Silver Cloud #1001 - Ushuaia RT via South Georgia - January 4, 2020

[RachelG]

I love your swimming penguins pics.  Most of mine just look like ripples in the water.

[jpalbny]

January 15th. Neko Harbor and Paradise Bay.

 

These are two inlets, situated on the Peninsula proper, rather than islands off the Peninsula. If we could put our boots on land here, we'd be on the seventh continent proper! Which we did. It was just as special as last time - we are really lucky to have been here twice.

 

At Neko, the attraction was again gentoos. These ones came ashore with us. I like pictures of penguins as they are getting out of the ocean, because they usually aren't covered in guano!

 

 

Handsome guy; looks like @Stumblefoot in his tux!

 

 

Plenty of chicks here too. Just one example of many.

 

 

From our vantage point on the hill, Silver Cloud looked right at home in the icy-cold waters of Neko Harbor. Am I really going to jump into this water tomorrow?

 

 

Back on board, we walked the deck while the penguins put on a swimming show. The water was incredibly clear, and you could easily see them while they swam underwater. It almost made it easier to capture them as they jumped. Still, another lucky shot to get two at once.

 

 

Leaping penguins and icebergs. This is Antarctica. Come see it; no pictures will do it justice.

 

 

Over lunch, we relocated to Paradise Bay, just south of Neko. We had been to this place in 2009 and remembered the beautiful scenery on our zodiac ride. The second visit did not disappoint. In the fog, the mountains, glaciers, and water all merged into a dreamy landscape. I didn't miss the sunshine; this was a magical place.

 

 

 

 

But there was so much more to see this time! We found crabeater seals, out on the ice floes.

 

 

 

A humpback with a calf joined up with us.

 

 

This was a lucky shot. There were a bunch of penguins ashore at the edge of a glacier. Every once in a while, another would jump out of the water to join the group. I got one in mid-air just as he leapt out of the ocean. Unfortunately, the one just a little further up the glacier is blocking our view a little bit.

 

 

More crabeaters. This one didn't bother to get up to look at us, but did lift a flipper, almost like a greeting, as we motored past.

 

 

But the highlight was finding a leopard seal out on the ice. She (we were told she was a female) gave us a full-body stretch. Nice pose!

 

 

But this view was even better. Serious teeth!

 

 

The zodiac ride was a little longer than usual given all of the great sightings. But we were too excited to feel cold. Back to the ship, eventually, for a warm shower and a nice dinner after another great day of expedition cruising.

[Stumblefoot]

15 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Handsome guy; looks like @Stumblefoot in his tux!

Thanks for the shout out JP.  I was hoping somebody would like my lipstick!

 

15 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Leaping penguins and icebergs. This is Antarctica. Come see it; no pictures will do it justice.

 

 

This is one of your greatest shots, because I love how you can see the penguins underwater.  Kudos!

 

15 hours ago, jpalbny said:

 

And, here is a little video of JP’s great shot of the flying penguin.  Enjoy!

[jpalbny]

That's awesome, Stumbles! Chris and I think that was the best zodiac ride ever. You guys must be good luck.

 

My pic caught the second penguin in midair. 

 

The clarity of the water was amazing. I think I counted nine penguins in that first swimming penguin picture (the one with two fully out of the water). There are a ton of them nearby, under the water.

Edited January 30, 2020 by jpalbny

[jpalbny]

January 16th. 

 

So last night after Paradise Bay, we were supposed to cruise the Lemaire Channel. We'd been looking forward to this the whole trip, since our 2009 cruise through the channel was not so good. Dense fog and very limited visibility. Unfortunately, the fog was even worse this time, so we didn't bother.

 

The next morning, it looked dark and dreary as we suited up for a zodiac ride around Pleneau Island. The icebergs looked pretty, despite the frigid weather.

 

 

One advantage of overcast skies is that the blue color of the icebergs can be more prominent. I was too busy freezing to hear the full explanation of why that happens, but I'm glad that my fingers weren't the only things that were turning blue today.

 

 

There were some small gentoo colonies on the island. The chicks looked a little bit bigger than those we've seen in other areas. There was seemingly less grey, and more adult coloration.

 

 

So we came back from the zodiac ride, chilled to the bone. The sunlight had been minimal, and the wind was gusty; a bad combination for sitting still. Despite dressing more warmly than usual, it was the coldest I'd ever been on a zodiac ride. And the polar plunge was looming in the immediate future. I was not happy.

 

I almost bailed; after all, I've done it before, back when I was younger and less wise. But Chris sagely pointed out that my last polar plunge had been at Deception Island, which was technically in the South Shetland Islands, not really in Antarctica. And it was only 62°58' south, which wasn't very near the Antarctic circle. Suitably shamed, I desperately slammed an Americano followed by a few cups of bullion, trying to warm up enough to endure a dip in the frigid waters.

 

This was by far the coldest polar plunge I've done. First we had to stand in line on deck 3, with the doors open, in our swimsuits and bathrobes. Since I'd dragged my feet about doing it, I was last in line, so I had to wait for about 40 people to go ahead of me. The wind was whipping through the corridor.

 

Once you were "on deck," you had to drop the robe, walk outside on to the zodiac launching pad, and stand there watching the two folks ahead of you do their plunge. Finally you walked up to the ladder, and stood there in the chilly windy weather, while the crew attached the (freezing cold and wet) safety harness to you. Once that was on, it was almost a relief to jump into the (slightly warmer) water, scramble out, and be done with it. 

 

That done, it was time for lunch and an attempt at Petermann Island, the southernmost part of our journey. Apparently the ship which was supposed to go there this morning could not make it, because the approach was clogged by ice. Captain Pontillo decided to give it a try, and he found us a good anchor spot. So we were off!

 

The Cloud, from ashore. Penguins in the foreground, for good measure.

 

 

And a cute little gentoo, crossing our path while we patiently waited. Penguins always have the right of way.

 

 

The weather was improving by the minute. After the cold and dreary morning, the fog had lifted and the sun was shining brightly. We had visited Petermann Island in 2009, and the weather had been atrocious - cold, blowing snow, and terrible visibility. We remembered a "scenic" viewpoint where it had been a struggle to keep our eyes open, and pictures that showed a near-blizzard.

 

But not this time! What a view. Somewhere down that way is the Antarctic Circle. So close, but so far.

 

 

We stayed here for a while, basking in the sun and remembering what it had been like 10 years ago. Then we backtracked down to the penguin colonies. We saw a pair of skuas working in tandem. One would fly over the colony to distract the parents, then the other swooped in to see if any chicks were unguarded.

 

First pass. They are watching intently.

 

 

Second pass. Nobody fell for that trick today. The cleanup hitter struck out.

 

 

So, on to the adelie colony. Last time we saw just a few chicks and they were tiny. This time, the sighting was much better. There were tons of chicks here, and they were quite large. They seemed almost as big as their parents - they must grow very fast! They also must be too big for the skuas to carry away, since they are not nestled under their parents' bodies.

 

 

I could sit and watch penguin behavior for a long time. They are really funny characters. This sequence amused me - a parent fed its chick, to start. The guy on the right is watching intently, for some reason.

 

 

He was really interested for some reason or another. When the feeding was over, he had plenty to say. Not sure if he disapproved of the feeding technique, or he expected a handout. Whatever it was, he was quite vocal about it.

 

 

Here's another funny sequence. Gentoos build nests out of pebbles. Mates will bring pebbles to each other as a present. And the best place to find a nice pebble is - from another nest! So pebble theft is always going on.

 

Here, a thief approaches a nest. The nesting penguin knows what is going to happen, but won't leave its chick alone to fight over a pebble. 

 

 

And, theft accomplished! The sneaky devil on the left has a pebble and the nesting penguin is not happy!

 

 

A few more chick pictures. This pair was particularly photogenic, and posed well for me.

 

 

 

I'll close with a word about guano. Penguin colonies really do stink. The penguins sit on their nests for a few months during the season, and spray guano in all directions. Nothing washes it away until winter.

 

If you come early in the season, there's more snow and less guano, but no chicks. If you come later, there are more chicks, but warmer weather, less snow, and more guano. Your choice.

 

And even the cute little chicks get into the act... Impressive velocity and launch angle!

 

 

So our second visit to Petermann Island was a smashing success compared to the first. The penguin chicks, and the brilliant weather, more than made up for this morning's freeze.

 

We had reservations at Hot Rocks tonight, and the weather looked great for that. Could this day get any better?

Edited January 30, 2020 by jpalbny

[jpalbny]

Flashback. December 17, 2009 at Petermann Island.

 

We were on Silver Explorer for our first SS cruise. Here she is, in the same harbor as Silver Cloud, above.

 

 

We also hiked to the same spot on the hill, for the nice "scenic viewpoint" in a driving snowstorm.

 

 

 

And this was the best shot I could muster of an adelie chick.

 

 

What a difference good weather makes!

[jpalbny]

January 16th, evening surprise!

 

So, today had turned into a glorious weather day. We were all excited about the great landing on Petermann Island. Many of us gathered in Panorama Lounge to enjoy the scenery.

 

Camilla, the Guest Relations Manager (we've sailed with her before) dropped by the lounge, and we chatted for a bit. I mentioned to her that the Lemaire Channel is still close by, and I wondered if Captain Pontillo would take advantage of the great weather to give it another shot. She wondered too - or did she know something?

 

Not more than two minutes later, the expedition leader came on over the loudspeaker to announce that we'd be cruising the Lemaire Channel before dinner! How exciting, and the perfect ending to a great day!

 

They opened the bow of deck 5 and everyone crowded up front as we approached. We pushed our Hot Rocks reservation back to 8:00, which I'm sure the crew was happy about, so they could see our passage too.

 

The scenery was spectacular. So much color! And such great lighting for photos. So much better this time.

 

 

 

The evening light brought out the texture on the glaciers too.

 

 

And an overview.

 

 

This picture was taken from the front-facing balcony of suite 701, by the way. Our friends were staying in 703 and had become chummy with the occupants of 701. As we were down in the 5th deck scrum at the bow, we looked back and saw them above the fray. They motioned us up, so we had a birds-eye view of the transit. With Champagne, too!

 

 

It was a fast trip and we were through just after 8:00, in time for dinner. But before we coudl eat, another humpback put on a show for us. This picture isn't as good as the one that @RachelG took with her iPhone, but it's not too bad.

 

 

 

Now, dinner at the grill, yummy as always, and the setting was beautiful. More time in the Panorama afterwards - it's a sea day tomorrow, so no worries about staying up late.

 

And with views like this, at 10:20PM, why would you want to go to bed? Soon enough, we will be back in the Northern Hemisphere, bemoaning the lack of sunlight.

 

 

May as well enjoy it while you can!
 

 

Another hour later, and the sun is still up. I love these endless summer evenings in the Polar regions.

 

 

So we turned northward and made good speed through the Drake Passage for the next 36 hours. The seas got rougher on the second morning, but by noontime we had reached relatively protected waters east of Cape Horn and the swells diminished. We knew then that the adventure had come to an end.

 

 

But, we were glad for the greater speed of Silver Cloud, which had allowed Captain Pontillo to step on it yesterday and make great time through the Drake. That minimized the impact of the developing storm, because we got to Ushuaia ahead of the worst of it.

 

A few last Magellanic penguins, as we cruised the Beagle Channel towards Ushuaia.

 

 

We went out for a local beer in Ushuaia on Saturday night, to toast to a great voyage. It was odd to disembark via a gangway, and not a zodiac, but we managed just fine.

 

Sunday morning we began the long journey back home. Unlike what happened to some of our companions, we had great luck with our international flights and we were home by noon on Monday, with no delays.

 

We still haven't sorted through all of the pictures (there are about 4500 of them) but we are getting there. I will eventually post a larger album in my SmugMug gallery.

 

The wildlife and scenery that we saw was stunning, and Captain Pontillo and the expedition crew did an amazing job getting us to all of the places we visited. We have been lucky enough to visit Antarctica twice, and I would still consider another trip. It is really that spectacular of a destination.

[WesW]

Thanks JP & Chris for continuing to thrill us visually with your Antarctica voyage!  And to think Ida and I would have been on board if...well best left unsaid.

[RachelG]

Love all your penguin pics, JP.  It really was a great trip, and we look forward to traveling with you again soon.   And of course, George is going to visit you in a couple of weeks as he goes to Albanyfor a deposition.

[jpalbny]

51 minutes ago, RachelG said:

Love all your penguin pics, JP.  It really was a great trip, and we look forward to traveling with you again soon.   And of course, George is going to visit you in a couple of weeks as he goes to Albany for a deposition.

 

Definitely a great cruise with many great memories! Looking forward to seeing George soon - too bad you can't come too.

 

1 hour ago, WesW said:

Thanks JP & Chris for continuing to thrill us visually with your Antarctica voyage!  And to think Ida and I would have been on board if...well best left unsaid.

 

Wes, we did miss you on board. Some day we shall cruise together. I hope that your South Georgia stops are as much fun as ours were. Have a great Cape to Cape cruise!

[Harley57]

Wow!  Just Wow!  The pictures are phenomenal.  Thanks to all the cruisers for taking us along.  I plan to retire in a few years and this trip is on my bucket list.  

[lincslady]

jp - these are just the most beautiful shots of Antarctica I have ever seen.  Thank you so much -  it takes me back some 20 years, when we did what was one of the fairly early cruises to the continent.

 

Lola

[zigtraveller]

Many thanks to all the cruisers who shared their journey.

JP, your photos are wonderful.  Perhaps we will see more when you have had time to sort through them all.  I enjoyed your images of the Lemaire Channel as Explorer wasn't able to make it through when I went.

[Seaflower50]

Just.....Wow! Thank you for sharing 😊

[Stumblefoot]

The one question we have been asked more often than any other since our time on this voyage is, “how were the seas?”.  I love how the same sea can look differently depending on the height and angle of one’s vantage point.

 

These two videos were taken after sailing for roughly 44-hours east of Ushuaia on our way to South Georgia.  In general, the sea was very light.  The first was taken from deck 4 looking north while the second was from Tor’s Observation Lounge on deck 9 looking east.

Edited February 2, 2020 by Stumblefoot

[Stumblefoot]

Although the internet may be super slow in Antarctica, I’m super impressed they are able to watch the Super Bowl this evening!

Edited February 3, 2020 by Stumblefoot

[rosewood jo]

So what's the deal with the sewage smell on  floor 4 and 5?   Is it all the time  or just till the sewage can be dumped
?????????   love the day by day, play by play with pics.   Also I think we fly from  ATL - Santiago.  Do I understand it correctly that you land in Santiago , spend the night, then go to airport again to fly to Usuahia ?   With a tour thrown in the am.   Do you have to get up really early after flying the night before?????   I'm going on the Wind in Dec 2020 after the refurb but that could not change the sewage issue in a refurb.  So if the wind had issues it still will I'm guessing.    Cabin 441 right now unless I hear from all  of you that tell me to change it????????  help???????

[Stumblefoot]

7 hours ago, rosewood jo said:

So what's the deal with the sewage smell on  floor 4 and 5?

I don’t know what you’re referring to.  We were on deck 4 in January and noticed no smell.  Plenty of noise from the launderette, as well as the anchor and zodiac unloading/loading, but no sewage smells.