Visual journal - Antarctic region

2 March - 21 March 2020 

Volume 2, Issue 15 

Albatros Magazine 

A Visual Journey 

The Antarctic Peninsula 

& South Georgia 

THE OFFICIAL VOYAGE LOG OF

Albatros Magazine: A Visual Journey 

Editor-in-Chief: 

Layout & Design: 

Amanda Dalsgaard 

Gaby Pilson & Shelli Ogilvy 

Front Cover Image: 

Back Cover Image: 

Photography Contributors: 

King Penguins Shayne McGuire 

Gentoo penguins Shayne McGuire 

Shayne McGuire 

Sandra Petrowitz 

Yuri Choufour 

Werner Kruse 

Renato Granieri 

Gaby Pilson 

Shannon Jensen 

Phillip Hunter 


2 March -21 March 2020 

Volume 2, Issue 15

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: Touchdown on the Antarctic Continent 

The Geological Structure of the Antarctic Peninsula 

Day 5: A True Expedition Day 

When and How the Earth Got Cold 

Day 6: Getting Tabular! 

Fire in the Antarctic 

Day 7: The Final Stop Among in Antarctica 

Day 8: South Georgia Bound! 

Antarctica: A Continent for Science 

A Brief History of the Zodiac 

Day 9: Somewhere Along the Scotia Ridge 

King of the Southern Winds 

Day 10: The Main Course 

Day 11: Walking Alongside the Kings 

Day 12: Surprise Excursions 

Day 13: Unbelievable Wildlife 

A Brief History of South Georgia 

Final Days: A Change of Plans 

By the Numbers 

A Final Note 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

13 

14 

15 

16 

18 

19 

21 

22 

24 

25 

27 

28 

29 

31 

33 

35 

37 

39 

40 

42 

43

The Voyage 

3 

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

our voyage to Antarctica & South Georgia. 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 and South Georgia with us. 

o 


Volume 2, Issue 15

4 

Shelli Ogilvy 

Assistant Expedition 

Leader 

Samuel Gagnon 

Expedition Leader 

Christophe Gouraud 

Assistant Expedition 

Leader 

Ted Creek 

Zodiac Master 

David Reid 

Kayak Master 

Wan Meng Chieh 

Kayak Guide 

Kaylen 

Lecturer & Guide 

Nadine Smith 

Shop Manager 

Rose Li 

Guide 

Barbara Post 


Shayne McGuire 

Photographer 



Kevin Burke 


Ab Steenvoorden 


Lisa Pettenuzzo 

Equipment Manager 

Federico Campanelli 

Guide 

Christina Langer 

First Aid Responder 

Marta 


Sanna Kallio 


Rosalie Steffen 


Chloe Shang 

Shop Assistent 

Steve Egan 

Guest Services 

Rashidah Lim 

Guide 


Volume 2, Issue 15

5 

Day 1 - Southward Bound 

2 March 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 Southern Ocean 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 Expeditions 

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. 


Volume 2, Issue 15

The Seven Sisters of Szczecin 

David MacDonald, Lecturer (Geology) & Expedition Guide 

6 

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. 

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. 


Volume 2, Issue 15

An Unlikely Antarctic Explorer 

Gregers Gjersøe – Snowshoe Master & Expedition Guide 

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. 

7 


Volume 2, Issue 15

Day 2 - Rolling Our Way South 

3 March 2020 – Drake Passage South 

8 

A rocking and rolling sea greeted us for our first 

full day together onboard the Ocean Atlantic as 

she sailed us southwards toward the promise of a 

snowy white continent, lost at the edge of the 

known world. A lovely breakfast as the skies 

lightened, gave us a nutritious beginning for the 

events of the day. It was a relaxed yet 

adventurous start as many of us were still finding 

our sea legs as our ship lurched challengingly 

across the Drake Passage. 

@ShayneMcguire 

Our ornithologist Ab rolled out an entertaining 

introduction to the Seabirds of the Southern 

Ocean, surprisingly, given the conditions, to a full 

house, providing 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 

theatre full of curious questions about our winged 

companions. Time ‘flew’ and before we knew it, it 

was time for a mandatory IAATO briefing. After 

Expedition leader Sam gave us a preview of some 

introductory thoughts and perspectives about 

Antarctica and how to be a respectful tourist, we 

enjoyed a great lunch put on by our consistently 

creative galley team, fueling us for an afternoon of 

further activities. 

After lunch the expedition team hosted the 

biosecurity vacume party for all guests on board. 

This biosecurity has the team inspecting all outer 

gear for any traces of organic material. With this 

region of the world being as pristine and fragile as 

it is, it is vital that all visitors respect these 

conditions and take all precautionary measures to 

insure that they are not bringing any invasive 

specimens along to shore with them. 

Throughout the afternoon as the sea state 

continued, many of us wandered out on the aft 

deck to inspect the view of the wild seas, mingled 

with our naturalists and other travelers over tea, 

or photographed the many wondrous seabirds 

that chaperoned our sea journey. 

A sweet snack at tea time flowed into an invitation 

to join Shayne for her valuable insights and tips on 

photographing in 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 and our Captain Georgii as he toasted 

to an expected successful expedition ahead. This 

toast lead us into a delightful evening meal as we 

steamed south towards the horizon. Some 

gathered after dining for a screening of Frozen 

Planet to fuel dreams of the icy realms ahead. 

Late in the night, we would cross the Antarctic 

Convergence-the gateway into Antarctica’s unique 

biological zone and would soon consider ourselves 

embraced by the great white continent. 



Volume 2, Issue 15

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. 

9 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

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. 

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. 


Volume 2, Issue 15

Day 3 – On First Steps in Antarctica! 

4 March 2020 – The South Shetland Islands, Barrientos & Cecilia 

10 

The early birds onboard woke up to a mesmerizing 

sunrise above the waves of the Drake Passage, 

while the rest of us were drawn out of our sleep 

by Sam’s morning announcement with good news: 

we have crossed the Antarctic Convergence during 

the night and were now officially in Antarctic 

waters, bringing us one step closer to our dream 

of landing in Antarctica. 

We felt more and more excited and ready to go! 

Christophe enhanced our excitement to meet and 

greet our first Antarctic locals by giving a highly 

interesting lecture about Antarctic penguins. 

Eventually, we geared up and embarked the 

zodiacs for the first time. We were able to 

participate in a split landing where we would have 

the chance to visit both islands, Cecilia and 

Barrientos. While onshore, the ship disappeared 

behind a thick layer of fog, creating a slightly 

mysterious atmosphere. 


What we didn’t know while we were trying to 

open our eyes, was that today was going to be our 

first excursion day off the ship. The Drake was 

calm and we made excellent progress overnight, 

opening the opportunity for a landing that 

afternoon. The ‘Drake lake’, even though it felt 

more like a ‘Drake shake’ to some, together with 

the right wave direction and an excellent captain 

allowed us to sail 835km in less than two days, 

making it possible to land on Barrientos and Cecilia 

Island in the South Shetland Archipelago. 

After a lovely breakfast, we participated in the 

mandatory IAATO and zodiac safety briefing held 

by Sam and Ted, followed by the distribution of 

our expedition gear (i.e. rubber boots). Ted’s 

words ‘the higher, the drier’ will stick with us for 

the rest of the voyage. We also understood that 

we would make Ted and the rest of the expedition 

team rather happy by entering the water 

accidentally and decided to take extra precaution 

in order to avoid being a source of entertainment 

for the expedition team. 

. 



When we stepped off the boat, thousands of 

chinstrap and gentoo penguins were waiting for us 

along the beach, both in the water and all over the 

island. Some of the zodiacs were welcomed by a 

curious leopard seal swimming around the 

shallow, crystal clear waters around the landing 

site. 

Barrientos and Cecilia Islands are ice free islands in 

the Aitcho island group, situated in the South 

Shetland Archipelago. Barrientos accommodates a 

large chinstrap penguin colony. These noisy, 

flightless birds warmed our hearts immediately, 

despite the cold temperatures. It was difficult to 

leave these beautiful landing sites but we were 

looking forward to and excited for what would 

come next in our journey. 

After a nice dinner, many of us joined for an 

evening talk by Steve addressing the question of 

‘why polar bears don’t eat seals’, while others 

enjoyed newborn friendships and interesting 

conversations at the bar. We went to bed with 

freshly made memories and knowing that today 

was only a taste of what the white continent had 

in store for us. It was a wonderful first day in 

Antarctica! 

Volume 2, Issue 15

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 

© Renato Granieri 

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. 


Volume 2, Issue 15

The Beagle Channel 


Cecilia Island 

Barrientos Island 



Ushuaia 



Volume 2, Issue 15

Whales: Gentle Giants of the Southern Sea 

Amanda Dalsgaard – Lecturer (Marine Biology) and Expedition Guide 

13 

@ P.M.Hunter 

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. 

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. 

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. 


Volume 2, Issue 15

Day 4 – Touchdown on the Antarctic Continent! 

5 March 2020 – Mikkelsen Harbor & Curtiss Bay 

14 

The cloud-filled, foggy, wet and drizzling sky was 

not an intriguing invitation to go outside. 

However, we geared up and bound down the 

stairs with anticipation and excitement for our 

next landing. The fog lifted to see the tops of the 

glaciers as we approached Mikkelsen Harbor, as 

the Ocean Atlantic winded its way through the 

shallow reefs. The water was calm and littered 

with gummy salps and krill as we waded to the 

beach for our first landing of the day. 

Amongst whale bones, waist high, strewn along 

the beach, we were invited for a beach meander 

around the tiny island. An old whaler’s Waterboat 

stripped down to the ribs, showing its robust 

durability despite its battered appearance, was 

our main attraction. Looking at all the ginormous 

whale bones and the little boat, is was hard to 

believe that this was the devise used to harvest 

these behemoth creatures. 

We walked along the beach to the Argentinian 

emergency hut, skirting the washed-up growlers 

and bergy bits caught high on the last retreating 

tide. A crabeater seal sleeping on the beach 

snoring away, occasionally stretching and yawning, 

opened one eye, only to close it again, without a 

concern in the world. Amazing he could sleep with 

so many people watching. After a cruise around 

the harbor and a slow meander around the island 

it was time to return to the warm ship for lunch. 

The afternoon program entailed an interesting 

lecture by Sanna while we waited our turn for a 

zodiac cruise. Out on the water, we cruised 

around the steep glaciated bay until a couple 

minke whales came for a visit. They curiously 

swam amongst the zodiacs; diving, blowing, and 

shallowly skimming the underside of our rubber 

pontoons. It was spectacular to see their outlines 

so close, their skin tones and colors and even their 

eyes. We could practically smell their breath as 

their blow holes spouted right next to our zodiacs. 

The glacial amphitheatre around us was calving in 

the light rain, providing competition for our 

attention until a large chunk released and we had 

to race for the safety of deeper, ice-free water to 

turn in and let the small tsunami wave pass under 

our boat. Between the calving and the whales, our 

heads and cameras swooned left and right like we 

were watching a tennis match. 

Next was a continental landing on a rocky outcrop 

attached to the mainland abutting a steep 

glaciated wall. We climbed out of the zodiacs for 

our modest summit on mainland Antarctica. It was 

a small outcrop but mainland it was! And, as Sam 

advised, better to seize the opportunity in case 

rough inclement weather prevents our next 

occasion. 

And again, we raced back to the warm cozy ship, 

content with our day’s excitement and ready for 

another recap and delicious meal. 


Photo @ShayneMcguire 

Volume 2, Issue 15

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. 


Volume 2, Issue 15

Day 5 – A True Expedition Day 

6 March 2020 – The Antarctic Sound 

After hearing Sam’s morning announcement, we 

began making our way to prepare for our morning 

visit to Esperanza Base in Hope Bay. 

Unfortunately, as the sun rose higher so did the 

wind speed and we were left looking at the red 

buildings constituting more of a village than an 

Antarctic base as the winds hit 60 knots. The sea 

began to boil with foam spray coming off the 

surface of the zodiacs. Reluctantly we moved on 

looking for more shelter and other potential 

excursion sites. Perhaps an afternoon site at 

Brown Bluff? 

As we approached Brown Bluff, everyone onboard 

was feeling hopeful for an afternoon excursion. 

However, looking across at the ice-covered 

landing site, it became apparent that the wind was 

chasing us south and would make any off-ship 

exploration, impossible. Instead we would go 

explore the Antarctic Sound by ship, a true 

expedition day! First stop was a huge tabular 

iceberg just to the south of Brown Bluff next to 

Jonassen island. We then slipped through the gap 

between the Antarctic Peninsula and the islands 

around Cape Green. 

Great blocks of ice too big to be measured, floated 

around us, occasionally calving off into the waters 

that we made our way through to investigate 

areas that no one on board has been to before. 

The excitement of exploration was palpable as we 

all watched the numerous humpback whales 

playing in the distance. We come to accept that 

although we did not make a landing, we had a 

unique opportunity to see a side of Antarctica that 

only a handful of people get to. As we sailed past a 

piece of land called View Point, we could see the 

tiny Argentinian refuge huts sprinkled along the 

shore. It was a site that made us grateful for our 

warm, cosy ship. 

With so much ice to get past, the captain 

announced that we need to leave the area before 

dark. Although dreaming of our titanic moment on 

the bow, we understood that the icebergs are 

much better from a far. So, we made our way 

north again along the edge of the Weddell Sea, 

listening to David’s “We are icebergs” poem as we 

squeezed through the tabular ice, wondering what 

tomorrow would bring. 

16 



Volume 2, Issue 15

Gentoo Penguins 

Antarctic Cormorant 

Mikkelsen Harbor 

Leopard Seals 

Curtis Bay 

Leopard Seal 


2 March -21 March 2020 Volume 2, Issue 15 

Photos @ShayneMcguire

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. 

Volume 2, Issue 15

Day 6 - Getting Tabular! 

7 March 2020 – Paulet Island and Danger Island 

19 

We peered out the gangway in anticipation of our first landing for the day and the fog greeted us at the 

door. Off in the distance, we could see a small island we knew to be called Paulet Island. It wasn’t long 

before the fog lifted, and we could see the top of the rusty red volcanic rock that made the modest summit 

up Paulet Island. We visited the remnants of the Larsen Stone Hut and an egg-shaped lake. The cruise 

around the island brought us close to the grave of one of the expedition members, Ole Kristian 

Wennersgaard, as well as many juvenile fur seals and penguin vagrants that were still lingering before 

heading elsewhere for the long, dark, cold winter ahead. 

Our afternoon sojourn was to Danger Island. Again, the fog threatened and then abated to give us 

unimpeded views of the island with its rugged coastline receiving relentless bashing from the ocean. As we 

cornered into our shallow landing, the penguin colony before us was overwhelming. It was a small landing 

caked in pink guano. Penguins were everywhere. A friendly bunch of birds they were, crossing our paths no 

matter how hard we tried to respect the 5 meter distance rule. It was penguin heaven for anybody with a 

soft heart for the short pudgy little waddlers. There was a leopard seal lurking in the shallow protected 

waters at the foreshore and we all hoped the penguins would stop swimming. One penguin didn’t, and some 

witnessed the gruesome disrobing as the seal thrashed it around in the water to strip it of its feathers. It was 

a true National Geographical moment witnessed live from all on the Zodiacs and the shore. 

On top of it all, today was also the day for the Polar Plunge. Thirty-seven, (crazy) people participated. We 

had our pictures taken by Shayne and our splashes graded by the guides floating out in the judge’s Zodiac. 

They raised their paddles in recognition of superior plunges. The air temperature was minus three degrees 

and the water temperature was zero degrees. It was a truly exhilarating way to end the day with an ice bath 

in the Southern Ocean. And the post-jump Vodka shot seemed to ramp up the party and excitement in the 

mud room as well. 



Volume 2, Issue 15

Adelie Penguin 

Antarctic Fur Seal 

Paulet Island 

Antarctic Cormorant 


Photos @ShayneMcguire 

Volume 2, Issue 15

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 15

Day 7 - The Final Stop in Antarctica 

8 March 2020 – A68, Elephant Island & Point Wild 

22 

We got up bright and early at 6:00am to have a look 

at one of the biggest tabular icebergs on the planet, 

called A68. Breaking off the Larsen ice shelf of the 

Weddell sea in 2017, the total length of A68 is 150 

kilometers, and we were lucky enough to ship cruise 

along it! It is the second largest free-floating object 

on the planet and an enormous spectacle for us to 

witness. Additionally, this morning we spotted a 

variety of wildlife at sea. There were numerous fur 

seals swimming along our vessel as well as an array of 

fin whales swimming and feeding about the iceberg 

front. Melting ice provides a fantastic feeding zone 

for sea animals, creating a biologically productive 

hotspot as nutrients locked into the frozen ice, are 

melted and released into the oceanic ecosystem. 


After this perfect start into our day, with whales, 

seals, and GIANT icebergs, we enjoyed croissants and 

coffee in the cafeteria and some of us went back to 

bed for a quick pre-breakfast nap. Lisa shared her 

knowledge on the Antarctic treaty, signed in 1959, 

with an interested audience that was asking many 

questions and keen to learn more about the political 

side of Antarctica. Just before lunch, with 

anticipations high, the Ocean Atlantic reached Cape 

Valentine. This reach was the first sign that we had 

made it to Elephant Island! Elephant Island was made 

famous by Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew when 

they stepped on land at what is now known as Point 

Wild, after losing their ship the Endurance in the sea 

ice. 


Our afternoon excursion entailed our first challenging 

gangway experience among big swell. After a slow 

but safe loading into the zodiacs, we were off to Point 

Wild where we enjoyed and incredible and scenic 

cruise. On a tiny clearing of bare rocks, next to a 

glacier front with steep cliffs and rugged seas, was 

where 22 members of Shackleton´s expedition lived 

for over 4 months before they were finally rescued by 

Luis Pardo. We got to see the bust of Luis Pardo, 

captain of the Chilean ship Yelcho that came to rescue 

Shackleton´s crew. The bust, as we saw it, was 

surrounded by an overwhelming number of chinstrap 

penguins, leopard seals and fur seals. To wrap up a 

day filled with Shackleton´s adventures, we got to 

watch the Endurance documentary after dinner, 

giving us a story and background to the journey these 

men endured. 

ice. 


Volume 2, Issue 15

Point Wild 

Elephant Island 

Point Wild 


Photos @ShayneMcguire 

Volume 2, Issue 15

Day 8 - South Georgia Bound! 

9 March 2020 –At Sea 

We woke up to slightly bigger waves than expected. 

While some of us had problems getting up, others 

awakened rather early and decided to greet the 

waves on the outside decks. After breakfast we 

joined together in the Viking Theater for the 

mandatory IAATO briefing where we learned all of 

the rules regarding our landings to come. Following 

the briefing many of us stayed for Ab’s interesting 

lecture about birds of South Georgia. Even the least 

curious passengers onboard were hooked and 

intrigued by his bountiful knowledge and enthusiasm 

24 

After lunch we relaxed a bit until Amanda gave her 

beautiful lecture about Antarctic seals, enhanced by 

her Californian accent. Until dinner time we lingered 

around the ship, many of us visited the bridge to 

observe birds and some fin whales. It was exciting to 

witness the sea birds cruising between wave crests 

and troughs, a process known as dynamic soaring that 

allows them to gain momentum. We wondered what 

the birds would see while travelling around the 

Southern Ocean year after year. How many ships had 

they flown behind? How many big waves had they 

flown through? Have they witnessed the sea ice edge 

as it had extended and receded year after year? To 

be a seabird, and spend most of your life in the open 

ocean, made these fascinating creatures such a 

spectacle to watch. 


Around brunch time, the coffee area was buzzing and 

the bistro became a lounge to chat as memories of 

the past days were filling the air as was the 

heightened excitement for the days to come. The 

anticipation to finally land on South Georgia and have 

an audience with the kings rose by the hour. With 

lunch interrupting our afternoon we realized that we 

would not go hungry on the ship and that the motto 

of the cruise was: ‘you fly in and you roll out’, which 

was softened by the fact that Antarctica has different 

rules: ‘the fatter, the better’. 


After dinner Kaylan and Steve held a very exciting 

Antarctic Quiz in the theater which was much 

appreciated and a lot of fun. The passion of these two 

expedition team members made our evening very 

entertaining. After an exciting evening, the waves 

rocked us gently to sleep and we dreamt about 

Antarctica and what a wonderful day we had at sea! 



Volume 2, Issue 15

Antarctica: A Continent for Science 


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

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. 

25 

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 

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 

Antarctica. 

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). 

• 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. 


Volume 2, Issue 15

Danger Island 




Volume 2, Issue 15

A Brief History of the Zodiac 

Steve Traynor, Zodiac Master 

27 

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. 


Volume 2, Issue 15

Day 9 - Somewhere Along the Scotia Ridge 

10 March 2020 – At Sea 

28 

A “sea day” is always a time for reflection. In addition, 

a time to catch up on diary writing, reading and 

perhaps some laundry and sleep. Conditions continue 

to be in our favour and with moderate swells, the 

crossing of the Scotia Sea continues to keep everyone 

engaged, informed via presentations and enjoying 

what can sometime be some of the roughest seas in 

the world. 

The Scotia Sea (and Scotia Ridge) were named after the 

ship that took the Scottish National Antarctica 

Expedition south in 1902-04. Led by explorer and 

scientist William Speirs Bruce, the science-based 

expedition successfully built the first ever (and longest 

running) meteorological station in Antarctica. The first 

post card from Antarctica was posted here and some of 

the first film footage of Antarctic wildlife was captured 

by members of the expedition. The Orcadas Station is 

still operated by Argentina on Laurie Island in the South 

Orkney Islands. 

The visit to Elephant Island left an impression on 

almost everyone. Conditions around Point Wild can 

often be such that even just launching zodiac 

operations can be difficult. The historical significance of 

this isolated rocky outcrop cannot be understated. As 

we all left Point Wild, we began tracing the route taken 

by Shackleton and five of his crew in the small boat, the 

James Caird – named after a Scottish businessman who 

provided expedition funding to the expedition. Many 

guests on board are familiar with the Shackleton story 

and for them it was particularly memorable. 

After breakfast, Sanna gave an inspiring talk about the 

landscape of South Georgia. Specifically, Sanna talked 

and described the glaciers and high mountains of this, 

one of the most photogenic islands in the world. 

Underlining the uniqueness and special status afforded 

South Georgia was a further mandatory bio-security 

check for everyone. Everyone was getting in the mood 

now and excited for South Georgia. 

For photographers all over the world, both professional 

and otherwise, South Georgia offers some of the best 

scenic and wildlife photography opportunities on the 

planet. Shayne offered further insight into this with a 

presentation after lunch. 

Despite leaving Antarctica, ice is never far from being 

part of the daily story on board the Ocean Atlantic. 

Barbara gave a presentation on sea ice ecosystems. 

Not only was mental stimulus being offered, but 

Rashidah gave a “stretching class” in the Bistro lounge 

to give those that wished it, a great physical work out. 

The idea of a challenging workout was the perfect segway 

to the evening talk given by Sanna about her ski 

trip to the South Pole. 

All is well on board as guests and (it must be stated) 

expedition staff too, looked ahead and began getting 

excited for the next few days to come. 


Volume 2, Issue 15

King of the Southern Winds 

Sandra Ophorst, Lecturer & Expedition Guide 

29 

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. 

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. 

© Sandra Petrowitz 

22 FEB- 2 March 2020 

Volume 2, Issue 15

Gentoo Penguins 

• photos 


Snowy Sheathbill 

Antarctic Cormorants 


Danger Island 

@ShayneMcguire

Day 10 - The Main Course 

11 March 2020 – South Georgia, Drygalski Fjord 

31 

The day started like any other sea day, the ship rolling 

gently back and forth as we ate our breakfast. We 

kicked off the day with a 9:00 am viewing of the 

Shackleton movie, when only halfway through the 

viewing, we heard the call: “land hoy!” -and at such 

an appropriate time. We looked out the window and 

laid eyes on the grand walls of South Georgia- jutting 

straight out of the ocean to one thousand-meter 

elevations, mountains dusted lightly in fresh morning 

snow, and caked in their gullies with ancient hanging 

glaciers. Everybody rushed to get a jacket on and take 

in the view from the outer decks. For the first time in 

what seemed like forever, we saw green again. The 

last week had been a beautiful amalgamation of 

greys, blues, slates, charcoals, whites, and blacks, in 

every shade imaginable. But now, we were seeing 

green! It was interesting to see the vegetation creep 

up the mountain sides for the first three to five 

hundred fee from the water line. It was also hard to 

imagine Shackleton and his men arriving at these 

vertical cliffs and having to scour the coast for a safe 

landing for the James Caird after such a battle to 

cross the Scotia Sea. Such a tremendous feat. 


We toured Drygalski Fiord from the ship and viewed 

the steep mountains from the railings. We sped from 

deck to deck to snap photos of every side of the steep 

careening glaciers. We saw an HMS warship with a 

tiny gun on the bow doing zodiac operations while 

patrolling the UK waters. It was hard to go in for 

lunch for fear of missing any of the view. But of 

course, nobody wants to miss a delicious meal either. 


The afternoon outing was a Zodiac cruise in Larsen 

Harbour. While half the group had the option to 

attend a presentation by Barbara on “The Amazing 

Life of the Antarctic Krill”, the other half waited in the 

mudroom for their turn to brave the lively sea. Again, 

we loaded up into the tossing zodiacs. The ship’s 

captain, maneuvering the Ocean Atlantic to keep us 

in the lee, had us move from starboard side to 

portside, in order to dodge the jostling sea at our 

gangway. A slightly better side it was, but still an 

exhilarating jump from the gangway to the zodiac. 

We cruised up the fiord and saw endless weddell, fur, 

and elephant seals. There were also an abundance of 

sea birds: Diving Petrels, Grey Headed Albatros, Black 

brow Albatros, Grey headed Albatros, Prions, S. 

Georgia Pin Tails, Giant Petrels, S. Georgia 

Cormorants, Sheathbills and 4 species of penguins. 

The icy snow and strong wind bore down on us, biting 

our faces as we sped along the slate black water. In 

the end, it was all worth it to have the wind in our 

ears for our smiles were on our faces. 

frozen 

After the last of the zodiacs were lifted, we rounded 

Cooper Sound in search of Macaroni Penguins. By 

now, it was snowing hard and the grey skies made it 

difficult to see more than a few hundred meters 

ahead. Sam’s briefing brought us right into dinner and 

an early bedtime. Tomorrow is going to be a big day. 


Volume 2, Issue 15






2 March -21 March 2020 Volume 2, Issue 15

Day 11 - Walking Alongside the Kings 

12 March 2020 – St Andrews & Gold Harbour 

33 

What a day! We woke up bright and early to Sam´s 

wakeup-call at 5:45am.. with the scent of a penguin 

guano drifting through the halls. It was a hit to senses 

and surprised us all but gave us a taste of the day we 

were about to enjoy. The reason behind this early 

start was a long day of activities ahead of us with our 

first landings in South Georgia. 

Soon after breakfast we started our morning 

excursions at St. Andrew´s Bay, where we got to see 

the mind-blowing extent of one of the largest king 

penguin colonies on the planet: containing a stunning 

estimate of 150,000 pairs breeding. After an 

adventurous landing on the beach with our 

expedition team fighting to keep the boats onshore as 

we disembarked the zodiacs, we got to explore 

independently the sheer abundance of wildlife all 

around us. Luckily, we all managed to defend 

ourselves from the sharp teeth of the fur seals and 

nobody got bitten (that we know of). To add to the 

adventurous landing experience, we were crossing a 

river on our way back to the zodiacs, some of us knee 

high in water and mud. 

During lunch, the ship relocated to our afternoon 

landing site, Gold Harbour where we were welcomed 

by the largest pinnipeds on earth, the Southern 

Elephant seals. They were laying in groups right next 

to our landing site and were snoring and snorting as 

we passed along side them. Again, we were able to 

experience yet another king penguin colony and 

many individuals wandering about. Living side-by-side 

with the considerably tall king penguins, we spotted 

quite a few Gentoo penguins. There were also many 

aggressive, fighting juvenile fur seals, with a few of 

them trying to pick up fights with us well. 

After a solid day of adventure, how does one possibly 

celebrate all the incredible wildlife encounters and 

great new memories? Karaoke of course! The night 

rolled on in an entertaining fashion as an impressive 

amount of people sang to the tunes of Bon Jovi and 

ABBA. 

With excitement in our minds and bad weather 

coming in on the horizon, we took ourselves to bed 

not knowing where we would be tomorrow but 

trusting in Sam’s promised “blue weather bubble of 

love” to keep us safe in the morning. 


Volume 2, Issue 15

St. Andrews Bay 




@ShayneMcguire

Day 12 - Surprise Excursions! 

13 March 2020 – Elsehul Bay & King Haakon 

As if we needed reminded, we are on an expedition, 

not a cruise. After an incredible South Georgia day 

spent at St. Andrews Bay and Gold Harbour, we all 

gathered in the Viking lounge – a happy but tired 

group of adventurers. Sam outlined the weather 

forecast and what the plan would be for the 13 th . We 

would not be visiting Grytviken or Stromness as was 

planned. A storm was moving into the South Georgia 

area and it was important for us to come up with an 

alternative plan – plan B was now happening, or was 

it plan C? Regardless, we would make the very most 

of whatever happened. 

‘ 

The Ocean Atlantic headed North up the North East 

coast of the island towards Elsehul Bay. A zodiac 

cruise would be offered, a location very few of the 

staff had even been to. Despite the obvious swell, the 

disembarkation went ahead as planned. The 

challenge was not so much the movement of guests 

back and forth with the zodiacs but the loading and 

unloading of guests from the gangway. The AB’s do 

an amazing job for us, in all weather, holding ropes, 

securing the boats and assisting passengers and 

expedition team alike. The decision was made to 

offer kayaking and once shelter from the swell was 

found on the east side of the bay, a great paddle was 

experienced by the kayak group. This was a chance 

for everyone to get their first up-close view of 

Macaroni penguins. Resting in and around the rocks 

together with Gentoo and King penguins, the 

Macaroni’s also made interesting neighbours for the 

hundreds, if not thousands, of fur seals that could be 

found all along the shoreline of the bay. 

. 



Towards the end of the morning, the wind picked up 

and most guests were grateful to get back on board. 

Despite the weather, some guests commented on the 

way back to the ship that it had been their favourite 

zodiac cruise of the entire trip 

. 


Over lunch the Ocean Atlantic re-positioned and 

made a turn to port around the North end of South 

Georgia. Passing between Bird Island and Trinity 

Island, the BAS research station on Bird Island could 

be seen clearly off the port side. It is remarkable to 

think that this is a year-round station. Arguably one of 

the most remote research facilities in the world. 

Safety and shelter was found in King Haakon Bay. As 

we approached the bay in the afternoon, the wind 

was gusting almost 50 knots. Upon reaching the 

entrance, the wind dropped considerably as we found 

shelter and conditions looked suitable for an 

afternoon landing. King Haakon Bay was made 

famous by Sir Ernest Shackleton, Tom Crean, Frank 

Worsley, Harry McNeish, John Vincent and Timothy 

McCarthy. It was at the mouth of the bay, that the 

party made landfall after making the hazardous 

journey from Elephant Island. The journey was 

completed in a small boat named the James Caird. 

An amazing afternoon was enjoyed by everyone. 

Landing was achieved and enjoyed at Pegotty Bluff, 

complimented by a zodiac cruise around the head of 

the bay. 


35 

Volume 2, Issue 15

Gray Headed Albatros 


South Georgia Pipit 


Macaroni Penguins 


Southern Giant Petrel 

Macaroni Penguins 




Day 13 - Unbelievable Wildlife 

14 March 2020 – Salisbury Plain 

37 

Today we woke up for the last time in South 

Georgia waters. We opened our eyes, looked 

through the window and were once again 

reminded of what a magical place we were at. The 

last 4 days exploring South Georgia have been 

breathtaking and we knew that we had to make 

the most of our last day on this little slice of 

heaven. The weather was in our favor, blue skies 

and sunshine beaming down through the clouds. 

At the beginning of the voyage, all the guests were 

told that they had to organize the weather, while 

the crew, expedition team and captain would 

organize the rest. I think it would be agreed that 

all parties were doing a very good job at holding 

up their end of the deal. 

After breakfast we were invited for a zodiac cruise 

at Salisbury Plain. We started by cruising along the 

beach-front, getting excellent views on the large 

king penguin colony. There were also many young 

elephant seals sprinkled about, bathing in the sun 

while recovering from their long, deep foraging 

dives the night before. Once we reached the end 

of the beach, we were greeted by several playful 

fur seals that were inspecting our zodiacs while 

dancing through the kelp in the water below. The 

swell conditions allowed for an entrance into a 

small bay that we found at the end of the beach. 

Once within the bay, it felt as though we were live 

on BBC with David Attenborough. Hundreds of 

king penguins and fur seals played in the waters 

surrounding the zodiacs. It felt like they were 

looking at us rather than the other way around. 

Some of these joyful creatures dove underneath 

our black rubber boats while trying to enter them 

from the opposite side. 

We came across more elephant seals sleeping on 

the shore. As we drove past, a few would open 

their big, black, glossy eyes, and shut them again 

after deciding we were not interesting enough to 

lose precious sleep over. Little did they know, 

however, that we would be dreaming of them 

during the nights to come. When it was time to 

drive back to the Ocean Atlantic, we were sad to 

be finished with operations, but happy to have 

such a stunning ending to our day. We shall never 

forget the lovely sound of the king penguins as 

they were singing their goodbyes to us in the 

distance. We sailed off in great weather and 

enjoyed our first outside BBQ onboard. The swell 

made the ocean look like a cover of silk, while the 

white mountain peaks of South Georgia faded into 

the horizon behind us. Salisbury Plain, and the 

entirety of South Georgia Island... truly a place 

taken out of a fairytale. 

Our next stop was planned to be the Falkland 

Islands; however we were notified today Falkland 

Island officials that we would not be allowed to 

land due to the overall health condition of people 

onboard. Regrettably, Sam decided to cut our trip 

short and reroute for straight for Puerto Madryn 

instead. The news of the global coronavirus crisis 

unfolding, made us feel baffled. We knew that we 

were heading back to a world that would feel 

completely different to the one we just left weeks 

ago. 

The only constant is change; endings mean new 

beginnings. We all decided to stay positive 

together as a group and were looking forward to 

Sam’s wakeup call the next morning. 

Off to new horizons! 



@ShayneMcguire

Salisbury Plain 







A Brief History South Georgia 

Sanna Kallio, Expedition Guide 

39 

• The first documented sighting of South Georgia was from a London merchant named Antoine de la Roche in 

April 1675. He was a passenger on 350-ton ship which was blown off course while returning to Europe from 

Peru. The ship stayed two weeks sheltering in Drygalski fjord from the big storm. The next sighting of South 

Georgia was reported in 1756 by French merchants on board the Spanish ship Leon- also blown off course by 

the storm while rounding the Cape Horn. Captain James Cook put South Georgia on the map 1775.. Cook and 

his crew made their first landing in Possession Bay. Cook took possession of the Island and named if after King 

George III. 

• To the utter amazement of the seals and penguins, the inhabitants', wrote George Forster. Cook and his crew 

were disappointed when they realized that South Georgia was not part of the great white continent of 

Antarctica… giving Cape Disappointment it’s name. 

• When Cook’s discoveries of South Georgia was published in 1777, his descriptions of fur seals and elephant 

seals set off a stampede of British sealers, who began arriving in 1786 followed by Americans. Less than five 

years later more than 100 ships arrived to the southern oceans to harvest fur-seal skins and elephant-seal oil 

for market. 

• Filchner's German South Polar Expedition in 1911-1912 carried out extensive glaciological, geological and 

meteorological studies in South Georgia and mapped the outline of South Georgia. The map that was used by 

Shackleton and his two companions when they traversed the island in 1916. Shackleton's Endurance 

expedition in 1914-1915 spent a month on the island in 1914 waiting for the ice in the Weddell Sea to clear. 

For Shackleton South Georgia was special place and he died during his last expedition to South in 1922. He is 

buried in Grytviken in whalers cemetery. Frank Wild, his ‘right-hand man’, lays next to him. 

• In 1864, after Svend Foyn invented the explosive harpoon, the whaling industry came back into play. . In 1904 

a Norwegian, C. A. Larsen with 60 Norwegian men established the first whaling station on South Georgia at 

Grytviken. Huge interest in obtaining whaling licences followed. By 1912 whaling stations of Grytviken, Ocean 

Harbour, Leith Harbour, Husvik, Stromness Harbour and Prince Olav Harbour plus an anchorage for floating 

factory ships at Godthul had been established and South Georgia became known as the southern capital of 

whaling. 

• South Georgia was included as a part of the Falkland Island Dependencies in 1908. British Government 

funded extended series of research voyages to South Atlantic dependencies including South Georgia in 

1920s, just to keep British presence in the area. Duncan Carse and his team of surveyors during the 1951- 

1957 surveyed South Georgia, Putting it on the first detailed topographical map. 

• South Georgia hit the headlines worldwide in 1982 when Argentine forces invaded the island and were 

expelled 22 days later by the British Navy. Operation Paraquat was launched to regain the island. On the 25th 

of April, 1982, after both air and ground reconnaissance operations, a demonstration of British naval artillery 

resulted in the capture of the submarine Santa Fe and forced the Argentines to surrender. The British claim 

to sovereignty over the island is based on Cook's discovery and formal claim in 1775. The earliest indication of 

an Argentine claim was in 1927, although it was not formally stated until 1938. Throughout the 1940s and 

1950s several attempts were made by the British to solve the conflict with Argentina through the 

International Court of justice but all were rebuffed by the Argentines. Today, South Georgia is formally part 

of UK‘s overseas territory as is the government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. 



Final Days - A Change of Plans… 

From 15 March 2020 – At Sea 

40 

The only thing that would be guaranteed along these 

next few days was change. Our cancelation of the 

Falklands from our trip was only a small taste of what 

the rest of the globe was facing. We have been in the 

comfort and security of our ship, experiencing 

wildlife, embracing the elements while learning new 

things daily. This was all while the world around us 

was facing a global crisis, with situations worsening 

politically and socially by the hour. 

After almost a full day of sailing for Puerto Madryn, 

the health crisis had worsened and port authorities 

denied our request to pull into port. All over South 

America, ports and borders were shutting down, so it 

was now our top priority to find a port that would let 

us dock and get everyone home safely and swiftly. 

We decided to change course to our next most viable 

option, Ushuaia. As we re-routed and started sailing 

south, our expedition leader Sam, along with the 

Head of Chimu, Albatros, the Captain and the 

Australian Minister of Health, decided that we would 

need to step up our precautionary measures on 

board if we wanted any chance of getting off the 

ship. 

New measures were set in place to insure everyone’s 

health and safety onboard. We would be 

quarantined to our rooms, with excursion times to 

the outside decks two times per day. All public areas 

on board were closed and we had to keep a 3m 

distance from each other. But can you say room 

service?! The hotel team worked from sun up to sun 

down, delivering to everyone’s cabins the delicious 

restaurant quality meals that we have all grown 

accustomed to. And as if the meals weren’t enough, 

they had tea time delivery in the afternoon and 

water bottle fill ups throughout the entire day. It was 

admirable what these guys were doing for us, and all 

with smiles and bright energies that did not seem to 

dim. 

After another day in on ship quarantine, more news 

came out, and the Ocean Atlantic had to change 

course yet again; this time to Buenos Aires. After this 

third re-route, quarantine restrictions tightened and 

outside deck time was no longer permitted. The 

reason this decision was made was to hopefully deter 

the possibility of needing to be quarantined when we 

got into port. 

Believe it or not, the Ocean Atlantic was just one of a 

handful of ships dealing with the same issue of trying 

to find a port to dock at. Some ships were sentenced 

to a two-week quarantine onboard in port, others 

were denied entry and sent to sail back to their 

countries of origin like the Netherlands or South 

Africa. And other ships, like ours, were testing their 

luck in Argentina, but in the end it was Uruguay that 

took us in. 

It was a long journey with many hours stuck in 

confined quarters. Many ups and downs, much worry 

and concern, but also many laughs and new bonds 

formed. This global crisis is something that no one on 

earth has ever had to deal with before, yet it is 

something that is paying a tole on every country. This 

voyage did not end the way we had planned, but 

with safety as our number one priority, we hope 

everyone to have a safe journey out, and may your 

luggage follow you home. 

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. 

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! 


Volume 2, Issue 15

By the Numbers… 

42 

Voyage Statistics: 

Southernmost Point: 64 o 03.88’ S 68 o 47.84’W 

Total Distance Travelled: 3,688 nautical miles 

Barrientos Island: 62 o 24’S 59 o 47’W 

Cecilia Island: 62 o 24’S 59 o 47’W 

Mikkelsen Harbor: 63 o 54’S 60 o 47’W 

Curtiss Bay: 64 o 2’ S 60 o 47’ W 

Paulet Island: 63 o 35’S 55 o 47’ W 

Danger Islands: 63 o 25’S 54 o 40’W 

Cape Valentine: 61 o 6’ S 54 o 52’ W 

Point Wild: 61 o 6’ S 54 o 39’ W 

Excursion Locations: 

Drygalski Fjord: 54 o 49’S 36 o 0’W 

Larsen Harbor: 58 o 30’S 36 o 0’W 

St. Andrews Bay: 54 o 26’S 36 o 11’W 

Gold Harbour: 54 o 37’ S 35 o 56’ W 

Elsehul Bay: 54 o 1’S 37 o 58’ W 

Peggotty Bluff: 54 o 9’S 37 o 17’W 

Salisbury Plain: 54 o 3’ S 37 o 21’ 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 

610kg 

120 kg 

599 kg 

450 kg 

65 kg 

635 kg 

14400 pcs 

1034 ltr 

215 kg 

264 ltr 

1755 kg 

1947 kg 

480 btls 

1464 cans 

800 rolls 


Volume 2, Issue 15

A Final Note… 

43 

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 

Christophe Gouraud 

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! 

Shelli Ogilvy 

Assistant Expedition Leader 


Volume 2, Issue 15

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