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Monday & Tuesday January 9 & 10, 2023:Fredericksburg - Ushuaia The adventure begins; our long anticipated trip to Antarctica is about happen but first we have to arrive in Buenos Aires to join the 11 day cruise on the Atlas Ocean Voyage Expedition Class Ship – The World Navigator. That journey was 2 difficult travel days including 4 separate flights. We. started by driving from Fredericksburg to San Antonio. Our first flight was from San Antonio to Houston where we made a quick change for the next flight to Panama City, Panama. This was a four-hour unremarkable flight and even though we were seated in the first-class section the meal was less than first class. We arrived in Panama City with about 2 hours to kill before our next leg. We have Lounge privileges in the Copa Club where we caught a quick glimpse of the BCS massacre of TCU. The next flight was overnight to Buenos Aires departing at 9:00 pm and arriving the next morning at 7:00am. Fortunately, we had lie flat seats and were able to pass the time quite comfortably. Clearing customs and immigration was a breeze, but now we were stuck in the domestic terminal with our luggage for 10 hours while we waited for our final flight to take us to Ushuaia. There was no lounge for us which forced us to find anywhere we could to pass some time. We did find some outdoor seating at food vendor and ordered some coffee and breakfast pastries. The weather was pleasant until the sun appeared over the trees and the temperature started to rise. Finally, at 1:00pm we could finally check in at the Fly Bondi counter and give up our luggage. But we still had 3 more hours to wait before we could board the plane. There was a small food court where we could grab a beer and a ham sandwich. Fly Bondi is a no frill low-cost airline. The seats are small and very close together, so we were anxious to end the final flight and find more comfortable surroundings. In the Ushuaia airport, we collected our luggage and boarded a waiting bus for the short ride to the port where The World Navigator was waiting. So after 36 hours we have arrived and eager to start our adventure. We actually boarded the ship after 9:00pm and after the initial welcome champagne toast we could finally sit down for our first decent meal in two days which coincidently happened to be Becky’s birthday. Because of the time in the evening, this meal was buffet service with a large selection of all sorts of choices. More on the ships dining later in this narrative. Mostly we wanted to get to a shower and into bed after 2 difficult days of travelling. The ship did pull away from the dock as soon as everyone was on board. There was still plenty of daylight as sunset at the southernmost tip of the continent is around 10:30 pm.

Wednesday January 11, 2023 Day one of confinement at sea.

Ushuaia lies about 600 km North of the Antarctic peninsula which means we had 2 days of navigating to cross the Drake passage. This area is famous for turbulence and can be extremely uncomfortable to the average land lubber. We started the morning with breakfast in the restaurant on the fourth floor. Most of the public areas are located on the 4th deck like reception, the main lounge, the theater, the spa, the gym and the restaurant. The breakfast features a buffet which is very similar to those in the finer European hotels although there is the option to order off the menu for omelets and other specialties that don’t do well as buffet items. After sailing all night through 9-foot swells, those passengers prone to sea sickness were suffering. Fortunately, neither Becky nor I were compromised by the motion of the boat, but I can admit that I am looking forward to sailing calmer waters. During these “at sea” days, there isn’t a lot of planned activities. We did find the exercise room and scouted out the other decks although the outside was closed due to the wind and rocking of the boat. In the morning we were introduced to the expedition staff who gave a brief overview of the program for the cruise. Lunch was back in the dining room and again was a buffet although one of the servers was carving a whole roasted pig if you were interested. My early assessment of the food is positive, but it just isn’t seasoned…everything is bland and needing a flavor boost. In the afternoon, the major activity was a fitting of our parka and expedition boots. This only took a few minutes as the sizes we had pre ordered were correct, so we didn’t have to exchange any items. Before the fitting we had to submit all our outer layers to be inspected and vacuumed to remove any biological hazards which might contaminate the flora and fauna of antarctica. There was also another lecture in the theater to explain about the Antarctic Treaty of 1961 which set up the guidelines for preserving the continent for research and peace. Later in the evening we went to dinner in the restaurant, but instead of a buffet we could order off a menu for the first time. We both chose the lobster entrée, good but left me begging for some Old Bay to bring out the flavor. We did retire to the Dome Lounge on Deck seven for the entertainment and a night cap.

Thursday January 12, 2023, Day two of confinement at sea.

Maybe the Drake Passage was marginally calmer that the previous day, but there was still plenty of rocking and rolling. A few passengers who we hadn’t seen the day before started to emerge, but still not fully recovered from their Mal de Mer. After breakfast, we had time for a workout in the gym on the stationary bike. There were three lectures planned for the day: the first was about seals and sea lions, the second on penguins and finally about the expedition program for the next day. Otherwise the day was spent watching the ocean slide by while enjoying the gentle roller coaster ride. During the day we met and visited with new friends. We tend to take a very light lunch, usually just soup and a salad because there are many opportunities to eat and snack on board. We have discovered fresh hot cookies at Paula’s Pantry which is an always available snack and coffee bar. There was a scheduled high tea at 4:00 in the afternoon in the dome lounge on deck seven. There was a selection of various loose teas which were infused into the tea water in specially designed huge teacups. Becky chose a cup of English Breakfast while I chose a nip of Bailey’s Irish Cream. Dinner service was after 7:30 in the main restaurant; the theme for the evening was French. I made a poor choice of poached fish which had been described as by the waiter as Chilean Sea Bass but turned out to be a kind of trout which was poached with the skin on. It was very bland but unfortunately very fishy. It begged for seasoning and lemon juice. Note to fellow travelers, avoid poached fish on a cruise ship! After dinner we returned to the Atlas Lounge for a cognac and then returned to our cabin to watch the in-house movie of an early sailing expedition around cape horn. A note about the weather: it has been cloudy and windy ever since we departed Ushuaia with temperatures ranging from a high of 40 to lows in the 30’s. We don’t expect much variation although a little sunshine would be nice. Due to the weather and rough sea conditions all of the outside on deck activities have been postponed.

Friday January 13, 2023, Crossing the Polar Circle

It seems the sun never sets at this time of the year in Antarctica; it does set for a couple of hours but there is always some twilight glow, so it really never gets totally dark. The schedule for today called for two Zodiac Cruises: one in the morning and another in the afternoon. Before breakfast we did some exploring of the ship and located deck 8 which has a 360-degree track which walking / jogging track. With only 12 laps around the track, one has covered a mile. The weather was cloudy and windy with a mix of mist and snow. At least we used this experience to test out the parkas and determine best how to dress for the Zodiac excursions. One of the perks of traveling with Atlas Ocean Voyages is the parka which is included in voyage package. This is a huge lime green expedition parka which can handle any of the conditions we might encounter on this cruise. It will have little use once we return to Texas. The parkas and boots are kept in the mud room down on the 3rd deck which is at the water level. Each cabin is assigned a “locker” for keeping the boots and parka. There is a public announcement about 10 minutes in advance of the Zodiac excursion. This is plenty of time to move to the mudroom and don the boots and parka and then load onto the inflatable boats. Each Zodiac is about 20’ long and powered by a 60 horse Yamaha outboard motor and accommodates 10 passengers plus the naturalist / pilot. The morning cruise was a close visit to the shore where we could see a penguin rookery. We did not get onto land but were close enough to smell the colony of birds. By January the chicks have hatched and the parents are busy feeding and training the chicks for the winter migration. The penguins feed mostly on krill which is an orange colored crustation resembling a shrimp. One can easily tell the diet of the penguins by the color of the guano; if that is orange, they have been eating mostly the krill, but if the guano is white, then they have included some fish into their diet. The morning cruise duration was about an hour before we returned to the ship for lunch. However, before lunch we were invited to go the Dome Lounge for a champagne toast for having crossed the Polar circle. There was some time in the afternoon to relax before gearing up for the afternoon Zodiac excursion. This “cruise” was just to experience the brush ice and to hear the naturalist explain about the formation of glaciers and the research that studies the gases from the centuries old bubbles trapped in the ice. After about 45 minutes of motoring through the ice fields we returned to our cabin and then the lounge for the afternoon tea. At 6:00 in the auditorium, there is a recap of the day’s adventure and a preview of the next day’s program. The specialty dinner in the restaurant featured Brazilian themed cuisine. I chose a grilled flank steak and Becky selected some roasted pork. Later we returned to the Dome Lounge to visit and enjoy music from the 50’s.

Saturday January 14, 2023: The Lemaire Passage and Port Lockroy

We started the morning with a workout in the fitness center. As we were riding the stationary bike, a pod of humpback whales was playing outside the window. There was no planned excursion for the morning, instead we were invited to one of the open decks to observe the landscape as we slowly passed through the narrow Lemaire strait. This is a narrow passage with high mountain on either side of the channel. The scenery was magnificent, and the bright clear weather only made the experience more remarkable. The remainder of the morning was just cruising to our next stop which was Port Lockroy. This was an early British research station that was established in 1944 during WW2 to discourage any other nations from laying claim to Antarctica while the rest of the world was distracted by the war. It had also operated as a whaling processing site but was abandoned after about 40 years. The Antarctic treaty required all abandoned buildings to be removed or be restored. The British Antarctic Historical Trust took over the site and operates it during the six summer months as a store, post office and museum. The site is staffed by four young British ladies. They get some provisions shipped in from the Falkland Islands but also accept handouts from the passing cruise ships. The ladies live there for six months, and host two cruise ships a day; one in the morning and another in the afternoon. There is also a large penguin rookery on the island; watching these amazing birds is quite entertaining but they are not very tidy leaving their droppings everywhere and which really stinks. Visiting the port was our first opportunity for a landing and to walk on solid ground. We had about an hour to visit the shop and post office as well as observe the penguins going about their daily routine. Back on the ship, we had time to change and meet in the lounge before going to the auditorium for the daily debriefing. Dinner followed and the theme was Italian. I chose the sous vide tenderloin which was to date my best choice of the cruise. Becky chose the veal piccatta. After dinner we went to the Dome lounge where our cruise director Nathalie would be preforming along with piano Paul. Her one-hour show featured popular rock and roll standards from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. The weather changed significantly in the evening with high winds, very cold temperatures, and snow. We accepted the challenge to walk around the deck but now that I’ve done that I can say once was enough.

Sunday January 15, 2023: Zodiac Cruising and the Brown Station Landing

We seemed to be a little bit slower getting started this morning, perhaps that had something to do with late night revelry from the previous evening. Anyway, the first planned activity was zodiac cruising to see the icebergs and the pancake ice that had formed overnight. This was sea ice that had frozen on the surface due the wind and extremely cold nighttime temperatures. We learned why the ice appeared to be blue. This is because the density of the ice filters out the long wave spectrum of the light and only the short-wave cool colors remain. After lunch there was plenty of time to enjoy the hot tub and swimming pool. There was snow piled up around deck 7 from the snowfall. The hot tub is very warm…about 105 degrees F, but the pool was cooler at 86 degrees F. We chilled about the ship while it repositioned to a location outside the Argentine Brown Station. Before landing at the station, we cruised in the Zodiac to a small bay where two humpback whales were feeding. They provided quite the show; sometimes surfacing and blowing less than 20 feet from our craft. After about 30 minutes of whale watching, we put into shore and trekked up to a viewpoint overlooking the station. This day would be the last opportunity for tourists to land at the station because the Argentine research crew was moving in tomorrow and after they arrived the tourist would be prohibited. The snow was slushy and deep. We would sink into the snow about a foot with each step. The climb was steep and challenging, but we were determined to see the view from the top. Just as we arrived at the top, the snow started falling and our visibility was reduced to a bare minimum. The climb down was easier giving us some time to enjoy watching the penguins going about their daily lives. Back on board, we changed back into casual attire and headed to the lounge for happy hour. The daily briefing had three of the naturalists explain what we had seen and done during the day. The cuisine theme in the restaurant was Peruvian; Becky and I both selected the stir-fried steak. The evening entertainment was a showing of the movie, The March of the Penguins. We decided to watch the movie from our room, and both fell asleep before it finished..

Monday January 16, 2023: Landing on Georges Point and Danco Island

We had an early call for the morning expedition. We were up before breakfast and chose to visit Paula’s Pantry for coffee and a muffin before the restaurant opened for breakfast. We were one of the first Zodiacs to leave the ship for the quick high-speed run to the shore. George’s point is a large Gentoo Penguin colony with gentile snow field surrounding the rookeries. The snow was soft and deep, but we could manage to trudge around without great difficulty. The penguins had created many highways and entertained us as they waddled from colony to colony along their predetermined routes also known as penguin highways. We were on shore for about an hour until it was time to board the Zodiacs for the cruise around the islands and icebergs on the way back to the World Navigator. The scheduled Polar Plunge was happening just before lunch, but we did not participate. During lunch our ship repositioned to a spot off Danco Island. It was snowing heavily as we scrambled onto the zodiacs, but the sky was clearing as we approached the gravel beach. Because the weather was improving, the expedition crew had planned for a 2 ½ hour shore excursion. Danco Island is a large Gentoo penguin colony with gentle snow-covered slopes between rock outcropping where the penguins were nesting. Even though the air temperature was 32 degrees, climbing the snow-covered slopes in the brilliant sunshine was very warm, so much that I had to discard my parka, hat and gloves. We did climb to the top of the hill to get a 360-degree view of the landscape and then returned to the beach to wait for our Zodiac shuttle back to the ship. As we were waiting for a shuttle, the penguins were entertaining the guests. They like to build nests with the pebbles from the beach, but the lazy penguins prefer to steal rocks from another nest and so there is always a conflict between the birds to see which one can get the rock. They seem never to tire of playing this penguin game. Back on board we had time to shower and change for the afternoon happy hour and evening briefing in the auditorium. The dinner theme for the evening was Arabian. Having lived in Saudi Arabia for eight years, I was not tempted by the menu but chose an Argentinian black angus tenderloin instead. We sat at a large table and stayed late because the conversation was lively, and the wine kept on coming. Eventually we could tell the wait staff was eager for us to leave so they could finish their responsibilities.

Tuesday January 17, 2023: at sea

The daily schedule was to cruise admiralty bay to see the research stations. The Polish, the Peruvians, the Chileans, and Argentinians all have major research stations. Only one is occupied the entire year while the others have only summer operations. The glaciers around the bay are massive and there was some calving as we watched the shoreline. The wind was extremely high in excess of 60 kilometers per hour; this made standing on the outside very treacherous. The most exciting sight was a pod of Baleen whales just off the port side of the ship. The naturalists made an attempt to find a landing sight, but the wind and waves were too extreme to attempt a landing, so the decision was made to keep everyone on board and make way for Ushuaia. The wind and wave forecast indicated that we would be in for a rough crossing of the Drake passage; our captain decided that he could avoid some of the wave motion by reducing the speed and sailing around the high wave area. This would add an extra day of sea time but was probably best for the comfort of the passengers. The outside deck areas were closed off and we were advised to stay inside. So, in the meantime, there was much to do but enjoy (?) the rocking and rolling of the ship and pray that you didn’t experience motion sickness symptoms. We did attend a lecture on the miraculous voyage and rescue of Shackleton…truly unbelievable. Otherwise, there was much else to do except eat and drink which we did.

Wednesday January 18, 2023: confined at sea

The Drake Passage was now the Drake Shake and we were bobbing like a cork. Wave heights up to 30 feet; we managed the passage without any symptoms of motion sickness. Not much to do except read and watch movies. No land in sight. This too shall pass.

Thursday January 19, 2023: confined at sea

Another day sailing the Drake Passage. No land in sight, only the vast confluence to the two oceans. The crew had a couple of lectures lined up to help pass the time. At 11:00, Laura, one of the expedition guides, presented a lecture on whales and their significant ecological importance. At 3:00, the safety officer gave a presentation on navigating in ice fields. I missed this lecture because I had arranged a visit with the ship’s chief engineer; I wanted to learn more at the many intricate systems on board and how they operated. We could not tour the ship because of safety policies, but he did answer all of my questions. In addition to being responsible for the operation and maintenance of the ship, he is also responsible for all of the Zodiacs and the 14 Yamaha outboard motors. Just as a side note, when the Zodiacs are launched in an area with a lot of floating ice, the likelihood of damaging the propeller is high. The engineers maintain a supply of the props to change out any time one is damaged. The propellers are made of aluminum so the cost to replace is minimal. The damaged props are mounted onto a decorative wooden plaque and auctioned as a souvenir memento. The international navigation standards are very strict and being in compliance is a full-time job. After my meeting with the engineer, it was time for the afternoon tea followed by happy hour. That evening after dinner, the entertainment was the crew talent show. Most of the crew was Filipino, Indonesian or Central America. They displayed an amazing array of talent including music and dance and artistic demonstration. We commented to a few of the performers were as good as or better than some professional entertainers. After the talent show, Chris from the Expedition Team, lead the auction of the ships chart and the broken propeller. Traditionally on cruises the navigation chart of the cruise is auctioned as a fund raiser for the crew’s welfare fund. This fund helps those crew members who have an emergency during the cruise. The ship would match the auctioned price and apply the amount of the winner to any future cruise, so it would be a win for anyone planning to do a future cruise. The final auction bid for the chart was $4600.00.

Friday January 20, 2023: Ushuaia

During the night the World Navigator sailed out of the Drake Passage and into the Beagle Channel finally arriving at the Port of Ushuaia. Because we arrived a day earlier due to the weather, we did not have dock space, so we had to anchor and tender into shore. We now had an extra unplanned day in Ushuaia to visit the town and in the afternoon enjoy a four hour bus tour of the National Park of Tierra del Fuego. It was interesting revisiting the one street town and recalled the places we had seen five years ago. We remarked how similar it was to Fredericksburg, watching the tourists stroll the shops on main street, but rarely going in to buy. We did have a chance to eat on shore which was the easier choice because we would otherwise have to take the tender back to the ship for lunch. We found a seafood restaurant on the ocean front street and enjoyed the local seafood dishes. This we a very pleasant change from the cruise ship fare. After lunch we boarded the tour busses for the visit to the National Park. We had been to the park five years earlier, but then the weather was cold and rainy. This day was one of the 30 bright days of sunshine that happens in Ushuaia. We visited the southern most post office, the end of the Pan American highway, the visitor center and an estuary. Following the tour, we returned to the pier and waited almost 2 hours for cruise ships to the leave so our ship could dock. It was close to 8:00 before we were allowed to reboard. We stopped at the lounge for a cocktail and then went to the restaurant for the farewell captain’s dinner. The menu for the evening was a little more upscale offering lobster and tenderloin entrees. It was a lovely dining experience plus the last chance we would have to be with newly acquired friends. After dinner we went to the Dome Lounge on deck 7 for the Cruise Director’s final performance. She sang a 45-minute program while the cruise guests made their farewell toast to an exciting 11-day voyage to Antarctica. Later we had to pack and have out luggage outside the room for the crew to collect and transport to the airport.