It's a long way to Punta Arenas and we got there after two long flights to Santiago, a short night in an hotel (suitcase out before going to bed and a very early start the next morning), and then a charter flight for the final leg.
Getting on board MS Midnatsol took until early afternoon where we checked in and received our ID/cabin door card (also used to check you off and on the ship). Having eaten we then picked up our jackets, having made sure we were wearing what we would probably have on when going ashore so they would fit. We got our boots the following morning.
MS Midnatsol The ship is restricted to a maximum of less than 500 passengers and crew to comply with the agreed rules for landings in Antarctica.
As a result there were about 360/370 passengers and we were divided into boat groups for landing and cruising - about 32 in each group as the tenders could carry 16 passengers.
Every day the order in which the groups went out was changed so that if the weather or sea conditions changed (for better or worse) there was a chance that different groups would be affected by adverse conditions.
I have to say that we were incredibly lucky and throughout the trip the weather conditions were, to say the least, benign. I think the only activity cancelled was one of the kayak training afternoons when it was a bit too windy. Every other activity, landing, and cruise went ahead as planned.
I did not upgrade my cabin as I was happy to have an inside one as (a) I didn't expect to spend much time in it, and (b) when I turned the light off it was dark whereas those with windows had daylight almost 24 hours a day.
The cabin had adequate storage and was comfortable ( more particularly after I turned the aircon down to its lowest setting). The bathroom has underfloor heating which is wonderful - it also means you can dry things in there very quickly. I did a certain amount of washing which dried within a couple of hours, there is a clothes line across the shower, but putting things on the floor was faster.
Daily Programme
Every day there were briefings about the following days activities and there were also talks given on a variety of subjects by members of the Expedition Team. Each evening we got a Daily Programme sheet outlining the next days activities with details of the order the groups would be going in and timings. Having kept these I can use them to list what we did, although a voyage portfolio should soon be available online.
22nd Dec. We went tender boat cruising in Garibaldi Fjord. Went quite close to the glacier, lots of ice floes.
23rd Dec. Puerto Williams :- most southerly settlement in S America. There were several optional activities and I did the 6 mile walk up to a viewpoint overlooking the town. Quite steep and lots of birdlife.
24th Dec. Cape Horn. We were warned that 9 out of 10 trips don't get to land, and although the forecast was good it could still be a slightly bumpy landing with a bit of a swell. We had pretty much a flat calm landing.
None of the Expedition Team or crew had seen it so calm. Had a walk around and met the lighthouse man and his family. They do a year in this post!
Sailed from Cape Horn and had Xmas Dinner at sea.
25th Dec. At sea, which was pretty calm, did see some whales from time to time. Various talks given.
26th Dec. Half Moon Island, S Shetland Islands. Went ashore and did a snow shoe hike uphill. Didn't get to the top as nesting skuas objected.
27th Dec. Deception Island. This is a volcanic caldera. We landed and various walks were available. Some made a
it to th top, others walked on the beach looking for seals and penguins.
28th Dec. Neko Harbour. Marvelous locaation by a glacier that is actively shedding large chunks of ice. Our group went for a cruise round the bay in the morning and saw crab seals and a few penguins. Landed in the afternoon andwalked uphill to overlook a penguin rookery. Later in the evening the staff of Port Lockroy Post Office came aboard selling souvenirs and postcards.
29th Dec. Wilhelmina Bay in the morning. All groups out cruising in the bay which was full of humpbacked whales, some of which came up close to the boats. One group apparently saw Orca but most of us didn't.
Cuverville Island in the afternoon for more penguin spotting.
30th Dec. Damoy Point. I didn't go ashore here as I had a bad cold and preferred to stay aboard in the warm and drink lots of tea.
31st Dec. Yankee Harbour. The second day I missed going ashore. We departed for the Falklands later in the day and celebrated New Year somewhere in Drake Passage.
1st Jan, At sea and all groups visited the Bridge where we could ask the Captain questions. Remarkable lack of rough seas.
2nd Jan. Arrived Stanley and went ashore. Various tours available - I did the Stanley tour, others went to Bluff Cove and some to a farm. Later walked around the town and went to the Post office. Bought a couple of cards and posted them home - one arrived today (12th), no sign of the other one yet.
3rd Jan. New Island. All went ashore. Most walked across the island to cliffs where Rock Hopper Penguins and Albatross were nesting. Great displays of flying albatross, lots of chicks and many other seabirds. It was possible to get remarkably close to these birds.
4th Jan. Carcass Island. Named after a boat apparently. Landed on the beach in a bay and walked to where Magellanic Penguins were breeding.Then walked about a mile or so to where there was a house and refreshments laid on. Saw lots of birdlife while walking, all the birds showed no fear of us and came very close so it was easy to get some good photos. One even perched on the toe of my boot when I sat down.
5th Jan. At sea heading for Punta Arenas where we arrived early on 6th Jan. The last night at sea was by far the roughest with a Force 8 gale and 5m swell.
We had a night in Santiago where we went out in small groups to eat, followed by a tour of the city the following morning before going to the airport. The flight from Santiago to Bogata took about 6 hours, Bogata to Heathrow about 10. I got home almost exactly 24 hours after we took off from Santiago.
I took about 500 photos, now reduced a bit as I have weeded out some of the "not so good" ones. Some took far more than I did. I have to say that as I have at least 20 pictures of whale flukes sticking out of the sea, and loads of photos of Black Browed Albatross flying behind the ship, more weeding out is likely.
As I said earlier we were incredibly lucky with the weather, and also according to the Expedition Team there were an unprecedented number of whales around in Wilhelmina Bay the day we were there. I hope the next JY Group to go have the same experience as we did.
Peter
