Antarctic Peninsula and Polar Circle 2020 Feb 10 2020 -13

10-22, FEB 2020 Volume 2, Issue 13 

Albatros Magazine 

A Visual Journey 

Antarctic Peninsula 

& Polar Circle 

A Journey of a Lifetime 

THE OFFICIAL VOYAGE LOG OF

Albatros Magazine: A Visual Journey 

Editor-in-Chief: 

Layout & Design: 

Shelli Ogilvy 

Gaby Pilson & Shelli Ogilvy 

Front Cover Image: 

Back Cover Image: 

Photography Contributors: 

Gentoo Family © Sandra Petrowiz 

Elephant seal © Sandra Petrowiz 

Sandra Petrowitz 

Yuri Choufour 

Werner Kruse 

Renato Granieri 

Gaby Pilson 

Shannon Jensen 

10-22 FEB 2020 Volume 2, Issue 13

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

The Voyage 

Meet the Team 

Day 1: Southward Bound 

The Seven Sisters of Szczecin 

An Unlikely Antarctic Explorer 

Day 2: Rolling Our Way South 

Penguins! Fun Facts for the Antarctic Adventurer 

Day 3: Our First Steps in Antarctica 

Ice is Nice – Glacier Fun Facts 

Whales: Friendly Giants of the Sea 

Day 4: Landing on Mainland Antarctica 

The Geological Structure of the Antarctic 

Peninsula 

Day 5: The White Continent 

When and How the Earth Got Cold 

Day 6: In the Footsteps of Charcot 

Fire in the Antarctic 

Day 7: South of the Circle 

Day 8: Station Visit 

Antarctica: A Continent for Science 

Day 9: Departing the Peninsula 

Day 10: The Last Day 

A Brief History of the Zodiac 

Day 11: Northward Bound 

Day 12: The Beagle Channel 

King of the Southern Winds 

Day 13: Home Again 

By the Numbers 

A Final Note 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 


14 

15 

16 

18 

19 

21 

22 

25 

27 

28 

29 

31 

32 

33 

34 

36 

37 

38

The Voyage 

3 

The following map traces the approximate route that the M/V Ocean Atlantic took during our 

voyage to Antarctica. You can find more information about our day to day activities, landings, and 

excursions on the following pages. We hope that this magazine serves as a reminder of all of the 

wonderful memories you made while experiencing the Antarctic with. 

o 

10-22, FEB 2020 

Volume 2, Issue 13

Meet the Team 

4 

Rashidah Lim 

Assistant Expedition 

Leader 

Samuel 

Expedition Leader 

Christophe Gouraud 

Assistant Expedition 

Leader 

Ted Creek 

Zodiac Master 

Shelli Ogilvy 

Kayak Master 

David Reid 

Kayak Guide 

Isabelle Howells 

Equipment Master 

Nadine Smith 

Shop Manager 

Rose Li 

Translator & Guide 

Barbara Post 

Lecturer & Guide 

Sandra Petrowitz 

Photographer 

Shannon Jensen 

First Aid Responder 

Kevin Burke 

Lecture & Guide 

Ab Steenvoorden 


Lisa Pettenuzzo 


Nick Gan 


Christina 


Marta 


Sanna Kallio 


Chloe Shang 

Shop Assistent 

Steve Egan 


Wan Meng Chieh 


Zoy Li Jianqun 


1-10, FEB 2020 

Volume 2, Issue 12

5 

Day 1 - Southward Bound 

1 February 2020 - Embarkation Day 

As the wheels of the plane touched down on the 

runway in Ushuaia, we were treated to 

magnificent views of Tierra del Fuego and the 

southernmost city in Argentina that marks the 

start of our Antarctic adventure. After a night in 

Ushuaia we were better rested from the long 

travel and mid-day we arrived at the pier eager to 

board the lovely ship Ocean Atlantic. 

Our adventure to Antarctica started as the first 

busses drove along the pier in beautiful summer 

weather. Members of the Albatros Expedition 

Team welcomed us onboard and the excitement 

was palatable as we climbed the gangway steps. 

Everyone checked in with the hotel department 

and settled in our rooms before starting to 

explore the vessel which will be our home for the 

next ten days. Having time for tea as well as a 

small snack, it was soon time for the mandatory 

safety briefing followed by an important safety 

drill. The recognizable alarm went off throughout 

the ship and people gathered at their muster 

stations and later at the emergency life boats. 

Shortly after the drill was finished, the Ocean 

Atlantic slowly started to move away from the pier 

and began its journey through the Beagle channel, 

before heading straight South towards Antarctica. 

Meanwhile, Expedition Leader Sam hosted the 

welcome briefing in the Viking Theatre and Hotel 

Director Oliver introduced the ship and the many 

staff working to provide an excellent experience, 

including the food and beverage manager, the 

head of housekeeping and the purser. Sam then 

introduced the different members of the 

expedition team and their roles onboard. He 

proceeded then to outline the plans and details 

for the voyage, including an update regarding the 

weather, which was for a very pleasant forecast 

for the infamous Drake Passage. 

The evening ended with a big welcome dinner, 

where people got to know their new travel 

companions. Many went to bed early after several 

days of travel. However, a few went outside on 

the decks, where we were able to spot many 

seabirds flying around the ship, several of the 

larger albatrosses were sighted marking the start 

of a great wildlife journey in the southern 

hemisphere. 

But, as explorers know all too well, we can only 

ever experience true beauty in nature when we 

are brave enough to seek it out amongst the 

mountains and the seas in the world’s most 

remote places. It is with that sentiment in mind 

that we venture away from Ushuaia and south, to 

the future and all the wonders it holds. 

1-10, FEB 2020 Volume 2, Issue 12

The Seven Sisters of Szczecin 

David MacDonald, Lecturer (Geology) & Expedition Guide 

M/V Ocean Atlantic was launched in 1986 as the last-built of the ‘Shoshtakovich’ class of ice-strengthened 

passenger vessels, alongside six sister ships, together known as the “Seven Sisters of Szczecin. 

6 

Her original name was Konstantin Chernenko 

(Константин Черненко), after the President of the 

USSR (1984-1985). She was renamed Russ (Русс) in 

1989, and spent much of her life working in the Russian 

Far East. 

She was purchased by Albatros Expeditions and 

completely refitted in 2017. She is now a 200- 

passenger expedition vessel and is one of the strongest 

polar cruise ships afloat. Here are some fun facts about 

the “Seven Sisters”: 

• All seven ships were built by Stocnia Szczecinska 

shipyard in Szczecin, Poland between 1979-1986 

• Main engines: 4 x Skoda Sulzer 6LZ40 total power 

12800 kW, giving a maximum speed of 18 knots 

• Most of the class have one bow thruster (736 kW) 

and one stern thruster (426 kW); however, two 

ships, including ours, built in 1986, have two stern 

thrusters, each of 426 kW 

• Feature Siemens stabilisers for seaworthiness 

• Although built as ferries, they have a strengthened 

car deck for transport of tanks 

• Two of them had diving chambers 

• MV Mikhail Sholokov had hull demagnetising 

equipment so it could operate in minefields 

• All of these ships have been scrapped except ours 

and Konstantin Simonov – now Ocean Endeavour 

Our ship has had a complex history: 

1986-1987 In Baltic traffic, then Vladivostok to 

Japan & S Korea 

1989 renamed to Russ 

1997-1999 In traffic Stockholm-Riga; 2000 

Odessa-Haifa; 2002 back to 

Vladivostok transporting cars from 

Japan 

2007 Sold to Sea Ferry Shipping in Majuro 

and renamed 2010 to Atlantic; 

renovations in Italy and in traffic 

Stockholm-Helsinki-St. Petersburg 

during summer and laid up (October 

2010) in St Petersburg 

2012 Sold to ISP in Miami and renamed to 

Ocean Atlantic under Marshall 

Islands flag 

2013 Used as a hotel ship in the German 

bight wind farm project 

2015-2017 Laid up in Helsingborg and taken to 

Gdansk in Poland, where totally 

refitted 

2017 Chartered to Quark Expeditions 

2017-present Chartered to Albatros Expeditions. 

1-10 FEB 2020 

Volume 2, Issue 12

An Unlikely Antarctic Explorer 

Gregers Gjersøe – Snowshoe Master & Expedition Guide 

7 

In a suburb of Wellington, New Zealand, the local 

cemetery is home to a rather unassuming grave. 

The final resting place of Henry “Chippy” McNish, 

one of the survivors of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 

1914 Endurance Expedition, the grave is also a 

memorial to one of the most improbable of 

Antarctic explorers. 

McNish himself was a carpenter onboard the 

Endurance, though he didn’t travel alone. During 

the expedition, McNish brought along a cat that 

followed him around like an overpossessive 

wife. Soon enough, the 

crew named the cat Mrs. Chippy, 

although the expedition quickly 

realised that Mrs. Chippy was a 

gentleman, not a lady. 

Mrs. Chippy was an unusual cat, 

though an avid adventurer, 

having climbed the Endurance’s 

rigging lines on several 

occasions. Mrs. Chippy also did 

some very provocative strolls 

across the roofs of the dogs’ kennels 

and even once fell into the frigid water 

below. Thankfully, the crew heard her cries and 

quickly turned the ship around so they could 

pluck her up from the icy cold waters and get her 

to safety. 

Also onboard the Endurance was a young man - 

Perce Blackborow. Perce had travelled to Buenos 

Aires looking for new employment, but wasn’t 

hired; at 18, his youth and inexperience counted 

against him. Somehow, he managed to sneak 

aboard the ship, and he hid in a clothing locker 

for three days. Eventually, he was discovered, 

and Shackleton was furious with him, but was 

sent to work in the galley where he became great 

friends with Mrs. Chippy. 

In January of 1915, the Endurance got trapped in 

the Antarctic pack ice. McNish's work prevented 

the ship from flooding, but he couldn’t do 

anything to stop it from being crushed. The ship 

was abandoned and, much to McNish’s despair, 

Shackleton ordered Mrs. Chippy to be shot, as 

they couldn’t take her on their survival journey. 

Now, the group had to make it back to safety. For 

months, the expedition drifted through icy 

waters until they made it to Elephant Island. 

Once at Elephant Island, Shackleton set out 

in a 22-foot-long open boat and made 

an 800-mile crossing through the 

rough waters of the South Atlantic 

to South Georgia. McNish was 

one of the five men who 

accompanied Shackleton, 

making improvements to the 

boat to make the voyage 

possible. 

For the next fifteen years, McNish 

lived a difficult life in Wellington 

before passing away in 1930. He never 

forgave Shackleton for shooting Mrs. 

Chippy. 

Nearly 30 years later, in 1959, the New Zealand 

Antarctic Society realised that McNish had been 

given a very poor burial in an unmarked grave. 

The Society raised funds for a headstone and 

even reunited McNish and Mrs. Chippy by adding 

a life-sized bronze statue of Mrs. Chippy to the 

grave. 

Now Karori Cemetery near Wellington is a 

pilgrimage site for Antarctic history buffs, who 

visit McNish’s grave and see Mrs. Chippy 

watching over him once again. 


Volume 2, Issue 12

Day 2 - Rolling Our Way South 

February 2020 – Drake Passage South 

8 

A rolling sea greeted us for our first full day 

together on Ocean Atlantic as she sailed 

southwards toward the promise of a snowy white 

continent. A lovely breakfast as the skies 

lightened, gave us a nutritious beginning to the 

events of the day. It was a relaxed start as many of 

us were still finding our sea legs as we rocked 

gently in the arms of Mother nature, across the 

Drake Passage. 

Our ornithologist Ab rolled out an entertaining 

introduction to the Seabirds of the Southern 

Ocean, giving us a great taste of the encounters 

we could look forward to with these feathered 

friends who accompany us on our passage to 

Antarctica. Interest was high and the Viking 

theatre full of curious questions about our winged 

companions and time ‘flew’ - before we knew it, it 

was time for a Mandatory IAATO briefing. 

Expedition leader Sam gave us a preview of some 

introductory thoughts and perspectives about 

Antarctica, following this we enjoyed a great lunch 

put on by our creative galley team, fuelling us for 

an afternoon of further activities. 

A sweet snack at Tea Time flowed into an 

invitation to join an introduction to the Sea 

Kayaking Program onboard hosted by Shelli & 

David. Later Sandra lent us some valuable insights 

and tips on Photographing Antarctica. Soon 

enough, a day of various briefings, social occasions 

and educational presentations brought us to our 

official welcome to the journey by the Master of 

our vessel our captain Georgii toasted to an 

successful Expedition ahead. After this and the 

briefing of the plans for the coming day a 

delightful evening meal was served as Ocean 

Atlantic steamed on south towards the horizon. 

Some gathered after dining, for popcorn and a 

screening of Frozen Planet to fuel dreams of the 

icy realms ahead. 

Late tonight, while we slept, we would cross the 

Antarctic Convergence, the gateway into 

Antarctica’s unique biological zone and can 

consider ourselves then properly already 

embraced by the great White Continent. 

After dining, we followed up on our understanding 

of the importance of arriving clean into the 

sensitive Antarctic environment, with the 

practicalities of screening all the clothing & 

equipment we would take ashore & generally had 

a fun social time in doing so. Throughout the 

afternoon as the sea state settled, many of us 

wandered upstairs to inspect the view from the 

Ocean Atlantic bridge as well as explored the 

outer decks, mingled with our naturalists, or 

photographed the many and wondrous seabirds 

that chaperoned our sea journey. 


Volume 2, Issue 12

Penguins! Fun Facts for the Antarctic Adventurer 

Gaby Pilson, Hiking Master & Expedition Guide 

For many of us, the chance to see penguins waddling around in the snowy vastness of Antarctica is the reason 

that we came to the White Continent. These charismatic sea birds are a fan-favourite for visitors to Antarctica, 

but even cuddly-looking penguins are incredibly well adapted to one of the harshest environments on Earth. 

1 

2 

Depending on what book you read, there are 19 

species of penguins. If you count all of the 

subspecies, there are 25 total varieties of 

penguins in the world, however, there are only 

four truly Antarctic species of penguins: the 

Adélie, Gentoo, Chinstrap, and Emperor. All of 

the other penguins in the world live south of the 

equator yet north of Antarctica, with the 

exception of one species in the Galapagos whose 

range barely crosses into the northern 

hemisphere. 

The largest penguin to have ever lived was the 

now-extinct mega penguin, which weighed some 

115 kg. These days, the largest penguin is the 

Emperor Penguin, which tips the scales at 23 kg. 

Alternatively, the smaller gentoo penguin weighs 

just 15 kg. 

9 

3 

4 

5 

Although they nest, breed, and socialize on land, 

penguins rely on the sea for survival. As 

swimming and diving birds, penguins are adept 

at fishing and must head to the ocean for their 

sustenance. Indeed, the deepest diving bird in 

the world is the Emperor Penguin, with a 

record-breaking dive of 535 meters! 

Penguins are amazing swimmers. They spend 

much of their day searching for food in the 

ocean, particularly for their favourite meal of 

krill, squid, and small fish. The fastest swimming 

penguin is the Gentoo, which is known to reach 

speeds of upwards of 50 kilometres an hour 

while zooming through the water. 

Penguins are highly social birds, choosing to 

nest in large colonies, where they will also raise 

their young. Many penguin chicks, after 

hatching stay with their parents for a few weeks 

to a few months before forming large “crechés,” 

many hundreds of individual teenage penguins 

in size. 

10-22 FEB 2020 


Day 3 – Our First Steps in Antarctica 

12 February 2020 – Drake Passage and Aitcho Islands 


As we began our second day at sea, we saw our 

first iceberg shortly after breakfast began. 

Overnight we had been and making good time 

across the Drake, it became apparent that we 

would be able to try a landing that very afternoon 

as we were passing through the South Shetland 

Islands. We had been moving at top speeds to 

successfully get in front of some bad weather and 

thanks to this acceleration, we were able to add in 

an extra unplanned landing! 

So to prepare for this, we had a few activities we 

had to get done this morning, including the zodiac 

briefing and picking up our rubber boots that we 

would need for all of the shore landings. 

During a delicious lunch, we could see that we 

were approaching a group of islands – our first 

sight of Antarctica! These were the Aitcho Islands 

named for the phonetic pronunciation of the 

letters H and O, which stands for Hydrographic 

Office. Everyone excited for the first taste of 

Antarctic exploration, we got into the zodiacs and 

went off to investigate both Barrientos and Cecelia 

island. 

The wind picked up as the afternoon went on, and 

upon returning back to the ship there was a chatty 

buzz in the air as people warmed up over cups of 

tea and exchanged stories of their new 

experiences. 

. 

© Sandra Petrowitz 

The day ended off with a recap and briefing of the 

plans of the next day, and everyone was definitely 

looking forward to dinner after a long day. Those 

who love to sing had an opportunity to sing their 

hearts out that night after dinner during the 

Karaoke session in the Viking Theatre. 


All photos © Sandra Petrowitz 


Ice is Nice – Glacier Fun Facts 

Gaby Pilson, Hiking Master & Expedition Guide 

Glaciers have, quite literally, shaped our world. Without glaciers, the rolling hills and wide valleys we know 

today would look very different, but it turns out that these icy giants have a much longer and more storied 

history than many of us would initially suspect. Here are some of the best fun facts about glaciers: 

11 

1 

Not just anything can be a glacier. In fact, there’s 

a size requirement that a piece of ice has to 

meet to become a glacier. Anything considered a 

glacier must be at least 0.1 km 2 (nearly 25 acres) 

in area to be worthy of the name. Although 

there’s a minimum size requirement to be 

considered a glacier, there’s no upper limit to 

glacierhood. The longest glacier on earth is the 

Lambert Glacier of Antarctica, which measures 

out to some 434 km (270 mi) long. The world’s 

largest non-polar glacier is the Fedchenko 

Glacier of Tajikistan, which measures a 

respectable 77km (48mi) long. 

© Renato Granieri 


2 

Glaciers are formed by snowflakes. Although it’s 

crazy to think that a tiny snowflake can create 

something as large as a glacier, without snow, 

glaciers would never exist in the first place. To 

form a glacier, massive amounts of snow must 

accumulate and persist in a single location all 

year long for hundreds, if not thousands of 

years. During this time, the individual snowflakes 

found in the snowpack change in a process 

known as snowflake metamorphosis, where 

individual ice grains fuse together and get bigger 

and air bubbles get smaller. Once the icepack 

builds up enough mass to start flowing downhill, 

then, voila! We have a glacier. 

3 

Glaciers are found all over the world, not just in 

the polar regions. While the majority of glaciers 

and glacial ice is concentrated in high northern 

and southern latitudes, glaciers are found even 

near the equator, such as on Mount Kilimanjaro 

in Tanzania and in the mountains of Ecuador. 

That being said, about half of the world’s 

200,000 glaciers are found in one place: Alaska. 

There, glaciers cover a whopping 72,500 km 2 

(28,000 mi 2 ) of the US state’s total area. That’s a 

lot of ice. 

© Werner Kruse 

4 

Glaciers are basically really, really, really slow-moving rivers. To be considered a glacier, a large mass of ice 

must be physically moving downhill. This movement downhill is driven by gravity and is the main reason 

why glaciers also act as major agents of erosion. Since glaciers move downhill, they often remove and 

transport large boulders and chunks of rock, depositing them much further downhill then where they 

started. 



Drake Passage 

Drake Passage 



Elephant seal 

Barrientos Is 

Gentoo chic 



Drake Passage 




Whales: Friendly Giants of the Sea 

Amanda Dalsgaard – Lecturer (Marine Biology) and Expedition Guide 

When one talks about whales, we must 

acknowledge the vast diversity of whales on earth 

and the uniqueness of each species. All whales fall 

into an order of marine mammals known as 

Cetaceans. The scientists who first discovered and 

named this order of marine mammals, used the 

word cetacean or ‘ceatacea’ from the Greek 

‘ketos,’ meaning monster. 

Long ago, when whales were first scientifically 

observed and recorded, people believed they 

were monsters, due to their size. Today, we know 

much more about the gentle giants that roam our 

planet’s seas, thanks to a number scientific and 

technological advances, our knowledge of these 

creatures will only continue to grow. 

The order Cetacea is divided into two sub-orders, 

Odontocete and Mysticeti. Odontocete, meaning 

‘toothed-whale’, includes all of the whales and 

dolphins with teeth. Mysticeti comes from the 

Latin root meaning “mustache”, and includes all of 

the whales that have baleen plates instead of 

teeth. It’s important to keep these differences in 

mind when trying to observe whales from a ship 

as this information can help identify cetaceans 

from far away. 

Since whales are marine mammals, they must 

breath air to survive. They do so by breathing at 

the water’s surface through their blow holes. 

Interestingly enough, however, toothed whales 

have only one blow hole or spout, while baleen 

whales have two. Plus, many whales can be 

identified from afar using the size and shape of 

their spout blow as well. For example, grey whales 

tend to have spouts shaped like hearts, while 

orcas have low bushy spouts. 

Another distinguishing characteristic that sets 

these two sub-orders apart is the way that they 

communicate. Odontocetes use a method of 

communication called echolocation. This is best 

described as a series or clicks and precise sounds 

that are then reflected back to the animal and 

allows the whale to ‘see’ their environment 

through noise. It is the same communication style 

used by bats in terrestrial ecosystems. Mysticetes 

on the other hand, communicate through a variety 

of low-frequency songs. These songs have been 

described by scientists as being beautiful, 

mysterious and sometimes gloomy, with the males 

being the most active singers of the Mysticeti clan. 

Regardless of the kind of whale you see however, 

any encounter with one of these graceful marine 

giants, however brief, is sure to be a memorable 

experience for years to come. 


10 22, FEB 2020 


Day 4 – Landing on the Continent Antarctica 

13 February 2020 – Hydrurga Rocks and Portal Point 

14 

We woke up this morning to whale tales off the 

port side of the ship for our pre breakfast views. 

The skies were grey, but the temperatures were 

warm, and we were eager to get onshore. The call 

to the mudroom came for an 8:30 am 

disembarkation. We waited eagerly at the 

gangway for our Zodiac to pick us up. The agenda 

for the morning was to visit Hydrurga Rocks. 

We made our approach through the narrow 

channel in the rocks and arrived at a small beach 

landing. The water we stepped into was mid-boot 

deep and we sloshed our way to shore to explore. 

The tide was high, and many Fur seals were 

playing in the shoals. We scrambled over the rocks 

to see Weddell seals sleeping in the sun. The one 

nearest the path had a smile on its face as it slept 

and occasionally woke just enough to open one 

eye and scratch it’s belly. 

At the end of the path a throng of Snowy 

sheathbills could be observed on the melting 

snow. They were almost invisible except when 

they came out to peck and scavenge the delicious 

morsels they found on the snowy terrain. 

The wind started to pick-up and we were swiftly 

transported back to the ship for lunch. Our 

morning visit came to a close at the perfect time. 

We had warm food in a warm dining room. After 

an exhilarating morning, the crowd thinned out 

during the 3-hour sail to our afternoon stop as 

many guests snuck off for a quick polar nap. 




The afternoon landing was at Portal Point, a 

chance to step on the Antarctic Continent proper. 

We landed in the shallow rocky shore and had a 

choice to walk up the hill to the left or to the right. 

Going left up and over brought us to a wind swept 

view of the glacier covered coast with an addition 

sliding option down to the old foundation left 

from a torn down British hut. On the alternate side 

was beautiful views and feeding humpback 

whales. 

Again, the wind picked up just as we were leaving 

and the snow started to fall. We zoomed back to 

the ship for our briefing, recap and dinner. The 

evening finished with Rose’s cocktail 

demonstration and games. 


Another grand day on the Antarctic peninsula. 



The Geological Structure of the Antarctic Peninsula 

David Macdonald, Lecturer (Geology) & Expedition Guide 

This cartoon shows what the Antarctic Peninsula looked like 100 million years ago (mya). The main points to 

note are: 

• The peninsula was a continuation of the Andes. They were connected until 35 mya 

• The peninsula was a volcanic arc from about 200 mya3 until about 25 mya 

• Volcanism ended 50 mya in the south and 20 mya off Brabant Island 

• Only the South Shetlands Islands have any volcanic activity now 

15 

There are three main geological domains, each formed of multiple rock units: 

1. The basement domain (grey and brown colours) contains sediments scraped off the ocean floor which were 

changed by heat and pressure (metamorphosed) in the subduction zone and during folding and 

deformation. These metamorphic rocks span a wide range of ages from 299-65 mya. They tend to be older 

on the east coast of the peninsula. These rocks are best seen in Paradise Harbour, at the shag colony near 

Brown Station. 

2. The igneous domain contains rocks crystallised from magma. This includes both plutonic rocks (where the 

magma crystallised slowly within the earth’s crust) and volcanic rocks (where the magma was erupted as 

lava and ash). Again, the rocks span a wide range of ages from about 210-25 mya, and the younger rocks 

tend to be in the west. These are the commonest rocks seen in the Peninsula and are well displayed in the 

South Shetland Islands (e.g. Half Moon Island, or Yankee Harbour) or on the peninsula (e.g. Cuverville 

Island). Plutonic rocks form Goudier Island at Port Lockroy. 

3. The sedimentary domain contains rocks eroded from the volcanic arc and deposited in sedimentary basins, 

either on the eastern, Weddell Sea side (in a very large structure called the Larsen Basin), or in smaller 

basins to the west (the largest of which is the Fossil Bluff Basin on Alexander Island). Sedimentary rocks are 

not seen on most peninsula cruises (unless they visit the area of James Ross Island), although there are 

sedimentary rocks with abundant fossils interbedded with volcanic rocks west of Hannah Point, in Walker 

Bay. 



Day 5 - The White Continent 

14 February 2020 – Neko Harbour and Paradise Bay 

Morning wakeup call and we must some of the 

luckiest people in the world. The sun is streaming 

through the window and Neko Harbour is a 

gorgeous mirror, speckled with ice. Waiting for the 

zodiacs never felt so long as we went outside to 

take picture’s that will never do this day justice. 

Alternatively, a few of us ran downstairs to put on 

dry suits for an Antarctic kayaking adventure 

16 

Arriving on shore the expedition team have 

already marked a route from the landing site right 

up the side of the hill across the back of a gentoo 

penguin colony to a high rocky viewpoint. On the 

route up, members of the team were guarding 

apparently empty areas with surprising vigour. 

However, as they pointed out crevasses to the 

side of our path and it all became clear. 

Back down to the zodiacs for the smoothest cruise 

we could imagine among icebergs of all shapes 

and sizes, some adorned with the odd crabeater 

and Weddell seal. So peaceful and calm, even the 

whales are having a sunbathing snooze on the 

surface. 

Time for a short, but very scenic reposition to 

Paradise Harbour through a narrow channel and 

past the colourful painted Chilean base Gonzalez 

Videla covered in Geotoos! It was at this point that 

we heard we were going to witness some true 

polar logistics in action. As the Argentinian supply 

ship was making its way to service the summer 

station of Base Brown while we were also making 

our afternoon excursion in Paradise harbour. 

Before it arrived we set out on the zodiacs for land 

getting distracted by a pair of Humpback whales 

who decided to hang out right on the route. 


Landing on a spit of land just opposite the base, 

the shore was littered with seals basking in the 

sun. Once more the expedition team have found 

us a route up to a stunning viewpoint on a tongue 

of ice with lichens and ice algae to be observed. 

After the landing we began a picturesque zodiac 

cruise to see blue eyed shags, some of us found 

the Humpback whales, Crabeater and Leopard 

seals. The kayakers were off exploring Skontorp 

cove and embracing the quiet and reflections of 

the landscape. 

Once everyone was back on-board, the outdoor 

activities were not quite finished yet Polar plunge 

began, and 52 of us having apparently lost our 

minds in the sun, deciding to jump from our warm 

ship into the icy water. 

Dinner and straight to Rose’s Valentine’s Day 

evening entertainment, where description will 

never quite fully illuminate the hilarity of 

activities. Happy Valentines day everyone. 

© Sandra Petrowitz © Shannon Jensen 



Paradise Harbour 

Paradise 

Harbour 

Chinstrap 

penguins 

Paradise Harbour 

Neko Harbour 


All photos © Sandra Petrowltz 


When and How the Earth Got Cold 


The Earth’s climate has two end-member states: 

greenhouse and icehouse. In a greenhouse climate, 

there are no polar icecaps (although there may be 

valley glaciers in high mountain areas) – the climate of 

the Cretaceous Period (144-65 million years ago) is a 

typical greenhouse. We are currently in an icehouse 

climate, since there are icecaps at or near both poles. 

Although life on Earth goes back 3.5 billion years, the 

main expansion in numbers of species and hence of 

easily found fossils occurred 540 million years ago. 

During the time from then until now, greenhouse 

climates have dominated, with three periods of 

icehouse climate, lasting a total of about 100 million 

years. Our current icehouse period began abruptly 35 

million years ago, with formation of an icecap in 

Antarctica. Why did it happen then, and why did it have 

such an abrupt beginning? 

Water temperature (°C) 

Antarctic convergence 

October 2019 

8 

6 

4 

2 

0 

54 56 58 60 62 64 

Latitude (°S) 

18 

Figure 2: Temperatures in the Drake Passage from Friday 25 

October to Sunday 27 October 2019 as Ocean Atlantic sailed south 

across the Antarctic Convergence, where the sea temperature falls 

below 4°C. 

It was the severing of the link between the Antarctic 

Peninsula and Tierra del Fuego that allowed deep cold 

water to circulate around the planet at 50-60°S and 

thermally isolate Antarctica from the rest of the world. 

This situation continues today (Figure 1) 

The key area for this was the Drake Passage, which is 

the western end of the Scotia Sea (Figure 3). Geological 

and geophysical studies of the sea floor show that the 

Antarctica-South America link was severed by the 

growth of ocean crust, beginning 35 million years ago. 

Opening of this deep-water gateway cooled the planet 

and turned Antarctica into the white continent. 

Figure 1: Thermal structure of the Southern Ocean showing the 

position of the Antarctic Convergence (Polar Front) at the junction 

of the dark blue and mid blue shading. This is the line of the 4°C 

isotherm, where Antarctic surface water plunges below cold 

temperate water. 

The first, and most important factor was that we had a 

polar continent. Antarctica was in roughly its present 

position over the South Pole, so would have had 

strongly differentiated winters and summers. However, 

although the former supercontinent of Gondwana had 

largely broken up by then, there was still a land bridge 

to South America and Antarctica was still forested, 

probably with a migratory fauna. Warm currents bathed 

Antarctica’s shores and, 35 million years ago, the 

temperature of the Southern Ocean was a relatively 

mild 6°C. 


Figure 3: The Drake Passage and the Scotia Sea formed from 50 

million years ago, when there was slow extension between South 

America and the Antarctic Peninsula which stretched the crust and 

allowed surface waters to circulate through this former land 

bridge. The temperature of the southern Ocean fell from 12°C to 

6°C between 50-35 million years ago, then abruptly fell to 0°C 

when the deep water gateway of the scotia Sea opened, sundering 

the link between Antarctica and South America and allowing 

continuous circulation of deep water, thermally isolating 

Antarctica. 


In the Footsteps of Charcot 

15 February 2020 – French Passage and Port Charcot 

19 

Overnight the Ocean Atlantic headed back out into 

the Gerlache, upon reaching the strait, the 

weather changed, not for the better, and a NE 

wind was with us as we entered the north end of 

the Neumayer Channel the night before. Regarded 

as one of the most scenic and spectacular 

channels on the peninsula, dark ominous low 

clouds prevented all on board from seeing it at its 

best. This morning the plan was to visit Damoy 

Point, located on Weincke Island. Upon reaching 

our intended destination high winds meant that a 

landing was not possible. As the decision was 

being made, off in the distance the British station 

at Port Lockroy could just be seen. 

The route to Port Charcot took us near the 

southern entrance of the Lemaire Channel as we 

past Pleneau Island. The surrounding mountain 

scenery was spectacular and many guests on 

board braved the high winds to spend time out on 

deck. 

Nearby Booth Island offered some protection from 

the robust winds as we approached our intended 

landing. Surrounded by icebergs the Ocean 

Atlantic found a safe anchorage. Despite the high 

gusts, some shelter was found. As zodiac 

operations started, the wind was gusting close to 

40 kts. 

A great morning was had by all, catching up on 

diaries, reading, sleeping and other important 

duties. Ab gave an excellent lecture about 

penguins which was closely followed by Barbara 

giving an equally great lecture on krill, arguably 

the most important animal species in Antarctica. 

As lunch was being enjoyed distant humpback 

whales were spotted, but given the high winds and 

waves, it was not the day for easy wildlife 

spotting. Patches of blue sky made a quick 

appearance but for the most part, it was a cloudy, 

windy, classic Antarctica day. 

Plan B quickly swung into action and we heading 

instead west through Bismark Strait, then south 

towards the French Passage. Our new goal was to 

visit Port Charcot, located on Booth Island. The 

passage through the famous Lemaire Channel was 

not possible (this time) due to the hazards of a 

following high wind which would make ship 

navigation challenging and possibly dangerous. 





A slightly longer zodiac route, to avoid the worst 

of the waves, took us to our landing spot at Port 

Charcot. Once everyone was safely ashore, our 

early arrival meant that most guests had nearly 

two hours ashore with which to explore, take 

photographs and visit the historic cairn on a 

nearby hill-top. 

Expedition leader Sam started re-cap with the 

plans for tomorrow followed by Lisa, Wan, Sandra 

giving short re-cap presentations on Charcot, 

photography and the Antarctica treaty. After 

dinner Sanna gave a fascinating talk about her ski 

journey to the South Pole. 


Port Charcot 

Gentoo Chics 

Crabeater Seal 


Port Charcot 

10-22, FEB 2020 All photos © Sandra Petrowitz 


Fire in the Antarctic 

Gregers Gjersøe, Snowshoe Master & Expedition Guide 

Fire is one of the greatest threats in Antarctica thanks to 

the region’s very dry climate, frequent strong winds, 

and nearly complete lack of liquid freshwater. Due to 

the continent’s isolation with and little possibility of 

rescue for weeks or months, a fire in the Antarctic is a 

potentially very disastrous event. 

Although it is covered in snow and ice, the cold 

temperatures of Antarctica make the White Continent 

very dry. As it is one of the windiest places on Earth, 

there is almost always a strong wind blowing much of 

the time, more than strong enough to fan any flames. 

As the temperatures across the whole continent of 

Antarctica is averaging below freezing, there is unlikely 

to be very much liquid water to fight fires. So, the 

response to fire is usually to make sure everyone is out 

of danger and safe and then stand back and watch it 

burn itself out. 

Bases in Antarctica are often designed to survive fires 

because they are made up of a number of separate 

buildings, each with a significant distance between 

them. Many bases have emergency supplies stored in a 

hut near the base but well away. In these huts, there 

are often enough supplies and ample shelter for the 

base’s crew to be able to survive a fire or emergency 

until help can arrive. 

The Argentine Antarctic base and scientific research 

station, “Brown Station,” is named after Admiral 

William Brown, the father of the Argentine Navy. 

21 

Located on the Sanaviron Peninsula along Paradise 

Harbour’s Danco Coast, from 1951 to 1984 it served as 

a permanent research base, though, since then, it is 

open only during the summer season. 

During its heyday, the station was home to one of the 

most complete biology laboratories on the Antarctic 

Peninsula, featuring a main house, as well as an 

additional building exclusively for scientific research. 

This building was equipped with three labs, a 

photography workshop, an emergency radio station, an 

office and a library. 

Unfortunately, Brown Station’s original facilities were 

burned down by the station’s doctor on 12 April 1984 

after he was ordered to stay on for yet another winter, 

despite the original terms of his contract and his desire 

to see his fiancé once again. As you can imagine, the 

stress of Antarctica’s harsh winter conditions can take 

its toll on residents and explorers of the region, driving 

them to take extreme measures to get back home. 

The doctor simply couldn’t bear to stay on for another 

winter and he couldn’t stand the isolation as the days 

drew darker. His solution? To force an evacuation of 

himself and his colleagues in the only way plausible 

manner: by burning the station down. 

After the fire, the station’s personnel were rescued by 

the USS Hero and taken to United States’ Palmer 

Station. Argentina later rebuilt the base, but it is now 

only occupied during the summer months. The station’s 

doctor was sent to prison for arson and his fiancé 

decided to call off the engagement. 

© Werner Kruse 


Volume 2, Issue 12

South of the Circle 

16 Februrary 2020 – Crossing the Circle and Detaille Island 

We woke to Sam’s announcement, happy to have 

slept in, and eager for the excitement of the 

morning. We were due to cross the Antarctic 

Circle at 9:30 am and a party was arranged on the 

back deck. As we approached the circle we 

gathered for a group photo while sipping on hot 

chocolate waiting for the captain’s count down. 

Upon reaching 0 in the count down a cheer roared 

through the crowed and a blast from the ship’s 

horn as everyone celebrated 66 o 33 South. 

Once the festivities died down guests strolled 

along the decks watching as we passed giant 

tabular icebergs, the largest of the ice bergs we’ve 

seen yet. Barbara shared a fascinating lecture on 

sea ice explaining how it forms and which critters 

rely on it to survive. 


22 


After lunch wrapped up in the dining room 

operations began on Detaille Island. Here Base W 

still remains just as it was in 1959 when the 

resupply ship could not reach the station do to ice 

and the British crew had to abandon the base 

taking only the necessities. Luckily, they had 

finished mapping the area and had a good 

understanding of the geology and were able to 

leave with their scientific papers. The hut still 

remains with clothing hanging up to dry and food 

stocked in the cupboards, frozen in time. 

A handful of brave souls took part in the Polar 

Plunge 2.0, this time stripping down to their 

nickers and plunging in from the shore. 

At the evening briefing Sam showed the plan for 

the upcoming day and Ted explained what the 

heck the Antarctic Circle actually is. He 

demonstrated the process with a buoy, a ski pole 

and a head lamp leaving us with a good 

understanding. Marta gave us a quick run down on 

Antarctic history and encouraged us all to become 

Antarctic Ambassadors in simple ways such as 

carefully choosing the products we buy, the foods 

that we eat and the companies we support. 

Once dinner finished Rose wrapped up the 

evening with a fun game of bingo with excellent 

prizes for the winners. 




23 

Iceberg 

66 o 33 South 




Detaille 

Provisions 

Base ¨W¨ 

Zodiacs through 

the Ice 

etaille Island 

abular Iceberg 

10-22, FEB 2020 All photos © Sandra Petrowitz 


Station Visit 

17 Februrary 2020 – Petermann Is and Vernadsky station 

25 

We all had a bit of a rough night as we left the 

Antarctic circle through a heavy headwind coming 

down the Antarctic Peninsula. As we woke up the 

wind hadn’t yet left us and we can see that the sea 

conditions are still rough. Confirmed by our 

expedition leader Sam, who decided to cancel the 

zodiac cruise due to poor weather, but we still 

have the landing at Petermann island to look 

forward to. However, as the zodiacs were 

launched the wind dropped and all activities 

including kayaking are back on! 


Off we went in the zodiacs through the pelting 

snow landing in the harbour known as Port 

Circumcision for reasons that no one seems to 

want to reveal to us. Gentoo penguins littering 

around the landing site with a climb to see the 

Adelies or in the other direction we had a 

monument to 3 lost members of the British 

Antarctic survey or a viewpoint only slightly 

dimmed by the mist. Once we had walked our fill 

our zodiac trip did not disappoint,.Crabeaters, 

Leopard and fur seals could be seen along with of 

course the brush tail penguins and stunning ice. 

To the ship we go and an indoor BBQ was 

underway for lunch, as the snow had made the 

decks too slippery for an outdoor event. Making 

our way back south to Ukrainian station 

Vernadsky. 

The station members welcomed us with open 

arms and vodka from the Faraday bar. Named for 

the previous title of the base when it belonged to 

Great Britain. The bar still holds the 1 pound coin 

that the base was originally purchased for. A 

guided tour was provided around the working 

research base and happy faces were met. It was 

fascinating to get a glimpse into human life in 


Antarctica. We also visited Wordie house which is 

another old British hut kept as a museum to 

preserve the way of life of the early scientists. 

No recap tonight we were off ship cruising up the 

Lemaire Channel which is 16km long and just 

1.2km wide at it narrowest. The mountains tower 

above on either side with ominous hanging ice 

caps disappearing into the mist above. Opening 

back out into the Gerlache straight we were back 

in familiar territory with humpbacks appearing as 

if from nowhere during dinner. Another fantastic 

day finished off with stories from the arctic with 

the expedition teams Kevin who’s spent much of 

his life working with polar bears in northern 

Canada. 

Exhausted and exited for the next day we headed 

north towards Mikkelsen harbor. 




Fun Fact: 

There are over 20000 species of lichen. Lichen is 

actually a combination of a fungus and a 

cyanobacteria! #thatsneat 


Argentine Islands 

Gentoo & Adelie 

Base ¨W¨ 

Fur Seal 

emaire Channel 



Volume 2, Issue 12

Antarctica: A Continent for Science 


Until the advent of mass tourism, Antarctica’s tagline was: “A continent for science”. 

27 

Antarctica affects the rest of the world in a variety of 

ways, so “Antarctic Science” should really be “Global 

science that happens in Antarctica”. Although many 

early expeditions were purely geographical in scope, 

there were some important scientific expeditions in the 

late 19 th to early 20 th centuries. In this “Golden Age” of 

exploration, there were many scientific contributions 

from Antarctica which changed our view of the earth’s 

evolution and environment. 

Indeed, three expeditions brought back proof that 

Antarctica once had a warm climate. Scott’s first 

expedition (1901-1904) found coal from 250 million 

years ago in the Transantarctic Mountains; 

Nordenskjӧld’s Swedish Antarctic Expedition found 

warm-water fossils on James Ross Island; and the Scotia 

Expedition under Bruce (1902-1904) dredged 

fossiliferous 500 million-year-old limestone from the 

Weddell Sea. Scott’s second expedition (1910-1913) 

found fossil leaves(Glossopteris) in the Transantarctic 

Mountains. These fossils belong to an extinct order of 

seed ferns from 299-252 million years ago, only found 

in the southern hemisphere continents and India. They 

were used by Wegener in 1924 in his work on 

continental drift to reconstruct the former 

supercontinent of Gondwana. 

In the years after the First World War, the focus 

changed from individual expeditions to national 

pursuits, such as the British Discovery Investigations – 

the first permanent oceanographic body in the world. 

During 33 years (1918–51) of pioneering work, the 

research ships collected an enormous amount of 

oceanographic, biological, and geographical data. 

Among the results of the investigations was the 

discovery of both the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the 

Antarctic Convergence - the natural boundary of 


By the end of the Second World War, the move to 

create national organisations was complete, with the 

formation of the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey 

(now British Antarctic Survey), the Australian National 

Research Expeditions) and other civilian operations 

(France, New Zealand, South Africa, etc). 

As a result of these organisations and better logistics, 

the rate of scientific discovery soared, and new polarspecific 

studies proliferated. Some highlights include: 

• 1957-58: The International Geophysical Year (IGY) 

was an 18-month collaboration between 67 

countries. Antarctica was the focus, with 12 nations 

participating. Many new scientific stations were 

created and the IGY was a resounding success as it 

led directly to the Antarctic Treaty 

• 1959-1996: The discovery and delineation of 

subglacial Lake Vostok is a great example of scientific 

cooperation. Lab studies showed that ice under very 

high pressure reverts to water and in 1964, seismic 

soundings from Vostok Station were used to 

measure the thickness of the ice sheet. This 

suggested the existence of a subglacial lake. British 

airborne ice-penetrating radar in the 1970s detected 

unusual radar readings, suggesting a freshwater lake 

below the ice. In 1991, a radar satellite revealed 

that this subglacial water body is one of the world’s 

largest lakes. We now know that there are at least 

140 subglacial lakes in Antarctica. 

• 1980-present: The US-funded collection and curation 

of Antarctic meteorites has recovered about 22,000 

meteorites from Antarctica (about 75% of all known 

meteorites worldwide). There are samples from the 

Moon, Mars, and asteroids. 

• 1985: In hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica was 

discovered from ground-based instruments at Halley 

Bay and Faraday (British Antarctic Survey). 

• 1986: Research at McMurdo Station, the main U.S. 

scientific station in Antarctica, established that 

chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as the probable cause of 

the Antarctic ozone hole (US NSF). These two bits of 

work lead to signing of the Madrid Protocol on 1987, 

banning CFCs. 

23 JAN – 1 FEB 2020 

Volume 2, Issue 11

Departing the Peninsula 

18 Februrary 2020 – Mikkelsen Harbour and Cierva Cove 

It was a breezy, cold morning when we arrived by 

zodiacs at a rocky island called D´Hainaut island. 

This island is only 1 km 2 small and situated in 

Mikkelsen Harbour, a 3 km wide bay, lined with 

ice cliffs, indenting the south side of Trinity Island. 

We landed on the northeast shore, just next to 

large piles of whalebones and a whalers 

waterboat. As the tide was low, we were able to 

investigate some sea creatures in small tidal pools, 

including the most famous Antarctic krill 

Euphausia superba. 

28 



Slowly and carefully we walked around the island, 

the ground was a bit frozen and slippery, so we 

took our time in navigating the terrain. During our 

round tour we discovered fighting fur seals, a 

sleepy Weddell seal and many Gentoo penguins, 

our favourites! On the other side of D´Hainaut 

island was also a small colourful Argentine refuge 

to look at. On the way back to the ship our 

expedition team offered a zodiac cruise, where we 

enjoyed watching Antarctic terns feeding and 

Weddell seals snoozing on rocks. Back on board a 

warming lunch was waiting for us, while the ship 

re-positioned to Cierva Cove. 

Upon arrival at our destination for the afternoon, 

the sky cleared up and the sea was calm. Perfect 

conditions for a long zodiac cruise, hurray! Our 

zodiac tour took us around beautiful glimmering 

icebergs and all of us had a good look at Leopard 

seals, sleeping on various ice floes. What an 

honour to meet this mighty apex predator of the 

Southern Ocean. After this exhilarating cruise our 

Expedition leader Sam introduced, as every 

evening, the plans for tomorrow. During the recap 

the expedition team gave us more information 

about the snow algae and the important Whales 

and Dolphin conservation project. Most of our 

burning questions from the question box were 

also answered, before we headed for dinner. 





Our Last Day 

19 Februrary 2020 – Whalers Bay , Walker Bay & Hannah 

Point 

The day started with a 6:20 wakeup call over the 

loudspeakers. It was earlier than usual, but well 

worth dragging oneself out of bed. We were 

passing through the entrance of a caldera called 

Deception Island. The navigation is a challenge as 

in the middle of the narrow entrance there is also 

a rock, thus the captain brought us very close to 

the steep walls of the volcano. 

29 

We anchored in Whalers Bay to be transported by 

Zodiacs to the shore. We walked the long sandy 

beach to look at relics from the whaler’s epoch 

and the last remnants of the British Base that are 

still standing after a mud flow from volcanic 

eruptions in the 1960’s. The buildings were left 

standing after clean-up effort. It is a 

demonstration of the power of volcanic eruptions 

and it has since been designated as a historic site 

under the Antarctic Treaty. At the west end of the 

beach we hiked up a moraine to take in the view 

of the airstrip that one provided access to flights 

over the south pole by Wilkins on November 16, 

1928 . 

At the end of the landing it was yet another 

opportunity to Polar Plunge! For some of us this 

would be our third dip into the chilly waters of 



In the afternoon, we visited our last and final stop 

of our journey in Antarctica at Hannah Point and 

Walker Bay. Again, the weather was calm as we 

explored the beach. To the right from landing we 

followed the narrow trail up the steep sandy slope 

to view the gentoo penguin colony and the 

elephant seals from a bird’s eye view. The 

penguins provided endless entertainment for us 

while we watched the chics chase their parents for 

a scrap of food. A Leopard seal had caught a 

penguin and stripped it of its skin and feathers by 

flinging it around to make a quick snack before it 

went hunting again. There were giant petrels on 

the ridge tops and more Elephant seals and a 

Chinstrap penguin colony on the horizons. 

For evening entertainment we had a talk from 

Sanna about her time at the Hailey Station in 



Another day completed with a happy tired feeling. 

Our last day on land in Antarctica brings out much 

contemplation. We will have 2 days now on the 

rolling seas of the Drake Passage to process our 

once of lifetime experience. 


Fun Fact: 

There are over 20000 species of lichen. Lichen is 

actually a combination of a fungus and a 

cyanobacteria! #thatsneat 




Argentine Whalers Bay Islands 

Gentoo Whalers & Adelie Bay 

Base ¨W¨ 

Gentoos 

Elephant Seal 

Hannah point 



Volume 2, Issue 12

A Brief History of the Zodiac 

Steve Traynor, Zodiac Master 

In expedition cruising, the most important tool we use is the Zodiac inflatable boat. These manoeuvrable, 

reliable, robust vessels are the workhorse of the expedition cruise industry, from the north of Svalbard to 

the southern end of the Antarctic Peninsula. They have a long history – as you can see from the stages 

below, many different inventions needed to come together to create the craft we use today. 

1838 Charles Goodyear (USA) discovered the process for vulcanising rubber (a US patent was granted 

in 1844) – this process is used for hardening and strengthening rubber. 

1843 Goodyear’s process was stolen by Thomas Hancock (UK) using the process of reverse 

engineering; less controversially, Hancock invented the “masticator” – a machine for re-using 

rubber scraps – this made the rubber industry much more efficient. 

1845 The first successful inflatable boat (Halkett boat) was designed by Lieutenant Peter Halkett 

(UK), specifically for Arctic operations. Halkett Boats were used by the Orcadian explorer, John 

Rae, in his successful expedition to discover the fate of the Franklin Expedition. 

1866 Four men made the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Britain on a threetube 

inflatable raft. 

1896 The original Zodiac company was founded by Maurice Mallet (France) to produce airships. 

1909 The first outboard motor was invented by Ole Evinrude in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

1912 The loss of the Titanic and subsequent shipping losses during World War 1 proved the need for 

inflatable rafts for use as supplementary lifeboats. 

1919 RFD firm (UK) and the Zodiac company (France) started building inflatable boats. 

1934 The airship company, Zodiac, invented the inflatable kayak and catamaran 

1942 The Marine Raiders – an elite unit of the US Marine Corps – used inflatable boats to carry out 

raids and landings in the Pacific theatre. 

1950 Alain Bombard first combined the outboard engine, a rigid floor and an inflatable boat (built by 

the Zodiac company). 

1952 Alain Bombard crossed the Atlantic Ocean with his inflatable; after this, his good friend, the 

famous diver Jacques-Yves Cousteau, started using them. 

1960 Zodiac licensed production to a dozen companies in other countries because of their lack of 

manufacturing capacity in France. 

31 



Northward Bound 

20 February 2020 – Drake Passage 

A quiet and relaxed sea day on the Ocean Atlantic. 

After our last landing and leaving the South 

Shetlands yesterday, we hit the Drake Passage 

again, making our way back to Ushuaia. 

The Southern Ocean, and the Drake in particular is 

known as one of the roughest oceans one can sail 

through, but for our first day sailing back, the 

ocean was gentle to us and we had a Drake Lake… 

which means not very strong winds or rough seas. 

We had West and North West winds, of 18 to 25 

knots from the morning to the late afternoon. 

Really good conditions for our vessel and it was 

also possible to conduct our educational program 

of the day. 

In the morning we were not woken up by Sam’s 

voice, thus the day started with a very well 

deserved later morning and breakfast in the 

Restaurant. It was nice to unwind a little after all 

the active days with the Zodiacs and landings. 

The educational program started with Steve´s seal 

lecture, a very good summary and explanations to 

learn more and understand better the life of the 

different seal species that we have seen during 

our trip. 

After lunch, the knowledge program continued 

with two more lectures. One more wildlife lecture 

about Whale communication, by Isabelle, and also 

a personal experience lecture by Marta, about 

how it is to sail to Antarctica on a sailing boat. In 

between the presentations we had a little culinary 

fun up in the Bistro making dumplings, which we 

later enjoyed as part of the many dinner options. 

At 18:15 the Expedition Team offered the 

traditional recap, with Sam’s weather forecast for 

our next day on the Drake, and Ted and Ab 

introduced us two other organizations that 

Albatros is collaborating to raise funding and 

awareness: HookPod is trying to avoid the 

increasing number of albatross being hooked up 

on fishing lines; and South Georgia Heritage Trust 

which is running a very successful Rat Eradication 

Program on the whole island of South Georgia. 

The recap brought us into dinner time but the 

educational day was not over yet! 

Rose awaited us in the Viking Theatre, to test the 

knowledge and learning of guests and Expedition 

Staff with an Antarctic Quiz. Several teams of 3 to 

5 people gather together for the Quiz and 3 of 

them got a very valuable scored of 29 / 30! A final 

tricky question about eruption dates in Deception 

island was needed to have only one final winner 

group, that was rewarded with a free drink in our 

Bar. 

32 

From a political point of view, we left Antarctica 

after passing the 60ºS between 12:00 and 13:00h, 

but we have crossed Antarctica’s biological 

border, known as the Antarctic Convergence, at 

around 18:00h. 



The Beagle Channel 

21 February 2020 – Drake Passage 

We enjoyed a nice chance to sleep-in until 7:45 

am. The Drake was much more lively this morning 

with long rolling swells rolling us back and forth in 

our beds, and once upright we often were walking 

at an angle to keep balance. 

In the morning Expedition team member Lisa, 

held a presentation on the details of the Antarctic 

Treaty. Throughout the morning the birders were 

our on deck hoping to get a glimpse of more 

albatrosses, however conditions were a bit 

challenging, nice to get some fresh air though. 

In the afternoon the kayakers had a debrief of 

their great adventures gliding along the surface of 

the sea, dipping their paddles left and right. Such a 

surreal experience to be fulling immerged in the 

ocean of Antarctica, so close and personal. They 

shared photos and experiences together, all put 

together 22 individuals had the chance to explore 

the icy waters of Antarctica. 

In the late afternoon we had a slideshow of all of 

Sandra’s photos from the expedition. Such a 

talented photographer; she really captured all our 

experiences in crystal clear stillness for us to 

remember forever. 

The charity raffle was fun and managed to raise a 

beneficial sum for the important charities we have 

learned about. One is the “South Georgia Heritage 

Trust” whose efforts try to eradicate foreign 

species of flora and fauna that threaten local 

ecosystems; the other was “Hook Pod”, an 

invention that protects seabirds from getting 

caught in the fishing lines of commercial fishing 

vessels; and the last one was the Whale and 

Dolphin Conservation (WDC). 

The evening events were literally Capt off with a 

toast from our Captain, a farewell to the hotel 

team, and a cast back of the recaps of all recaps 

with Sam walking us through the twelve last 

amazing days of our lives. 

The Captain’s dinner was our last “festival” for the 

trip and our last grand display and consumption of 

chocolate as well as to enjoy our new friends 

made on the ship. Tomorrow we will be saying 

good-bye, and hopefully in the future a new hello 

again. 

33 



Base ¨W¨ 



Ushuaia 

Cape Petrel 


Drake Passage 



Humpback 

Whales 




King of the Southern Winds 

Sandra Ophorst, Lecturer & Expedition Guide 

The wandering albatross is an impressive bird with the 

world’s largest wingspan of up to 3.5 meters in length 

and a weight of up to 11 kilograms. Unfortunately, the 

number of wandering albatrosses is rapidly declining 

with only 20,100 individuals left as of October 2019 

(Red List, World Conservation Union) 

The wandering albatross is rarely seen on land and 

gathers only to breed, at which time it forms large 

colonies on remote islands, such as South Georgia. The 

female lays a single white egg and both sexes share 

incubation, which lasts about 60 to 80 days. Both sexes 

feed the youngster by regurgitating food, a process 

that can continue for up to nine months. 

The nesting cycle of wandering albatrosses is so long, 

they can’t complete it in one year. So, they nest every 

other year. When young albatrosses become 

independent and leave their nest site, they begin a 

multi-year foray on the open ocean and will not return 

to land until they are old enough to breed. This can 

take up to 10 years of their 50 year average lifespan. 

35 

The wandering albatross is famous for its dynamic 

flight. They turn into the wind to gain height, then glide 

back down to the sea to gain speed. Sometimes they 

glide for hours without rest or even a single flap of 

their wings. Indeed, this principle was used to design 

airplanes, especially gliders that have albatross-like 

wings. 

As a result of these wings, however, an albatross’ 

landing process often looks a bit comical as their 

narrow wings do not allow for a slow approach. So, 

they often land on their feet and then tumble forward 

and slide on their bellies. The biggest threats to the 

wandering albatross are pollution and large-scale 

commercial tuna fisheries. These tuna fishing boats are 

equipped with up to 20,000 fish baited hooks and 

these lines can be up to 100km long. 

Unfortunately, these fishing lines often attract 

albatrosses get caught up on the hooks and drown as 

they are cast out at sea. Organisations such as Hookpod 

are trying to save the albatrosses from the dangers of 

long line fishing vessels by providing fishing boats with 

“hookpods” that cover the barb and point of the hook 

during setting, reducing the likelihood of an albatross 

by-catch. 




Home Again 

22 February 2020 - Ushuaia 

After last night’s end-of-voyage festivities, we awoke 

much too early for our final morning on the Ocean 

Atlantic. Although we wish we could stay, we started 

the process of leaving behind the ship and the people 

we’ve come to know so well over the past week. 

Our bags were packed and stowed in the corridors, 

ready for our early-morning busses and flights back 

home. After nine whole days immersed in the 

landscapes and amongst the wildlife of the Antarctic, 

it was time to return home or to wherever our life’s 

journeys bring us. 

And so – farewell, adieu, and goodbye. Together we 

have visited and incredible and vast wilderness. We 

have experienced magnificent mountain vistas, seen 

icebergs roll and crack, felt the power of the elements 

and seen how quickly they can change. We enjoyed 

wonderful food and comfortable surroundings aboard 

the Ocean Atlantic. 

36 

We boarded zodiacs and cruised through icy bays at 

the end of the Earth. We shared unique moments, 

held engaging conversations, and laughed together 

over tea or wine. We’ve made new friends and 

experienced the power of expedition travel. 

We hope the expedition team has helped make this 

the trip of a lifetime - one that will persist in your 

memories for weeks, months, and years, to come. 

Although we must say good-bye to these places we 

have come to know and love, it is a fond farewell as 

we are all true ambassadors for the Antarctic and all 

the beauty it holds. 

On behalf of Albatros Expeditions, our captain and 

crew, the expedition team, and everyone else who 

helped make this journey a resounding success, it has 

been a pleasure travelling with you. We hope that you 

will come back and experience these wonderful places 

with us once again! 



By the Numbers… 

37 

Voyage Statistics: 

Southernmost Point: 66 o 51.49’ S, 65 o 48.62’W 

Total Distance Travelled: 2,147 nautical miles 3,864 kilometre 

Excursion Locations: 

Barrientos Is: 62 o 24’ S 59 o 44’ W Detaille Is: 66 o 51’ S 66 o 48’ W 

Hydrurga Rocks: 64 o 08’ S 61 o 36’ W Petermann Is: 65 o 10’ S 64 o 10’ W 

Portal Point: 64 o 28’ S 61 o 47’ W Mikkelsen Harbour: 63 o 54’ S 60 o 46’ W 

Neko Harbour: 64 o 50’ S 62 o 33’ W Cierva Cove: 64 o 08’ S 60 o 53’ W 

Brown Station: 64 o 53’ S 62 o 52’ W Whalers Bay: 62 o 59’ S 60 o 34’ W 

Port Charcot: 65 o 06’ S 64 o 01’ W Hannah Point: 62 o 39’ S 60 o 37’ W 

Ushuaia: 54 o 45’ S 68 o 23’ W 

During our time on the M/V Ocean Atlantic, we consumed: 

Beef 

Lamb 

Pork 

Poultry 

Cold Cuts 

Fish & Seafood 

Eggs 

Milk 

Cheese 

Ice Cream 

Vegetables 

Fruit 

Wine 

Beer 

Toilet Paper 

400 kg 

100 kg 

400 kg 

600 kg 

100 kg 

300 kg 

5400 pcs 

480 ltr 

75 kg 

180 ltr 

2250 kg 

2500 kg 

127 btls 

416 cans 

780 rolls 



A Final Note… 

38 

As any good expedition comes to a close, many of us experience the 

effervescent excitement that comes when we immerse ourselves 

completely in an adventure. Although we all came into this voyage with 

our own expectations and personal motivations, on the ship, we quickly 

learned that the best plan is the one that we end up doing. 

While weather and the landscape 

can conspire against us in the 

southern latitudes, the right mindset 

can make all of the difference. 

Wind, rain, sleet, and snow make no 

difference when we come prepared 

for an adventure and all the 

excitement it holds. Whether you 

saw what you came for or you 

experienced something else 

entirely, when you set out on an 

expedition, you come for the 

mountains and the wildlife, but stay 

for people and places you meet 

along the way. 

Although we all eventually have to 

leave behind our beloved Ocean 

Atlantic, there are always a few 

things we can take home from an 

expedition: 

• An acceptance and embracement 

of adversity and uncertainty 

when the natural world alters 

our plans. 

• A fondness for the wild and a 

strong desire to keep remote 

natural locations as beautiful and 

free as they can be. 

• An insatiable interest in learning 

more about the people, places, 

and cultures in some of the most 

remote parts of the world. 

As you unpack you bags, you may 

find souvenirs and keepsakes from 

your journey. Your camera may be 

filled with countless photos, 

however blurry, of the many 

animals and mountains that have 

crossed our paths. At the end of the 

day, however, what matters most is 

the experience of, the journey to, 

and the memories of these wild and 

wonderful places. 

Best wishes from all of us on the 

expedition team as you continue on 

with your adventures! 

Sam Gagnon 

Expedition Leader 

Rashidah Lim 

Assistant Expedition Leader 

Thank you for experiencing the Antarctic with us at Albatros 

Expeditions. We hope to see you aboard the Ocean Atlantic 

again in the future! 

Christophe Gouraud 

Assistant Expedition Leader

Antarctic Peninsula and Polar Circle 2020 Feb 10 2020 -13

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