Postcard From The Deep South was e-mailed from the Antarctic and published in the Halifax Herald while I was still down there. That was quite a feat in 2001. I wrote the article in about an hour, which was all the time I had on the captain’s computer and access via satellite to the internet!
Captain Cedric Guthrie, a veteran skipper from Chester, Nova Scotia, stands on the bridge of the Halifax-base MV Polar Star surveying the Antarctic pack ice. The hull hisses and thuds against the ice pans, many an improbable blue from the intense pressure of the glaciers from which they were calved.
High overhead tower the icy mountains that dominate the Lemaire Channel — intensely black volcanic rock laced with frozen glacial rivers that tumble to the sea. With a loud crack, an occasional new iceberg is born, falling in slow motion into the channel. A pod of orca (killer whales), a dozen or more, arc in and out of the water on our starboard side. Minutes later, first mate Colin Millar makes another whale sighting as two more surface off the port bow of the ship, almost close enough to touch.
This is Polar Star’s maiden Antarctic voyage, and we are into our fifth day at sea. A former icebreaker in the Baltic, she’s been converted to carry passengers interested in cruises to Antarctica.
Coincidentally, it is also the 90th anniversary of the discovery of the South Pole by Roald Amundsen on December 14, 1911. We left the Argentinian port of Ushuaia, the world’s southern-most city, on Monday and spent our first two days crossing the Beagle Channel and Drake Passage.
Like Sir Francis Drake, we encountered some rough weather our first night out, a not unusual occurrence in these waters, where storms may circle the globe without interference of continents. Unlike Drake, we were able to head for calmer waters, and though passengers at breakfast were sparse, by supper we were up to a normal complement.
During the crossing, the vessel’s scientific staff gave informative lectures on Antarctic history, wildlife and geology. And a prize was offered for the first passenger to spot an iceberg on entering Antarctic waters.
Fittingly, the award was a bottle of Jost ice wine, which is produced from late-picked frozen grapes. It was won by sharp-eyed Margaret Tuena of Melbourne, Australia, who made the sighting at 5 a.m. Thursday. Later that day, Polar Star’s passengers, representing more than six countries, made their first landfall.
In typically unpredictable fashion, the weather on our first landing site, Cuverville Island, was marked by heavy rain—quite unusual, according to members of the vessel’s experienced scientific staff. Despite this, we donned warm togs and clambered into zodiacs to visit the huge colony of penguins on this stark island.
Hundreds of penguins swarmed over the landscape, making us laugh with their antics, as they slid or nimbly leaped into the ocean. In the water, the birds are transformed from awkward little clowns to graceful swimmers. With no natural land-based predators, penguins tend to ignore humans, no doubt considering us no more than big penguins.
By afternoon, the weather had cleared in time for a visit to Paradise Bay, our first stop on the Antarctic mainland. The Argentines have maintained a base in this beautiful setting for many years, but there is no activity at the station, named for war hero Almirante Brown.
Their scientists will arrive later in the southern summer, which corresponds to our winter. Many of us passengers took the opportunity to climb a large hill behind the station for stunning views of the gorgeous inlet — and to slide penguin-like down the incline on our posteriors.
After warming ourselves back at the ship with mugs of hot chocolate, we proceeded to a supper of thick Argentine steaks, then most turned in early or headed to the lounge for a film on Antarctic wildlife.
This morning, after an early breakfast, we journeyed to Port Lockroy, a historic British base used during the Second World War. It has been restored as a museum for visitors, and guests can mail postcards or letters, which are postmarked British Antarctic Territories.
We were fortunate to get to the base at all and only managed to get through the pack ice because of Polar Star’s icebreaking capability. We landed on the ice, stopping to look at huge crab-eater seals that dotted the ice.
As well as welcoming guests, Port Lockroy’s staff of two men and a woman carry out research on how tourism affects penguin behavior. Apparently, they say, not at all. Penguins are so comfortable with humans that they nest by the front door and wander in if it’s not closed. After we left Port Lockroy we headed to Lemaire Channel and its fabulous scenery.
As I type this, we are cruising north to Deception Island with a landing planned for tomorrow. Here we’ll be visiting another penguin colony and going for a swim (yes, a swim). The water in the crater of this volcanic island is fed by hot springs, which raise temperatures to 38 C. I even remembered my bathing suit, though this is optional in the Antarctic.
To date, our trip has been fabulous, a true adventure in an era of packaged tourism. An international crew made up of Canadians (mainly Maritimers) and other nationalities has made for a safe, educational and fun adventure — a trip of a lifetime.
George Burden
Aboard MV Polar Star
Antarctic Peninsula
When not on Antarctic adventures George Burden practices medicine in Elmsdale, NS.
Photo Credits
All Photos By John Haynes – All Rights Reserved
First printed in The Halifax Herald – Sunday, December 16, 2001
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