboat in the
first picture of
the station is their research
vessel.
The pictures on the wall
are of the
teams that have over wintered at the
station.
It is a Polish station
so a picture
of the only Polish pope, John Paul
II, is prominently displayed.
Lemarie
channel
800 m wide and 7 Km long
Just try to imagine that
you are the
first explorer entering the channel in a ship powered only by the wind.
You have no idea if it
is blocked
with ice so that you can't get through to the other end, or even if it
is open at the other end.
Petermann
Island
Here we saw Adelie and
Gentoo
penguins and Cormorants and their young.
Proof that we were
actually in
Antarctica.
Port
Lockroy Base
This station is
maintained as a
museum during the summer months.
They have a post office
and gift shop
operated by the United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust.
Income helps maintain
this and other
historic sites in Antarctica.
An area had been
restricted so
penguins can be studied free of the
interference of tourists or station residents not directly involved in
the study.
The penguins seem to be
doing better
in the tourist area possibly because there are fewer skuas.
For pictures showing why
that is
important see the link to Penguins
and other wildlife at the bottom of the page.
Outside we saw these
sleds once used
by explorers at the station.
Inside the living
quarters were small
but looked reasonably comfortable.
Food preparation and
cleanup area.
There was a good supply
of Marmite.
"You love it or you hate it." is the company's motto.
I haven't had Marmite
but have tasted
the Australian variety, Vegemite.
It has the consistency
of peanut
butter though not quite as sticky and tastes something like very
strong, very salty soy sauce.
I am afraid I would be
in the hate it
category.
Alcohol in various forms
as well as
tobacco products had been available at the bar.
Part of the station was
used for
meteorological and other studies and a radio room to keep in touch with
the outside world.
Because the staff at
this base had no
way to do their laundry we "paid" for our visit by doing it for them on
the ship.
We donated some fresh
fruit to them
as well.
Almirante
Brown
This was our last stop
but the first
on the actual continent of Antarctica.
The others had all been on islands along the peninsula.
This base is located in Paradise Harbor
It was an
Argentinean station
but hasn't been used on a regular basis since 1984 when it was burned
down.
The story we were told
was that when
the ship arrived for the annual crew rotation the year before, a
replacement doctor was not on board.
He didn't like it but
the station's
doctor agreed to stay for another year.
When the ship showed up
the following
year there was again no replacement.
The doctor went a little
mad and set
the place on fire.
Some of the buildings
have been
rebuilt or survived the fire.
Some of us climbed to
the top of the
rocky peak beside the base.
From the top you could
see the bay,
glaciers, and mountains beyond.
To get back down you
just sat down
and slid.
The comment was made
that when you
went up you were old but, coming back down you were a kid.
Yes, we really were
there.
Swimmers
We didn't know that
swimming was an
option so we hadn't taken our swimsuits ashore with us.
Because it was salt
water with ice
floating in it the temperature was actually a few degrees below
freezing.
Maybe I am just as glad
that I didn't
bring my suit.
The Jacuzzis on the ship
were just
fine.
Many 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 from the trip.
See
other places we have visited here.
Go
to our Personal
home page
Go to our Community
page
Go
to our Science
Fun page
E-mail Nancy
and
Alan