Live from the Wind(s) of Antarctica. Dec. 19, 2023.

[twangster]

Information posted for our consumption.

 

 

 

Holiday greetings from the crew:

 

 

 

The card and conference room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[twangster]

Captain's noon update:

 

Currently 4°C with seas up to 4m.  Seas are expected to increase to 5m overnight.  

 

Planned arrival at Cooper Bay 7am tomorrow morning.  

[twangster]

If anyone is wondering what 4m seas look like it's really not that bad.  Here is 2 minute video using my 360 camera from the balcony.

 

This video was captured a few minutes ago so about as live as you can get.

 

December 24, 2023 - 1:45pm South Georgia Island time.

 

 

Edited December 24, 2023 by twangster

[Port Power]

Did you see the really big iceberg starboard side about 45 minutes ago?  It was the third one this afternoon, and by far the biggest. And closest.

 

 

[twangster]

Since that video upload went okay here is a zodiac ride from New Island back to the Silver Wind.  I sped up the video to make it shorter but that makes it look a lot more bumpy than it was.  

 

 

I normally like to add music and such but YT has gotten so hard to work with music I've just uploaded it with natural sound.  

[twangster]

Indeed there have been icebergs passing on both sides.

 

You can see one in the distance to starboard.

 

 

 

 

 

It seemed to change shape in the time it took to get closer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one to port was much larger and further away.

 

 

 

 

[Galenaforest]

Thank you so much for this!!!

[twangster]

Our Starlink gateway city has been Santiago, Chile up to this point.   This means from the internet’s perspective we appear to be in Santiago.  
 

If you require access to resources that are geo-restricted you may want to think about a VPN service.  

[twangster]

A man walks into a bar… oh wait, Iceberg!

 

 

Christmas tunes with Tomás.

 

 

 

[twangster]

Christmas Eve menu in The Restaurant 

 

[drron29]

The icebergs have probably broken off from A23a the largest iceberg ever which has recently started to move north.

[twangster]

Got a little ahead of myself.

 

Briefing for tomorrow at 16:00 today.

 

The current plan is for a stop in Cooper Bay in the morning followed by an afternoon stop at Royal Bay.

 

 

 

 

 

[twangster]

There will be no landings as The South Georgia Islands have closed to landings due to the Avian Flu. 

 

The new goal is to still see wildlife maintaining IAATO guidelines for a safe distance from wildlife as one would on land from the zodiacs.

[twangster]

Zodiac groups have been shuffled so my group is now early in the morning.  That means an early bedtime tonight.

[twangster]

I'm not one to take dinner pictures in a nice restaurant because, well, I feel it is a bit tacky.

 

Tonight will be an exception.

 

Hmmm.  A song book.  A hint of things to come?

 

 

 

The recommendations for tonight, but not the full menu.

 

 

The "Whole-roasted Christmas Goose":

 

 

It was very good.  Actually pretty great.

 

Wait, what is this...

 

 

 

Time to open that song book.  Actually I knew all the songs already.

 

 

But wait!  Whale spotted to starboard!  To the windows!

 

 

[twangster]

Meanwhile, waiting back in the suite...

 

 

[twangster]

Day Seven - Cooper Bay, South Georgia Islands

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Position report:

 

 

Almost there...

 

 

[twangster]

Balcony observations:

 

 

Most of the ship roll is gone now that we are in the shelter of South Georgia.

 

 

 

[twangster]

At this point there are so many icebergs it's not worth taking any more pictures of them.  They are everywhere.

 

 

 

 

 

[twangster]

Having said that, this one is particularly close and is quite striking when looking out my balcony window.

 

 

 

 

Easily taller than the ship.

 

[twangster]

Day 7 Chronicle:

 

25 DEC - Cooper Bay and Will Point South Georgia.pdf

[twangster]

As we got closer to Cooper Bay land was emerging through the mist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All around the ship marine life was seen.  From seals, whales and penguins it was quite active.

 

 

 

 

 

Of course more icebergs.

 

 

Finally we were close enough that the mist faded and we could see the green land of South Georgia Island.

 

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

15 hours ago, twangster said:

There will be no landings as The South Georgia Islands have closed to landings due to the Avian Flu. 

 

 

Hmmmm, are you sure South Georgia is closed to ALL landings?  As of Dec. 20, many sites were still open. But it is a dynamic situation and things could have changed.  Cloud is in Gritviken today.  Might want to ask if they landed.  Friends landed in Fortuna about 2 weeks ago. But again, things might have changed.

Edited December 25, 2023 by highplanesdrifters

[twangster]

After a rushed breakfast it was time to zodiac.  I was in the second group called today as they mix up the order so the group #1 isn't always first.

 

 

Ross glacier.

 

 

 

Zodiacs always travel in pairs for safety so we had a short wait while the next zodiac was loaded with guests.

 

 

 

Heading towards land it didn't take long to see our first greeter.

 

 

 

 

 

Many young pups were everywhere.

 

 

 

[twangster]

A colony of Macaroni penguins.

 

 

 

Similar looking to the Rockhopper penguins we saw in the Falklands but different.  These little cuties are a big bigger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Penguins like to nest in the hills for safety so there was a penguin highway climbing the hillside.

 

 

Too many to count.