Back in Time

For some reasons the desks in my office have been moved. I used to be right at the window in my little glass house, but the table has been moved back and there is a gap between the desk and the window. So if I want to open or close the window, or charge my phone, I have to crawl under the table to do that. Not too bad really, a little exercise once in a while.

It all reminds me of a children's book I read when I was little, one of the first books I can remember, about a girl whose favourite place was the space behind her father's desk. She liked to crawl under the desk to hide out. I was thinking about the book only the other day. I can't remember much else about it, I’m sure there was much more to the story, but that is the one thing I can remember. I’ll have to check my boxes at home to see if I still have it somewhere. For some reason the idea of the little corner behind the desk must have appealed to me, otherwise I wouldn’t have remembered. And I wouldn’t have thought of it today.

As I Waved Goodbye

In his newsletter Luka Bloom mentions that it is 50 years since the Dalai Lama went into exile. He hasn't been back to Tibet since, which is so sad. When I first saw Luka about 10 years ago here in Utrecht the song that moved and impressed me most was "As I Waved Goodbye", which he had not recorded yet. Luka also still had his sruti box at the time, which provided beautiful accompaniment to the song.

Looking at the documentaries about the history of Tibet and the current situation makes me sad. And there is no sign of things getting better out there yet.

Luka recorded the song in Whelans in Dublin last February, and it is beautiful as ever: As I Waved Goodbye

Lovely Monday Morning

Some days just start out right. As I walked out of my street this morning I could see the tram at the stop. I started running, but then the tram started moving. I slowed down, but so did the tram driver, and he actually stopped for me. I told him he was wonderful!

Luka

Luka was back in the country, I had to go to Utrecht this time to see him, to the mythical Tivoli. I had never been to Tivoli before, not to the old one anyway. This is where people first started to sing with Luka in 1990. People still sing, though for some reason other people felt it necessary to talk all the way through the concert. I don't understand this, why go to a concert if you don't want to listen to the music.

Luka was his own opening act for the occasion, and what an opening act. He started of with "Diamond Mountain", such a beautiful song. And he just went on from there. Before the break he sang some ten songs by himself, and then came back with the boys, which made for a different kind of Luka concert. Familiar songs, but they sounded different.

He began his encore with "Don't be Afraid of the Light that Shines Within You", which I love. It is such a song of hope. Then he went on by himself to sing a request, "The Man is Alive". When I heard the first chords I couldn't believe my ears, this was the one song I wanted, didn't expect, but got anyway. It completely blew me away, and has been sustaining me ever since.

Oma

It would have been my grandmother's birthday today. She would have been 100, but she only lived to be 60. Such a long time ago, and I can remember so little, except for a great feeling of warmth and love. And chicken soup, sweet pears, and little dogs. I often think of her, when important things happen to me in my life. That is lovely to me.

Alienation

My first few days back home are always difficult. Suddenly everything changes. Walking down the the street here in Amsterdam I kept seeing familiar figures, Pavel, our zodiac driver, or Mariano, the owner of the bookshop in Ushuaia, somewhere on the street. One of those tricks of the mind or the eye. Moving from one world to the other within 24 hours.

Suddenly I find myself cycling again, after almost three months. First on my bike in Delft, which is unusual anyway, then on my bike here. I first have to drag that down three flights of stairs, something of an effort, but then it feels like I was cycling only yesterday.

Coming back to work is strange. Everything seems the same, I am the one who has changed. And then I see part of the office has been redecorated, we now have a sheepy reading room and lounge area. And I see a lot of new faces, again. I've read about people leaving and saying goodbye, I didn't realise there were so many new arrivals.

When you leave the ship you see so many faces after seeing so few for a long time. Travelling back, flying up to Buenos Aires, during the taxi ride to the international airport, then flying to Madrid and on to Amsterdam. So many people. And again, out here.

What is strangest perhaps is having time to myself. After working most working hours every day for the past 11 weeks, I now have spare time again. I need to decide for myself what I want to do, I have a choice. My life is no longer governed by the regular hours and schedule of the ship.

Being on the move, working all day long, you need a little time to readjust to a different way of life again.

Adelie among the Gentoos

15 February

A busy day so far, and it is only just after 4 p.m. A pretty good day though. Some organising to do because we departed later than scheduled yesterday, but we did get our engine fixed! So we are heading south at full speed, and should arrive at Barrientos in the early morning day after tomorrow. I am looking forward to being back there again, it is a magical place.

After a group of almost only Dutch I now have a ship full of Australians. I am actually the only Dutch person on board, though one of the ladies was born in the Netherlands and emigrated with her parents when she was three years old. She still speaks Dutch. She rather likes being on a Dutch ship, where they have Dutch cookies, beschuit and liquorice.

So, only English spoken now, which is fine with me. It saves a lot of time not having to translate all the lectures and briefings, as well as the daily programmes and menus. I do feel there is a difference in culture somehow. I can speak the language, I know a little bit about Australia, but I am not familiar with much of the politics or the details of life. At dinner that means I don't always know just what the conversation is about. It is alright though, the people are friendly and we find things to talk about. They are also very interested, and ask a lot of questions about the trip. I hope they will have as good a trip as the last group. And I hope it will be a happier trip for me, with less complaining.


17 February

We were supposed to have our first landings today. I was up at 5 a.m., but had this weird feeling we were moving about a lot. And we were. Just before reaching the Aitcho Islands a force 11 gale hit us and we were forced to turn into a small bay for shelter. We stayed down there until just after lunch when we decided to brave the storm and head out to the continent. It's been a rough afternoon with some 20 people in their beds. Others spent a lot of time up on the bridge, or in the bar.

I think it will be a quiet evening too, with people trying to sleep as much as they can. There was a queue outside Dr. Max's surgery when we made the announcement about starting the crossing so most people will be out like a light. I managed to catch up on some sleep too this afternoon. Well, we'll see what the evening brings.


19 February

It's been a busy few days, not too much time to write, really. After our rocky start the trip has been getting better. Yesterday was actually more or less perfect. Crossing over to the mainland wasn't quite as rough as I had imagined it to be. Maybe it is because I am used to the Europa, but on the whole it wasn't all that much moving around. It wasn't comfortable, but not uncomfortable either. By nightfall we were close to the continent and the wind had slowed down considerably, so we could make good progress coming down south. The people woke up to a beautiful morning, mainly blue skies, not too much wind so you could stay up on deck. Sailing down the Gerlache Strait was perfect in every possible way. Sunshine, clear skies, beautiful light all around, icebergs everywhere, Fur Seals playing around the ship, penguins popping up everywhere, and some very good views of Humpback Whales. Most people spent the morning up on deck, watching what was going on and taking pictures. I took quite a lot of pictures too. They turned out like Edward Wilson watercolours. It was that kind of light.



Our first landing was also our first landing on the continent, at Neko Harbour. We still had sunshine and blue skies, and our first penguin colony. The landing was as smooth as you could hope for, and we greeted the guests with a drop of wodka to celebrate their first landing and their first step on the continent. That brought a smile to zodiac driver Andrey's face... Not a common sight. Neko looked so unlike it did in December. Most of the snow on beach level has now gone, the penguins and their chicks are moulting, and many have already left the colony.

The biggest change was the fact that the Argentine emergency hut on the island had been completely destroyed in the storm the day before. Looking out from the deck Alan, the hotel manager, and I could not find the little red hut and we didn't know what to think. Then, as we landed, I saw the debris all around. One beam had killed a penguin, and that had obviously happened just before we got there. I took a lot of pictures and on arrival at Almirante Brown informed the station manager there. One of the passengers told me that the hut was built in 1949, or so the Lonely Planet says. Judging from the furniture inside, or outside now, they could be right though.

At Neko Harbour we always warn people that the glacier just on the other side of the bay can calve big pieces, and that those calvings create mini tsunamis. I had never seen it happen, but guess what? Yes, just as I was walking down from the hill I could hear and see some small pieces go in, making a lot of noise. And just as I was standing there a really big piece came loose. I checked for waves and saw them, and I saw all the penguins running up the beach suddenly. But the people on the beach didn't budge. I had to break one of the rules and shout at them to move and then they did. Some 20 seconds later the waves came onto the beach. People would have gotten really wet if they hadn't moved, and I am sure some cameras would have gotten damaged.

We have a painter on board who has been working both on the upper deck and on the beach. He has all his stuff with him and just sits down and paints. It is fascinating to have someone do that. And there are a lot of photographers again, including some professionals. They've been busy too, the light everywhere is beautiful at the moment, though it remains hard to catch that on film somehow. It was good to see so many people up on deck today.

Last night we had another excursion, a zodiac tour around Skontorp Cove. Summer is ending here now, so it gets dark around 10 pm, but we still had a pretty good tour. We started out at Almirante and went along the rocks, past the nesting shags, into the cove. Just as we got into the cove we saw a Leopard Seal playing with a fresh kill. That got the cameras clicking too. I was in a boat where people had different interests though. Some got cold quickly and just wanted to get back, others were after the sunset, while others wanted to see the seals. Later on we got to see a couple of Weddell seals on an ice floe too. I always love Paradise, or Skontorp, for its glaciers, those fairy tale castle towers that always look different and are liable to go into the sea at any moment. The blue ice caves, the glaciers above. Somehow people were not too interested last night. So we headed out of the cove and went for the sunset. The light was beautiful again, and there was a fairy tale sky with clouds in different shapes and colours.



So far I have not had too many difficulties getting on with the crew. The language is a problem at times, but they are nice people, always working hard and trying to get the best out of the trip. I talk to the captain regularly, to discuss the schedule, and to talk about things that are happening. I talk to Andrey a lot, he is the radio officer and he speaks good English. He is a lovely man and he has a good sense of humour. Pavel is the best of the zodiac drivers, a quiet man usually, but good at his job and friendly, though I have a feeling he has his own ideas about everything he sees around him. He also is the one that catches the eye of most of the ladies on the ship somehow, though they all know his wife works on the ship too. She is actually one of the stewardesses working in the dining room. Sasha works there with Lina, and they work very hard.

This also is a good group. The people are pretty direct, and they are generally good-humoured. Some may not know exactly what they have gotten themselves into, some of the sailors among them know very well. It is a little tricky getting one or two of them in and out of zodiacs but as guides, and with the help of the zodiac drivers, we seem to manage.

The landing at Almirante Brown this morning was a rough affair, and some people got wet long before they got to land. Only some went all the way up, and no one really decided to slide down. I stayed down at the station again, this time to hand the commander the pictures I took of the hut that was destroyed at Neko Harbour. The Argentine crew were very friendly and welcoming again, they offered me coffee this time, and cookies. The commander had not realised that when I said that the hut had been destroyed that was exactly what I meant. He thought there was some damage and a door had blown off or something. Back on the ship I said to the captain that the Argentines would deal with the situation, and he said the first thing they had to do was bury the penguin chick that was killed by a piece of wood. Our captain is an unusual man, with an unusual sense of humour! Working with him has been good though.

This afternoon we sail through the Lemaire Channel again. We headed out from Almirante at less than full speed not to arrive at Petermann too early. We take the scenic route, through the beautiful Neumayer Channel and past Port Lockroy. That made my heart skip a beat. I offered at our lunchtime briefing to do a lecture on penguins this afternoon, but there were no takers. Good for me because I wanted to be outside, but even better for the guests, who also were outside on deck now, enjoying the view. After the Neumayer channel we slowly headed down to Lemaire, and there was a hush on the bridge with everyone trying to imagine how we would get the ship through. But, of course, no problems there. Pavel at the wheel, the first mate keeping an eye on the proceedings it all went perfectly. A few whales along the way, a lot of penguins in the water, no mist so we could see the tops of the mountains. Almost too good to be true. Well, the wind was pretty cold, so people must have been pretty determined to be out there.


20 February

I actually seem to be organised this trip. It's almost 7.45, I have just done the wake up call for the guests, in "dulcet tones" according to Dr. Max, have got together all my things for the zodiac tour this morning, and am waiting for breakfast. As I'm writing I can hear the anchor heaved, so we are about to leave for Pleneau Island for our morning zodiac tour.

Last night we had our landing on Petermann Island, which was a little weird for me. I am so used to the island being covered by snow, but this late in the season most of the snow is gone. So I had a little trouble finding my way across at times. All the young Adelies had already gone, the adults were moulting, there were no shags around at all, but a lot of gentoos, like everywhere else.

Going back we had to wait a little while for a zodiac. As we were waiting we were surrounded by a big group of Gentoo Penguins, with an Adelie among them. I had to make the remark I sometimes feel like that lone Adelie, one penguin among a huge group of slightly different penguins, like a Dutch girl among a big group of Australians. You feel at home, though you are a little different.


Later

much later actually, it's almost time to go to bed. Or it is nearly 10 pm. It has been another weird day. The day started with a zodiac tour close to Pleneau Island. An iceberg tour. We started after breakfast, and it was a good tour. I had wanted to be out for about 90 minutes, but we were actually out for about two hours. We started out having a look at some of the icebergs and got to see some really nice ones. We saw all the iceberg colours, the white, the blue, and some fantastic shapes again. The light was good, which made it all really lovely. Then a Leopard Seal caught on to us, and kept following the zodiac around. This was a big animal, and it kept close to the zodiac for a while, so we stayed out for a while. Andrey managed to stay close to the animal, or rather kept the animal close to the zodiac, without upsetting it, which is not that easy to do.



This afternoon started out alright, I went over to Wordie House to show the passengers around. I felt a little lost though, for some reason. I had a wander round the coast line of Winter Island and spotted one Krill swimming. I had never observed live Krill that closely before, and it was very nice to see. Then I had ten minutes by myself just beside Wordie, because everybody had walked up the hill. It was lovely, just to enjoy the peace and quiet, to look at and listen to the gulls and the skuas. I know I need to be available here, and I need to be at work, but just then I gave myself 15 minutes off, and it was lovely.

I went on to Vernadskiy, back to work, and stamped all the passports. I was given a vodka by the Multanovskiy and Vernadskiy crew already there, and then commander Yeugeni made me a coffe, which was really nice. I talked with the passengers, the people at Vernadskiy, our own crew and the people were all very nice to me. I got a big hug from Sasha, the barman, and one or two of the other people working there. It is a nice idea to have friends in such a place. The only thing was that people insisted on giving me a vodka, and so I ended up having four instead of the one I usually have. The last one was at the insistence of the commander because this was my last visit for the season. He is a lovely man, and so I couldn't say no. I did get back safely, thanks to our safety officer, Mikhail, who drove the zodiac. It was strange getting back here though. Then I was sent out to look for a pair of gloves, and ended up in the Russian quarters downstairs, among the Russians and Ukrainians that had come on board, and had my last vodka for the day. That one really hit me, and almost sent me to sleep. It was in a big glass, so it was probably more than I would usually have, and it was probably also the real stuff, the stuff they don't serve to the tourists. I had to go to my cabin for an hour or so...

Then I got a tough question on the schedule from one of the other guides, so that was a challenge, but I did work it out in the end, with some help from the captain. Anyway, to cut a long story short, after a long talk with one of the other guides it turned out to be too late to have any dinner, I had actually missed the whole barbecue. So I went to the office to do my paperwork and to make a program for tomorrow. As I said, another weird day.


21 February 2009

Well, the last day in Antarctic surroundings. We are sailing through the Neumayer Channel and will then head out across the Drake Passage again. For the last time this season. It has all gone so quickly, I can hardly believe it. It will be hard to say goodbye to everyone in three days time, just as I've gotten to know the crew a little better. My little Vernadskiypade yesterday got me some smiles in the morning. The zodiac drivers were very friendly. Well, they always are, but they smiled a lot more at me this morning.

Some of the passengers were asking me what happened to me yesterday, but I explained about all the hard work I had to do when I got back.... To some others I did explain about everything else too.

We had a wonderful last landing at Dorian Bay this morning. The place has a bad name, I guess, I've often had bad weather there, but it was a good landing this morning. We had sunshine, you could see the mountains and the glaciers in the Neumayer, still lots of penguins, and a Weddell and Fur Seal close up. Not bad going. People went to have a look inside the hut, climbed up for the view into Lockroy, and wandered round a bit. We had landed early, so we would have enough time for this last landing, and we did, people had time to sit down and enjoy what was happening all around.

Then there was another good lunch, a short briefing to tell the guests the crossing might be a little rough, some chat up on the bridge, and now we are sailing north. There is a pretty big storm in the Drake now, and it sounds like Europa is heading straight into it. We might just miss it, but Europa left Ushuaia this morning and will be heading into the Drake later tonight. I hope they will be okay in there and will be able to get some sleep. Almost the whole crew has changed, I do know most of them though, and have sailed with them. I hope they will have a good crossing and a good trip.

I didn't sleep much last night. Part of me knew I had to wake up early to do the wake up for this early landing, there was a lot of noise up in the bar until quite late, and I felt the effects of the vodka. I still felt them this morning, but I'm much better now.

Max asked me today about being with a group of Australians, and I could reassure him. It's been a good trip, even though I feel like an Adelie among the Gentoos. He is a lovely man to work with, gentle, with a good sense of humour.

Later

We had some good whale sightings before we headed into the Drake Passage. I was up on the bridge, and the Dallman Bay delivered once again. So I think it all worked out more or less alright. I spent much of my afternoon up on the bridge, watching the last icebergs disappear, watching the Fulmars appear, and watching the whales forage. I had another little chat with the captain, a longer chat with Andrey. After all the reservations I had beforehand I am very happy with the way things have turned out.

I also spent some time sorting out my things. I have more or less the same amount of stuff I arrived here with, I only bought a couple of books. As usual. I can leave some things in Ushuaia again, so it shouldn't be a problem. I've also sorted out all of the papers for this trip, and thrown some of them out. The kind of things you always do when you are finished with all the landings.

I am tired enough to sleep now, but dinner starts in an hour. I think I'd rather go to bed early tonight....

Later

Well, it didn't quite happen like that. I did lie down for a few minutes, and woke up just before dinner, so I slept for almost an hour. Dinner was an unusual affair again, with three people leaving our table early. It must have been something we said. Or maybe it was something else. We are rocking gently now, and I am feeling it a bit more than before. Heather, my colleague, was one of the casualties over dinner, and she is now in my cabin. I live on deck 3 here, so not too high up, while she lives on deck 6, which is quite high up. The dining room is on 3, so when she left I told her to go and sleep in the empty bunk in my cabin. I'll sleep up here on 6 for the night. See what that is like. I just grabbed all the things I need and moved up. Because I slept earlier I don't feel very sleepy right now.

We are not really rolling all that much, but we are not rock steady either. After dinner I spent some time on the bridge again, waiting for the weather forecast and chatting. For some reason it feels like I am still ahead, and there isn't that much work for me now. There is, obviously, like filling out 53 Antarctic certificates and signing them, sorting out some pictures and factual bits for the triplog, printing an address list for the passengers. Lots of little things. And hopefully the weather will be good enough for lectures tomorrow. I'd like to do the seabird conservation lecture so I can try to get people to donate to the Birdlife campaign.

I had a few funny moments tonight. At dinner one of the guests asked me just how the crew calculate the height of the swell, which of the instruments they used. When I asked Andrey he stood up, looked up, and told me the waves were about 2 metres high. The only instrument they actually use are the eyes. Not everything is done by machines these days. And Pavel must have had a funny moment when he got a call to help one of the guests who got himself locked in the toilet.

I'm still getting used to the idea that this afternoon I saw my last iceberg for the season, I wouldn't mind going back again. Maybe this really is addictive.


22 February

Out on the Drake. We've had a bumpy night you can say. My night on deck 6 wasn't what you would call a good night sleep. I was tossing and turning, in fact, everything was tossing and turning. Being up on the sixth deck is a lot rougher than being down here on deck 3. I think I made the right choice at the start, sleeping down here rather than up there, even though it is closer to the bridge!

I really hope to get some sleep tonight, two nights in a row is all I can take, I think. It looks like a little more rolling though. Breakfast was a messy affair this morning, so I don't know yet what lunch will be like. But I guess I am about to find out....

After lunch

Or sort of. I had to deal with a little problem up on the bridge and ended up missing lunch. I am pretty hungry now. Not good when you're on the Drake, but I'll raid the fruit basket later. I didn't realise lunch was already over when I got back down. Oh well, that is the way it goes.

And later

Lina, the stewardess who works in the dining room, took pity on me this afternoon. She beckoned me and took me into the Russion dining area, where she gave me some soup and bread. We have fun talking together, and she is a very nice girl. I'm glad she got me something to eat though, I was really hungry.

Today is my day for writing certificates. People who come on this trip receive a certificate to commemorate their achievements, like landing on the continent and reaching a southernmost point. The certificates are quite nice, but if you print on them it doesn't look very good. So I've been writing them all instead. I am actually nearly finished.

And I realised that I had offered to do a lecture on Seabird Conservation tonight, but only have a Dutch version, so I created an English one. So that was my "easy" day taken care of... I just shouldn't have said I haven't too much to do at the moment.

Later

My conservation lecture didn't go so well. I realised too late that a couple of slides were missing.... There was just too much going on today. Then when I started the film it turned out there was something wrong with the sound, so that didn't go too well either. I do think I got the message across though, or I will find out tomorrow afternoon when I will be selling my albatross pins.


23 February

we are approaching Cape Horn, and those people wishing for a storm have now got what they wanted. I think we are having a force 10 now, as we are heading north. Pavel is at the wheel upstairs and he seems quite happy. Other people are not quite so happy and are disappearing into toilets or cabins.

Euan, our resident painter, just held a short exhibition of this paintings in the dining room, and he is about to give a talk in the bar. He is a nice guy and I like the work he has done. I know they are not finished works, but it will be interesting to see what they turn into.

Some people are just up on the bridge, enjoying the waves. They are beautiful. I just saw a Black-browed Albatross from my porthole, holding its own over the waves. Stunning. And there are more birds out there now. The wind speed has gone up to about 22 m/s, and the waves are about 8 m high.

I slept upstairs again last night because Heather was still not feeling well. I slept better this time, but it still wasn't great. It was partly the movement, partly all the things that are on my mind at the moment. I'll be heading home tomorrow afternoon, that is a very strange thought. I could happily do a few more trips on this ship, go back to Capetown. And there is a lot that needs to be done over the next 24 hours or so, things to finish and organise. And at the moment that includes making sure people do't get hurt. It's hard for people to really be aware of the force of the wind and the waves, and to accept that they need to adapt their behaviour to this force.

Heather tells me my lecture last night was good, so I hope she is right. I think I told the whole story, though not necessarily in the right order.


24 February

I'm at the international airport in Buenos Aires, waiting for my flight to Madrid. It's almost 10 pm, my flight leaves in a couple of hours. Another long day, though I slept through most of my flight from Ushuaia to BA. It was actually quite sweet. I met up with a couple of passengers from the Multanovskiy on the airport, a father and son, and they were both very nice to me, very complimentary. During the flight the father bought me a glass of wine, but I was fast asleep when he turned up at my seat. It was very nice though.

I think on the whole the people were happy with the trip, one or two were not. That always happens. The last day was eventful in some ways, less so in others. The storm continued for most of the day, which made some people very unhappy. The ones who were sick and were confined to their cabin. Some, the sailors, were happy just being on the bridge, watching the waves. Just as we started dinner we changed tack, which made the hotel manager very unhappy, and he was ready to go up to the bridge to kill some of the officers. I told him not to, but I'm not sure that helped much. Then I proceeded to send people up on deck to see Cape Horn just about as they were serving the main course. But it was one of those things you have to do, you can't tell these sailors after they've finished their salmon that we have just sailed past Cape Horn. I like the hotel manager very much, so I didn't like upsetting him, but there wasn't really any other choice.

After dinner we had the photo competition, and then champagne in the bar. I managed to drop a whole tray of glasses in there.... But let's not get into that.

The really hard part came this morning, saying goodbye to everyone. It can be hard to say goodbye to the passengers, but it is many times harder to say goodbye to the people you have worked with. I hated saying goodbye to Heather and Max, and to Lina and Andrey. working together on a ship makes you get close to people quickly, and letting go is hard. The captain was very nice today, he said he had enjoyed working with me and even gave me a goodbye kiss. He is a good captain, he knows his job, and I have great respect for him. Before I went out I heard he was difficult to work with, but I had no trouble at all with him. It was good to work with Max too, our ship's doctor. We worked together on two trips and on the last one he always referred to me as the boss lady. He is a good man, very knowledgeable and interested, and he was a good support to me. Lina is just a lovely girl, very sweet and keen. Andrey was a good friend to me and he helped me on my first trip as expedition leader...... Heather and I spent a lot of time just talking, and we've become friends very quickly. It is lovely when that happens, when you just connect with someone.

It is such a strange idea to think that this time tomorrow I will be home, sleeping in my own bed. And that in a few days time I will be at work again. My mind is still on the Multanovskiy and I would have gladly done another few trips with her. I like the work, the challenges it presents, I like the people I worked with. And I still like the beauty of the Antarctic. Maybe next year I will get the chance to visit the Falklands and South Georgia again. Or maybe the trip up to Capetown. We shall see. As the Russians say.

Going Home

Travelling home from the south is disconcerting. For weeks you are immersed in a life out there, and then you have to leave it behind from one moment to the next. You end up on three planes, going from a nice, cool place, to tropical Buenos Aires, on to Madrid and back to chilly Amsterdam. Some of the time you drag along two backpacks, one with all your camera gear, one with everything else.

You start your day having to say goodbye to all the people you've travelled with, in this case a group of Australians. You finish your last jobs, you pack your last stuff and then you have to say goodbye to the people you worked with so closely for the past three weeks, which is hard.

Arriving at Ushuaia airport I meet up with some of the guests from the last trip, always strange after just having said goodbye. I spend some time with an Australian father and son, Richard and Ryan, who are very good company. We are on the same flight. I sleep all the way through the flight, so I miss out on the glass of wine Richard wants to offer me.

From Buenos Aires I end up on the De Gerlache flight. There is a group of Belgians around who have just been south on the Polar Star. I see some of them clutching the book I'm reading too, Adrien de Gerlaches "Fifteen Months in the Antarctic". There is a real living De Gerlache on the plane too, though I can't pick him out. And again, I sleep through the entire flight, waking up close to Madrid mid morning. A quick change at Madrid airport, and on to Amsterdam. And yes, I sleep through that flight too.

At Schiphol I walk towards the baggage reclaim area, and see a familiar back and hear a familiar voice. It's Jan, the expedition leader on the Multanovskiy we succeeded. He is on his way south again, to join the Molchanov on a trip into the Weddell Sea. We exchange the latest gossip and are on our way again. It's a nice homecoming.

Then onto a train, a tram, trying to find the tram ticket and my keys. It all feels unfamiliar, suddenly I need to find my money again, I have to buy some food at the airport so I can cook a meal again. Putting my key in the lock at home alerts my neighbour who welcomes me from the top of the stairs. She tells me about the plane crash at Schiphol earlier in the day. I noticed nothing at the airport itself, and my plane came in on time. And then I'm home. I find three months of mail waiting for me, tax forms, invoices and a pile of Christmas cards.

First Trip on the Multanovskiy

5 February

Out on the Drake again. I was out on deck earlier, watching the birds breeze past. Not too many this morning, but always good to see both the tiny Wilson's Storm Petrels and the huge Wandering Albatross. It's a pretty grey day, a little drizzle and a lot of fog. You can't really see that far into the distance. There weren't many people on deck. The lecture on Seabirds is taking place now, so I do expect more people out there later on. It's a Drake Lake again, so far, and we're slowly moving south.

I'm still getting used to the ship. It's so much bigger than what I'm used to, and I've wandered down the wrong corridor already more than once. I'm getting the hang of it though, and I know where to find the bridge, the office, my cabin, the bar, the lecture room and the dining room. And I know where to find the way out onto the deck. My cabin here is huge, and luxurious. Two bunks on the same level, a desk, too much storage space for my luggage. Everything here is just much bigger, including the 5 zodiacs, the bridge and the office. Responsibilities are a little different here. We have a hotel manager on board, with a staff of cooks and stewardesses to take care of the food and household duties. Last night the hotel manager was ill though, and we had to go round serving wine, which was a challenge. Finding the wines one flight up in the bar and getting it to the right people didn't quite work out before the end of dinner. My own dinner got cold, but the galley girls heated it up for me, so I still had a good meal. The girls are very nice, and they work very hard.

6 February

We're rolling a little more today, though I would still consider this a Drake Lake. Some of the guests would not agree with this idea. We still have a few people sick, though not very many. Most people turned up at breakfast.

Again, not too many birds this morning, though I must also confess I wasn't outside very much. I've been reading up on a couple of things. This afternoon it is IAATO lecture time again, so we will talk about the guidelines that we will have to stick to while we are on land. I've done this one often before, but it is always good to freshen up. And I will be giving a talk on Deception Island as well. If it all works out we'll be landing there tomorrow.

Later

The IAATO lecture went fine, though it definitely isn't my favourite. I've been thinking of new subjects for lectures for next season and already have a lot of ideas. I'm still reading, and being down here means you learn a lot of new stuff very quickly. It also shows you that there is still a lot you don't know anything about, so there is a lot left to learn.

I've learnt about the ship too, and I don't wander down the wrong corridor too often anymore. I can get up to the top deck pretty quickly now. It seemed like a long way up when I first went up there, but it's the old rule again, as you go up more often it seems to be shorter every time. And I'm getting to know the names of the people, even though there are 53, and you don't get to spend that much time with most of them.

7 February

Some days it all works out. We had to change course yesterday because we were rolling too much, and started heading for the Aitcho Islands. We stopped rolling and people felt much happier. Then it turned out we would reach our waypoint quite early in the morning, and that got us thinking. We checked the schedule and found out Barrientos wasn't booked for the morning. So, a chat with the captain, and we could add an extra landing to the schedule, and a nice one too. So this morning everybody was woken up early for a landing before breakfast. We managed to get the zodiacs into the water around 7, and we set foot on land shortly after. A walk through the stream in between the mosses to the other side, where there were maybe fewer Elephant Seals at Seal Rock, but many more Fur and Elephant Seals on the other side. The Fur Seals were showing off, and seemed quite friendly. Less friendly were the two Giant Petrels killing and eating a penguin chick. A pretty gruesome sight, but fascinating. A little time around the penguin colony, and then back onto the ship for the crossing to Deception.

We arrived there just after lunch. People were anxious for another landing, and some turned up on deck with their lifejackets on even before we could see the island. The Russian crew thought that was funny, and stood up on the bridge having a laugh: "Life jackets, no island yet". But soon after we sailed through Neptunes Bellows, and we could land at Whalers Bay. Most people walked up to Neptunes Window, but I decided to follow the tidelines to look for washed up small animals. I managed to find a couple of Brittle Stars, an Isopod and a small Shrimpy thing. Very interesting, and I had fun looking. I tried to find some Brittle Stars to show to the passengers, and was happy to be able to do that.

Now we are out on the Bransfield Strait, heading for the Peninsula. I guess when people wake up tomorrow morning the world will look different, all white. We will be sailing in the Gerlache Strait, heading for Cuverville. Hope we will have a good day again tomorrow.

8 February

Not another busy day..... We started out at Cuverville Island,lovely little beach, lovely little penguins. Most of the snow has gone now, so good walking and penguin watching. Our arrival got delayed a little because a couple of Humpback Whales got in the way of the zodiacs. I was still at the ship, and saw it all happen in the distance, wishing I was there. Then on to the beach, and I came along with the last group of zodiacs. No whales, unfortunately. I spent most of my time on the beach at Cuverville, watching the Gentoos wander past.

Our trip back was interesting. It was the kind of weather that made us decide last time not to attempt a landing. No choice this time, we had to get back. It was a bumpy and a wet ride, for most people in this group a little unexpected. some were actually a little scared. We did get back safely. I just got soaked, trying to protect the camera of the man sitting next to me, mainly, but my clothes dried up quickly in the engine room, so I was dry again for the afternoon landing.

The continent on the schedule for the afternoon, Almirante Brown. I was in charge of the passports, so I took them, but was handed the stamp by the Argentine commander, so I headed straight back to the ship for stamping. No ink though, so in the end it was all a bit futile. Coming back I had the chance to enjoy some mate with the commander and two other Argentinians working at the base. It was nice to chat and to share the maté. They explained about the maté, so now I know how to make it for myself too. Getting to know so many different people is one of the reasons why I like working on the ships so much.

Then on for our errand for the day, picking up a spare part for the engine at Port Lockroy. That was a weird experience. When we reached Lockroy the wind had picked up and we were several ships down there. The first thing I saw as we were coming in was Bark Europa, and that made my day. It was lovely to see her there. Then we saw Hanse Explorer with some of her zodiacs, weird in these waves. Pavel, our best zodiac driver, went down to Port Lockroy for the part, and, ever the professional, was there and back before we even realised what was happening. I have great admiration for his skills, I must say. The only thing was that we had to give him some shelter to leave and get back onto the boat, and doing that meant that we slightly tapped a slightly big iceberg. Some ice on deck, and a little dent in the railings were the result. It was all a little like a film, so much was happening at the same time, but we all only got to see a small part of it all. The funny thing was that while we were doing all this it was Andrey zodiac driver at the helm...

9 February

A great day for marine mammals, lots of Humpback Whales and Leopard Seals. We started the morning at Petermann Island, one of my favourite places still. Most of the snow has now gone here too, and what is left looks green or pink because of the algae. The little Adelies are quite big now, and look very much like their parents, except for their white faces. They still chase their parents for food though. The young Shags are big too, almost ready to fly. The zodiac ride back took a long time too, not only because the ship had anchored quite far away, but also because we got a couple of Humpback Whales close to the zodiacs. We stayed close to them for a while, slowly and gently following them, and we got to see some lovely tails. Again, Pavel did his best to give people a good view of the animals.

After lunch Port Charcot. It took us a little while to find it as the captain didn't want to park his ship in uncharted waters, and we were on the other side of the island this time. So a longer zodiac ride and a little searching to be done. But we were well rewarded, once landed we got a good view of about seven Leopard Seals asleep on the icebergs. More pictures again....

The evening was for Pléneau and some iceberg watching. We got close to some bergs and enjoyed the blue and the white. The wildlife got in the way again though, with a lot of Leopard Seals in the water and on the ice. For about an hour and a half it was a mixture of bergs and seals, and when we had to get back most people thought we had been on the tour for a lot less. The people who had initially opted for the short zodiac ride ended up doing a long tour too. This is a pretty good place for icebergs, and I enjoyed the tour here. It is unlike Trinity in many ways, much more open, so the bergs are a little further apart, but you get some lovely big icebergs here.

10 February

These have been stressful days, and today I am just very tired. All I really want to do is sleep, and I haven't even started the tablets yet.... The captain told us yesterday we need to leave the peninsula half a day early because of some problems with the engine. Not great news. So our carefully arranged visit to Port Lockroy had to be cancelled. Checking the schedule we thought of an alternative, and though that one didn't work out, we did manage to organise a visit for today. So hurray for Rick and Hanna.

Telling the guests about all these changes isn't easy. There is a lot of explaining to do, and people are not happy, especially because there have been problems on this trip before. And this is a demanding group that is not easy to please.

It's been a long and hard five days. I don't know why exactly, but it is hard going. I have a feeling the people expected something else from this trip, especially where the ship is concerned, and that is clouding their vision in every respect. They don't seem to enjoy what Antarctica has to offer so much somehow, because too many other things get in the way, and that is a great shame. On one or two occasions, when we had some discussion going on, I had to tell people to go outside and enjoy what was happening there first before spending more time on these discussions. It seems such a waste sometimes.

This morning we got to visit Vernadskiy Station and Wordie House, our southernmost point again. It was nice to see the people at Vernadskiy and to talk to Yeugeni and Sasha for a while. Coming back so often in one season it is nice to see them every time and to talk about the way the season is going. Passports to stamp, zodiacs to organise. With the Russian crew on board this was a different visit. The zodiac drivers came into the station to talk to the people there, and to play a game of billiards. It was funny to see them rushing inside in their socks, and head, or rather slide, straight for the table. Hopefully next time we can just do Vernadskiy and give them some time there.

Later

Coming back up we have another beautiful Lemaire cruise, sailing north in the sunshine. Then a little further north, into Port Lockroy. Polar Star are still there, but they are just taking the last passengers off, so we can start landing at six.

Half the group is off to Dorian Bay, I take the remainder to the Base. Great to see Rick and the girls again, and to give them a big hug. The season is hard work for all of us, and we get a chance to exchange experiences. Or have a good moan in this case. A look around the station again, always nice, and all the passports. It is just such a good place to visit.

The funny is that Rick tells us his story of our visit earlier in the trip, our flying visit, and he says that the only thing that went smoothly that night was our pickup. When I tell him about our little iceberg encounter he realises it wasn't quite like that...

After the landing we sail, and after dinner we get our best sunset. Fire above the mountains behind us, just stunning. Everybody rushes out, camera in hand. It only lasts for a little while, but it is just beautiful.



11 February

Back out on the Drake. We started to roll a little during the night, which kept some people awake. I was awake for a while too, but mainly because I had so much going on in my head. Three more days to go on this trip, with lectures to organise and give, a triplog to write and finish, administration and other things to do. Then there is next trip to prepare, the schedule to check, programmes to start preparing. I now know who the guides are, so I know what lectures I can give, and I know a little better what to expect.

It is a quiet Drake again, we are rolling gently still, no great movement, so for the guests I hope it will stay like this. One or two didn't look too happy this morning, but most seemed alright. Even some of the ones that were sick on the way down are up now. Some birds around the ship this morning, even an Antarctic Petrel.

I'm not feeling too great at the moment. I am pretty tired most of the time, and have a feeling I could sleep for 24 hours. I just finished my lecture on De Gerlache and the Belgica, which went quite well, considering the state of my voice and my brain. I guess it should be time for a good book, some liquorice, and hot chocolate. Well, I can't complain too much. I just had my coffee and a piece of cake, baked on board Europa, and a present from Lockroy.

12 February

Another sea day. Not too bad, for me anyway. The sea is pretty calm, and there is time to prepare lectures and to look ahead to the next trip. I hope to be more or less organised before we get into Ushuaia day after tomorrow. We have a very full schedule of lectures lined up now, and the lecture room is in use throughout the day. I've never had such a busy trip....

13 February

Friday. But, so far, so good. The last full day of the trip, a day of preparation and of leaving. Saying goodbye at the end of the trip is usually hard, but it is different now somehow. I didn't really relate that much to the people on this trip, though some were nice enough. Maybe it is because there are more people and because it is a shorter trip. Well, we'll see. As the Russians here say.

We did get to see Cape Horn beautifully today. The captain took us very close, just a couple of miles, and you could see the flagpole clearly without binoculars. And it looks like we're sailing into the Beagle tonight, so we will have daylight this time. We won't get to Ushuaia before late night though.

Beautiful Ushuaia

I spend my morning in Ushuaia. I wander round Maipu, the main road close to the dock. You see all the streets leading into the city as you wander past. All these historical names I am gradually getting to know. Lasserre, the Navy commander who established the base here.

I go down to the docks to see what ships are around, it is just "Le Diamant" this morning, and I think I can see Orlova just on the other side. "Le Diamant" is a French ship, the one that almost attacked us in Whalers Bay a few years ago. Interesting people. Big white ship. Very big white ship. Though not as big as, say, the Norwegian Princess. Huge ship. She was in town when I was still on board Europa, and I was amazed by the number of people ferried off to the train in the national park. And the number coming up into San Martin to do some shopping. And we very much enjoyed their PA system, inviting us all over for champagne on deck 267. Or something like that.



Along the shoreline there are some statues of Antarctic heroes that have some connection to Ushuaia or Argentina. My Belgian friend Adrien de Gerlache is there, he got his statue in 2008. He is standing next to Sobral, the Argentinian who accompanied Nordenskjold on his famous expedition into the Weddell Sea. And then there is Irizar, the man who rescued Nordenskjold and his men from various locations after the Antarctic sank. There is an empty socket next to these three, so I guess more statues will be added to the Antarctic gallery on the seafront.



Just up from where De Gerlache looks out over the quay, and lovely Le Diamant, where all the cruiseships moor you go up a street called Rivadavia. On the corner is the Museo del Fin del Mundo. I visited the museum a couple of years ago, I think. It has a big collection of stuffed birds, so you get to see many of the species you find in this area, though not, perhaps, the way you would like to see them. On the opposite site of Rivadavia is the Yamana museum, a tiny house which houses the exhibition on the Indian inhabitants of Tierra del Fuego. Many maps of the area and the places the first people came from, a video from the early twentieth century, and some old photographs. A lot of information to read too. The best part of the museum is the last room, where you find some maquettes of the indians and the way they lived. They give a good idea of life in Tierra del Fuego before the arrival of the white man.

San Martin is its usual lively self this morning, a lot of tourists coming from the north or the south, or maybe heading that way. All those lovely souvenir shops. I end up looking round one of the most interesting ones, trying to find a purse not made of leather (impossible here, so I'll have to keep losing my change for a while longer), and get fascinated by all the things you can buy around here. Penguins in all shapes and sizes, other birds, whales, but also trains, buildings. prisoners and gnomes. I have a Rien Poortvliet moment out there. It is all rather scary really. A good thing I don't have room for anything extra in my luggage.





Well, as you'll understand, after all that I need time to recover. So a coffee is in order. Fortunately my hotel offers that, as well as a good internet connection. The joy of modern living...

Grey Sunday

Being away for so long changes your outlook. Sounds pretty obvious, really. First of all there is stuff. Here I don't have a house full of stuff, just a couple of bags, and that still feels like a lot much of the time. You don't have your own space, so you have to improvise for much of the time. The usual routine is gone, you need to take things one day at a time, which makes life a lot easier in some respects.

San Martin, Ushuaia main street, looks different on Sunday afternoon. Like the Kalverstraat in Amsterdam. Many of the shops are closed, you still get the cars driving slowly, though not nearly so much as at other times, and you get the tourists wandering up and down, like the local people. A lot of backpackers, but also Antarctic travellers in all shapes and sizes. San Martin is an old-fashioned main street, all the shops are here, no big shopping centre outside Ushuaia. That is what keeps it lively.

I think all of our Europa guests have now gone, and the new group won't arrive for a while yet. Then again, the Multanovskiy guests might start to arrive now.



Today started grey again, and it was raining when we walked down to the Bahia Encerrada this morning. Still saw some lovely Chilean Lapwings there. It's a little brighter outside now. These seem to be the days for winding up the first two trips and preparing for the next two. I've received some pictures from guests on the first trips, and it's been good already reliving a few memories.

Being back in town and having access to the internet also brings the outside world back in again. It's good to get back in touch with friends, so far I've been able to talk to Leeuwarden, chat to Antwerp and chat to New York. Fun, but weird. It is just as strange talking about my other life here. Yesterday I talked to Alberto at the Cabo San Diego, and he asked me about my job. I told him I was in urban planning, but that seems to be a strange thing to talk about here. The city is like IJburg because of its grid, but that is the only thing the two have in common. Here the grid is filled completely by individuals or companies building on their own plots. Houses in all shapes, sizes and colours side by side. Slightly or completely chaotic, depending on the street, but not often boring. The same goes for the pavements really. Different materials everywhere, the holes that were here three years ago are still there.




I still don't feel like reading the news, though I have looked at some favourites. They seem to belong to another world and a different routine though. For now I prefer reading up on my penguins instead..

Ushuaia Days

Well, we've found shelter for another night at the Cesar Hotel on San Martin. We were supposed to stay here from tomorrow, but we could move in today. so back in another room full of plastic bags, sailing gear, laundry, computer and photo gear. I just washed out my sailing trousers with sweet water to get rid of some of the salt. Why do our hotel rooms always end up looking like camp sites though?



This isn't such a nice place as Cabo, no room to cook for one thing, and not much room for sitting down. The public spaces are the same as in most big hotels, clean and impersonal. The frames on the walls are a strange mix of old photographs of Ushuaia, which are nice, bad reproductions of great art, Vincent van Gogh in colours that would make him unhapppy, and watercolours with the kind of English garden images that look completely out of place here. Because we were moving in and organising ourselves today we must have left and picked up the key to the room at least ten times within two hours, not an issue at Cabo. Anyway, mustn't grumble. At least we can stay here until we board the Multanovskiy, so no unpacking and packing for a few days....

We're both not feeling great today, headaches and other minor ailments, so it's a good day for moving rooms and taking it easy. Hopefully we can go for a long walk again tomorrow. It's a pretty grey day here too, cool, but not too cold.

A few days in Ushuaia, with a few practical things to settle and arrange, and a little more time off. We join our other ship in a few days, two more trips for me, on a different ship, a different way of working and at a different pace. we only have 11 days for a trip, half the number we have on the Europa. We have fewer landings, but more than half. The Drake takes only two days though.

Being here creates some weird moments. Today, as we were carrying down luggage to the new hotel, a man shouted and waved at us from the back of a motorcycle. Not some crazy person, but the captain of one of the catamarans here. He is always very friendly and interested, and it was funny to see him earlier. Ushuaia still is a small town, where you will meet or see the people you know regularly.

I think we also know quite a few pizza places round here now. Being vegetarian in Argentina can be a bit of a challenge, but you can always count on pizza and pasta places. The best pizza around here, I think, you can get at 137 (San Martin), formerly known as Tanta Sara. Again, a new, modern, clean place. For atmosphere the best place is Barcleit, old, small, great wallpaper and unique service. Maybe not the best pizza, but certainly good enough. And just fun and good memories.

Park Days

Back in Ushuaia after a short break in the Tierra del Fuego National Park. Quiet days in some respect, less quiet in others. I guess the last morning was the best. After a little rain early in the morning it was dry. I was up early for a change, and got to see Magellanic Woodpeckers in a way I had not seen them before. And some other birds too. I saw two Condors fly over while waiting for my coffee in the cafeteria at the campsite. Weird. Lots of Chimangos and Southern Cara Caras, Black-chested Buzzard-eagles, Austral Parakeets, Thorn-tailed Rayaditos. And I got to see the Ringed Kingfisher again, for the first time since 2005. The Woodpeckers were the absolute highlight though.



Camping in the park is a different experience, You get to be there before and after the day visitors are around. The camp site itself seems to attract a lot of birds, so you get them round your tent, eating your bread even though you are not allowed to feed the animals, and there are rabbits all over the place. Like rabbits. This is not like a Dutch campsite though. You get your own picknick table, your own fireplace for a woodfire, and you get a lot of space. No neatly cordoned off little sites, but a lot of space. And no flat piece of grassland, but a nice variation in height... So you end up sleeping a little like you did on the ship, listing to one side...



And this time round I had my Calafate again. Or at least I think it was Calafate. They say that if you eat Calafate berries you get to come back to Tierra del Fuego. I had some on my first trip out here, handpicked by a very friendly minibus driver called Manuel, and I've been back every year since. I had another one this time, so who knows.



We are actually back at Cabo San Diego for the moment, moving from place to place because we didn't make any plans before staying here. Three nights in the tent in the National Park, one night here, one night unknown, and then three nights in the Cesar Hotel. That sounds a little Las Vegas, but doesn't feel like that. It is on the main street here in Ushuaia though. Cabo is more a home away from here, we know the owners, they allow us to keep our stuff here when we ourselves are not, and they are always friendly. Last year Juan took us to see a small beaver dam outside Ushuaia. And the rooms are pretty good, we can actually cook there. Earlier this week we had a guides night there, having a meal with the other three Europa guides, which was great fun. Always good to share experiences and frustrations.

Harberton

I didn't expect we would manage, but we visited Harberton today. We had a fast trip back, or fast enough, so we had the time and this time we had permission too. It had been two years since I was last there. I met up with all the family, which was very nice. It is a lovely place, a halfway house between the quiet and emptiness of the Antarctic and busy Ushuaia. You see and you smell the green you've been missing for a few weeks.

One of the highlights of the place is the tearoom. Good coffee, friendly service, a wonderful view and lots of different homemade cakes. Then there is the Whalebone museum, set up by Natalie Goodall, with its own special brand of tour guides. They might still be a little young, they definitely know what they are talking about.

Harberton has its own long history, always owned by one family, still is though the name has changed. This time I was in the house itself, a beautiful place with a great atmosphere. It must be lonely out there in winter though. Well, I'm sure I'll be back here some day.

Back Again....

7 January 2009

I have just seen today is Wednesday 7 January. On board ship you lose track of time, track of the days, track of your usual routine. Things that seem important at home in the city suddenly seem remote and not so important. You get into a new routine, a daily routine, with no change for the weekend. So you no longer need to know which day of the week it is.

The second group for this season is on board now. They joined us three days ago, and, I guess, are not that different from the other groups. When new people come on board they are eager to learn about the ship, the people, the trip, but also many are slightly insecure. If you have not travelled on a ship like this before it is hard to know what to expect. When people come on board they don't know the ship, the crew, each other, and they are trying to work it all out. People wander round the ship, inspecting the various spaces, and they start introducing themselves talking to each other. They don't look at home on the ship, some really look a little lost. Many wear new sailing gear, and all are full of great expectations.

Then we are off, cameras are clicking, departure from Ushuaia. Old professional crew waving us off from the quay, running all the way along to keep us in sight as long as possible. Always a difficult moment for those on the ship and those on the quayside. Sailing and working together, sharing a cabin, spending three weeks together in confined spaces and at the same time experiencing the beauty and grandeur of the Antarctic creates a strong bond.

Sailing down the Beagle Channel the guests get their first sailing instructions, they start to learn about sails and the ropes, about steering and being on lookout. And some get their climbing instructions, going up into the rigging. Meanwhile, we all try to enjoy the beautiful surroundings, the channel, the shores, the small islands and all the birds. Here we get to see the first albatross and the first penguins.

Once we reach the end of the Beagle things gradually change. We all have dinner, but some people begin to get a little less happy. Some begin to look pale, some don't finish their meal and disappear.

Breakfast on the first morning is a quiet affair. Not everybody turns up. Some don't feel well, some sleep a little longer because they were on watch in the middle of the night. It takes people some time to get used to the rhythm of the sea watches. But already people get acquainted. Sitting together in the deckhouse in the middle of the night, or being at the wheel together, means you get to know each other quickly. And at the same time you get to know your cabin mates very quickly. It doesn't take a volunteer crew long to become a group and to all get to know each other.

10 January



The morning after the day before. We had our first landing yesterday, or actually our first landings, both on Barrientos Island. We got there early, and since there was no other ship we had an extra landing in the morning. Just a couple of hours for people to wander among the Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins there. The chicks are much bigger now, wandering off by themselves, lovely and furry. Some very active skuas too, though, taking some of the smaller chicks. On a beach nearby a Leopard Seal was resting. The penguins looked at him, but still walked past on their way to their colony. The Leopard was in no mood to hunt, just yawned a few times. It gave the guests a good opportunity for some portrait pictures.

Landing on Barrientos, or leaving, was not easy in the morning because it was low tide, and we had some swell. We did all manage to get back more or less dry though. In the afternoon the landing was much easier, with high tide. We took all of the afternoon for the walk across the island, just a couple of kilometres, but a little climbing, and a good opportunity for people to stretch their legs a little. The usual crawl in one line across the moss fields, this time being extra careful to avoid skua chicks too. On the other side of the island many Elephant Seals.

Then in the evening people enjoy the fact that they will be able to sleep all night, and many decide to have a drink in the bar. I have a good audience for my penguin lecture too, which is always nice. People have now seen the penguins, so it's easier to relate to the things I try to explain.

It's been a fairly quiet crossing, most people got over their seasickness in a day or so, no storms so we had a Drake Lake. People took part in the watches, worked on their journals or their pictures, some read their books, and we organised the lectures and the showing of documentaries. Always plenty to do on a ship like this.

This morning we sailed from Aitcho down here to Greenwich. A lovely view of Edinburgh Rock again, at first in a drizzle, but later with some nice light. From Edinburgh we managed to sail into Yankee Harbour, it's wonderful to be able to sail so much. We landed at Yankee, and many of the guests walked all the way along the dyke. We got to see some Giant Petrels feeding on the carcass of a Crabeater Seal, not necessarily a pretty sight, but interesting. And a good way to see these big birds landing and taking off.

Half Moon was different. We landed on the other side this time and didn't have too much trouble getting ashore. We walked over to the side where the Wilsons Storm Petrels breed to see and hear them. The track on the island is shared by humans and Chinstrap Penguins, so we often had to stop to give way. I sat down for a while by the side of the track watching the penguins move to and from their nest site. It was a long day, but an enjoyable one.

13 January

I definitely keep losing track of time. We already are near the Peninsula, and have just sailed down Graham Passage. One of the most beautiful places here. A narrow passage from which at some point no escape seems possible. We had some Humpback Whales reasonably close to the ship too.

Working down here, this is my ninth trip now, you sometimes seem to be getting too used to the beauty of the place. I've been down the Trinity Iceberg Graveyard often now, and I could see yesterday that it was a little empty. We've had trips in the past with many more icebergs in the channel, which required more manoeuvering. But the icebergs we saw yesterday were impressive, some quite tall, others strangely shaped, and we got to see all the shades of blue again. The deep blue that seemed to be missing on the last trip was there again in full glory. Stunningly beautiful. That never ceased to amaze me. And looking at the faces of some of the guests makes me realize too just how impressive it is. Some keep saying how beautiful it is, others just sit and stare quietly. After the trips many people came to thank me, and, though I didn't put the icebergs there, I understand why they come to me.

15 January

The day starts in Paradise, or Paradise Harbour. Named by whalers for its beauty. We leave before breakfast and head south for the Lemaire Channel. We are lucky again today, as we have clear skies and can enjoy the view. And there is enough wind to enable us to sail. I think we must have made a wonderful picture sailing down the Lemaire. We had an audience again too, as the cruise ship Delphin was just on the other side of the channel.

We keep heading south to reach Vernadsky Station later in the afternoon. I talk to the commander over the radio and he says he expects us at 4 pm. We inform the guests and head out to the station. The guests are given a tour, and then head out to the bar, the post office and the souvenir shop. They seem to enjoy themselves, and only some go to the second destination for the afternoon, Wordie House on Winter Island. An Englishman has far too much to drink, others are just happy. I have a little dance with Paco in the bar, which is quite funny. I think the pictures might be submitted for the photo competition.... The Spanish guys also buy me a wodka, which is nice.

Back on the ship it is time for the barbecue and the party. The first one is a great success, it is an Argentinian - South African competition, with both nationalities working hard. I can't really appreciate their efforts though. People seem to have enough to eat. I just sit back and have a long chat with Marianne, the cook. Sometimes it's nice to gossip about the guests for a bit. It is really nice outside, you don't have to wear a jacket but still stay warm.

The party doesn't really happen. There is no dancing, but a kind of campfire with guitar music and singing. It's a shame, no dancing, but on the other hand I don't mind too much. I'm pretty much exhausted and happy not to get to bed too late. This isn't a real party group, I think.

16 January

Some days really are perfect. Like today. We had no real programme for the morning, we basically had 6 hours to sail the few miles from the Argentine Islands up to Petermann. We left Vernadsky on time because another ship was coming in. Sailing out of the Islands we see blows and dorsal fins. Humpback Whales. They are still quite far away, but Klaas slowly and quietly follows. We end up having these huge animals around the ship, at times very close, for well over an hour. People are up on deck, running from side to side, trying to get the best shot. I don't know how many pictures were taken this morning, but it must be a lot.



After this close encounter we went on a little to the Yalour Islands, a place I know from the guidebooks only. A group of tiny islands with some colonies of Adelie Penguins. The place looks lovely, worth a visit on a future trip maybe. At the moment the islands are home to a nice congregation of icebergs too. Europa gently finds her way among them, keeping the guests and their cameras on deck all morning. It doesn't hurt either that we have blue skies and sunshine all the way.

Then we head to Petermann Island, again, one of my favourite landing sites. A lovely island, with a lot of human history, and both Adelie Penguins and Blue-eyed Shags. It is still lovely and sunny, the snow has melted a little so it isn't hard going, and the walk up to the colonies is good. The Adelie young are at their best, still furry, but bigger and active. The young shags are as big as their parents but still fluffy too. We sit and watch the birds for quite some time before heading out to the other side of the island. A climb over the saddle and a great view to the other side. We sit down together on the rocks, just behind a penguin highway, for some group pictures. And some Gentoo Penguins manage to walk their way into the pictures. We find it quite hard to start moving back to our landing bay to be taken back to the ship.



we sail north through the Lemaire, but today we need the engine for that. It is a lovely evening, the light is stunning. I feel like I just walked into an Edward Wilson drawing, all these different shades. Sailing up the Peltier is just too good to be true. The Seven Sisters are in full view, for a change. I get everybody out of the deckhouse onto the deck again, this is no night for reading. We come into Port Lockroy and the view still is unbelievable. My favourite Antarctic mountain has never looked more beautiful. I stay out on deck until some time after we have anchored. No need for big jackets or hats, you can just stand there and enjoy the light, the silence, the view.



17 January 2009

When I wake up it still is lovely and blue outside. Two landings today, both here in Port Lockroy. We start with Jougla Point, the little corner where you can see the Blue-eyed Shags and the Gentoo Penguins. An easy landing, and a short walk to the breeding birds. Some of the Shags here already have their feathers, they are as big as their parents, they just lack the beautiful blue around their eyes and the yellow patch above their beak. The penguin chicks are much smaller and will need a little more time to fledge. All the snow that covered the area around the colonies last time has gone and this is the usual big pool of mud again. I spend my morning wandering up and down the beach, walking down to the whale skeleton, making sure I know which guests are around and who I need to take back to the ship with me. The other half or our group has walked round to the other side to be picked up from there. The sun just keeps shining, and it is a little hard to persuade people to come back to the ship.

We have lunch on deck and Rick joins us from Port Lockroy. While we are having lunch several big pieces of ice come down from the glacier behind us. They don't create big waves though, to the disappointment of some. After lunch Rick tells his Lockroy story, and then we head out to Goudier Island. The shop and post office are kept busy for a while, and many cards are posted. I spend most of my time there chatting to Rick, Judith, Nikki and Laura. They are nice people and it is good to chat for a while. The guides and some crew members are actually the last to leave the museum. It is fun exchanging experiences on life down here.

Back on the ship it is back to work, preparing for my Gerlache lecture. I'm still not happy with it, and I want to read up a little before I give it again. I'm finding it hard to keep my eyes open though. I can really feel this is almost the end of the Peninsula part of the trip, I am deadly tired, and keep falling asleep when I'm not supposed to. I manage to survive until dinner though, have something to eat, and read a little more. The lecture actually goes well tonight and I am a lot happier with it than I was last time. After the lecture I play a documentary on De Gerlache. I had seen it before but I had forgotten most about it. It is nice to see it again, it tells my story a different way. The lounge is full all night and people are very interested. This is a good subject to talk about, because De Gerlache explored the area we are in now.

18 January

After two such fine days things have to change. So our landing this morning was grey and wet. I start my day with another visit to the Post Office, just to drop off the mail that has been written overnight. Just a quick look inside, where a bigger cruise ship is visiting. Suddenly the shop is very full, and you get the feeling it is a little too small. It is good to work on such a small ship really, and not to have to deal with so many guests at the same time.

Pepijn and I go round the corner to Dorian Bay in the zodiac, following Europa. It's a chilly ride, and I'm a little cold when I get back to the ship. Shortly after we head out again to Dorian, where the tide is high, so we have a wet but fairly easy landing. I stay on the beach to help the guests get out of the zodiac while some people start walking up to the emergency hut. I follow when everybody has landed. The walk up is a lot easier than it was last time because much of the snow has disappeared. I have a short look in the hut and find a few things missing, like the manual on counting penguins. Rick mentioned things go missing these days, which is a great shame.

Then up the hill for the view over Lockroy. I had never done this walk before, but I go along this time. From the top of the hill over Dorian you get a nice view of all of Port Lockroy, Jougla Point and Goudier Island. We can see Polar Star landing their guests at Goudier and at Lockroy. After the climbing some guests decide to go back to the ship, while others walk to the penguin colony in the direction of Damoy Point. I go back with the first group to help out on deck. It's a slightly wet ride, among some guests who are oblivious to what is going on. The landing site is shallow so we need to paddle, but one guest feels that is silly since we have an engine. While we have trouble manouvering out another tells people to move out of the way because he wants to take a picture. We do get back safely, and hoist anchor shortly after we get the zodiacs back on board.

Later

When we head out into the Neumayer Channel it doesn't look like a great afternoon. It's snowing and it's grey. We decide on an alternative programme, an afternoon of climate. Heated debates go on until the evening... Meanwhile, outside, a couple of Humpback Whales decide to accompany us. They swim along with the ship for a while, showing their heads, dorsal fins, flippers and tails. They seem to be having a good time, lying on their backs, showing us the white of their bellies. They get as near as 1 metre or so to the ship. We see them turn over, showing a long white flipper and half a tail. All I can do is stand there and watch them. All around me I hear the cameras clicking. It's a beautiful sight to see these huge animals so clearly in the water just beside the boat.

After dinner we see more whales in the distance, judging by their movements they are probably foraging. While we are watching them the captain tells the crew to expect bad weather. We should be okay for a couple of days, but the second day out on the Drake will bring force 8 winds, so it'll get rough. Some of the sailors on board will be happy, some others will be decidedly unhappy. We'll see what happens.

After several very long days I decide to take the evening off. I just do the things I need to do before tomorrow morning, and then I find my computer, put on some Leonard Cohen music and write. Earlier I worked on my pictures. I didn't take many during the first half of the trip, but I more than made up for that over the last couple of days. I always take many pictures at Petermann and Jougla for some reason. Well, Petermann does have the Adelie Penguins.

I'm still pretty tired, and I now have a cold. I have this feeling that I could sleep for 24 hours, but that isn't going to happen. I just hope I won't get seasick tomorrow when we hit the Drake.

19 January

A strange day. The best moment of the day comes in the Bremen Channel in the Melchior Islands. As we come down the channel from the middle entrance a small group of Wilsons Storm Petrels is foraging there. We saw them on the last trip, but I hadn't expected to find them here again. They dance on the water, so elegantly, unbelievable. And these tiny birds survive out on the open ocean.

This is our last zodiac trip for this voyage, and we get lovely weather. Low tide in the channel though, and we cannot really get through in Blackie. Grey zodiac gets through though, helped along by a small wave created by some falling ice. Still, it is a nice tour, and we get a good last view of the glaciers and the icebergs.

Then we head back to the ship where everything has to be made seafast because already during lunch we head out into the Drake. We start to move pretty soon, and the first few people turn pale and retire to their bunks. After our two o'clock crew meeting we find we are being accompanied on our way out by a couple of Fin Whales gliding gracefully alongside us through the waves. I make our cabin seafast and help out with a couple of other things before tiredness hits me and I get into bed for a couple of hours of sleep. When I wake up it's dinner time...

After dinner we show Shackleton's "South". I sort out all the pictures for the photo competition, making them smaller and renaming them for the jury. We are actually both in the competition, a picture of me at Vernadskiy having a little chat with my friend Paco, and a nice picture of Lex with his camera. And there is one of Lex in Paradise Bay, moving away from the place where a big piece of the glacier is coming down. Exciting stuff.

We move a little more now. The weather should be pretty good tomorrow, but the day after we are expecting a storm, force 7 or 8, so we need to be prepared. It always is hard for people to remember that we are on a moving ship, so they still leave their glasses, laptops and cameras unattended. I saw one camera fly on the last trip, fortunately only the battery pack was damaged. But these should be an interesting few days.

I'm listening to music on my ipod at the moment, probably for the first time since I've come on board Europa. It is weird, because I listen to music all the time at home, and here there is neither the time nor the attention. I'm listening to An Pierlé in concert, dynamic live performances. Yesterday I did listen to some music on my pc, Leonard Cohen, and I was away in a moment, back to the concerts I saw last year. I find there is a lot of music in my head, often An Pierlé songs, Luka Bloom as well. Often I don't need to play the music to be able to hear it.

These are the other days for us. Our main job, guiding people on the landings and the tours is finished, and we are left with some paper work, a logbook to write, odd jobs, and providing entertainment for those who want to be entertained between watches. More lectures, documentaries or maybe just some fun.

It is also the time when you realise that another trip is coming to an end, and that the people you share these three weeks will be going their own way again soon and you are not likely to see them again. Another strange thought.

20 January

The silence before the storm. The weather forecasts say that a storm should hit us some time tomorrow. Just now we are gliding along on the Drake Passage. People are sleeping, taking their turns at the wheel and as lookout, reading their books or working on their computers. Life goes on as usual, with people not being too much aware of the movement of the ship. People still take two cups, or put their glasses on the table. I guess it will be alright for today, but tomorrow that will be a problem.

I'm pretty tired now, and I'm finding it hard to keep going. There still is a lot of work to be done on the ship. The daily chores, like dishes, and the routine of producing programmes, providing information and showing documentaries as well as giving lectures. With the storm ahead this has been a day for trying to finish the logbook we write for the guests, for collecting all the other things to put on the voyage cd, and to start looking forward to the next trips to see if we need to change schedules.

21 January

The sea is a little rougher now, and this morning I saw eggs fly. Unusual, but then again, not that unusual on this ship. After continually warning the trainees about the movement of the ship and the need to do one thing at a time, it was the professional crew that messed up this morning. Not a great example.

It isn't that bad, actually, it still is possible to sit here working on a laptop without the thing immediately sliding off the table. You do need to take care with glasses, cups and things. The trainees have to wear a harnass when they go out on deck, but not all are going out on deck yet. Some stay in their bunks, because they are tired from the watches or because they still are seasick.

I am pretty tired still, but not sick. Not great, but not sick. It turns out that I am getting to be pretty seafast. After being sick a lot on my first trip in 2005 it has gradually gotten better. From sometimes just at the start, to just once in a while, to hardly at all. Then again, these have been very easy crossings really. Even this movement isn't that much really. Though I am not sure all of the guests would necessarily believe me.

We didn't have the courage to schedule a lecture for today, so it's films. Sperm Whales this afternoon, and Pontings film of the Terra Nova expedition tonight. It's now less than 48 hours to the Beagle Channel, depending on how much time we will lose when we get headwinds.

22 January

Only about 130 miles left to the waypoint, though it doesn't look like Cape Horn this trip. The storm that was predicted wasn't half as bad as expected. Yes, we rolled, but life still went on much as usual. It is pretty quiet again now, we roll a little, but I feel up to delivering a lecture later. Now let's hope there are guests who feel up to listening to a lecture later.

I'll give my talk on Edward Wilson again, which I'll enjoy doing. Sailing into Port Lockroy a few days ago brought his drawings to life in an unexpected way, I have some Edward Wilson pictures now. He was never on this side of the continent though. I've wanted to look into Antarctic art for a while now, I know some painters who come down here, but in Ushuaia I found a book called "Terra Antarctica" by William L. Fox which is about the representation of Antarctica in different art forms. I'm very much looking forward to reading it and to learn more on this subject. When I'm down here I always realise just how much I know and don't know. I know enough to give the kind of information people want to get, but I always want to know more for myself. Yesterday I read up on the history of Deception Island, both the island and the way it came about and the human history. It is a fascinating island. Then there are the little creatures. The other day we found some Salps, transparant small animals, with a little pouch containing all the organs, that can together create long strings. I know very little about animals like these. Then again, there is a lot more to learn about this place....