This morning we visited Garibaldi Fjord. Our intrepid Captain, J”rgen Cardestig, maneuvered the ship through a field of brash ice for a closer approach to several of the glaciers in the fjord. Captain Cardestig is the dapper figure on the right, captured during a respite ashore on a sunny afternoon in Stanley, Falkland Islands. The scenery was extraordinary today! Vertical cliffs thickly draped with tall southern beech trees. Our Expedition Leader, Tom Richie (photo on the left), led our fleet of Zodiacs on an exploration of one of the many fjords here. We made a landing and many of us strode into the forest for a better look. As we passed between the trees there was a sudden silence. From above, the filtered light was pale and green, the reflections of ten thousand leaves. Our footfalls were noiseless and invisible as we gently moved across a lush carpet of mosses and tiny ferns. Occasionally, a deer trail crossed our path, turned behind a tree, crossed a stream, and disappeared into distant, secret glades. We were in a different world, older and greener than the one we knew. Reluctantly, we returned to the Caledonian Star , already eager for the next adventure.
The wandering albatross has an eleven foot wingspan, one of the largest in the world. It is perfectly at home in the windswept southern ocean where it can glide for thousands of miles without a wing beat. The Caledonian Star made its way across the Drake Passage today and enjoyed the company of numerous wandering, royal and black-browed albatross. The winds were sufficient for these dynamic soaring birds to give us a wonderful show while at the same time not too uncomfortable for us on board.
The Caledonian Star anchored near Paulet Island in the eastern Weddell Sea, and ferried guests ashore by zodiac. This was the overwintering site of some members of the Swedish Expedition to Antarctica in 1901-1904. Remains of their stone hut are a reminder of their stay. Paulet is also the home of approximately 150,000 pairs of Adelie penguins who build conical nests of stones and pebbles on all easily reached parts of the island, including hilltops.
The leopard seal (Hydruga leptonyx) is one of the top carnivores of the Antarctic food chain, second only to the killer whale. Leopard seals grow to 11.5 feet long and can weigh 800 pounds. The abundant Antarctic krill makes up a part of their diet but leopard seals also feed on penguins and other seals. Active penguin colonies are some of their favorite hunting grounds. The seals patrol the water in front of the beach, hoping to intercept a penguin as it leaves or returns from a foraging run. Leopard seals have long, serpentine bodies, a large head and very powerful jaws with forward teeth adapted for tearing flesh and molar teeth adapted for straining krill.
One thing is for certain, anywhere you go People gravitate towards heat and warmth and shun the ice and snow Even down here in Antarctica, at our favorite swimming hole Right smack dab in the middle of an active vol-ca-no! (lyrics modeled after Steven Goodman's "Hot Tub Refugee") This morning the Caledonian Star sailed into Deception Island, a flooded volcanic caldera that has erupted as recently as 1970. We visited Whaler's Cove, Telefon Beach and then made a final stop at Pendulum Cove, where fumeroles near the beach heat the near shore waters to a toasty bath temperature. Boiled krill washed up along the beach testify to the fumeroles' effectiveness in heating the frigid Antarctic water. The sun wasn't out (it seldom is at Deception Island) but that didn't stop thirty or so guests and staff from lounging in the shallow water and hot sand. Much of the old whaling station and several of the scientific research bases established here were destroyed by a series of eruptions in 1967 - 1970. The hot ash settled on snow and ice, causing destructive mud slides to rush down the steep slopes behind the structures.
Cape Horn is the southernmost tip of the South American continent. It is here that the Pacific Ocean is divided from the Atlantic Ocean and here that countless sailors and sailing vessels have foundered and gone under in attempts to round the horn. Weather in the southern ocean can vary between dead calm and raging storm, making the actual passage from one ocean basin to the other highly problematical. "Rounding the Horn" is a milestone of any ocean voyage, and today the Caledonian Star not only rounded the horn but made a landing ashore nearby.
A band of hardy adventurers exploring a glacier. This morning we awoke to a light rain and warmer temperatures, a warm front was pushing through. Just before lunch, deep within the Agostini Fjord in extreme southern Chile, a challenge came over the ship's PA system, "For those hardy souls who need yet one more adventure, we will be lowering the Zodiacs for exploration!" In a branching fjord we could see a glacier from the bridge that appeared to come all the way down to the water, however an old terminal moraine prevented the Caledonian Star from entering the fjord. The boats were lowered and those hardy souls in their wet gear assembled at the loading platform. There was excitement spiced with a bit of trepidation. "Is this silly?" "What would we see?" The answer was all around, "Nothing, if you don't look!" We crossed the shallow bar and everywhere we looked there was magic: waterfalls, exotic birds, trees in protected canyons, golden-brown mosses on exposed rock, and the rock, contorted, almost tortured schist, wet and lustrous. About a mile up the fjord, there was indeed a tidewater glacier. It cascaded from a high ledge, cracked and squeezed, not the mother of large icebergs, but numerous Zodiac-sized offspring. Several hundred yards from the face of the glacier a landing site was found with sure footing for those who wanted to observe the frequent calvings or perhaps meditate quietly with a view that most people will never experience. The glacier was huge and we were dwarfed by its age and stature. Our tiny figures are circled in the picture, although our enthusiasm was titanic as seen in the insert.
Yankee-doodle went to town riding on a pony, stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni. The name macaroni refers to the prominent golden crests. The term "macaroni" was first used to describe 18th century dandies who made the Grand Tour of Italy and took on the fashion of dyeing their hair in streaks. When they returned to England they were dubbed "Macaronis" after the Italian pasta. As many as five million pairs of macaroni penguins breed on South Georgia Island alone but very few make it to the South Shetland Islands where this lone bird was found on a nest among a colony of chinstrap penguins at Fort Point, Greenwich Island. We assume its mate is out feeding and will return soon. We wish them the best of luck with getting little junior off the nest and out of the house by the end of the austral summer.
This morning we were awoken early, at 0630, with the announcement "There are orca just off the bow of the ship." The viewing conditions were perfect with bright sun and calm winds. The orca made several close passes to us. This photo shows a calf, or baby orca, surfacing next to its mother and another whale. The inset shows an adult male, identified by its very straight and tall dorsal fin. Another whale had just dove in front of it. Little is known about Antarctic orca and they are not commonly seen on trips. It was exciting to begin the day with such a fantastic viewing.
A late-season hurricane off the northeast coast of the U.S. apparently disrupted a training exercise by Santa Clause and his reindeer. Rudolph, of red nose fame, was not participating in the exercise which was apparently designed to provide younger reindeer with a chance to lead. The force five hurricane, however, was not on the docket and the inexperienced team went wildly astray eventually ending up on an Antarctic island near the South Pole. Santa Clause was delighted rather than miffed because, as you can see here, he finally got to meet a real live penguin, something he said he has always dreamed of doing. For their part the penguins didn't seem to mind meeting the jolly man in red and even gave him a courteous bow or two. After a few days rest and delicious meal on a visiting ship ( M.S. Caledonian Star ) Santa and his reindeer lifted off and were last seen heading for the North pole, home sweet home.
In addition to bringing guests to Antarctica to experience one of the most pristine environments on earth, the Caledonian Star also serves as a platform of opportunity for researchers from the Antarctic Site Inventory project. Ron Naveen, founder of the A.S.I., is seen here counting nests of chinstrap and macaroni penguins at Hannah Point, Livingston Island. The Inventory, now in its sixth field season of data collection, is the only project collecting baseline data and information about the fauna and flora at Antarctic Peninsula visitor sites. The Inventory is pleased to be working with Lindblad Expeditions and the Caledonian Star on this important study. The effort will help to ensure that potential environmental disruptions at these sites are minimized, if not avoided altogether.
The sky was a bright blue today, our first day at sea en route to Antarctica, but a strong wind was blowing. This made it a great day to watch seabirds from the stern of the ship, provided you could keep your balance! From left to right we have the southern giant petrel, the black-browed albatross and a group of prions. Also present were royal and wandering albatross, white-chinned petrel, greater and sooty shearwater and Wilson's storm petrel. All in all, a great day for watching seabirds that make their living borne upon the winds, covering vast areas of the ocean. At one point the prions (also known as whale birds) were alongside the ship by the thousands and we also spotted the blows of several fin whales in the distance.
