Oh my – you will be so tired of reading about the rough seas, but holy moly!  Last night was rocking and rolling – and waking up this morning was brutal.  Even in our awesome mid-ship deck 4 cabin it was hard to stand.  The swells were crazy. The wind howling.  We took a couple of videos, but you really can’t get the true feel of motion in the ocean from them.

Breakfast, shower and up to the lounge we go for Slava’s presentation on The Swedish Antarctic Expedition, two years in the snow and ice. A great presentation about an Shackleton-esque type expedition taken by Otto Nordenskjold, a geologist, geographer and explorer. Carl Anton Larsen captained the ship, called Antarctic.  Larsen was a well known arctic explorer who focused more on Antarctic whaling than exploring the continent.  They sailed from Sweden Mid-October 1901, stopping in Buenos Aires and the South Shetland Islands along the way. Arriving in Antarctica in January 1902, the ice conditions were pretty tough, making them turn back before they made it all the way to the continent for fear of being stuck in the ice.

Instead of going all the way back to Argentina, they started looking for a place to overwinter, finally settling on Snow Hill Island. This is where it all went awry.  In a nutshell, the ice was too tough for them to lay depots inland to the south for spring treks, so they gave up and left 6 men behind to carry out their science program while the rest of the crew headed back to Argentina.  The Snow Hill men experienced a very harsh winter, but successfully managed with supplies and a hut that was specially constructed and brought down from Norway.  The did a few explorations in the spring months, covering an inordinate amount of ground, finding fossils that were some of the earliest evidence of continental drift.

The Antarctic sailed back to pick up the men on November 4, however they hit bad conditions and very thick ice after South Shetland, getting stuck in the ice for weeks. As they floated in the ice, Larson decided to drop 3 crew at Hope Bay with a cache of supplies.  If the ship couldn’t go any further south, these men would ski to Snow Hill Island and bring back the other men.  Unfortunately, on land, the ice wasn’t thick or hard enough to ski on – one of the ironies of the whole trip: The ship got stuck in too much ice, the men couldn’t ski because there wasn’t enough ice.

The rescue party returned to Hope Bay and built a little hut to stay in while they waited for the ship on January 13.  They waited and waited, but the ship never came back.  (That is actually how they named their location – they could only wait and hope the ship would come back.)  Meanwhile the ship tried another route but were stuck in ice that squeezed the ship and ripped the rudder away, then the ice broke and flooded the ship, causing the Antarctic to finally sink after one month on the ice.  Larsen made the order to bring everything usable on the ice, which the crew of 20 men then hauled walked 40km to Paulet Island over 16 days.  Here they built a stone hut to survive.

Now there are 3 separated parties – all who will have to overwinter in Antarctica.  Here comes the amazing part though – the next spring, on September 29, 1903, three men from Hope Bay started skiing to Snow Hill.  On October 4, Nordenskjold decided to make a long sledge trip around James Ross Island to try to find any ship to save them.  On October 9^th, both parties simultaneously reached Vega Island.  Each party rest4ed for a couple of days then decided to strike out to find Snow Hill – the Hope Bay men thought they saw seals on the beach and headed toward them.  The Paulet island men thought they saw large penguins and headed toward them.  Yes, you know what happens – each party saw the other!  How in the world did that ever happen???  Crazy.  does that happen??? 

The Hope Bay men were so dirty and disheveled that Nordenskjold didn’t even recognize them!  Finally realizing who they were, they reunited and skied back to Snow Hill to reunite with the others.  They still had no idea what happened with Antarctic ship and her crew.  A month later, two men went to Seymour island to collect penguin eggs and returned with 2 others.  They were the Captain and crew of the ship Uruguay, the search and rescue ship Argentina sent for the Antarctic crew.  Then, in an even more bizarre and surrealistic twist, Larsen and his crew showed up at the hut where Nordenskjold stayed that same night.  Totally nutso.

The Uruguay then took the men to pick up those still left on Paulet island and successfully found and saved all but one who had succumbed over the winter.  Two whole years on the snow and ice – what a wild and totally unreal story! They loaded up all the crew and set off to Argentina, almost sinking in the Drake Sea because the ship was so overloaded.  Finally, on December 2, 1903, they arrived back to Buenos Aires, greeted by thousands of people on the streets.  That was a great story!

Next it is lunch – Indian today, not my fav, but I manage to eek out a chicken Caesar salad.  Back in the cabin we continue to finalize our packing and watch one episode of Dark Winds. We wanted to watch the last as well, but it expired – literally while we were watching episode 5!  So now we’ll have to wait to get cell service to renew it.  Also Schitt’s Creek expired, so not watching that tonight!  We aren’t interested in the 2 pm documentary, they are sort of boring, so while Ed hits the gym, I hang out and blog. 

The seas have calmed a bit – not all the way certainly, but it isn’t anywhere near as bad as it was this morning and early afternoon.  You can almost stand straight without falling over.  But it is cloudy and overcast and rainy.  Might even have snowed – it looked like it on the bow cam.  We’re happy staying inside and doing our thing – there is a wildlife viewing on the back pool deck, but we’ll pass.  That’s what Gennadiy and his QR code are for!

There is a 4pm Wealth of Planet Earth presentation with Carine that is great – all about why biodiversity is so crucial.  All of her presentations are very educational and entertaining. But to be honest?  I’m totally distracted because we are finally entering into the Beagle Channel and I just can’t sit here and listen to a lecture – no matter how good!  So, I skedaddle downstairs, grab our parkas, dump Ed’s with him and head out onto the outside decks.

Yay! Land ho!  It is so wonderful to see those gorgeous snowcapped mountains out there, knowing we are only a few hours away from docking ourselves.  Phew!  Made it.

After the Channel excitement, we have a little down time before our final Recap and Briefing where we will learn all about our disembarkation – where, when, how.  Out of our cabins by 8, transfer to the airport by 11.  Listen for your color group, etc.  No real disturbances from the unrulies – because of course, the Russians don’t care as they have obviously received some form of compensation that appeased them.  They are just happily drinking and partying away. The rest of the briefing is about the tours tomorrow – which we have decided to ditch.

None of the folks we have been friendly with are going – and to be honest, we don’t feel like spending a whole day on a bus to go see lakes we have already visited.  We’d much rather finally be on our own on land and walking!  No tour – no biggie!

Dinner tonight is supposed to be a BBQ on the pool deck, but the weather is not cooperating, meaning BBQ in the restaurant.  Allan et al set up a champagne bar in the lobby of which we partake before heading into our normal booth.  We are one of the first – and one of the first on the Buffet line – which works completely in our favor!  We get the fresh food – and don’t have to wait.  As we are eating, the line for the buffet grows longer and longer and longer!  Ok – so – yeah, it is a little embarrassing always being first in and first out (FIFO), but it pays off in droves.  Renato even comments on how smart we are to be already done with our meal while the rest of the ship is standing in a 50 or 60+ people line!

The rest of the evening is spent upstairs with Allan and then out on the deck taking more pictures of the Argentinean and Chilean landscape, as well as a beautiful sunset.

Land ho!!!!