Terra firma Tierra del Fuego
We’re back where it all began, in Ushuaia. Our expedition vessel, the MV Ushuaia docked early on Saturday morning in her name-giving town. A glorious early morning sun lit up very tired faces. The 52 hour in the Drake…
Search by author: sh52
Drake Passage (56°S heading north) – There and back again
We had a pretty big proper storm last night, complete with 60+ knot winds and an average of 8m swells. In total, it took us 52 hours to cross the Drake Passage – the longest crossing for the M/V Ushuaia this season.…
Drake Passage (60°S heading north)
Last night we experienced the rock’n roll of a rough Drake Passage, so most of us didn’t get much sleep. Breakfast sees many empty places, and a generally reduced appetite (except for a few hardy souls who still tuck…
Deception Island (62°59’S / 60°34’W) & Robert Point
I had to summon all that is left of me after at 5:30am after nearly a week of feeling the cold wind on my face, and slowly crawl towards the coffee urn. In the meantime the MV Ushuaia has just entered the caldera of…
Neko Harbour & Port Lockroy (64°49’S, 63°29’W – our southern-most point) & Wilhelmina Bay
We travelled roughly 22 km overnight from Paradise Bay to Neko Harbour. We awoke at first light in the wee hours of the morning to find ourselves surrounded by glaciers, icebergs and rocky outcrops. Our pre-breakfast…
Cuverville Island (64°41’S / 62°38’W) & Paradise Bay
I’m currently sitting inside the bridge of the MV Ushuaia, facing panoramic views of snow-covered mountains and sea, listening to Beethoven playing in the background as it begins to get dark. Reflecting on the amazing…
Brown Bluff (63° 31’ S / 56° 51’ W)
In a nutshell today was unbelievable! We woke up anchored off Brown Bluff and made our first landing on the Antarctic Continent. Our group set out in three teams, one to count penguins, another pinnipeds and the last…
Drake Passage (59° 53′ S / 59° 45′ W)
7:30 in the morning, somewhere more than half-way between Cape Horn and the Antarctic Peninsula. Our enthusiastic expedition leader, Geoff, wakes us up with a “Good morning Students on Ice”. The first thing we see…
Expedition day, Ushuaia (54° 48′ S / 68° 18′ W)
This day has pretty much been filled up with Students on Ice (SOI) activities. After starting the day with icebreaker games in the courtyard, we went on to “speed-dating” between students and expedition staff. This…
Laguna Esmeralda/ Beagle Channel (54° 48′ S / 68° 18′ W)
Today was our last day in Tierra del Fuego before getting on board M/V Ushuaia and setting off for Antarctica. After an early breakfast we boarded a bus and were driven inland through the mountains surrounding Ushuaia.…