Thinking of going to South America and Antarctica on Princess ?

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Our next stop was Bridges Island . There are no bridges on the island but , rather it is named for a missionary named Thomas Bridges .

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Bridges_(Anglican_missionary)

 

 

Our sister boat arrived first and set out for a trek across the island

 

 

 

They were on the high point of the island being circled by an aggressive bird

 

 

 

 

We paused part of the way up the hill for a lesson on the flora and fauna of the island

 

 

 

 

The Cushion plant is found in Alpine regions

 

 

 

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cushion_plant

 

 

 

Our guide showed us this wild flower and berries

 

 

 

 

While hiking a little further we found this mother bird and her two chicks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And from the summit you can see the other group returning to the boats

 

 

 

 

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We had reached the summit and the view was breathtaking !! You can see the clarity of the water on the West side of the island

 

 

 

 

And a view of the city in the distance

 

 

 

Or of an airplane taking off

 

 

 

 

And finally - a video of the island and the bird , now circling us

 

 

 

 

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Well that was Ushuaia in 2013 but on Christmas Day in 2018 , we were sailing away from Ushuaia toward Puerto Williams .

 

 

The scenery and light was nice as we sailed in

 

 

 

Puerto Williams

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Williams

 

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We didn't go ashore here and we had Cape Horn on the schedule in the morning . The weather can and does change abruptly this far South

 

 

 

 

 

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We were up very early near Cape Horn

 

 

 

 

This monument at Cape Horn has this poem 

 

 

 

I am the albatross that awaits you
At the end of the world.
I am the forgotten souls of dead mariners
Who passed Cape Horn
From all the oceans of the world.
But they did not die
In the furious waves.
Today they sail on my wings
Toward eternity,
In the last crack
Of the Antarctic winds.

 

The weather at the Cape was not very good 

 

 

and the Captain was making the decision of circling the Cape or making the run to Antarctica sooner than scheduled .

 

 

 

Decision made 

 

 

 

 

 

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We were moving at a pretty good clip and had a little of the Drake shake but later it calmed down and we had the Drake Lake - but with fog and the horn to put us to sleep .

 

 

The cry went out "Land Ho" , and it was so.

 

 

We made Dallman Bay in the late afternoon of the 27th

 

 

Cue Al Stewart's Antarctica

 

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The views were breathtaking

 

 

 

 

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Tabular iceberg

 

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Coming around for a closer look at the icebergs

 

 

 

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Video clip :

 

 

 

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We were starting to look for sea life 

 

 

Like this break on the surface

 

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We had a visit from some birds earlier in the afternoon and it seemed like they were sitting still or flying fast ! Maybe they didn't want to wind up on somebody's dinner plate .

 

 

 

 

Cape Petrel and Wandering Albatross in the rear

 

 

Cape Petrel feeding

 

 

A video clip shows how fast they are :

 

 

 

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Would the weather be this great tomorrow ?

 

 

 

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The night was a little bumpy as we had left Dallman Bay and the morning was a bit overcast

 

 

We had heard that the Lemaire Channel was clogged with ice .

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemaire_Channel

 

We did receive some visitors from Palmer Station .

 

https://www.usap.gov/videoclipsandmaps/palwebcam.cfm

 

 

 

 

 

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Not long after breakfast the weather began to clear

 

 

A floating ice blanket

 

 

 

 

Close up

 

 

 

 

 

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Looking ahead

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A few more photos and videos from this beautiful area

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Penguin sighting !  Without binoculars or a telephoto they looked like dots .

 

 

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More scenic cruising

 

 

Does anybody else see a ladies face on the mountain on the left ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Lemaire Channel

 

 

A sailboat sighting 

 

 

The Ocean Tramp

 

 

 

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Icebergs , Penguins and Whales , oh my 

 

The day dawned gray and overcast in a sea of icebergs

 

 

 

 

Suddenly the TV announcements came to life

 

 

 

 

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Penguins on ice

 

 

 

Some jumped in for a swim

 

 

 

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A Gentoo and a Chinstrap penguin in the snow

 

 

The Chinstrap taking the plunge

 

 

 

 

It was really cool watching the penguins swim and jump up on the icebergs as seen in these video clips .