Sailing Antarctica Seas!: Lemaire Channel and "Heidi Holes"

Monday, January 4, 2016

We motored through the Lemaire Channel this am. Stunningly gorgeous glaciers, ice bergs and mountains. The ship even had to break through ice at times! The weather was calm and very cold. I think this is the first time I have seen Captain Eric in a coat and hat!

Captain Eric in a coat and hat!!

The repaired yard arm was finally raised. Quite a job! Helping haul lines will really warm you right up! It is nice to see it back in place. Hopefully we will get a chance to sail again soon (well, not too soon, we are enjoying the good weather for our landings!).

These photos are just a tiny look at what it takes to raise the yard arm back into place after its repair. It was quite the event.

It is now in place! The top yard of the middle set. Wow!

Our first stop of the day was at Winter Island. We were the first visitors on the island, so we had all fresh snow! We hiked across the small island, sinking deep into snow at times (sometimes as deep as hips!!) and visited a historical site, the Wordie House. It was a survey base from 1947-1954. The hut is still set up pretty much as it was back during the time it was used. Really interesting to wander through!

Elisabeth

Normally the zodiacs can circumvent the island and pick up visitors at the far side to transport to the next site. But the channels were still solid ice! So we hiked back to our original drop off spot to take the zodiacs across the little channel to our next landing.

Breaking through the ice.

One of the "Jordi Maps". There was always a plan B as well.

Annukka, one of our guides. She is showing a used filter vs a new filter... only took a couple of days to get dirty... from the sea water. Micro-organisms, etc.

Heidi and Stacy

Wordie House.

Hiking to the Wordie House.

Heidi sunk into the snow up to her hips a couple of times. We called them result "Heidi Holes"!!
(Had to explain that joke to the Europeans!)
Assisted by Linda and Colin.

Some of the rooms in the "Wordie House" that is now a museum.

Jordie had to shovel snow away from the door so we could enter. He cut into the snow to make "snow steps"!

View of Vernadsky Station across the water.

Vernadsky Station

Our Ukrainian host and guide.

Emma, Stacy and Heidi

The residents of the Vernadsky Station met our zodiacs and took us on a tour of their Ukrainian base. The base is occupied year round and they study magnetic fields and the ionosphere. AND they are the most southern souvenir shop and bar. They make a vodka that everybody (mostly) enjoyed (some waaaay too much!!). I took a sip, burned my throat, set me coughing and I couldn’t talk for about five minutes!! Probably melted my vocal cords… Did not seem to affect others so much! Several people had several (or more!) shots! They were feeling no pain!

Joost enjoying some vodka!

Marijke, Stacy and Elisabeth

When we returned to the ship, a deck party had been set up! Bar-b-que, lights, flags, music and Antarctica beer!! Cooling on glacier ice, of course!! The crew fixed a fantastic meal with Arran grilling to perfection! We had lamb riblets, spring bok, chicken wings, sausages, toasties (a type of grilled cheese cooked over the grill), pasta salad, green salad, all sorts of spreads and bread. It was amazing!

The beers are being kept cool on a chunk of ice berg!

Arrran, master griller. He is from South Africa and that is the South African flag behind him.

Heave Ho... even at the party!

Just a smidgen of the incredible food that night!

Stacy and Gerta dancing the night away!

Got some dancing going, especially the “penguin dances” around the deck. We were also visited by two darling penguins (Emma and Megan!) and they danced as well. It was all great fun! Afterwards Megan played her fiddle and Annukka joined in with her guitar. A wonderful concert!

Finally crawled into bed. I believe morning will come early for some folks!