Silver Cloud Antarctica Live Blog

[penguingirl25]

Hello! We are really enjoying your posts too. We will be on the Cloud for the 18 day trip very soon. If I may ask a few questions.... What have the temperatures been like? (currently putting together our clothing for the trip) Are there just 2 washers and dryers? You said they get busy. At Port Lockroy, what did they accept for payment? We would like to get some postcards and maybe something else while there. Do you know anyone who has done the Polar Plunge that wasn't a swimmer? My husband wants to do it, I am not a swimmer but would love to somehow try it for the experience.  Thanks in advance for your help.

Edited January 12, 2023 by penguingirl25
needed to add something

[emac]

Wonderful daily reports. We are on Cloud from 28 January. I have a few questions. Please can you tell me what people are wearing for dinner in the evening. How casual is it?

Is the charter flight strict on the weight of hand luggage?

I read elsewhere that Silversea offer a voucher for dinner in the Mandarin Hotel. Is this true?

[Dover Duo]

Vinay does an excellent job.  He was our butler on the Cloud's first swing through Antarctica this year, Falklands-South Georgia-Antarctica in November.  

[Anna32]

8 hours ago, WesW said:

Start my morning with a cup of coffee and enjoying your delightful Antarctica posts; thank you Anna and Holger (in support).  Your writing is impeccable, and isn't English your second language--remarkable.

 

If I read correctly, Holger and you will be on board (three monghts) so through the end of March or mid April?   If so, look forward to seeing you on board the Cloud in early March.  

 

Have enjoyed Fede in the Arctic and Cape to Cape, who are your orinthologists on board, if I might ask? One of our favorite sea bird pro's, Bernardo is now on the Wind.  He posts terrific photos of a wonderful variety of Seabirds on the other site.  And if you did not know Ivar leaves in two weeks or so and Michelle Roberts (from Capetown) will be your new HD.

We will be traveling for three months, but not stay on the Cloud beyond next Monday, unfortunately. It‘s off to the Galapagos next, where we will be boarding a much smaller ship (not Silversea).

 

The ornithologist is Damon Ramsey (who is also a brilliant entertainer in his own right). Shaun Lotter has also done two talks, about seabirds and penguins.

 

Hope you have a great time on board in early March - we will try and leave everything shipshape for you!

[Anna32]

4 hours ago, penguingirl25 said:

Hello! We are really enjoying your posts too. We will be on the Cloud for the 18 day trip very soon. If I may ask a few questions.... What have the temperatures been like? (currently putting together our clothing for the trip) Are there just 2 washers and dryers? You said they get busy. At Port Lockroy, what did they accept for payment? We would like to get some postcards and maybe something else while there. Do you know anyone who has done the Polar Plunge that wasn't a swimmer? My husband wants to do it, I am not a swimmer but would love to somehow try it for the experience.  Thanks in advance for your help.

Glad if I can help! Temperatures have been a little above freezing the whole time, with a maximum of around 4 degrees Celsius. Never got the hang about converting to Fahrenheit, but I guess between 35 - 40 Fahrenheit? I never felt chilly in my layers, sometimes even too warm. Waterproofs are very essential, however, as it can get really wet. The expedition parka they give you is plenty warm and waterproof.
 

Washers and dryers: there are three each, and they are complimentary to use. Yesterday, they were busy, but it was not too hard to find a free machine.

 

Port Lockroy accept all of the major credit cards, with the exception of American Express. They also accept US Dollars, British Pounds or Euro for cash, as well as Apple Pay.

 

Polar Plunge: you don‘t have to be a swimmer to do it. They put a belt around your waist that is attached to the ship, and reel you in immediately if you should be struggling to get back. The first rung of the ladder to get back up is quite high, but again you will get immediate support should you need it.

 

I hope you will have an absolutely wonderful time on the Cloud!

[Anna32]

3 hours ago, emac said:

Wonderful daily reports. We are on Cloud from 28 January. I have a few questions. Please can you tell me what people are wearing for dinner in the evening. How casual is it?

Is the charter flight strict on the weight of hand luggage?

I read elsewhere that Silversea offer a voucher for dinner in the Mandarin Hotel. Is this true?

For dinner, people are wearing what I would call „smart casual with an expedition twist“. Lots of woolen sweaters, with or without shirts underneath. But also some of their expedition layers, like fleeces or down vests. Bottoms are mostly slacks, jeans or even some (nicer) sweatpants. For the captain‘s reception I put on a dress - nothing fancy at all, but I felt a little overdressed. I have seen hardly any jackets on the gentlemen, and no ties. 
 

Our hand luggage on the charter flight was not weighed or checked at all, so I would say no.

 

Yes, for dinner at the Mandarin Oriental, you will receive a $50 dinner voucher per pax, to use in any of the hotel‘s restaurants. It converts to 43.000 Chilean Pesos, I believe. Important to know: it cannot be used for in-room dining, and you need to make a reservation at the restaurants. The Italian restaurant and the bar should be able to accommodate you. For the Japanese-Peruvian restaurant, Matsuri, reservations are really essential. I saw them turn people away when we were there.

 

Have a fantastic adventure on the Cloud!

Edited January 12, 2023 by Anna32

[cruiseej]

8 hours ago, WesW said:

Have enjoyed Fede in the Arctic and Cape to Cape

 

26 minutes ago, Anna32 said:

The ornithologist is Damon Ramsey (who is also a brilliant entertainer in his own right).

 

Thoroughly enjoyed both Fede and Damon on our recent Cloud cruise. Even if you don't get everything Fede is saying, his enthusiasm is so contagious you can't help being excited. 🙂And as long as you can stomach some of his dad jokes, Damon is incredibly entertaining as well as informative. But we also got a lot of information from others on the team, including Neil, Nil, Nakita, Jenny, Alejandro and Mild. (On our 18 day cruise to South Georgia Island, we had a lot of sea days and a lot of lectures from the team.) @WesW, I think about a third of the expedition staff is rotating off next week, so you will probably have a number of different folks aboard.  

 

19 minutes ago, Anna32 said:

Washers and dryers: there are three each, and they are complimentary to use. Yesterday, they were busy, but it was not too hard to find a free machine.

 

The bigger issue is that the washers are surprisingly slow; one of them takes a couple hours to finish (unless you figure out how to do an express wash cycle). I ended up sending some clothes to the ship's laundry a couple time rather than being involved with doing our own over several hours. 

 

5 hours ago, penguingirl25 said:

What have the temperatures been like?

 

It sounds like you're doing the Falklands and South Georgia cruise? That's what we did from mid-December to early January. We were pleasantly surprised by how wam it was in the Falklands and South Georgia - in the mid and upper 40s, even low 50s for awhile. Obviously the weather varies from week to week, but being able to pull off layers while hiking ashore is as important as having warm enough clothes for hiking in the snow in Antarctica. 

 

5 hours ago, penguingirl25 said:

Do you know anyone who has done the Polar Plunge that wasn't a swimmer? My husband wants to do it, I am not a swimmer but would love to somehow try it for the experience.

 

You have to complete a medical questionnaire and be approved by the ship's doctor. Since I didn't do the plunge, I didn't see what's on it, but it might ask if you can swim. You don't really need to be able to swim, but you need to be able to doggy paddle for a few seconds and get your head above water. As others have said, the crew is right there ready to help you up the ladder, but you want to be able to reach out to grab the ladder. If you don't jump too far out, you won't be far away from it; you can just slip in from the bottom step, turn around, and get right out. I suggest you check YouTube for "Silversea polar plunge" so you can see it and decide if you'd be comfortable with it. Once you commit, you've got to be committed! Our expedition leader said anyone she found on Deck 3 was going in the water, even if she had to throw them in. (She was joking... mostly!.... to keep anyone who wanted to watch on upper decks and out of the way.)

[WesW]

Thanks Anna 32 and Eric for your answers. Appreciate Anna32 leaving the Cloud in shipshape and pls save some Champers too.  Fair Winds and Following seas for your Galapagos cruise.

 

Eric, like you, have found with your Expedition team, on our Expedition voyages that all Expedtion members are superb.  Occassionally, will interview a few Expedition team members and profile them, learned much about the Polar Bear Guards in the Artic this way and found out they never fired their rifles at a Polar Bear but go the range often and fire the rifles regularly.  Believe now you can invite Expedition team members to dine with you, is this correct?   Hope so, as I learn much more about them when having a meal together.  Sounds about right for some Silver Cloud Expedition personnel turnover in a few weeks, since they have been in Antarctica since November.  Tho, really enjoy Schalk, look forward to cruising with Akos Hivekovics as EL from Puerto Williams to Mahe.

 

Thankful that I have earned free laundry especially since Ida will not be with me this voyage (she is remaining home with our near 19 year old furson/Bailee).  Plan to do a fourth Polar plunge on the Cape to Cape voyage then conversely snorkle in much warmer water tems in Madagascar and the Seychelles.

 

 

Edited January 12, 2023 by WesW

[scvgirl]

On 1/11/2023 at 9:16 AM, pvbmom said:

Thank you, thank you for these wonderful posts!   We are taking our first Silversea cruise on the Wind to Antartica in February and are so excited.  Your descriptive writings have given me a wonderful understanding of what an expedition cruise is like and increased my excitement tenfold!

pvbmom - which February Wind sailing will you be on?  We will be on the February 8th sailing.  Thank you Anna32 for your insightful journey.  We are very excited.

[Anna32]

Day 11, Neko Harbour and Cuverville Island (January 12th)

 

Ice, lots of ice in the bay, and the wind picking up in the direction of our planned landing site. Schalk was on the comms at 7:30, letting us know we were delaying operations for half an hour to see how this develops. If the ice is drifting into our landing site, we won‘t be able to safely go ashore.

 

Shortly after 8am, Schalk informed us that conditions were less than ideal, with winds gusting at up to 35 knots, but they would give it a go with an abbreviated landing. Those brave souls looking to do the glacier hike are out of luck, as there won’t be time for it. He also advised that, if conditions worsened, they might have to close down zodiac operations at any point. We started slowly getting ready. Today, we were the 5th of 6 groups to go ashore, so we still had lots of time.

 

Another 20 minutes later, Schalk came on again. Why was he still on the bridge, and not ashore already? Well, our captain had just canceled all operations for this morning. The wind was increasing, and there were plenty of icebergs drifting. He felt it unsafe to stay in the area at all. As master and commander, that is his responsibility, and first priority is to keep us and the ship safe. However, three out of three continental landing attempts failed is not a good record. Holger just said „We‘ll have to come back again, obviously.“ I‘m game, are you coming?

 

At breakfast, we heard a boom from outside. A glacier close to the ship had just calved. Not a big calving, but still enough to put a significant list into the Cloud for a while. The scenery again was breathtaking. As we slowly made our way towards Cuverville Island, it was spectacular to watch the land- and seascape.

 

The morning was rather uneventful for us - or maybe we were just lazy. At around 11am, Schalk informed us that the bow viewing area would be opened, because a humpback mother and calf had been spotted. So we did a bit of impromptu whale watching. It was quite foggy, and visibility could have been better. Still, the expedition team did everything possible to keep us entertained. Two talks were put on, one about women in Antarctica, and one about ice. The latter got interrupted by the whale watching, because nature always takes priority down here.

 

Queuing in the food line at La Terrazza, we were trying to get Fede to tell us the chances for a successful landing this afternoon. Understandably, he was very noncommittal and said we will see when we get there. Schalk will give us an update at 2pm - the daily Expedition Briefing has been moved to the afternoon. While I was eating my salad, a friendly gentleman approached me, asking whether I was Anna. He had read my updates on cruise critic, and thanked me for them. Sir, I was very touched by your lovely feedback! Apologies I forgot to ask your name, but you have certainly made my day!

 

We ordered some room service for Holger, as he was feeling a little bit under the weather. Not seasickness, but rather a cold coming on. Hopefully, he‘ll feel better soon. These ships do at times seem to be Petri dishes for whatever happens to go around. Keep washing those hands, people!

 

In our Expedition Briefing, Schalk explained quite a bit about the intricacies of an expedition leader’s life. There is a complex slot-based booking system for all the landing sites, which only he can log in to. With 40 - 50 ships along the peninsula during the season at any time, the prime sites are highly sought after. Especially the continental landings. So if you miss your slot, there is not a lot of flexibility to move things around. There was some frustration that we missed out on the continental landings. However, I have trust in our crew and our expedition team and their plannings. And I am sure they are doing their very best to give us a wonderful experience. Everything else is the luck of the draw, as weather can be extremely unpredictable down here.

 

Anyhow, things are looking very good for our afternoon landing at Cuverville Island. Holger is going to give this one a pass, and rest up for our final two landings in the South Shetland Islands tomorrow. I will attempt it, even if I just hang out on the beach with some penguins. Which, to be honest with you, is pretty much my idea of a perfect afternoon. At the risk of repeating myself, I do feel so so fortunate and blessed to be here, experience the sights, sounds and sometimes smells of this magical place. And being able to virtually take you along and share some of our little adventures is a real bonus.

 

At around 4pm, our group was called. Wind had picked up some, and the snow was falling in thick flakes. I set out. Everyone I met coming back in looked rather wet and not really enthusiastic. One of those days, apparently. On the zodiac platform, they were playing music with a decidedly beachy vibe. Whatever keeps those brave souls warm out there is fine by me, they are all doing an outstanding job and working so hard! Getting onto the zodiac was no problem, and off we went. Kelly introduced herself as our zodiac Uber driver, or „Zuber“ as she called it. The ride was a bit bumpy but very doable. 

 

Wet landing again at the beach. Some of the large stones were rolling underfoot, but again helpful hands guided me ashore. The first gentoos were apparently surveying our landing site, and the rookery was not far off. The snow was blowing in my face, and the penguins were not looking too happy about it, either. I took a little stroll along the beach. There was a red streak from the kelp on the pebbles, and a skua was busily picking it for snacks. It was standing right next to one of the red flags used to guide our passages. So I asked one of the expedition guides whether they had lost a game of „capture the flag“ against the skua. She said they would see when they were trying to remove it. It is always surprising to me how absolutely unfazed the wildlife is by our human presence here. If anything, they are curious, or otherwise, just doing their thing.

 

I got my own private „Zuber“ back to the ship. Francois, the driver, told me to look up and enjoy the snow. I stuck my tongue out and captured some of the thick flakes. Back on board, I got some of the hot tea they keep next to the elevators on the third floor. It was a green tea with passion fruit flavour. Yesterday, they had a spicy ginger tea.

 

It seemed no one wanted to stay on shore too long today. Schalk was greeting us from the bridge 20 minutes before the official back-on-board time. Next stop: South Shetland Islands, where we will hopefully meet some friendly chinstraps tomorrow morning. Penguins are just wonderful, but I had my fair share of bedraggled-looking gentoos this cruise. That said, a penguin day is always going to be better than a non-penguin day, that’s for sure.

 

I ordered some hot tea for Holger from our butler Vinay, and told him he will also get room service for dinner. He would love to get out of the room, but we‘ll keep him isolated just for today. I have been sanitizing my hands all day and feel fine, so fingers crossed whatever bug he‘s caught will pass me and everyone else on the ship by.

 

My dinner at the main restaurant was not lonely. I had some lovely company in the form of a very nice couple from Miami, and a humpback breaching right next to the restaurant window. Nighty-night!

Edited January 13, 2023 by Anna32

[Port Power]

I know an American couple on the Princess around the world cruise.  He kept telling people they were going to Antarctica.  Of course it was only a "sail-by", but he tried to imply that they were going to touch land. Naughty.  However, he is a wonderful photographer and they were sure to see whales passing by after reading of Anna's many sightings.  I am really looking forward to my Dec/Jan cruise now, having been reassured about so many aspects of the experience.

[suzie123]

Thank you, Anna, for the upbeat, informative & entertaining chronicle of your experiences on this cruise.  My husband and I will be on the Cloud for the Jan 16 sailing to Antarctica and we are even more excited after reading about your experience!!  The only lingering question for me is will I get the courage up to do the Polar Plunge?

[beaujolais]

Anna

 

When you go to The Galapagos Islands I do hope that will you be doing another live blog

If you are, where will it be posted and if you are posting I hope that it wiil be on CC as we do not read the other site

 

[emac]

16 hours ago, Anna32 said:

For dinner, people are wearing what I would call „smart casual with an expedition twist“. Lots of woolen sweaters, with or without shirts underneath. But also some of their expedition layers, like fleeces or down vests. Bottoms are mostly slacks, jeans or even some (nicer) sweatpants. For the captain‘s reception I put on a dress - nothing fancy at all, but I felt a little overdressed. I have seen hardly any jackets on the gentlemen, and no ties. 
 

Our hand luggage on the charter flight was not weighed or checked at all, so I would say no.

 

Yes, for dinner at the Mandarin Oriental, you will receive a $50 dinner voucher per pax, to use in any of the hotel‘s restaurants. It converts to 43.000 Chilean Pesos, I believe. Important to know: it cannot be used for in-room dining, and you need to make a reservation at the restaurants. The Italian restaurant and the bar should be able to accommodate you. For the Japanese-Peruvian restaurant, Matsuri, reservations are really essential. I saw them turn people away when we were there.

 

Have a fantastic adventure on the Cloud!

Thank you, very helpful. 

[Anna32]

Day 12, Half Moon Island and Yankee Harbour (January 13th)

 

First thing I saw this morning was a gas station of petrels, flying next to the ship. The sky was blue with some clouds, and in the background were the South Shetland Islands. This is our last day of expeditioning (is that even a word?), before we hit the Drake again tonight. Or it hits us. Well, the weather forecast we got yesterday wasn’t too bad, so fingers crossed. Holger is fortunately feeling a lot better today. The rest and hot tea yesterday seem to have helped greatly, as have all the well wishes from near and far. Thank you all!

 

Earlier this morning, we passed Deception Island. It has a huge caldera where ships can actually go in if conditions are right. Not an official stop on our itinerary, but we are hoping we might get to see it later today, before we head out into the Drake Passage.

 

Breakfast was great as always. We seem to have run out of Hash Browns a few days ago, as they are no longer appearing on the buffet. But the fresh fruit is perfect, with the melons this morning being extra sweet. I‘m not a breakfast person normally, but today I really enjoyed it. Also because of the very nice conversations with fellow cruisers at the adjacent tables. 

 

Then it was almost time to head out. The weather was absolutely beautiful today, clear views and no snow. We saw the shore team zodiacing over to Half Moon Island, and then got our 15 minute prep call. Heading down to the mud room, it wasn‘t very busy yet. Lo and behold, we were on the very first zodiac over! Landing was a breeze, especially since Schalk very gallantly gave me his arm to get me ashore. The pebbled beach was easy to walk on, and the first chinstraps were waiting for us. Oh, and so was their, shall we say, aroma. 

 

Heading up, there was a chinstrap colony to the left, and a beach with Weddell seals and whalebones to the right. Penguins first! We followed the path, and it got pretty poopy pretty fast. The obvious way was the penguin highway, and the guides made us stay clear of that. The further we went into the rookery, the more slippery and smelly it got. But there were chicks, and plenty of penguins, so no complaints here. Heading in the other direction, we had a beautiful view across a pebbled beach to a glacier, and some Argentinian research huts. Holger went all the way to the end of the beach, were a seal was chilling. I found the perfect stone with a view and just soaked up the atmosphere. Stunning. My heart was full of joy in this special little corner of paradise. It will be one of those places that my mind will return to in the future, when I am in need of inner tranquility.

 

Way too soon, it was time to head back to the landing site. We were all pretty poopy on our boots and waterproof pants. Schalk had one of those brush gadgets in the water, next to the zodiacs, to clean the worst off, but we had to do a thorough round of wishy-washy in the mud room back on the ship.

 

Back on board, I got the sad news that a friend‘s husband had passed due to complications from Covid. Great joy and sadness often lie very close together. We are all here on borrowed time, and should be grateful for each day we are given. Godspeed on your journey!

 

This afternoon, we are looking forward to our very last landing of this cruise, at Yankee Harbour. Schalk let us know that we are making excellent time, and can expect to go ashore 30 minutes earlier than planned. 

 

And that‘s what we did. The 15 minute warning came at exactly 2:15pm, and by 2:30 we were in the zodiac. The wind had picked up some, but it was not too icy. The landing site was on a long spit of pebbled beach. At the junction of the spit to the island, a couple of juvenile elephant seals were dozing on the beach, with Fede excitedly explaining all about them. Fede speaks seal - that‘s how Schalk put it the other day. All around us were gentoos, happily doing gentoo things. About 200 metres away was a rookery, with lots of chicks begging for attention and food from their parents. They were 2-3 weeks old, and chances are very good that they will grow into adulthood. 

 

A penguin skeleton was laying on the beach - the perfect photo ops for Mr. Duck. He mostly spends his time nesting in my fluffy hat (even getting a comment from our Butler Vinay the other day), so we need to put him to work every once in a while.

 

Time went by far too quickly, and before we knew it we had to head back to the ship. I am happy that we are going out on a high, with this last day of excursions being just picture perfect, finally.

 

We paged Vinay to get some ice for our room. The bottle of welcome champagne will be turned into farewell champagne, celebrating life, love and travel. This Friday 13th will be remembered for a long time to come. We both also had a shrimp cocktail, and enjoyed everything together with the stunning scenery of the South Shetland Islands.

 

My speculation about Deception Island was fruitless. The captain will make a beeline across the Drake, as we have some rougher weather incoming for tomorrow afternoon and evening, and he wants to get Into the shelter of the Beagle Channel asap. The ship‘s positioning showed us doing 18 knots more or less directly after our anchor went up.

 

Dinner was at the main restaurant, and delicious as always. I very much enjoyed a German Riesling with my Wiener Schnitzel, and some coffee flavored ice cream afterwards. Now, we will let the Drake rock us in our sleep.

[Anna32]

10 hours ago, beaujolais said:

Anna

 

When you go to The Galapagos Islands I do hope that will you be doing another live blog

If you are, where will it be posted and if you are posting I hope that it wiil be on CC as we do not read the other site

 

If there is interest, I am happy to continue posting my updates here on cruise critic. I will have to find a more general category, but that should be doable. Will sort this out once we are back in Santiago de Chile.

[taxatty]

27 minutes ago, Anna32 said:

If there is interest, I am happy to continue posting my updates here on cruise critic. I will have to find a more general category, but that should be doable. Will sort this out once we are back in Santiago de Chile.

There is definitely interest! Thanks again for your posts.

[Port Power]

4 hours ago, Anna32 said:

If there is interest, I am happy to continue posting my updates here on cruise critic. I will have to find a more general category, but that should be doable. Will sort this out once we are back in Santiago de Chile.

Yes, please do write a Galapagos blog. Your observations will be of great interest.

[beaujolais]

8 hours ago, Anna32 said:

If there is interest, I am happy to continue posting my updates here on cruise critic. I will have to find a more general category, but that should be doable. Will sort this out once we are back in Santiago de Chile.

 

Great news Anna

I for one would look forward to your entertaining and informative posts

[RachelG]

Loving following along with your journey.  We did Antarctica in January 2020–immediately before the covid lockdowns started.  It is such a special place.

[penguingirl25]

Thank you for all of your posts. I am grateful for your updates. We are looking forward to our Cloud journey in just 2 weeks!

[Anna32]

Day 13, Drake Passage (January 14th)

 

There was a constant deep swell moving the ship throughout the night. I have experienced similar in the South Atlantic Ocean and actually found it very soothing (with the occasional slight airtime, turning our bed into a rollercoaster). The dreaded Drake Shake is still not showing it‘s teeth, I believe. Moving about, however, you do need to be careful and hold onto the handrails. The waiters at breakfast were struggling somewhat with their balance. But my cappuccino and banana pancakes made it safely to the table, so I was happy.

 

The ship is very quiet this morning. I hope this is mainly due to everybody taking a rest day today, after all the penguin goodness we got yesterday. Some will suffer from seasickness, I guess, and many are wearing patches behind their ears. But, as Schalk told us on the way over, seasickness is a state of mind. To be fair though, I have never felt queasy in my life, even in the roughest conditions, so I should count myself lucky and hope everyone will be shipshape again soon.

 

We had to return our rental gear to the ship, so down to the mud room we went. A last critical inspection of the rubber boots, a final visit to the brush station, and then it was goodbye to our Antarctic gear. We do get to keep the parkas, the backpacks and some very handy water bottles, so there is still enough left to carry around.

 

Holger had booked a private session with Davide, the onboard photographer, this morning. The aim is to go through his equipment and the pictures he has taken here and in South Africa, and get some tipps and hints on what he can improve. I already love his pictures, but I‘m sure he will learn some valuable things.

 

Schalk was on the comms at shortly after 10am. He said with waves between 4 and 4.5 metres, and wind gusting at around 40 knots, we have a bit of the Drake Shake going on. I don’t think it‘s too bad, as long as you walk carefully. The lesson I learned in my sailing days: always use one hand for yourself and one for the ship! We are already halfway across, and should be in much more sheltered waters early tomorrow morning.

 

The rest of our morning was spent reading, dozing and listening to a presentation on ice via our cabin tv. At lunch, La Terrazza wasn‘t very busy. The waiters were carrying a lot of the plates (and in some cases even passengers) to tables. The sun was out, and I found it absolutely beautiful to watch the blue sea and white-crested waves from the stern of the ship.

 

After lunch, we did our Chilean customs declaration. It has to be done online, and each adult has to fill out their own. We have been given precise instructions by the front desk, and will only receive our passports back tomorrow if we are able to show our completed declaration. Or so they claimed.

 

We then listened to a talk about the Antarctic Treaty System. For my personal taste, Maggy was sugarcoating the subject somewhat. Yes, I do think it is a great achievement that no individual nation has the right to exploit this magical and vulnerable continent. As it is, however, commercial fishing fleets are dipping way too much into some of the natural resources, namely krill, the oh-so important base of the Antarctic food chain. I do not get why Norway (to name but one country, they are by far not the only ones) depends on Antarctic krill to feed the salmon they grow in their fjords. Let alone Russia and China vetoing efforts to declare large parts of Antarctica into a marine protection area, in order to maintain some future claim to exploit natural resources down here. Apologies to go all political on you, but this is something I feel passionate about. I am very aware that also the tourism here needs to be monitored and regulated closely. However, IAATO seems to be doing a decent job to achieve this. Other areas are much less regulated.

 

With the ship rocking and rolling, the Captain‘s Farewell Reception was postponed from tonight to tomorrow afternoon. Schalk promised us that we should be in more protected waters by 11pm tonight. I continue enjoying my little rollercoaster, but have to admit I wasn’t looking forward to changing into my dress for the reception. Glad I can keep the comfy clothes on for today.

 

For pre-dinner drinks, we went to see Enrique and his team in the Dolce Vita bar. Tonight, we got an extra bowl of the salty crisps. Afterwards, we greatly enjoyed our second dinner at La Terrazza. Even though it was So. Much. Food. The gnocchi with sage were the absolute best. Looking out the stern window, we could see an albatross following the ship. I wonder what they are thinking, when they see us out in the open ocean? Maybe „Hey, let’s follow those guys! It’s less boring than flying above this featureless grey-blue water. And maybe I can catch some fishies in their wake!“ Whatever it is, having an albatross following any ship I have ever sailed on has always felt very special. Good night all!

[QueSeraSera]

12 minutes ago, Anna32 said:

Good night all!

Good night Anna and Holger.  Your writings have been fantastic.  I hope we may see some of Holger's pictures here sometime?

[Anna32]

4 minutes ago, QueSeraSera said:

Good night Anna and Holger.  Your writings have been fantastic.  I hope we may see some of Holger's pictures here sometime?

I‘ll give you a best of selection once we have better internet connection. Here is one little fellow from yesterday. Holger named him „Alfredo“ 🐧

[suesilton]

I will probably never go to Antarctica. If you ever write a book,  I will be the first to buy.   Brilliant!