We received some very puzzled looks when we told people about our upcoming trip to South Georgia Island and Antarctica. They asked, “Why would you want to go there?” Truth is, we wanted an adventure and were supposed to go with college friends two years ago, but things got in the way and we had to cancel. When situations changed, and we still had the time and desire, we took the opportunity to re-book to Antarctica. Fewer than 30,000 people a year visit this frozen land of whites, greys, and blacks with unique animals, no inhabitants, and pristine landscapes. The cruise line we traveled, Seabourn, is one we have traveled on several times previously. They offer adventure with very nice amenities along the way.
Ship and Penguins
When you get the opportunity to fulfill one of your bucket-list adventures, don’t hesitate; it may well exceed your expectations. Our cruise to South America, South Georgia Island, and Antarctica was amazing and proved to be more than we dreamed. Buenos Aires, Argentina, Santiago, Chile and the other cities and towns we visited showed how influential the Europeans were over the indigenous people. All areas of South American life, language, religion, architecture, even the food, showed a touch of Europe.
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Altman trip 05
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Altman trip 02
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Altman trip 03
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Altman trip 04
The majestic landscapes of South Georgia Island and Antarctica with the penguins, seals, birds, whales, icebergs, and the massive mountains were grander than we expected. It is a world of black, white, and grey, with a few patches of color. The brilliant oranges and yellows on the penguins, the red and oranges of the lichens on the mountains, the dull greens of the so called Antarctica grasses, the shades of blue skies, the deep blue of the ice on the icebergs, even the color (and smell) of the waste of 150,000 penguins was beyond what we’d imagined.
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Bridge
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Mountain
Being able to walk on the Islands and Archipelago of Antarctica was truly memorable. We walked with several different penguin species: King, Gentoo, Adelie, Chinstrap, Macaroni, and Banded. The only one not seen was the Emperor Penguin, they live farther inland, to the south, in an even colder environment. We also walked among different types of seals: elephant, fur, Weddell, crabeater, and leopard. Neither penguins nor seals are afraid of humans and as walked within two or three feet of both, they were calm around us. We were told that during mating season they can get a bit rowdy. On land, seals and penguins coexist within a few feet of each other. In the water, where penguins feed, the seals become predators. Birds we saw included the Antarctica Shag, Albatross, Petrels, Skuas, Seagulls, and Terns. The whales seen by our group included Humpback, Southern Right, Blue, Antarctica Minke, and Orcas (killer whales), that were all putting on a show of diving and eating.
Llama
Our trip took us as far south as the 66th parallel, into the Antarctica Archipelago, but not to the South Pole, several thousand miles farther south. Antarctica is the fifth largest continent, it has no permanent inhabitants, with only a few scientists and some military outposts, mostly for research and security. The countries surrounding Antarctica have agreed to a Code of Conduct, including no permanent structures, and protection of the animals and the land. These codes restrict the size of ships who may stop and disembark visitors onto the land. Those of us fortunate enough to go on the land are schooled in what we can and cannot do and how to properly leave Antarctica exactly as we found it.
Signs with iceberg
Our ship’s crew included a 19-member expedition team who led our adventures. This team was made up of PhDs and other highly trained and educated people who have visited these frozen lands dozens of times. They were experts in fields such as biology, botany, anthropology, geology, and history. The group gave 3-4 lectures a day to keep us informed about upcoming activities, the possibility of seeing certain animals, and how to treat the animals and the land. The expedition team also acted as Zodiac drivers, on-land directors, and security. We even had a medical team on land each time we disembarked. Within the expeditionary group was a photographic expert who helped many of us expand our knowledge of our individual cameras. At the end of the trip, he produced a documentary using his videos and photographs as well as many taken by the passengers, all set to music.
Our ship, Seabourn Quest, a 650’ long and 85’ wide vessel, was specially outfitted, including hull reinforcement, to withstand the harsh environment. With 229 staterooms, its maximum passenger load is 450 and it carried 3 captains: The Master, a Staff Captain (second in command), and an Ice Captain, whose job it was to maneuver us though fields of icebergs, making sure we did not play Titanic, during the portion of our trip through lower Patagonia, The Beagle Channel, The Magellan Straits, the Chilean Fjords, and all the way to San Antonio/Santiago. Two pilots were added to the bridge staff to guide the ship through the interior passages of Chile.
Seabourne
The previously mentioned Zodiacs (rubber boats with a motor, no seats, and a rope to hold onto) were our means of transportation onto South Georgia Island and Antarctica. With no towns, cities, or villages in Antarctica, there are no land-side docking facilities. The ship anchors in a bay or lagoon, and we would exit the ship onto the Zodiacs for a mile or two ride to the land, where we’d be among the animals. Sometimes we spent up to 2 hours on the Zodiacs riding by and around icebergs looking for whales, watching seals sunning, and watching groups of penguins feeding in the open waters. It was summer in the Southern Hemisphere, yet Antarctica and South Georgia Island had temperatures much colder than our St. Simons Island winters. Most days it was 1° Celsius (about 33-34° Fahrenheit). We started the trip in Buenos Aires, Argentina and ended in Santiago, Chile, where the climate and temperatures compared to our early spring.
Andrea Altman
Back to my newest friends, the penguins. They are the funniest little animals, waddling around, sliding on their bellies, moving back and forth in a pack deciding when to jump into the water. Walking so close to these animals, they appeared to look up at us with inquisitive expressions, as if to say, “you are a funny looking penguin.” They did not scatter when we, very carefully, walked past them. They are not frightened by humans. We tried to keep our distance, close enough to watch but not to impend their movements. Of course, that is rather difficult with 150,000 penguins and hundreds of seals on the rock beaches.
Penguins breed during the summer months, lay their eggs, and tend their nests (both mother and father), on land areas we visited, but spend much of the year in open water in the ocean where they are vulnerable as meals for seals and orcas. We arrived in time to see 2-3 day-old chicks peeking out from under Mom or Dad. The chicks are born with a white pecking tip used to break the shell from the inside when the time is right. This beak tip falls off in a few days from these grey fuzzy balls of fur who make noises and beg for food. By the end of their summer, in mid-late March, the adult and newborn penguins will have molted and grown their winter feathers.
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Penguin
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Penguin nesting with chicks
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Penguin Chicks
We were prepared for rough seas leaving Antarctica heading north toward Cape Horn at the bottom of South America, across the Drake Passage. This stretch known as the most hostile piece of water anywhere in the world, was calm (1-2’ seas with a very light chop) the days we passed through, they called it the “Drake Lake.” We did get our share of rough waters leaving Punta Del Este, Uruguay on our second full day at sea. We encountered snow, winds reaching hurricane force (72-74 mph), with 6-7-meter (21-23 feet) seas/waves. These winds forced the captain to alter course. These days, as well as a few others during the cruise, caused major rocking and rolling on board the ship, hanging on to whatever was close was the regime of the day. There was a long line at the infirmary to see the ship’s doctor to get sea sickness meds.
On the fourth day out, everything was worth the rough seas, when we awoke to see our first penguins and seals at Grytviken, South Georgia Island. Only a few humans reside on the island, and only during the summer. This settlement is an abandoned commercial whaling station. Thousands of whales were killed and dragged to this and other similar locations on South Georgia to obtain whale oil. Thank goodness whaling is now prohibited and the large metal boiling tanks and 12-15-inch chain links and other equipment currently sit rusting away in the settlement.
Penguins on rocks
Only 30,000 people visit Antarctica each year and many of those only get a “drive by” because of the multi-country agreements permitting only ships carrying less than 500 people to stop and take excursions onto the Antarctica Continent. The agreement/rules make every attempt to prevent harm to the land and to the animals. We visited a very dry, extremely windy, uninhabitable place for humans and most animals. It is a location of immense beauty and magnificent landscapes that needs our continued protection, so others may enjoy the Continent of Antarctica.
Now we are asked, “Are you glad you went?” It was the most awesome 4 weeks we have ever spent. Each day was more exciting than the previous. However, we could have done without 3
Richard and Andrea Altman
days of continuous hurricane force (72-74 mph) winds. Would we return? We would depart tomorrow and repeat the entire amazing adventure. The next question is “Where else are you planning to go?” We have never spent much time around Great Britain and, as we are about to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary, we are pulling out all the stops to fill a few additional bucket list items: Normandy and Bordeaux in France, and Bilboa, Spain to see a well-known Guggenheim Museum; then around the entire British Isles with visits to Scotland, Ireland, N. Ireland, and Wales. What else? In 18-months, we are planning another adventure on Seabourn to Iceland, Greenland, and Newfoundland. The ship for this adventure is still being built and will have a 6-person submarine on it. Some cruise lines are becoming more adaptive with itineraries and excursions to lesser traveled and more unique places. Time, opportunity, and desire make our planned adventures possible.
