17th February 2017 " Nearly In Antarctica"

17 February 2017  "Nearly in Antarctica"

Another (bloody annoying) Tannoy announcement start to the day with Boris the Expedition Leader on the blower waking us all up and telling us to come for breakfast and briefing. Today he was channelling his inner Robin Williams and Good Morning Vietnam style. The best news was that we had just crossed into Antarctic waters although we still could not see a thing other than a million miles of sea.

It had been a much rougher night and as a result most people had slept badly, including us. When we got up, the swell had us running across the cabin before bouncing off the cabin door like a pair of runners up in “Come Dancing”.  The return swell had us back sitting on our bed like we were tied to elastic, so it took a while to get washed and dressed (shaving – a nightmare) but was very funny.

After breakfast we had to go a mandatory session on the rules for anyone landing in Antarctica;  no chasing penguins, watch out for fur seals and if you are attacked by birds on a nesting site put your hand up in the air.  
This was followed by a lesson on how to access and leave the Zodiac  boats that will take us on to the continent of Antarctica from the ship. With Janette looking decidedly green, this is not looking good for tomorrow.
After this it was up on deck for some fresh air. We have never seen so much nothing…and in two days of sailing, we have not seen one ship which adds to the feelings of trepidation. W

e both agreed that even though this was a normal trip for the crew, most passengers were anxious and seemingly outside of their comfort zones.



Next session was getting all our gear ready for our first expedition tomorrow once we have reached the first set of islands in Antarctica. Because of the seriously strict regulations, we have to vacuum all our outer clothes, take our boots and dry bags through the disinfectant to make sure we don’t take anything non-native with us onto Antarctica or bring it back.  This was a process we had to do every time we left or boarded the ship. 
The leader of the whale research team then did a fascinating talk on Antarctic whales and their research programme. Before the treaty to stop whaling in this area was introduced, over 100 years of whaling activity, nearly a million whales were killed. The populations are now recovering slowly but they are all still pretty fired up about the Japanese starting to kill whales again for “research” purposes. The view here is the research that Japan refers to actually has not been read by anybody and was just used as an excuse to start whaling again. 

Land Ahoy - Our first sight of Antarctica - The Smith Islands

Just before dinner we had a briefing on what we could expect to see the next day. Unbelievably we have been so lucky with the weather we were told the ship would pass through the Lemaire channel for the first time this season. It is one of the most stunning entrances to the Antarctic region and rarely does the weather allow a visit.  5.30am alarm was set for us to witness a sight that promised to be stunning.

After dinner and a fun evening with our new Aussie friends Mick and Ang, or as Steve called him “Crocodile Dundee”, we headed off to bed full of excitement and even more trepidation. Sleep hadn’t been easy and now we were almost there, it was even harder.