More Antarctic Adventures

4 February 2008 - Heading towards the Drake again

Well, another day another trip. A ship full of new guests, new faces to learn, new names to remember. A strangely unmixed group, with mainly Dutch and German guests, just the odd Argentinian, Irish or Swiss in there. We've never had such a group before, and I don't know what that will be like. Very much the usual mix of sailors and nature lovers though, and a good mix in ages.

The Beagle is treating us kindly today, a lot of sunshine earlier on, now a little more grey, a little wind, but it's dry. People have been out on deck all day, enjoying the scenery and joining in with the sail training. Some had their first experience climbing up the mast. I am now suffering from the usual drowsiness as a result of the seasickness tablets, and I have a little trouble keeping my eyes open. I guess I'll have an early night. For one reason or another I had very little sleep while we were ashore anyway, that might have something to do with that too.

It was a good time ashore. Time to prepare for this trip, to call the family and write emails, and to wander round the streets a little. I visited my favourite Ushuaia bookshop and bought Frederic Cook's book on the Belgian expedition of De Gerlache. Nice reading for the trip. And we had icecream at Gadget, of course. We also had a nice party at Javier's, to say goodbye to the old crew. Four people have left the ship for a while, and I will miss them. We do have new crew, of course.

The forecasts say we are heading straight for a storm, with wind speeds somewhere between 40 and 60 knots. The crew have been working hard today to make everything seafast, we've been trying to tell the guests to do the same. This will be a very different crossing from the last one.

Well, I've decided to try and get to understand the ship a little better this trip, to learn just a little more about sailing. I'll see how far I'll get, but it might be fun. I helped out a little with the lines today, and got it right at the third try.... I will persevere!

6 February 2008 - Back Again.

Well, the start to the trip was definitely different. The storm hit the ship badly, or maybe not so much the ship but the people on board. I hear most people were out of sight all of yesterday. I must say I hear, because I spent all day in my bunk too. It's been a long time since that has happened. I had no appetite and didn't want to do anything, I just slept. Or tried to sleep. My bunk is ... on the ship, which means that before you go to sleep you always have to work out where to put your pillow. If you're not careful your head can be lower than the rest of your body all night, and you end up with a headache. When the ship is moving a lot, as it did yesterday, you get tossed from one side to the other anyway, so you have to climb up to where your pillow is on a regular basis, or you end up all crumpled up near the base of the bed. Either way, you wake up. Then there is the regular sound of utensils and glasses crashing in the galley or the lounge, as well.

Just before the storm hit, round about 8 p.m. on the 4th, we did get a little present. Quite a big group of Dusky dolphins surrounded the ship and stayed with us for quite a while. They kept coming very close, and then they started jumping and some came all the way out of the water. I had seem Dusky dolphins before, but never that many, that close and doing that many tricks. I blame the captain. The dolphins were around, and then Eric decide to give three bells to give the trainees some information. Straight after that we got the dolphin show. Shortly after that the winds began to blow, and then people still enjoyed it very much. It was a beautiful sight to see the waves, the light on the sea and the land, and the dolphins turning up time after time. That was the perfect ending to a perfect day on the Beagle.

No news on yesterday then, but today looks nice again. It's a little grey at the moment, the ship is moving, but not too much. You can't relax completely, but you don't need to hold on all the time. We've even started the lectures now... Tomorrow we will give the IAATO-lecture, to present the guidelines for going ashore, and then, hopefully, day after tomorrow, we can enjoy the beauty of Aitcho.

On a personal note, I worked out a while ago that today is our 12.5 year anniversary together. One of those useless little facts that will stay with me once I've worked them out. Only Lex let out to the cook, and that spells trouble... It is funny thinking back to the time we first met, some similarities to today, but many differences. Away from home, spending a lot of time in the open air, being surrounded by an international company, being busy working away from our usual jobs, the last month of summer. But 52 people as opposed to 30,000, grey and chilly as opposed to a 14 day heatwave. I don't think that in the summer of 1995 I could have imagined myself doing this kind of work in this environment. I'm happy to be here though.

Later the same day

Well, it's an unusual day. At the end of December I gave a lecture on albatross to a youth nature group in the Netherlands. I really enjoyed it and had a great time. When I walked out of the building into the darkness I tripped over a shin high little pole. It hurt, and I thought it was a big scratch. It seemed to be healing, but it got gradually worse over the last week. Today I asked the doctor to have a look at it and he didn't look very happy. He cleaned it all up and put a big bandage over it. It was pretty painful, he did warn me, and it was. I got Lex to hold me for a few minutes, which wasn't easy. ("But there are albatrosses outside".) It hurts more now, but I can still walk. Next time I should have it seen to earlier, the doctor tells me the wound really needed stitches. Wonder what it will end up looking like. The things I do for albatross.

I did have a good lunch, the sun is shining again after some rain, and I see more and more people come out on deck. Our 12.5 years is up on the board near the Galley, so people come up to me to shake my hand. And I've just been practicing my arithmetic. How will the schedule for the next trip work out if we stay on Argentinian time and don't put back the clock. The life of an expedition leader is not an easy one. Well, time to write the list of what to tell the trainees this evening. It's a long list....

The day also is strange because we usually have the watch system up and running by this time. It was cancelled when the storm hit though, and it doesn't really seem to get started again. So instead of having half the people asleep in their bunks or in the deckhouse, while a small group walks about purposefully because they are on watch, we now have a lot of people wandering about aimlessly, watching the sea or trying to think of something to do. We've provided two lectures today, a film and will start out vacuuming in the evening. And maybe the watches will really take effect again, even if it is only for about a day.

7 February - Rules and Regulations

I'm off the tablets, and I seem to be doing okay. Thought I would try it for a change, just this one day to go, so not that much can go wrong. Well, I had to do a couple of lectures, but apart from that. It's been a good day really, we've been sailing for much of the afternoon, making good speed and heading in the right direction. We'll reach Aitcho half a day early, which sounds good to me. And I'm sure a lot of guests will be perfectly happy, some are still in their cabins.

We did our bit for science again last night, doing some work for the "Aliens in Antarctica" project. All the guests were asked to fill out forms on where they have been over the last year or so, while some six of them had their outdoor gear vacuumed, we used a vacuumcleaner to collect any propagules they might be carrying into the Antarctic that might take root at some point. It's an interesting project and I hope our work helps. It's fun to do anyway.

The lectures today were all about the IAATO regulations and practical tips for landings. Always a lot of information, too much for people to take in all at once. I try to tell it quickly and to liven it up a little but that is difficult. It isn't the most interesting material. And we have to force people to sit through it, they have to attend if they want to go ashore.

This also seems a long day because we put the clock back an hour last night. It's just after 6 p.m., but my stomach tells me it's 7.

We have our crew meetings in the wheelhouse, the place where the real work of navigating and steering the ship is done. That means you try to squeeze about 16 people onto 6 square meters. It's one way to get close. The other way really is the moving ship. I've developed the saying "rough weather brings you closer together" and that is true. People fall over and into each other all the time. Last night a man fell over backwards and hit my newly bandaged shinbone, tearing down the bandage.. Oh well, it happens. The good news on that score is that I have been promoted to just a bandaid and the wound seems to be healing.

This is an unusual group, a strange mix of Dutch and German and a few strays. I usually know all the names by the third day, but this time I'm still practising. Partly because of all the seasickness, and partly because some of the people are so much alike. In some cases they even have the same name, so that is not too much of a problem. The group does feel different, some people persist in speaking their own language even in the company of other nationalities. I try to stick to English, not always easy.

So, Aitcho tomorrow. Always a place to look forward to because of the beautiful scenery, but it can also be quite rough and cold out there. Wonder what it will be like tomorrow.

9 February - Sunshine and Penguins

We had a very good day at Barrientos yesterday, one of the best. We started the day actually sailing, no engine just sails, to Aitcho. And we had to tack, the first time for me, the first time in three years for the captain. Sailing meant arriving a little later at Barrientos than we had planned, but still earlier than the schedule said. So a perfect way to start the day. Sails had to be furled, boats lowered into the water, but by 11 we started the first landing. It all went very well, very calmly, and we got everyone ashore quickly. Then it was time to meet the penguins as people spread out among the colony on the east side of the island. The young have reached adolescence now and are discovering the world. The creche was heading out to sea to work out what that was, others came to inspect our guests, who were sitting and lying at various spots around the rookery.

Sunshine all day, and after lunch we went on our walk to the western side of the island, to enjoy the views, the landscape and the smells of the Elephant Seals. This time we met up with some Fur seals too, they are back, and they are friendly as ever. We tried to keep clear of them, which wasn't always easy. It just stayed sunny and warm all day, so it was lovely to be out there. We were out until dinner time, and still had to pull people from the beach at the end of the walk.

Today looks like another very good day. So far we've had sunshine, great views of the mountains on the south side of Livingston Island, and we had the company of a pod of Killer whales for a while. And just after they left us we were joined by a couple of Humpback whales. It's nice enough for people to be out on deck almost all the time, and the deckhouse is empty, as it should be.

I'm feeling more comfortable on the ship again this trip, I'm back in the routine, and it's a good crew. After the first landing there is a good atmosphere in the group, we have our first couple of young lovers even. After the shock of the Drake and the slightly rougher weather people feel much more at ease now. This is the stage where people just wander round the ship with smiles on their faces. Looking out the window from the deckhouse now I can see the open sea on one side and beautiful snow-clad mountains on the other. The sky is blue with just a few white clouds and it is sunny. Most people are still out on deck, trying to spot more whales maybe. So far this has been a pretty good Antarctic trip.


Later in the evening

Another perfect day, I guess, almost too good to be true. Sunshine, so people were out on deck most of the day. Mid morning we were accompanied by Killer Whales for a while, and shortly after by a couple of Humpbacks. We arrived at Hannah Point while we were having lunch on deck again...

At Hannah Point it was busy. The penguins chicks are big now and they are beginning to discover the world. Many have almost changed their down for proper feathers, with a few nice tufts of down left here and there. Others are still downy and wander round in creches all round the colony. It gets harder to walk round the colony without disturbing penguins because they really are all over the place. I took some nice pictures today, ones that I am really happy with, one of a young penguin being fed and you can see the eyes of the krill in the food transferred. Another one is a close up of a young Gentoo, panting to try and cool down.

And we were lucky enough to get to see the Macaroni Penguins again, three individuals this time, all showing off and looking pretty. Since they were not breeding I expected them to be long gone, but they weren't, they were in their usual patch among the Chinstraps. Funny how they are always there on the exact same piece of rock every time.

Well, then there were the young Giant Petrels, easily visible on the rocks, and the young Kelp Gulls. There always is so much to see here.


10 February - I Did It, At Last

Well, I finally managed to do it. It took me a long time, about three years and seven visits, but today I made it and I joined the die hards. I went swimming at Pendulum Cove today. Well, swimming, it's a bit like wallowing, the things that seals do. You have about two meters just along the shoreline where it is nice and warm. Further inland you are liable to get burnt, further out into the water you are liable to get frozen. I was the first one in the water, I decided to just get ashore, take my clothes off and run, otherwise I would have had second thoughts again. Many trainees and some crew members joined me, so we had a long line of swimmers along the shore again. some went out a little further for some real swimming, lasting on average about 30 seconds, the really brave ones. Or foolish ones.

Getting out of the water isn't that much fun. As you lie in the cold water you need to gather courage to get up. It took me some time. Then I had to retrieve my clothes, which were under a great pile of other clothes by now. And I had to radio for a zodiac to come and pick up the first people out of the water while still in my swimsuit. It was just a little chilly. Nothing a nice hot shower couldn't cure though.

Our evening stop at Whalers Bay was short this time because of the rain and the cold. Most people didn't stay ashore for much more than an hour. And it is such a special place... It was very windy as well, and the captain had some trouble keeping the ship anchored properly, she was drifting ever closer to the beach. He had been joking in the afternoon that he would not put people ashore by zodiac but that he would get the ship close to the beach and hang a stepladder from the bowsprit. Seeing the ship so close to the beach I thought he was really going to do that for a moment...

11 February - Big Things Appearing in the Water

We've made the crossing over to the Peninsula again, and are now anchored at Trinity Island. It is a grey day, very foggy, but it's dry and not the least bit cold. I was out on the iceberg zodiac tour this morning, sitting in a small boat among the icebergs for about 2.5 hours, no gloves or hat and I still wasn't cold. It was a beautiful tour again, very different from last time. We couldn't go the same way as last time because of the swell, so we headed out into a channel on the other side, which was lovely. Steep clifs around, and a lot of icebergs in the water. Some very white this time, some almost transparently blue and obviously very old, some white with beautiful blue patches shining through. Lots of lovely little Fur seals on the shoreline, a lonely Weddell in the snow, and a lot of birds. Lovely to see a Cape Petrel feeding on the water, funny to see an Antarctic Tern take on a Sheathbill.

Getting here we got yet another treat. Shortly after breakfast someone shouted whales, so we all rushed upstairs. There were two Humpback whales quite close to the ship, and they stayed close for about half an hour. Close, as in sometimes about four or five metres away. They would come up, blow, dive again very regularly, showing little tail, but we could follow their flippers just beneath the surface of the water. A few times a gigantic head came out of the water for a few seconds to return the stares of the people on board the ship. We were being inspected by these inquisitive giants.

The days here are so busy, so much keeps happening, and I forget half again before I have a chance to write it all down. I should mention the huge piece of ice that is on deck now, and that we can use in our drinks tonight, who knows how old it is. Or our almost stowaway who has fallen in love on the ship and is seen sneaking around the corridors in her underwear when she thinks everyone is up on deck watching whales. New friendships being formed everywhere. The confines of a small group in a small space. Marijke's lovely drawings on the board next to the Galley door. Birthday cake for David today, and his face when he walked into breakfast and everybody started to sing. Ezequiel's beautiful drawing of the ship, an unexpected talent from our young Argentinian shipping agent. The bosun seen secretly kissing the deckhand on the sloopdeck. Just too much to tell, or maybe not to tell.... But now I need to go out and welcome back the second group of iceberg watchers. I wonder what their trip was like.

Later

The ship has turned Irish because of David's birthday. There is Irish music on deck and there are Irish drinks mixed with ancient Antarctic ice. We even got some Christy Moore, which was nice. There is a good atmosphere on board, another good trip in that respect. This may be a strange mix of people, but it seems to work very well so far. David celebrated his birthday this afternoon by going for a swim with Adrienne, a very brave thing to do out here. We've had swimmers before, but today they were the only two.

A few crew members are off to see the icebergs, the captain and the cook amongst them. The cook is a tiny woman, and she is wearing my oversized sailing suit. She looked unusual in it, and funny, but she'll stay warm. I hope they have a good time, they always work very hard. Well, I think I'll join the party again, it looks good out there.

12 February

This trip is beginning to look a little like the last one as far as the weather goes. We had some good days on the South Shetland Islands, but now it's grey and wet again. Not too cold, fortunately. This is a different group of people though, because on the last trip the deck was empty much of the time and the deckhouse was full. Now most people do spend time on deck to enjoy the views. I am in an empty library right now, as half the people are away on a short zodiac tour here in Gouvernoren, and others are on deck and in the deckhouse. It is nice to have a little peace and quiet sometimes.

Officially I am in daywatch, which means, I guess, that I work from about 8 a.m. to about 8 p.m., but it doesn't quite work out that way. I get asked questions almost from the moment I open my cabin door in the morning to the moment I close it again in the evening. Some people just want to chat, others have very specific questions. Also, while we are around Antarctica, we often have things programmed in the evening, a landing or a tour, maybe a lecture, and we work on the logbook and make the daily programme. I do get a little time off sometimes, like now, when I can sit in the library and write. I always bring a book on the trip, but I don't usually get to read very much. I check up on details for the landings for our briefings, I read up on my lectures, but that is about it.

We did a lot of work on the last trip that we can more or less use again, so this trip is a little less hectic. I have a little more time to help out with other things on the ship, and a little more time just to talk to the guests. It makes for a much more relaxed trip.

Early in the afternoon

This seems to be the big trip for whales. Eric, our captain, or the Big Bear, has just told the guests he won't be stopping for Humpback Whales anymore. After yesterday's big show, we had a minor repeat before lunch, just one whale staying close to the ship for a while, foraging slowly. Then there were two, accompanied by a funny Fur seal, trying to get some attention.

Then just after lunch we came across three sleeping Humpback whales. It was lovely to see them lying there in the water, perfectly still. Then they woke up, and they took a real, long interest in the ship. They kept circling round, staying close to the surface so we could see their huge bodies and the long white flippers. The heads came out several times, they inspected the ship carefully. Guests kept running from one side of the ship to the other, but the whales seemed to be everywhere. I've never seen them in such spectacular fashion before. My big camera was in my cabin, as usual, but I did manage to make some short films this time with the small camera I always carry with me these days. Now I know why I do....

All this does mean we have a one hour delay again, so we had to move our afternoon landing to the evening. I don't mind, because Cuverville is the perfect place to visit in the evening, after dinner.

So far this trip we've had much more than I expected beforehand. After the poor season for Killer whales we were lucky to see them, and now we have so many Humpback encounters we are almost getting used to it. Almost...


14 February - Lemaire At Last

Well, the luck hasn't run out yet. After two disappointing trips through the Lemaire Channel last time, today we are heading south again, and this time we have blue skies and bright sunshine. The views on the mountains are fantastic, everybody is up on deck enjoying the scenery and taking ever more pictures. And we haven't even reached Lemaire yet.

We had a very full day yesterday. We started at Neko Harbour, where people got to set foot on the continent. On arrival we were greeted by an Adelie penguin, the first one this trip, so it got a lot of attention. People wandered round the colony for a while, and some walked up the hill with Lex to slide down a little later. Neko looked totally different from last time, there was ice everywhere in the bay, and the zodiac drivers had to go around it and find their way onto the shallow beach. They did very well, as always.

Up on the beach we saw two Skuas dig into a young penguin. A horrific sight, in a way, but that is the way things are right here. It did attract the filmers and photographers.

Then the doctor had a look at my leg, changed the dressing and told me to go to my bunk for a while to give the leg some rest. Not my idea for the afternoon, as this was the time for the zodiac tour of Paradise Harbour, always beautiful. Later on I heard the stories of some close encounters with Leopard Seals there. Too bad, but that's the way it goes.

I did go ashore again in the evening at Almirante Brown. I had planned to stay near the shoreline, and just to watch the penguins for a bit, maybe go up a little to watch the sliding. But once I had started to walk up I did climb to the top and once I was up there I couldn't resist the sliding. It went well, fortunately. As usual this was a fun trip again, this time starting and ending with a big snowball fight. And all the people who went ashore really went sliding, even the ones who started out saying they wouldn't.


15 February - Into and Out Of the Swing

The day after the night before. Yesterday we reached our southernmost point again, Vernadsky Station. So it was party time. While we took the guests ashore for a tour of the station and the bar, the crew turned the ship into a party boat. Lights, a tarpauling, barbecues, Antarctic Beer on Antarctic Ice, balloons and little Valentine hearts. Time to eat first, on salads, a lot of meat, and fresh bread. Then the tables were cleared away and it was time to dance. It didn't take long for the party to get started, as it was pretty cold and the music was inviting. Our captain makes a good dj. I guess it went the way it usually goes. The dancers were happy from the start, the more doubtful ones soon got into the spirit of the thing and joined in anyway. The girls all ended up dancing on the wheelhouse, even I joined in this time, we got to wear our pretty skirts and dresses. Later on in the evening the Ukrainians joined us again, some of them are good dancers, and they enjoy our parties.

The visit to the station is always a different experience after so many days of wildlife, glaciers and icebergs. Some guests enjoy the different atmosphere, others don´t want to come or soon tire of the bar and the shop. They think of this visit as an unwelcome interruption of their Antarctic experience. It is all part of the trip though because this is the human history. Some guests expect to be welcomed as a nice diversion, while in reality we visit a serious research base and we interrupt the work. We are not the only ship to visit the base.

Getting this far south today was totally unlike our trip south last time. It was cold but dry, a little windy at times but definitely nice enough to spend much time on deck. The entrance to the Lemaire Channel brought us a pack of Leopard Seals, I counted about ten, lying on different ice floes, resting. And the end of the Channel brought us a couple more Humpback Whales, this time showing off their beautiful white tails. And we could see all of the Lemaire, including the tops of the mountains. The early morning brought us a lot of sunshine and beautiful views all the way.

Rather unlike this morning, really, because it is grey and raining. We are heading towards Petermann Island and the Adelie penguins, but I don´t know what that landing will be like. It might be short and wet again. This probably is not my season for seeing my favourite penguins.

As the trip progresses I am finally getting to know all the guests, getting to talk to all of them. A party is always a good opportunity, even though there was more dancing than talking last night. And there are times during walks, or waiting ashore somewhere for conversation. This is a different kind of group, with a big group of Germans and a big group of Dutch with just a few other nationalities, one Irish, one Swiss and one Argentinian. The Swiss is mixed up with the German group, the Irish and the Argentinian find their way around both groups, but it does feel a little like two groups. They mix, but not really.

Later

Well, I'm stuck in the poker corner for now, the doctor had a look at my leg this morning and told me no more dancing this trip and to take it easy. So I decided not to go to Petermann this afternoon, even though that means no Adelies.

The ship always is different when there are no or few guests on board. Suddenly it belongs to the regular crew again. I hear voices from the galley, the sound of the vacuum cleaner in the lounge, and music. It also sounds a little empty somehow. I know this won't last long because the first guests are bound to be back in an hour or so. The weather still isn't great so some won't want to stay out for too long.



16 February - At Rick's Place

Back in my favourite Port, at Lockroy. A beautiful secluded bay, surrounded by mountains. Today full of young penguins and patrolled by a Leopard Seal. The scenery here is beautiful, my favourite mountain is here, and I get to catch up with Rick at the museum. Over the past three years I've gotten to know him a little and I've grown to like him very much. That makes coming here special. We visited the museum this afternoon, and had all our guests spend their money in the gift shop and post office again. I had a longer look round the museum again, taking some pictures, I never get round to doing that.

After the landing at Petermann yesterday we sailed back up through the Lemaire, this time in the rain and the mist. We arrived in Lockroy early in the evening, when the weather was good and the light was just perfect. I was up in the wheelhouse for a long time as we were sailing in, just enjoying the light on the mountains.

This morning we landed at Jougla Point, no sunshine but nice enough weather. A nice wander along the beach and among the whalebones and a good walk across the hills. A lot of moulting penguins here again, and the almost grown young. We had a Leopard Seal in the water quite close to the zodiac, that seems to happen all the time at the moment. This is the time when there is a lot of food for them, young penguins going out to sea for the first time, and so where there are penguin colonies you get Leopard Seals. I had never seen so many during one trip, or seen them so close.

At Jougla I managed to just about fall in the water. I stepped aside to let a guest pass and slipped. I just managed to remain standing up, but did end up in the water up to my knees. I got out quickly enough though, and the combination of my rubber boots and my sailing gear kept me more or less dry. I had been so careful today not to fall, and then this happens, of course. My leg is getting better now, the wound is healing, and the doctor looked a little happier.

I did just deliver my lecture on Edward Wilson, but I'm not too happy about the way that went. I was too tired to stay concentrated, and there were sounds from just outside the room all the time, which distracted me. After the lecture I showed Herbert Ponting's film on the Scott expedition and I sat and watched that. I hadn't seen it for a while, so it was nice to see it again. Still strange though, to see Wilson moving on the screen. His great-nephew is working as a guide on one of the other ships here, and he should be in Ushuaia just as we get back, so I'm hoping to get a chance to talk to him.


17 February

Our last landing today, at Dorian Bay, just round the corner from the post office. It was a nice landing, the weather was good, we got to see a lot of penguins and some Fur seals, and we had enough time to just walk at a slow pace and take everything in. The Fur seals were not too happy to see us, but we still managed to get close enough to take pictures without causing too much trouble. At the beach where we were picked up we could wander among the icebergs that have drifted up on the beach. I touched some to feel the different textures of the various layers, something you don`t usually get to do. Cold, but it was nice. Some of the icebergs on the beach were lovely and blue.

Up on the hills we decided to have a few moments silence, so for about three minutes everybody sat down and was quiet. All you could hear were the penguins, making a lot of noise as usual, and the water down by the rocks. Some people sat just on the other side of the ridge, they must have loved these moments.

The group climbed up the hill to have a look at Port Lockroy from up high, but I decided not to risk that with my leg, so I sat down near the two refuges at the bottom. I soon got company, a Skua sat down just a couple of metres away from me. And this was one of those rare occasions that I actually had the right camera and the right lens at hand, so I could take some really close-up portrait photos of this bird.

Now we are heading north again through the Neumayer Channel, on to the Melchior Islands, our final destination. Tomorrow morning we will have a zodiac tour there, and then we will head out onto the Drake. A strange idea, the two trips have gone so fast. No more landings. Strangely enough some 10 people decided to stay on board this morning because they feel they have seen enough penguins.

The number of guests on these trips has gradually increased over the past couple of years. When I first worked here we had only 36, on this trip we have 42. You do notice that in some small ways. For instance, it takes an extra ride to get everybody ashore on the landings, you need to squeeze in a little more during the zodiac rides, and when the weather isn't too great all the public spaces on the ship are full and it is hard to find a quiet corner. I am writing this in the library, which should be a fairly quiet place, but there are some 14 people in here now, and it is not quiet.

Today is the final day of our traditional photo competition, so many people are staring at the screens on their cameras or at their computer screens. It took them some time to get started this trip, but now they are all busy sorting out pictures. It always is a lot of work to collect everything, but very nice to see all these pictures together.


18 February

I am working in the library on the pictures of the photo competition. They all have to be renamed to make them anonymous, just to ensure fair judging, and they need to be resized. Well, fortunately all of these processes are highly automated, so all I have to do is press the right button.

The first group is out on the zodiac tour of the Melchior islands, I will be in the second group, leaving in about an hour and a half. It's a lovely calm day.

This afternoon we're heading out onto the Drake again, so no more calm days.


Early afternoon

Well, we're heading out. It's snowing, everything is seafast, so we're ready. This morning's tour brought us a lot of Fur Seals and Weddell seals, some beautiful icebergs and our last penguins. And it brought us snow and cold.

Now we're heading back out to sea, back north to Ushuaia and warmer climes. I wonder what this crossing will be like, how many people we will see on a regular basis, whether we will get to see Cape Horn, and whether we will get to do as much sailing as most of us hope. I think the first few have already disappeared into their cabins. The watch leaders have set up extensive watch schedules, but already there is mutiny in the ranks, and they have not taken into account the fact that many will disappear for periods of time. It is funny to see how these things work.

This has been a strange trip in many ways. I can't remember a trip with this many whales and Leopard seals. And I can't remember a trip with so many warnings about water use, our water maker can't keep up with the amount we use every day. And despite the warnings from the engineer people still take a lot of showers - says the woman who just took her first shower in six days, before they become impossible for the next five. So no laundry, for example. Water use seems to be almost twice as high as on most trips.

I also can't remember a trip with such a one or two-sided group of trainees. The Dutch and the Germans have remained to some extent two separate groups, which isn't good really. I've noticed a few differences between the Dutch and the Germans this trip, and the Dutch don't always come out that well. There also are more young people, as in under 30, on board than we usually have.

I have a lot of music in my head today, I'm not sure why. I'm listening to An Pierle's Mud Stories now, the song is so beautiful. After seven weeks on the ship, away from just about everything, but on the way back, I've started thinking about my other life again. I have a Christy Moore concert to look forward to in May, Piter is playing round the corner in March, and I have a feeling we'll be going to see An again sometime soon too.

19 February

The seasickness tablets have kicked in, so I'm having a hard time keeping my eyes open. I'm not sick though. This is the time for finishing all the work, doing the paper work and trying to hand over properly. I have to do the paper work for the on-board shop in order to be able to do the accounts at the end of the trip. Then there are the IAATO procedures and writing a note to Tjalling, the next expedition leader.

The most tangible hand-over between Tjalling and me is always "The Suit". He is a tall man, and he has this really warm, but huge suit on the ship, that I get to borrow when I'm here. It's huge and it's red, and it makes me look a little like a big red penguin. I use it for longer zodiac rides, for evening landings and when I go sliding. It's a little big for me, but it does keep me warm and dry. Rensje, our cook, sometimes wears it too, and she is about half my size...

After a dreary start to the crossing it is sunny outside now. The crew are busy with the sails, though the engine is still running. The watches have started up again, so it is quiet everywhere. People are working up on deck, or sleeping after working through part of the night. From the porthole in my little office here I can see the bow moving up and down, and I can feel it too. I keep getting thrown into the wall here. In a way I'm glad this is only a tiny office, you can never fall very far. The mate told me that tonight we should get some strong winds, so I guess we'd better get ready for some serious moving.

20 February 2008

Well, we moved. I spent the usual night sliding down in my bed and dragging myself back up again. These are long nights..

Yesterday I also managed to have my traditional fall on Europa, sliding down the galley floor this time. I was holding two bowls of crisps to take upstairs to the deckhouse when I lost my balance, slid down the floor, into the corridor and came to a standstill against the doorpost of cabin 6. My arm and my hip caught most of the blow, my hip can take it, my arm still hurts. I was happy not to have slid on into cabin 6. And I got the usual response from my loving and caring partner, who was in bed at the time: "What about the crisps?" My arm seems to be working again now, I can reach almost all the way up, and I have a nice big, blue bruise on my hip.

Today is another day of organising, of finishing the work before the end of the trip. Once in Ushuaia we stay on board for a day to help out and then we have a few days to ourselves in Ushuaia and Buenos Aires.


21 February

We seem to be heading for Cape Horn, but you never know around here. Most of the guests are up and about again, at least some of the time, and we've started providing entertainment again. This morning Mike is talking about celestial navigation, this afternoon Captain Eric, or as I should say, the Big Bear, will be talking about sailing a square rigger. I'll go and listen to that one. I heard Mike's talk on the last trip and enjoyed that. Mike is from the Northern hemisphere, like all the guests, but last time Dan, from New Zealand, kept saying that it isn't the people down under who walk upside down... Strange man. I'm with Mike on this one.

This evening we're showing a film about the Peking, an old sailing ship that used to round the Horn carrying cargo. I've been writing a short introduction to that one, saying something about the ship and about the Horn. I must admit, not really being a sailor, "Round the Horne" to me is a 1950's BBC radio show more than anything else... The sailors on board talk of Cape Horn as "just a rock", while the trainees would be very disappointed if we didn't get to see it. I've seen it before, and I do agree with the captain and the mate, it is just a rock, but I do know the history...

Some of the trainees are pretty fed up with this voyage home already, they think four days rolling on the open sea is a little too much. It's always the same, and the way back not only is longer than the way down, it seems much longer. People want to go home now, and not be rocked about 24 hours a day. We don't do much sailing at the moment, so the watch system isn't really running and that doesn't help. If you're working time goes faster and you don't have the chance to get bored. Still, after this it's only one more day at sea, then it's the Beagle and Ushuaia.


22 February

A different day. We are sailing, have been since yesterday afternoon, so the watch system is up and running again. Trainees are at the wheel, steering us in the right direction. That direction is not Cape Horn, unfortunately, but the entrance to the Beagle Channel. The wind is pretty good now, but we are expecting headwinds later on today, so we will have to start motoring again. There are a lot of advantages to sailing, no noise of the engines, people involved in sailing the ship, less use of diesel, and less rolling. We are, however, on one side now, the ship listing heavily to the starboard side. This is the time of the trip when just putting in your contact lenses in the morning takes about ten minutes. My arm still hurts from my fall, and that is exactly the side I need to be leaning on most of the time.

I've been working on the logbook for this trip this morning, reading it through for spelling and other mistakes, adding bits and pieces. We've managed to create almost 40 pages, so it takes a little while. It looks nice again though, and I am sure the guests will be happy to have this. We've also managed to collect a lot of pictures for the crew again.

It's hard to believe that this time tomorrow we will be in the Beagle Channel, and tomorrow evening we will be back in Ushuaia. The end of two trips, seven weeks, back on land where things don't move around by themselves, and where the floors are level and not at a 25 degree angle the whole time. We will get to see other faces than the ones that have surrounded us for the past three weeks.

In a way life is very simple on board this ship, there is a lot you don't have to think about. The galley cooks the meals every day, we just help with the dishes once in a while. No shopping, little cleaning. There are other things for us to think about, like organising the daily programme, writing the logbook for the guests every day, preparing landings while we're around the Peninsula, making sure we have all the necessary information to be able to tell the guests what they need to know. Basically you are at work all the time that you are awake, apart form the time you have to yourself late at night in the bar. And even then you can get a lot of questions, so you end up working again. Your life is pretty much organised and regulated, so in a way you don't really have to think very much.


23 February

The nervousness of the last day. We are out of the Drake and in the Beagle Channel, motoring along gently. Everybody has come back to life and is enjoying the sight of land on both sides of the ship. We were greeted joyfully this morning by a small group of dusky dolphins, jumping out of the water to welcome us back, just as they were there to see us off three weeks ago. It's a lovely day, with a few drops of rain at times, but a lot of sunshine mainly. The people are up on deck wearing fleece jackets rather than foul weather gear, and it almost looks like summer.

A lot of things to finish today and other things to do in preparation for the next voyage. Getting everything organised for the next expedition leader, doing all those things you couldn't do while the ship and everything in it were all over the place. A logbook and voyage cd to create for 42 people, answering all the questions about the last day on board and then the transfer to the real world outside.

The guests are saying goodbye to the ship, taking pictures of everything and everyone, just as they did on the first day. It is different now, because they all know each other quite well, reputations have been created, friendships made. All groups are different, and they are all the same. The barman suggested that a trip on board this ship would be a good subject for a sociology thesis, and I agree with him. Like him I tend to remain on the outside, a spectator, though I sometimes get involved and I have my preferences for some while I may be trying to avoid one or two others. Some people need a lot of attention from the start, others you are just getting to know towards the end. And I must confess that by the end of the second trip I sometimes find it hard to remember exactly who was on the first. I've become acquainted with 42 more guests, and many there are only so many you can keep in mind.

The Beagle isn't a bad way to get back into civilization. People can see the green of the land and the trees, the pilot is a new face, suddenly mobile phones work again so people are calling home. Arrival in Ushuaia is usually sudden and hard. Within a very short time the group disappears in different directions for dinner or some last minute shopping, or maybe just a drink at some bar, surrounded by different faces.


24 February

It´s almost 6 a.m., all is quiet on the ship. I have the early morning watch because I will be doing the accounting in about an hour. I just entered the last expenses in the ship´s computer, last night´s bar bills, and they reflect last night´s party here on the ship. I was woken for my watch at 4:45, but I think the last partygoers went to bed only shortly before that. Now it is lovely and quiet on board. In an hour breakfast will start though, and the preparations for that should be underway soon.

Today will be a busy day, saying goodbye to everyone, then the cleaning and starting to get things ready for the next trip. Then tomorrow morning it is time for me to leave the ship again. It always is strange moving from one life to the other.