1064: East Antarctica - In the Wake of Mawson 9 Dec 2010

Trip Log Voyage # 1064
In the Footsteps of Sir Douglas Mawson
9th December 2010 - 3rd January 2011

December 10: Bluff and Stewart Island

Fifty travellers from points all around the globe arrived at Bluff to begin our journey - in the footsteps of Sir Douglas Mawson.  We boarded our new home for the coming month, the Spirit of Enderby, and were greeted by staff who introduced us to the ship and to those who work aboard her. After a safety drill we headed out to sea, where the weather was fine and sunny - anunusually good day for Bluff.  The Foveaux Strait was amazingly calm as we headed down the east coast of Stewart Island.  Adam gave an introduction to the Snares Islands and this was followed up by Rodney giving us a briefing on the use of the Zodiacs.  e spent the rest of the afternoon out on deck, passing through a few rain squalls but generally fine weathe.  There were good views of Stewart Island to be had and huge rafts of Sooty Shearwaters gathered outside their breeding grounds.  A few White-capped, Salvin’s, and Buller’s Mollymawks were spotted, along with their larger cousin, the Southern Royal Albatross.  Everyone settled in for dinner (the first of many excellent meals served up byBrad and Stephen) and then a quiet night’s sleep.

December 11: The Snares Islands

Although the ship began to roll as we cleared the south of Stewart Island and came into the prevailing westerly winds, we had a relatively calm journey south and the Snares were in sight shortly after daybreak.  It was not long before we had assessed the conditions and were ready to launch all five Zodiacs and boad them for a two hour cruise around this amazing little island.  Our bumpy ride into shore was accompanied by rafts of Cape Petrels but once we were close in, it was calm and sunny, a haven of peace in the Southern Ocean!  Surprisingly, a Buller’s Albatross was spotted sitting on its nest up the cliff, earlier than expected for this species.  Passing through a sea cave, we found ourselves in a quiet, peaceful cove surrounded by the tree daisy forest of Brachyglottis stewartiae and Olearia lyalli.  The islands’ two endemic songbirds – the Snares Tomtit and the Snares Fernbird - were readily found and watched at close range to the Zodiacs.  Coming around the corner towards another cove, we were greeted by hundreds of penguins both in the water and on land.  A leopard seal patrolled the shoreline and put a fright into the penguins.  New Zealand Fur Seals were hauled out in many places on the rocks and a few male Hooker’s Sea Lions also patrolled the waters and played with our Zodiacs.  But of course it was the penguins that were the main attraction here and we thoroughly enjoyed their antics as they surfaced around the boats and could be seen zipping around underneath us in the crystal-clear water.  On shore they were no less entertaining as they brayed and squabbled with each other and tried to clamber up the rocky paths to the forest.  After some time, we continued on to the Penguin Slide, a remarkably steep and high pathway from the sea to the forest that has been used as a penguin highway since time immemorial. There we marvelled at the hundreds of penguins climbing up and down before returning to our ship, pausing to watch some Common Diving-petrels popping up and down around the Zodiacs.Back onboard we devoured breakfast and set a course for Enderby Island.  Sailing conditions were very pleasant with warm sunshine and only a small westerly swell.  Most people were out on decks enjoying the fine weather and abundant seabid life, where new species encountered included: White-chinned Petrel; Fairy Prions; Black-bellied Storm-petrel; and Gibson’s Wandering Albatross, one of six species of albatross seen today.  The most remarkable bird sighting was a Black-winged Petrel, well south of its normal subtropical haunts.  Indoors, Adam gave a talk entitled Seabirds of the World, in which he introduced the family that would be our faithful companions throughout the next month.  Rodney also prepped us for the coming days with an introduction to the Auckland Islands.  A recap on our experience at the Snares was followed by dinner and some were still up to enjoy the late, but spectacular sunset.

December 12: Enderby Island

We awoke at anchor off one of the most amazing places in the Subantarctic Islands.  Weather was extremely pleasant, so we were up for an early breakfast then packed our lunch and headed ashore.  It was an eventful surf landing, but everyone got ashore and we had a quick walk along the beach, stopping to admire our firstYellow-eyed Penguins and the breeding aggregation of Hooker’s Sea Lion that crowded Sandy Bay.  After gathering at the DOC hut and meeting the sea lion researchers, we headed across the island.  Our path took us first though twisted rata forest, then through the divaricating shrub and finally up on to the fellfielat the top that was covered in the yellows and purples of the megaherbs Bulbinella rossi and Anisotome latifolia - a breathtaking sight indeed.  Gathering at the western cliffs, we had a successful ‘snipe hunt’ with the participants finding a Subantactic Snipe scuttling through the megaherbs. Later we wandered down to some cliffs where Light-mantled Sooty Albatross were nesting and enjoying viewing these graceful birds as they incubated their eggs.Here we split up into two groups with the short walkers taking their time returning to the beach where they photographed and observed the action on the shoreline.  This group got to observe four sea lion pups being born and sat enthralled for hours watching the antics of the colony, as the enormous males fought each other for control of the groups of females.The longer walkers carried on around the island for a wonderful hike in very pleasant weather conditions.  Wildflowers wee in full bloom with many patches of Gentianella cerina vying for visual attention with the megaherbs.  Birds were everywhere and confiding:Auckland Island Pipits, Dotterels and Red-crowned Parakeets.  A few more snipe were seen, along with a few pairs of the Auckland Island Flightless Teal.  We passed several colonies of Auckland Island Shags and good numbers of skittish Yellow-eyed Penguins coming and going from the sea.  We also passed breeding Antarctic Terns, Kelp Gulls, Red-billed Gulls, and Brown Skuas, all alerting us to the presence of their nests with their loud calls and by swooping overhead.  Petrel burrows pocketed the ground, including those of White-chinned and White-headed Petrel, Sooty Shearwater, prion, and Grey-backed Storm-petrel.  Although these petrels were not seen, their remains certainly were.  Some also saw a New Zealand Falcon hunting through the rata bush.  Hooker’s Sea Lions popped up in the strangest places – under a dense tussock or under a Hebe bush.  The scenery was varied and ever-changing, from the rugged cliffs and reefs to the dense tussock, to the enchanting rata forest.  It was early evening when the final walkers eturned to the ship in time for dinner and an early bed, well tired after all the fresh air and exercise.

December 13: Southwest Cape

Daybreak saw us entering Carnley Harbour, the narrow stretch of water that separates Adams Island and Auckland Island.  Today we were in luck for conditions allowed us to anchor off Southwest Cape and launch the Zodiacs.  Following Rodney’s briefing, half the goup headed ashore for the walk up to the top.  It was a tough slog up a steep track through dense tussocks and divaricating shrub but arriving at the peak, it was worth every ounce of effort. The vista below was breathtaking: hundreds of White-capped Mollymawks sitting on their bowl-shaped nests with hundreds more flying aound.  The nests were surrounded by Anisotome latifolia and with views down to Victoria Passage, across to Adams Island and down Carnley Harbour, it was a beautiful sight that we sat and enjoyed for some time.Meanwhile the rest of the group boarded the Zodiacs and after an exciting run through Victoria Passage found themselves looking up at the same mollymawk colony - an equally impressive sight from below.  After soaking in the views and taking photographs, we headed across to Adams Island. With three metre swells running it was certainly an exciting ride towards Monument Island and shooting back through Victoria Passage.  After stopping to admire the megaherbs of Fairchilds Garden, we began to explore the Western Harbour, but were called back to the ship because the wind had increased and the anchors were dragging.  With the Zodiac cruisers back on board, the ship heaved anchor and sailed back down Carnley Harbour.  The walkers, after clambering down to the shoreline, had a long Zodiac ride all the way to Camp Cove. An exciting morning for all!We enjoyed lunch in the tranquillity of Carnley Harbour, but it was now time to hit the Southern Ocean and set a course for Macquarie Island.  The seabirding was excellent as we cleared the heads and made our way over the Auckland shelf, with thousands of Sooty Shearwaters joined by lesser numbers of Antarctic Prions, White-headed Petrels and both Gibson’s and White-capped Albatross.  As we came out of the lee of Adams Island the ship began to roll as the northwesterly swells rocked us.  Many people stayed up on the bridge to watch the birds and the waves, while others retired to their bunks to read or sleep.  It was a low attendance at dinner in these rather uncomfortable conditions, and we settled in to our cabins to try and get some sleep.

December 14: At sea to Macquarie Island

The ship continued to roll through the night and into the morning.  Most people made it to breakfast but with the uncomfortable movement, the lectures for the day were cancelled, and most people kept to their rooms to read and rest.  Outside, a handful of seabirds followed the ship: Black-browed, Southern Royal, and Wandering Albatross; Cape, Mottled, and White-headed Petrel and small flocks of Antactic Prion.  The westerly swell continued through the day and those who made it up to the bridge were treated to quite a spectacular sight with the big waves crashing over the bow.  We managed to make reasonable speed throughout the day and after another fine dinne, everyone turned in to try and get some sleep for the coming days at Macquarie Island.

December 15: Sandy Bay, Macquarie Island

After a bit of a lie in, we ate breakfast during the final appoaches to Macquarie Island.  Zodiacs were launched to pick up our four ranger guides from the Buckles Bay station.  Once they were aboard we had a briefing about our plans as the ship sailed the shortdistance to Sandy Bay and came to anchor in calm conditions about a mile off shore.  A low cloud hung about the shoreline as King and Royal Penguins swam out to greet the ship.  Zodiacs were quickly launched and we enjoyed an easy landing.  The welcoming committee on shore was composed of curious King Penguins and smelly, moulting Elephant Seals.  We had several hours to spread out and enjoy ourselves surrounded by overwhelming quantities of wildlife at every turn.  Elephant Deals (due to their vast size) were one of the most obvious.  The young males wallowed in tight moulting groups – hard to believe that these are small compared to the fully grown adult males!  Many of the weaners – pups whose mothers have left them to fatten up - were lying about, as well looking up at us with their big black eyes and wiggling up for a cuddle with some people.  Curious King Penguins were spread about the beach.  By sitting quietly with them some great encounters were had: they would often come right up and peck at our boots, as fascinated by our presence as we were by theirs.  Down the north end of the beach was a colony of Kings, a few chicks were around but most of the adults were still incubating their eggs, their feet held up at a 45 degree angle to cradle the egg.  The other penguin at Sandy Bay is the Royal Penguin, which is of particular interest as Macquarie is the only place on earth where this species occurs.  Good numbers were coming to and from their inland nesting colony and a short boardwalk led up the hill and into that colony, passing a severely rabbit-grazed patch of Pleurophyllum hookeri en route.  The penguin colony itself was chaotic, with adults guarding over plump two week old chicks.  It was a very smelly and noisy settlement, particularly when the Brown Skuas came flying over in hopes of ameal.  By early afternoon it was time for us all to head back to the ship to warm up and have a lunch.Almost everyone joined the shuttles back to the beach for the afternoon.  The fog had lifted and presented us with better photographic opportunities and the weather stayed quite fine for the aftenoon.  It was another opportunity to sit quietly and appreciate a Subantarctic island at its finest.  Grudgingl, the last of us left the beach with the last Zodiac at 7pm, tired after a long and most exciting day ashore.  After dinner a few people had enough energy to keep watch on the top deck and were rewarded with a brief sighting of a pod of Orca.

December 16: Buckles Bay and Lusitania Bay, Macquarie Island

Everyone had an excellent night’s sleep in our calm anchorage of Buckles Bay and after a leisurely breakfast and a briefing fom our ranger guides were ready to head ashore in very heavy fog.  Once ashore, we split into four groups to take a walk around The Isthmus and learn a bit about the human history of the area as well as to see some more wildlife.  Of prime interest were the crèches of Gentoo Penguins, large chicks huddled together for protection from the ever-present Brown Skuas and Giant Petrels.  A few King Penguins and good numbers of Southern Elephant Seals were again encountered during the walk and along the shoreline were some interesting birds: Macquarie Island Shag and Antarctic Tern.  After a couple of hours in the damp, foggy conditions, it was perfect timing to head into the research station and be welcomed inside to warm up over hot coffee and scones.  It also gave us a chance to chat with some of the locals and get a glimpse of life on station.  Just after noon, it was time to head back out into the cold and wander back to the landing site.  The fog had lifted a bit by now and before returning to the ship, our Zodiacs took us past a small Rockhopper Penguin rookery, enabling us to observe the fourth and final ofMacquarie’s penguins.Back aboard the Spirit of Enderby, we lifted anchor and set a course southwards as we ate a well-deserved lunch.  Unfortunately heavy fog obscured the island and all we could see was the odd prion or Giant Petrel circling the ship.  Captain Dmitry nonetheless took the vessel close in to shore at Lusitania Bay and - as luck would have it - a break in the fog enabled us to observe the 250,000-pair King Penguin colony that throngs the beach. This is the same beach where early settlers once boiled those same penguins for their oil; the three boilers still standing in the midst of the colony make a poignant image.  The seas were too rough to launch Zodiacs, but we could still appreciate the immensity of the colony from the comfort of the ship.  After spending several minutes enjoying the vista, it was time to head out to sea and back into the fog as we set a course for the ‘white continent’, some 880 nautical miles southwards.  We sailed on through dense fog, but the northerly winds blessed us with a comfortable run.

December 17: At sea to Commonwealth Bay

Heavy fog persisted as we sailed southwards.  The northerly winds held and continued to give us a comfortable ride and we made a very respectable 12 knots of speed.  In the morning we crossed through the zone of the Antarctic convergence, which was shrouded in fog, obscuring views of any wildlife feeding in this plankton-rich area. A few Antarctic Prions and White-headed Petrels occasionally appeared out of the mist.Indoors we had a full day of lectures, beginning with Dean who gave a talk on Macquarie Island and his experiences there studying fur seals for two years.  This was followed by Ewen giving a photography lecture entitled ‘Raw vs Jpeg’.  After lunch, Martin gave a talk on the Hooker’s Sea Lion, which has been a focus of much of his research over the years and then Adam talked about the petrels of the Southern Ocean.  Finally, we aired part 1 of Life, the amazing new BBC documentary.  After a lively bar time we had another great dinner and everyone drifted off to bed as we continued to make good speed south under a following sea.

December 18: At sea to Commonwealth Bay

Overnight, the winds decreased again and with them, the seas. Light-mantled Sooty Albatross guided the ship deeper south along with Cape Petrels, but as yet no one had sighted any whales, though everyone was very active on the bridge and outer decks looking for the firsticeberg. Outside temperature this morning was 3C and water temperature was 1.6C.Today, Martin taught us about the evolution of marine mammals and we watched a documentary on the firstfifty years of Australian Antactic Expeditions; this was followed by the second instalment of the BBC Life series. Tessa also opened the Sea Shop for some much-needed retail therapy and many went away with a host of new items for their wardrobes. But the greatest moment of the day was the sighting of the first icebeg at 6.45pm. Although only small it came complete with a seal playing in its protection. All of us went out on deck to wave and cheer at the berg - the first eal sign of the frozen continent that lay ahead. Tomorrow we would see Antarctica in all its glory, and if conditions allowed, make our first landing on the ICE

December 19: At sea to Commonwealth Bay

Early morning and the seas and wind had once again eased. At these latitudes this is fairly normal. Outside, the air and water temperatures were both 1C. A heavy fog persisted in the early morning but a large iceberg was spotted on the radar followed by smaller ones sighted by eye in the later morning hours. A large flock of Antactic Petrels followed the ship (the first wehad seen on this journey) and we were accompanied by Antarctic Fulmars.  It wasn’t long before we firstsighted the ice: a huge expanse of pack ice lay in our path and we made slow and steady progress, pushing through this dense barrier to Commonwealth Bay. It was a spectacular sight, absolutely magnificent. Forthose who had never been to Antarctica this was an incredible day. It was almost like another planet. We can only imagine what it must have been like for Mawson and the other early explorers to push through the ice like this. In the modern world we have all at least seen photos and documentaries about Antarctica so we have a reference and an idea of what to expect; but for those who explored here 100 years ago this would have been completely new and quite amazing. It wasn’t long before our expedition began to encounter seals and penguins. Adelie Penguins were found on many of the ice floes, along with occasional Empeor Penguins; Crabeater Seals lounged around on large flat floes. Minke Whales we also spotted navigating their way through the ice but the highlight of the day was spending 15 minutes with two Blue Whales, the largest animals that live on this planet! And these were big ones as well, at least 25-30m long. Their huge backs arched out of the water and their breaths were massive. These animals were some of the most majestic any of us had ever seen. With such a high point of the day we celebrated in the Bar before a delicious dinner. For those with energy to spare, the 24hour daylight provided opportunity to get back out on deck and marvel for just a little longer at our first day in Antactica, as we slowly made our way through heavy ice floes.

December 20: Mawson’s Hut

We awoke this morning to ice…lots of it! We were slowly making our way through another heavy floe but theweather was still good with light winds, a little snow and - to the delight of everybody - flat calm seas. Theice looked more like another planet then our own…it was so strange, with such beautiful shapes as we slowly wove our way through the labyrinth. Killer and Minke Whales were seen moving among the ice, as were hundreds of Adelie Penguins. It wasn’t long before we made our way through and out again into calm open water and sighted our first glimpse of the Antactic Continent…land! How incredible it was. We dropped anchor in Commonwealth Bay in almost ‘glass out’ conditions and were surrounded by towering white cliff faces. The temperature outside was a balmy 7C…quite warm. We piled into the Zodiacs and set off for the famous Mawson’s Hut, birthplace of Australia’s Antarctic Heritage, at Cape Denison. The Cape was quite beautiful, a natural little harbour where Adelie Penguins line the shores and Weddel Seals lounge around on the ice.We all watched as the Adelie Penguins arrived home from their fishing trips and launched themselves out ofthe ocean, some 2 metres in the air, to land with a light thud on the ice above. We could have sat and watched that all day.But the highlight was the hut. Although it was built in just 10 days 100 years ago it is still in relatively good condition and a beautiful sight. It felt great to finallyreach the ‘home of the blizzard’ (as Mawson named this area) even if the day we had was somewhat warm with no wind at all. Most of us got quite sunburned! Inside the hut were the remains of yesteryear that were literally frozen in time, just as Mawson and his men had left them 97 years ago. Before returning to the ship there was an unplanned amusing interlude when an Adelie Penguin decided to attack Tess, frantically biting at her clothes and slapping her with its flippers. She slipped over several times andalthough there were lots of people around, none of us could render assistance because we were laughing so hard. The penguin stormed off while Tess gathered herself on the ice, also amused at the event.With 24 hours of daylight the day was ours to seize, so after we returned to the ship for dinner and a celebration of crossing the Antarctic Circle, we shared a tribute to Mawson on the front deck with mulled wine. Then most of us returned to the mainland for more adventures, only finishing up at 2am! What a day…one of the best of ourlives!

December 21: Off to the Mertz Iceberg

The latest icemap of the region showed some very interesting information. To the east, the tongue of the Mertz glacier had broken apart early in 2010, and now the remnants of it had drifted west towards us. This gave us the unique opportunity to see one of the largest icebergs on the planet! We steamed out of Commonwealth Bay in light snow and a cold breeze and on the way, Martin delighted us all with his lecture on Seals of the Southern Ocean. Again we made our way slowly through many ice floes that wee more widespread and generally larger than those encountered previously. They had come from the Mertz iceberg and were a sure sign we were heading in the right direction. Soon enough it loomed out of the fog, all 2,500 square kilometres of it. It was huge...apparently the size of Luxemburg. Its steep and sheer cliffs rose out of the ocean with straight lines of deep blue and grey. Huge cracks seemed to show signs of stress. It was grounded in shallow water and was slowly breaking apart, but it will no doubt take decades to fully decay back into the ocean. At this incredible sight Rodney decided to get the Zodiacs in the water. The group was split into 2 and we took turns at getting up close and personal with this behemoth. It was great to cruise around the ice and stare at the cliffs but the highlight was a juvenile Fin Whale who decided that we were very interesting indeed. He swam around the three Zodiacs for over an hour, circling round and passing within less than a metre of us. Wow! What a sight, this 10m whale playing with us. Combined together there must have been about 1 million photos taken, but nothing can compare to the memories we have of that incredible experience. Then it was back on board for a delicious meal as we slowly cruised back toward Commonwealth Bay.

December 22: Mawson’s Hut

We awoke to cool but light winds as we once again anchored in Commonwealth Bay. More icebergs had moved into the region; it is amazing how quickly they can transform an area and many large ones had run aground in the shallows near Cape Denison. Martin delighted us all with his talk on Whaling in the lecture room which was followed by an historical presentation by Ron, one of the passengers, on his own family and the whaling industry. Both were extremely informative and provided us with a new perspective on the issue. Then we were surprised with a picnic lunch on the bow, so we all rugged up and went outdoors for the meal.Over lunch, Rodney offered us the opportunity to go again to Mawson’s Hut, but he was cautious due to the weather outlook that indicated our run of perfect conditions might be coming to an end. Most of us decided to go ashore, and so in very warm clothes we once again got into the Zodiacs and made our way to land. Once there, the winds were not so bad and many of us took the opportunity to stretch our legs and walk up to the ridgeline for a supreme view of the surrounds. Others decided to take another look at the famous hut. On the shoreline, a Chinstrap Penguin was spotted, far far from any breeding colony. He seemed a little out of place among the Adelie Penguins who were more than happy to speed around the ice either running or sliding on their bellies. As predicted, the winds began to increase and at 6pm we all loaded into the Zodiacs bound for the ship. On route we took in a short iceberg tour and were all astounded by the endless shapes and sizes, colours and shades, and formations that nature had created. Once on the ship many of us turned in early after another huge day on the ice. As we slumbered, the ship slowly made its way east then north in an attempt to get us out of the pack ice and look for new adventures to the west.

December 23: At sea and Martins Birthday

This morning we were still sailing, looking for path through the density of pack ice. The plan was to finda way through to the west, in search of the Emperor Penguins that so many of us wanted to see. But first acelebration was at hand. It was Martins’ birthday today, one of our very experienced guides and lecturers. We all wished him a happy birthday at breakfast, and it was great to be able to share this special day with him.In the morning we watched another of Dean’s documentaries, this one on the Dwarf Minke Whales of the Great Barrier Reef. It was incredible to see how curious rorqual whales can be and reminded us all of our own inquisitive Fin Whale that was so interested in us and our black Zodiacs. A pod of about 20 Killer Whales was spotted off the bow but, sadly, did not hang around for long. In the afternoon Tess and Rodney taught us all about the different types of ice found in the Antarctic. Rodney also announced that Christmas on board the ship would be celebrated on the 24th so we could all enjoy ourselves before slogging our way through the Southern Ocean to Campbell Island. So today was Christmas Eve. That meant we should be celebrating! The staff all gathered Christmas decorations and the bar opened early, complete with Christmas carols (voluntary of course but seriously enforced by Brad the chef) and lots of Christmas cheer. For Martin’s birthday a huge whale cake was made and we all sang him a happy birthday. Outside was just as exciting as we pushed and shoved our way through thick pack ice once again until our path was completely blocked by 7/8 ice. Our journey to the west had come to an end but all around were spectacular formations of icebergs both large and small and to our pure delight three very relaxed Emperor Penguins joined us. Despite not being able to go any further we had found the biggest penguins on Earth, right at the end of the path. Unbelievable. The sun came out and bathed them in golden light and everyone was on deck taking photos and footage. A perfect end to another perfect day.

December 24: Christmas Day!

We all awoke to excitement in the air. Tess announced that this was indeed Christmas so we all met in the dining rooms and enjoyed a Christmas breakfast together. The staff were very much in the mood with Brad dressed as Santa and the others having a variety of hats to mark the occasion. It certainly was a white Christmas for us all with snow outside, 30 knots of wind, -11C temperatures and a wind chill factor and water temperature below zero! A great day for the polar plunge? Rodney gave us a talk on the Antarctic Treaty and afterwards told us about the Polar Plunge…a tradition where you jump into the icy waters of the Antarctic with nothing but your bathers and a whole heap of courage. Many of us were not exactly sure about this and all kinds of excuses begun to surface as to why people could not do it. But on the other hand many were very brave and with the sauna cranked up to its hottest temp we went searching for a suitable iceberg to hide behind to undertake this great tradition! The snow was coming in sideways when Rodney made the call to all the Polar Plungers to get themselves ready and meet at the starboard gangway. With some reservations we got into our bathers and assembled at the door way. When the door opened a huge gust of icy wind and snow met us and I am sure we all had second thoughts but with the gangway lowered and the decks lined with keen spectators there was no going back. Down the gangway, one at a time we jumped into the icy waters of the Antarctic. It was bloody freezing!!!!! Most of us lasted just a few seconds before being helped out by Rodney and then up the gangway. The overall feeling was one of pure exhilaration. It was all worth the effort and with the sauna awaiting it was all fineBeing Christmas day we met in the bar for pre-dinner drinks and the mood was certainly jolly! Most of us dressed up and prepared ourselves for a night of food, wine, laughter and great company. The boys in the kitchen had gone all out, the dining rooms were decorated and a present for each of us lay at our tables. The food was exquisite to say the least with a huge buffet of fine foods and desserts. After dinner many ofwent back to the bar to continue our celebrations and some of us went to the bridge to farewell the last of the pack ice. What a fantastic Christmas it was - one we will never forget, our white Christmas in Antarctica!

December 25:  At sea

The morning of our appointed Boxing Day was a lazy one. Many people decided to stay in bed longer and some started to appear closer to lunchtime. There were no events scheduled until then, so we enjoyed a slow morning after Christmas.Then after lunch at 3pm, Enderby Trust Scholarship winners – James and Kimberley - presented their stories. They talked about their background, studies, personal experiences and plans for the future. Kimberley presented a nice slideshow about her work with kakas and finished her talk with an . Hurley quote from the wall of Mawson’s Hut “Near enough is not good enough”.Presentations were followed by the next part of the BBC Life series; this one was about mammals. However, in the middle of the screening we were interrupted by an exciting announcement – that we had a breaching Humpback close to the ship. Everyone rushed to the bridge and we made a couple of rounds looking at the whale. It was a spectacular sighting and amazing to see this whale leaping out of the water just some 300 metres from the ship. After we turned back on course, the movie screening continued, and we went to the Lecture room to watch amazing footage of Humpback courtship.

December 26:  At sea

The morning greeted us with rather rough weather. Not too bad, but bad enough to postpone Tess’ lecture about life on Macquarie Island. Dean, however, still gave his on Fur Seal research, but due to public demand, he did it in the bar, rather than in the Lecture Hall. It turned out to be a good solution, the atmosphere was quite cozy and the talk very informative. Even though not many people managed it even to the bar, the next part of the Life series – this time about fish - was sceened down in the Lecture Room. It had an incredible audience of four, and one more brave soul came down half an hour later. However, the footage was again superb, and those who made it enjoyed fascinating stories from the bottom of the ocean.Dinner was served at 7pm as usual and attracted much more public attention than all the previous events. Most of the group made it down to the dining room, which promised a good start the next day.

December 27:  At sea

We were woken up with a piece of good news: the ship was making a very good progress and we were due to see Campbell Island in just a couple of days.Since the weather had calmed down significantl, after breakfast Tessa gave her lecture about life on Macquarie Island. It was very interesting to learn what it is like to spend several months on a remote Australian fieldstation. Despite frequent periods of uncomfortable weather, the personnel of the station and the scientists have a very good time in the company of seals and penguins.Next on the program was another film fom the Life series, showing some amazing footage of birds. Finally, Rodney gave his lecture ‘Introduction to Campbell Island’, which set the scene for a number of other lectures and documentaries on this subject to follow. He talked about discovery and natural history of the island, and mentioned that it is considered to be ‘an albatross capital’ of the world, along with Crozet Island.Sometime after Rodney’s lecture, we virtually swapped hemispheres and Katya presented her father’s lecture on Polar Bears. Her father Nikita Ovsyanikov has been working with Polar Bears on Wrangel Island for over twenty years, and in this talk he summarised the issues that these bears face with Global Warming shrinking the Arctic sea ice. The general message was that Polar Bears are capable of surviving the warming, but only if we take good care of them. On such an optimistic note we went to the dining room, where another fantastic dinner awaited us, after which most called it a day. We were leaving the polar region and daylight was no longer 24 hours.

December 28:  At sea

We woke to a spectacular morning: sun shining brightly, deep blue ocean and albatrosses flying aound. We had almost reached the ‘Albatross Latitudes’ again, so we started getting more and more birds following the ship. Royal, Wandering and some Mollymawks were seen and many people enjoyed their morning looking for these magnificent bids and taking pictures of them.Appropriately, Adam’s lecture was about albatrosses of the world, focusing on the species inhabiting this particular region.  It was very informative and he gave an overview of all the albatross species we have seen or were likely to see on our way. It was accompanied by wonderful pictures to give a better impression of the diversity of this family. Sometimes you could look out of the window and see one of the magnificent bids Adam was talking about.The next event before lunch was a documentary about the rat eradication program on Campbell Island – probably the most ambitious and successful eradication program in the world. In just 26 days in 1995 the island was completely cleaned of the last of its pests, which allowed the native species to thrive, or even be reintroduced from other islands. Pete participated in this amazing campaign, and he answered some questions after the movie.After lunch we changed the subject slightly and immersed for a while in the virtual world with Amy’s presentation about her animation career. The bar was so overcrowded with people eager to learn more about the virtual world of animations, that Rodney brought a microphone from downstairs. Amy showed us some snapshots from her recent projects, that included Surf’s up, I Am Legend and Avatar.After Amy’s talk there were no events until dinner, as the conditions were not suitable for the Lecture Theatre, but, after dinner we watched one of the animations that we had just learned about – Surf’s Up. Those who went outside enjoyed an absolutely magnificent sunset with the raging ocean highlightedby the rays of the setting sun and albatrosses gliding all around.  It was a truly magical ending to the day before our long-awaited arrival at Campbell Island.

December 29:  At sea and Campbell Island

Morning started late again as we approached our destination. Those who got up before the wake-up call could enjoy the magnificent moning with the albatrosses. After breakfast Tess collected Antarctic parkas from everyone – this was our final faewell to the cold. And then in the Lecture Room there was screened a documentary about the reintroduction of the Flightless Teal to the main Campbell Island. It is a most remarkable story – the bird was believed to be extinct, but was miraculously found on Dent Island. After the rat eradication, the teal was successfully introduced back to the main island. After lunch Katya gave a presentation on the wonders of the Russian Far East, talking about human history and the natural history of some of the destinations. She particularly highlighted Wrangel Island and the Commander Islands, where she had spent some time working. When the lecture was finished we wee glad to see Campbell Island and offshore rocks approaching fast, with all the albatrosses flying aound. Some people who observed the birds for a long enough time counted 8 species of albatrosses in one day. Campbell Island is considered one of the richest albatross places with 6 species nesting there: Antipodean, Southern Royal, Light-mantled Sooty, Campbell, Grey-headed and Black-browed.As we dropped anchor, Rodney gave us a briefing todescribe our possible activities. There were several options for all tastes and exploring the albatross colony sounded very exciting. Unfortunately, due to the strict permit system we had to wait until the next day to make our first landing. So in anticipation of our long- lookedfor time ashore we observed the island from the ship. After dinner most went to bed, since it would be a 6.30am wake-up.  We were finally enjoying flat calm seas.

December 30: Campbell Island

Our choices today went as follows: a long hike to North-West Bay or a boardwalk to the Southern Royal Albatross colony. He suggested for people to firstlook outside before making a decision because, to our dismay, the weather had significantly deterioratedduring the night. It was windy with a bit of occasional drizzle and in any case, did not look particularly great for an eight-hour hike. However, about thirty brave souls decided to go on a long hike – many people were dying for some exercise after so many days at sea and it was a wonderful chance to see the island. At first, the weather looked rather discouraging withblasts of wind throwing spray into people’s faces, and as the group gathered some altitude the fog also came in. Rodney cheerfully promised that it would only get worse and there were still over six hours ahead. So five peopledecided to turn back before it was too late. Others cheered themselves with a little snack and challenged the hardest part of the journey. In the fog you couldn’t see ten meters in front, the wind was almost blowing people off the track, but fortunately the rain stopped. Hikers were rewarded with beautiful views of the other side of the island and on the way back they went past some nesting albatrosses, but were caught in fog again and had to go on. Occasional sea lions suddenly appeared among the tussocks, making the journey more interesting. After nine hours of hiking the group descended into Tucker Cove where, tired but happy, they were picked up by Martin and Adam. Most of those who decided to stick to the albatross colony had a nice quiet time hanging out with albatrosses in the fog. When the last people finally eturned to the ship everyone went to the bar to relax and talk about the events of the day. Bar was followed by dinner and finallywe got our well-deserved rest.

December 31: Campbell Island

The day started early, because there were still many things to do on Campbell Island. The weather looked really promising with the sun shining and a slight breeze from the west. After breakfast we had a briefing onplanned activities and only a few people decided to climb Mount Honey, which was proposed as a long hike option. The rest preferred to take a Zodiac cruise and a walk to albatross colony. Adam, Dean and Tessa were accompanying the long-hikers and they started early. The group was dropped with two boats and started their climb. Adam set a good pace and they made good progress: scrambling through the Dracophyllum and tussocks they slowly made their way to the top.  Fortunately, the weather remained good, apart from a little bit of drizzle on the way up, and the brave climbers enjoyed fantastic scenery from the top of the mountain. Southern Royal Albatrosses were found nesting hereabouts and hikers were delighted to see many birds gamming nearby. They made a magnificentsight – one of the biggest birds in the world only few metres away. It was a very special experience. Meanwhile, the other group, who had preferred to stay behind and take a slower pace, enjoyed their Zodiac cruise around the coastline in the bright sunlight. They visited the remains of a coast watcher’s hut; the spruce tree, which is considered to be the loneliest tree on earth; the site where, according to legend, the Lady of the Heather lived; and of course spotted sea lions,  pipits, gulls and Giant Petrels, which were all around the coves.After the cruise they disembarked to take a boardwalk to Col Lyall – the Southern Royal Albatross colony. On top of the saddle, people had a chance to test their flying abilities in a 70-80 knot wind, on which you couldpractically lean. Some of the other hiking group caught up with the others at this stage – they were picked up and decided to visit albatrosses before going to the ship. So we observed the colony together for a while and headed back, looking forward to the New Years dinner.We had a wonderful indoor barbeque prepared by Stephen and Brad, then some people took a nap before midnight, when we all gathered together in the bar to celebrate the New Year with a glass of sparkling wine and smiles.Some stayed up very late partying through the night, but many people decided to rest and went to bed, already in 2011!

January 1: Campbell Island and back at Sea

The morning was late and relaxing. Since we had used all our permits for Campbell Island, we did not make any more landings. After breakfast some people watched another part of the Life series, which was about insects, including some breathtaking footage of what we cannot normally see in the macro world. The most spectacular scene was flying the camera with millions of Monach Butterflies – a shot which no fantasy movie or animationcan beat.After the film ess opened the Sea Shop for a little while and then we took off the anchor and left Campbell Island. A couple of miles offshore, the event that everybody was waiting for was announced – chumming. Adam threw some fish guts of the back deck and dozens of albatrosses gathered around the boat looking for a treat. It was an amazing sight! The birds were sometimes less than a foot away, all crowding for food. Mainly there were Campbell Island Albatrosses, but also a few Grey-headed and Black-browed. A couple of Southern Royals were flying about, but they wee not agile enough to compete with the Mollymawks. People took hundreds of pictures and just enjoyed the feeling of being eye to eye with an albatross. It lasted for about half an hour and then when the treat was finished the bids started to disperse. In the afternoon we didn’t have any program, so we had a chance to work on our pictures and start packing, because, sadly, no more major activities were to come and the trip was coming to an end. As soon as we left the lee of Campbell Island we started to feel the seas again, though not as badly as on the way to Antarctica. Rodney promised that it would not get worse and we hoped for this prediction to be true.The bar was crowded and cheerful and we had a recap on Campbell Island held by Rodney, Adam and Martin.

January 2: At sea

In the morning we were meant to have another Life series screened and a presentation by Rodney about other interesting destinations. However, unfortunately Rodney’s forecast did not quite meet the reality and we woke up to find the ship olling heavily again. So, activities after breakfast were cancelled and many people went to suffer the conditions in their cabins. However, a few still remained in the bar working on their computers and chatting. Unfortunately, the conditions did not improve after lunch either, so all the afternoon activities, including finalexpedition recap, slideshow and settling of the accounts were either cancelled or postponed. Instead, a slideshow compiled by Brad, Dean, Tessa and Katya was set running on the screens. They put together pictures taken throughout the trip that brought back the memories and highlights of our wonderful time. Settling of the accounts was moved to the Bar and took place after dinner, when the ship’s movement slightly improved. After all was settled and ready to go we were just left to pack and wrap last bits up.

January 3: Home port

We were woken at about 7am to a breakfast buffet. Everyone was packed and ready to go. Customs officerscame onboard and checked everyone’s passports and arrival cards before the group went ashore and said goodbye to the ship. We also farewelled the crew and the staff that had been with us all this time. It was a strange feeling to leave the ship after it had been our home for almost a month.However, the bus arrived in time, and our luggage was already waiting outside. Last words of farewell and off we went.The expedition time seemed to go so fast, and there were so many highlights on the way, it gets hard to remember them all. We saw so many beautiful things and wonders of nature. We had truly magical experiences with the whales, penguins and albatrosses. We witnessed this fantastic area in all its wilderness and beauty and, undoubtedly, many of us could not resist falling in love with this part of the world, so poorly known outside. Let us just hope that this experience will change our lives and stay with us forever as a very special memory.