Paradise at the Arctic Circle

Antarctica | Anno 2018

 

Sunday, January 28 | Lemaire Channel – Vernadsky Research Base – Port Charcot

Monday, January 29 | Paradise Bay – Wilhelmina Bay – Enterprise Island

 

 

Sunday, January 28 | Lemaire Channel – Vernadsky Research Base – Port Charcot

Briefly we are awakened from our sleep. That probably happens around six o'clock, when the Sea Spirit appears to be leaving Andvord Bay. This means that the campers who spent the night in Neko Harbour on continental Antarctica are back on board.

 

 

Later, we will hear their stories. How it rained a bit last night. How they slept amidst the Adélie penguins – sound and smell included. And especially how a sudden gust of wind, before they even had the chance to settle in, blew a stack of foam rubber mats into the water. The zodiacs had to be called back to gather all the equipment again.

 

 

In the afternoon, a landing on Galindez Island is scheduled, one of the Argentine islands. There, we'll find the Ukrainian research station Vernadsky. However, this landing is still tentative – wind, ice, and weather conditions can throw a wrench in the works, as stated in the daily program on our screen.

 

 

Originally, Vernadsky was a British base known as Faraday. In 1996, the British reportedly transferred it to Ukraine for the symbolic sum of one pound. The coin used for this transaction is said to have been embedded in the wooden bar of the base. After the purchase, putting the money back in our own pocket, that's undoubtedly a great deal.

Never before has the Sea Spirit sailed through the Lemaire Channel

Lemaire Channel – Northern end

But first, we have to navigate through the Lemaire Channel. Whether we will succeed remains to be seen. Captain Oleg doesn't even know if the channel is free of ice. Everything depends on the weather conditions and the extent to which the wind has pushed the ice into the channel, expedition leader Jonathan told us last night. For the Sea Spirit, this is the third season in Antarctica, but the ship has never sailed through the Lemaire Channel before.

 

Icebergs in the Lemaire Channel – Impossible to get through?

A thick layer of clouds hangs low over the grim waters, with a light drizzle of wet snow falling from the sky. Tense, we stand on the bow from a quarter to eleven. In the howling wind, we watch to see if and how the Sea Spirit enters the Lemaire Channel. They also call it Kodak Gap, this massive gap, because it's immensely popular among photographers.

From our vantage point, it seems impassable. But Captain Oleg has made his decision

Icebergs in the Lemaire Channel

Ice floes and icebergs, large and small, drift in the channel as if they feel nowhere else is more suitable. The crucial question is to what extent they've been piled up by the wind. From our vantage point, the channel seems impassable.

 

Lemaire Channel

But Captain Oleg has made his decision. Determinedly, the Sea Spirit seeks its way, slowly slaloming between the obstacles. For a moment, two large icebergs seem to form a final obstacle together, but even there, the Sea Spirit easily finds its way.

 

Lemaire Channel – Glacier front

 

And we just keep watching. The spectacle is breathtaking. This local beauty stretches for eleven kilometres in length and one and a half kilometres in width. To the right, the cliffs of Booth Island rise steeply, six hundred to a thousand meters above sea level. On the continental coast to the left, the terrain is slightly less steep, although the mountain peaks still reach a thousand meters high. But here, it's mainly the snowfields and glacier masses that capture the imagination.

 

Lemaire Channel – Southern end

Just under an hour later, the walls of the gorge widen, and we sail into the broad Penola Strait. A wondrous world full of icebergs now reveals itself before our eyes. It's as if a divine hand has lavishly scattered them around.

A wondrous world full of icebergs now reveals itself before our eyes. It's as if a divine hand has lavishly scattered them around

Penola Strait – Icebergs

They come in all sorts of shapes. One even rises like a sharp peak above the water, resembling a Statue of Liberty made of ice. At the waterline, they're usually azure-blue – tropical accents in an icy desert.

 

Penola Strait

Statue of Liberty?

Around three o'clock, we set out with the zodiacs. Waterproof clothing and life jackets are important, Bettina emphasizes redundantly over the intercom. Because we're in for a bumpy ride, she adds. That's true, there's some wind, and the sea is a bit rough. But it won't be as intense as yesterday in Port Lockroy, with wind speeds up to 90 km/h.

 

On our way to Winter Island

On our way to Winter Island

We wade ashore on Winter Island, navigating over slippery rocks. The island owes its name to a British expedition that wintered here in 1935-1936. It will be a short walk through the snow, crossing the flat, relatively small island, barely a kilometre in diameter.

 

For the first time, a tiny bit of that polar explorer feeling creeps over us. That sense that in this seemingly endless icy wilderness, you are entirely reliant on your own small self

Winter Island

Surrounded on all sides by snow and ice as far as the eye can see, for the first time, a tiny bit of that polar explorer feeling creeps over us. That sense that in this seemingly endless icy wilderness, you are entirely reliant on your own small self and that you must find a way to make it through on your own strength. Meanwhile, it's a joy to take in the breathtaking views.

 

Stella Creek

The fun doesn't last long because the island isn't very large. From a ridge, we now overlook Stella Creek. Several crabeater seals are lounging on ice floes. Surprisingly, there is even moss growing in a barren spot by the water's edge.

 

Stella Creek – Crabeater seals

‘British Crown Land’

A modest wooden sign, likely almost a century old, leaves no room for doubt – this is British Crown Land. Such claims are void in principle since the Antarctic Treaty was signed.

A hut was already standing here in 1935, but by 1947, it had vanished without a trace

Stella Creek – Wordie House

But it's Wordie House that immediately grabs our attention. A hut was already standing here in 1935, but by 1947, it had vanished without a trace. Almost certainly, the tsunami of April 2, 1946, had made short work of it. The British then erected a new hut using materials they borrowed from Port Lockroy, among other places. Initially, this Base F was nothing more than a kitchen and a sleeping quarters where four to five men had to spend months. It wasn't until 1951 that they added an office, a storage space, a shed for the generator, and even a toilet.

 

Wordie House – Cooking and sleeping quarters

Living space and sleeping quarters

Today, that hut still stands, although it has not been in use since 1954. That year, activities were transferred to the new, larger Faraday base on the nearby Galindez Island. Wordie House is now a museum, with around five hundred artefacts – from stoves to typewriters, from books to board games, from cooking pots to tools. Only Marilyn Monroe and her friends are modestly absent.

After the collapse of the USSR in 1991, Ukrainians suddenly became persona non grata on Russian bases

Galindez Island – Akademik Vernadsky Station

We now sail by zodiac through Stella Creek to the Ukrainian research station on Galindez Island. With a broad grin, Sasha awaits us at the Akademik Vernadsky Station, as the base is officially called. And with great enthusiasm, he will guide us through the main building, the former Coronation House. But first, our boots must come off because these Ukrainians keep a clean establishment.

 

Vernadsky Station

In stocking feet, we stroll through the long, straight corridor, casting glances into research rooms here and there, while Sasha fills us in on life at the base. They live and work here year-round, he explains, even during the long polar winter. There are twelve of them, all men. A bit further north, in Port Lockroy, there's a base with only women, we whisper to him with a wink. But as it turns out, he already knew that.

But first, our boots must come off because these Ukrainians like to keep a clean establishment

Workspaces

In the 1990s, the British government sought to cut costs on their Antarctic bases. Among them was Faraday Base, which they wanted to put up for sale. But who on earth would buy an Antarctic base?

The solution came from an unexpected source. The Soviet Union also operated several bases in Antarctica, with a significant number of Ukrainians working there. After the collapse of the USSR in 1991, these individuals were suddenly unwelcome on Russian bases. But where could they go?

Ukraine and the United Kingdom quickly reached an agreement. The British handed over Faraday Base to Ukraine, but the Ukrainians would pay for the equipment and machinery. Additionally, they agreed to provide the British with meteorological data for ten years. Sasha firmly dismisses the notion that the British sold the base for one pound as a myth.

Today, the base is named after Vladimir Vernadsky. While relatively unknown in the West, in Russia, he is regarded on the same level as Darwin and Mendel. He was one of the pioneers in advanced fields such as geochemistry, radiogeology, and biogeochemistry.

Sasha firmly dismisses the notion that the British sold the base for one pound as a myth

Vernadsky Station – Coronation House

They only resupply Vernadsky Station from Ukraine only once a year, bringing food and a hundred tons of fuel oil. A year-old food supply – we try to imagine how delicious that must be.

Yet, there are frequent celebrations here, Sasha beams. Just a month ago, on December 21st, they celebrated midsummer. They do this by organizing various competitions between the different bases.

But today is actually a celebration as well. Because exactly 198 years ago, Antarctica was first observed – by a Russian, of course. Although Fabian von Bellingshausen technically wasn't Russian, but rather a German in the service of the tsar, and he didn't even realize what he was looking at through his binoculars amidst the snowflakes.

Fabian von Bellingshausen didn't even realize that he was looking at Antarctica through his binoculars amidst the snowflakes

Yet, Sasha touches upon a sensitive point here. Everyone agrees that Antarctica was first observed in 1820. But if you ask the British, von Bellingshausen only saw the edge of the ice cap, not the mainland itself. They are convinced that it was a Brit who discovered continental Antarctica, namely Edward Bransfield. He discovered Trinity Land, the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, on January 30th – just a few days after von Bellingshausen. But the Americans also stake their claim because their compatriot Palmer anchored in Deception Island in the same year and caught sight of the Antarctic Peninsula, albeit not until November 16th.

In mid-winter, there are only three hours of daylight during the day, Sasha continues his story. You can only work here if you've undergone thorough medical and psychological testing beforehand. Of all the scientific stations in Antarctica, Vernadsky is one of the longest-running. Here and there, we get the feeling that applies to some of the equipment they use here as well.

They know all about long-term measurements here. Since 1947, the average outdoor temperature has been rising by 0.6 °C (1.08 °F) every ten years, according to the measurements.

A pub without its own distillate is only half the job done, the Ukrainians must have thought

Vernadsky Station – Pub

Orthodox chapel

The ozone concentration is also a constant concern. But the commotion of the 1980s, when the discovery of the famous hole in the ozone layer worldwide made headlines, has settled down. Nowadays, the ozone concentration is back to normal. Sasha refers to this as a natural fluctuation over a period of more than half a century. As for CFCs, which were urgently banned at the time, Sasha shrugs. Human activity accounts for only 8 % of the fluctuations, he claims.

We climb the wooden stairs to the first floor, where we find the kitchen, dining hall, and recreation area. And most importantly, the pub, world famous in Antarctica and beyond.

Its fame is owed in part to the impressive wooden bar, a legacy from the British. Originally, the wood was intended for a new pier, but they didn't see the need for it here. Instead, they turned it into a gem of a bar. Ironically, their frivolity would cost them their jobs. Quite ironic when you consider that the furniture has since become the centrepiece of the base. Indeed, a one-pound coin is embedded in the tabletop between the taps.

A pub without its own distilled liquor is only half the job, the Ukrainians must have thought. So they began producing their own artisanal vodka – gorilka, as it's called in Ukrainian. The brew has also become a local attraction. It tastes spicy. In short, just as the post office is to Port Lockroy, this pub is to the Vernadsky Station – a magnet for polar tourists.

 

Guiding post

Brown skua

For the first time, we even notice crew members from the Sea Spirit ashore. For them, this is an opportunity, as it is the first time the ship has appeared in these waters.

Outside, Sasha points out a king penguin among the hundreds of gentoo penguins. It suddenly appeared out of nowhere a week ago. Since then, it has been standing there motionless. Normally, you only encounter king penguins on subantarctic islands such as South Georgia and the Falkland Islands. That's at least 1,500 km away from here. So, this guy is quite lost.

Normally, you only encounter king penguins on subantarctic islands such as South Georgia and the Falkland Islands

Vernadsky Station – Lost king penguin

But for us, this is already our second stroke of luck – after our unexpected encounter with a lost macaroni penguin on Half Moon Island last Thursday. With its length of ninety centimetres, the king penguin is one of the largest penguin species. Only the emperor penguin can look down on it. Moreover, with its neck and chest markings, it is also the most colourful penguin. Although, in this case, those markings appear a bit pale.

But what makes both the king penguin and the emperor penguin special is their breeding method. They don't make nests, unlike, for example, the brush-tailed penguins. Instead, they breed in colonies, but each time they lay only one egg. They then hatch it on their feet, with a thick skin fold as a sort of tea cosy over it.

 

Vernadsky Station – King penguins

On average, they lay two eggs every three years. In a colony of king penguins, you can therefore observe all possible stages of the breeding cycle at any time of the year. But our lonely guy won't get to that anymore. Starting a family is no longer something he can hope for.

 

Penola Strait

It's already six o'clock when we return to the Sea Spirit. It immediately lifts the anchor. Not without first sending out a zodiac to deliver a crate of beer to Vernadsky – the second most coveted item among the lonely men of the research station.

 

Icebergs in Penola Strait

That's it then, the southernmost point of our cruise, at 65° 15' south latitude. We're still over three hundred kilometres away from the Antarctic Circle. Places like Oulu in Finland, Reykjavik in Iceland, and Fairbanks in Alaska are at a similar distance from the pole. Yet, the climate there is far from comparable to what is happening here. We recall from Jonathan's explanation that it is primarily the westerly winds constantly blowing around Antarctica that are responsible for this.

 

Icebergs in Penola Strait

Meanwhile, the Sea Spirit has turned around and is heading north towards the Lemaire Channel. And we have retreated to the restaurant for an early dinner. Because the program has been changed. The weather gods are in our favour. A landing at Port Charcot, about halfway through the channel, seems feasible. There we will be able to meet Adélie penguins – our sixth species of penguin.

What Adrien de Gerlache is to the Belgians, Jean-Baptiste Charcot is to the French. Twice he sailed to the South Pole to overwinter, in 1904 with the Le Français, and in 1908 with the Pourquoi Pas? He mapped two thousand kilometres of coastline and many islands. He gained a wealth of information and a divorce from it.

 

Port Charcot

Port Charcot is the place where he wintered in 1904. It's a bay with a diameter of about three kilometres, located at the northern end of Booth Island. Just before eight o'clock, we drop anchor there.

Barely ten minutes later, the first zodiac sets out. Through the snow, we climb to the penguin colonies on the barren rocks. From the west, the wind constantly and fiercely howls over the rocks. You have to be careful not to be blown off your feet.

 

From the west, the wind constantly and fiercely howls over the rocks. You have to be careful not to be blown off your feet

On the way to the snow-free rocks

Over six hundred meters high, the peaks of Mount Lacroix rise on the right in the distance. The bay of Port Charcot is teeming with icebergs, in the most spectacular shapes and colours. Here and there, green and reddish spots mar the pristine white snow. Those are algae, nestled on a layer of cryoconite, we recall from Vadim's presentation.

The absence of any Adélie penguins could be related to climate change

Port Charcot penguin colony

There are hundreds of them, the penguins nesting here. With a bit of imagination, it seems as though they are braving the harsh weather with hunched shoulders and squinted eyes. Often, two tufts of down emerge from under their bellies – chicks seeking shelter from the icy cold.

Some chicks are very young and thus born very late in the season. Too late, actually; they probably won't make it

Gentoo penguin with chicks

Shamelessly, the male starts picking away at the nest of the mother, pebble by pebble

Sometimes, those chicks are very young and thus born very late in the season. Too late actually, observes ornithologist Ab, they probably won't make it.

Elsewhere, a mother watches over chicks that are already a bit larger and have excellent survival chances. Nothing seems amiss, one might say, but that's just an illusion. The problem she faces is of a completely different nature. A penguin couple waddles over, seemingly without a nest or chicks, and they seem eager to start, driven by their instincts – not hindered by the realization that it's far too late for that.

 

Gentoo penguin

Shamelessly, the male begins picking away at the nest of the mother, pebble by pebble, while she sits on it. Fiercely screeching, she lashes out at her assailant, vigorously swaying her beak back and forth. However, it doesn't make much of an impression because as long as she remains on her nest, she can't reach the parasitic male. What's more, his partner now joins in the fun, happily transferring pebbles as well.

 

Gentoo penguin

Ab doesn't consider the situation dramatic. After all, the pebbles primarily serve as a drainage system to quickly remove rainwater and snow, reducing the risk of the eggs or young chicks cooling too quickly. However, in this case, the chicks are almost fully grown, so such disturbance of the nest doesn't pose a real threat to them. However, the parents won't be able to reuse this nest easily next season. And who knows, perhaps the female will carry some trauma from her experiences?

 

Feeding chicks

Gentoo penguins with Mount Lacroix in the background

Meanwhile, it has become clear to us that there will be no Adélie penguins appearing. It's all gentoo penguins here, with the occasional straggler from the chinstrap penguins.

The absence of Adélie penguins could be due to climate change, suspects Ab. The seawater is slightly warmer, just enough to motivate gentoo penguins to shift a bit further south and displace the Adélie penguins. In the pecking order, gentoo penguins rank third, after emperor penguins and king penguins. For Adélie penguins, this isn't necessarily a problem. Among all penguins – excluding emperor penguins – they remain closest to the pole.

Until suddenly, we spot an Adélie penguin. Just one, and it's lying flat on its belly, quite far from here. All we can make out is a black spot in the white snow.

And yet, just when we've lost all hope, there it is, casually within reach – a solitary Adélie penguin. As if it sensed our disappointment and decided to become an excuse penguin, stationed near the zodiacs.

Adélie penguins are monogamous, but they don't overdo it

Adélie penguin

 

He doesn't seem to realize it, but his species served as the model for Tux, the penguin character that became the logo of the open-source operating system Linux. Although the yellow beak and yellow feet of that mascot don't match the original. Because an Adélie penguin doesn't come in any other colours than white and black – it's as if a gentleman in a white shirt and black tuxedo is standing before us.

Adélie penguins owe their peculiar name to the wife of the French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville. Just like their cousins, the chinstrap penguins and the gentoo penguins, Adélie penguins belong to the genus of brush-tailed penguins. So they also build nests of stones, are monogamous – but not overly so – and try once a year to raise two eggs into independent penguins.

 

Cairn in memory of Jean-Baptiste Charcot

Jonathan did not accompany us to the penguins. And he had a good reason for that. Because atop a nearby hill lies a cairn, a stone monument, in memory of Jean-Baptiste Charcot, who wintered in the bay at the foot of that hill. As a true Frenchman, that's the place to be for Jonathan, especially since it's his first time visiting Port Charcot as well.

 

 

Shortly before ten o'clock, we return to the Sea Spirit with the zodiacs, making a detour past some icebergs. With their rugged shapes and beautiful colours, they adorn the Lemaire Channel.

 

 

Then we continue our journey northward through the Lemaire Channel. Adrien de Gerlache's decision to name this passage after Charles Lemaire raised some eyebrows internationally. Historian Jozef briefly delves into his background for us. He was a gracious gentleman, known and respected in the highest circles, at least in Belgium.

 

Bridge of the Sea Spirit – Captain Oleg

Lemaire Channel

But in Congo, Lemaire was precisely the opposite – notorious and feared for his punitive expeditions. According to him, cutting off hands, feet, noses, or ears of underperforming or rebellious workers was just part of the job if you wanted to achieve good results in rubber extraction. Executing unwilling Congolese tribal leaders, he did so personally – in total, there must have been around thirty.

According to Charles Lemaire, cutting off hands, feet, noses, or ears of underperforming or rebellious workers was just part of the job

Lemaire Channel

With Leopold II, Adrien de Gerlache was already on strained terms. The authoritarian king wanted to enlist the polar explorer for his own purposes, but de Gerlache was not interested. It's therefore no coincidence that de Gerlache named a bay after Wilhelmina, the then-queen of the Netherlands, on the Danco Coast, while there is no trace of a memorial to her Belgian counterpart on Antarctica.

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Monday, January 29 | Paradise Bay – Wilhelmina Bay – Enterprise Island

 

Paradise Bay

Peaks of fifteen hundred meters or more are shrouded in grey clouds. Their dark slopes, with patches of snow on their shoulders, are vividly reflected on the calm, silvery water surface. Majestic glaciers relentlessly and infinitely slowly descend down the slopes towards the sea, gradually releasing their cargo. Bluish icebergs float by, surrounded by white ice floes. On one of those floes, a handful of crabeater seals have found a peaceful spot.

 

Paradise Bay – Crabeater seals on an ice floe

Brown Station

Paradise Bay, that’s what they call this paradisiacal place, one of the most beautiful spots along the Gerlache Strait. Even the whalers acknowledged this back in the day when they gave this bay its idyllic name.

 

Paradise Bay, that’s what they call this paradisiacal place, one of the most beautiful spots along the Gerlache Strait

 

In the distance, the reddish-brown buildings of the Argentine Brown Station lie as tiny cubes at the foot of one of those veiled giants. Originally, this station was permanently manned. However, a fierce fire abruptly ended that on April 12, 1984. The main building was largely engulfed in flames.

 

Paradise Bay

It wasn't an accident. The doctor turned out to be responsible. After serving two years, he learned that an involuntary third year was added because there was no ship available for the planned personnel rotation. This drove him over the edge – he set the place on fire. Apparently, he didn't find the bay so paradise-like after all.

 

Paradise Bay – Crabeater seals

Immediately, Americans from Palmer Base, located fifty kilometres away, came to the aid of their homeless Argentine colleagues. Afterwards, they dropped them off in Ushuaia. In that sense, the arsonist got his way. The history books do not tell us what happened to the doctor’s professional career after that.

Nothing disturbs the peace until suddenly, a humpback whale alarm sounds – spouting fountains to starboard at two o'clock

Wilhelmina Bay – Humpback whales

 

Nothing disturbs the peace aboard the Sea Spirit as we continue our journey to Wilhelmina Bay. Until suddenly, a humpback whale alarm sounds – spouting fountains to starboard at two o'clock. Swiftly, we grab our parkas and cameras from the hook and rush to deck 4. There they are, six of them, diligently circling in front of the ship in search of treats. But in the distance, several more can be seen. In total, John estimates their number to be at least twenty.

 

Wilhelmina Bay – Humpback whales

For an hour, we observe the graceful ballet of these ten-tonners – 12 to 16 meters long, weighing 25 to 30 tons. There's no getting tired of watching how their backs arch just before they dive, how their dorsal fins elegantly disappear into the water, and their tail fins emerge. Water cascades off their black, serrated edges, eventually revealing the unique pattern of white and ochre-yellow spots that characterize each humpback. The wind sweeps some snowflakes across the deck, but it doesn't bother us in the slightest.

For an hour, we observe the graceful ballet of these ten-tonners. There's no getting tired of watching

Tail fin of humback whale
Pectoral fin of humpback whale

Sometimes, a gigantic pectoral fin rises steeply above the water, as if the friendly giant wants to greet us. Those are massive limbs, the longest in the animal kingdom. They often grow to a third of the body length – so four to five meters long. On top, they are black, while their underside exhibits a similar pattern of white and ochre-yellow spots as the tail fin.

 

Humpback whale – Tubercles and blowholes

Jonathan readily admits that we've been quite lucky with whale sightings. However, he's quick to point out that it's more than just luck – it involves a well-thought-out strategy. The strategy revolves around seeking out calm waters with as little wave action as possible, maximizing visibility. Then, you cruise through that area over long distances. Back in the day, whalers used the same approach, albeit with different intentions than ours.

 

Back in the day, whalers employed the same approach, albeit with different intentions than ours

It's nearly five o'clock when we anchor near Foyn Harbour. Floating whale factories used to seek shelter in these calm waters between Nansen Island and Enterprise Island. The Svend Foyn did the same during the 1921-1922 season. The island derived its name from this activity.

 

Enterprise Island – Moss

Imperial shags

We set course for the rugged Enterprise Island in the zodiacs. It's teeming with seabirds, especially imperial shags. The plan isn't to go ashore on the steep, rocky coast. Our zodiac serves as an excellent floating platform for observation.

Those pushy people should better leave, the chick seems to think. And that’s exactly what we do

Kelp gull chick		Great skua with prey
Kelp gull

However, it's not the birds that immediately catch our attention. It's the mysterious, rust-brown bow sticking halfway out of the seawater. A modern, unmanned sailboat is safely nestled against it. This sheltered spot still seems to be popular as a temporary refuge.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, this Norwegian vessel, the Guvernøren, was one of the largest factory ships of its time. By then, whale hunting had already shifted south, as whales in the northern polar waters had all but disappeared due to overhunting.

Building factories on Antarctica to process whale carcasses had proven almost impossible. Thankfully so, one might think

Building factories on Antarctica to process whale carcasses had proven almost impossible. Thankfully so, one might think. Thus, they turned to building actual factory ships. These were colossal beasts, like the 132-meter-long Guvernøren with 85 crew members – one and a half times longer than our Sea Spirit. It became routine to tow a complete whale aboard and strip it of its blubber. The Guvernøren could transport up to a hundred thousand litres of whale oil in its tanks.

Until the Second World War, twenty-one such factory ships operated in Antarctic waters – Norwegian, Russian, British, Dutch. The world wars even increased the demand for whale oil because glycerine was extracted from it, which was used in the production of nitroglycerine.

Together, these floating factories were responsible for an average of fifty thousand whale catches per year. It wasn't until 1985 that a total ban on whaling was imposed in the Antarctic Treaty area.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, this Norwegian vessel, the Guvernøren, was one of the largest factory ships of its time

Enterprise Island – Guvernøren

Of all those floating factories, the Guvernøren was one of the most advanced. By early 1915, they could look back on a successful season. The tanks were three-quarters filled with whale oil. The journey home could begin. That called for a celebration.

Drunk men, burning candles, barrels of oil – trouble was bound to arise. And it did. On January 27th, the ship caught fire in the open sea. In a quick reflex, the captain ran the ship aground in this inlet. The entire crew managed to safely evacuate to Enterprise Island, without even a scratch. There, they were picked up by another whaler.

 

A lifeboat of the unfortunate crew of the Guvernøren

Antarctic tern

The wrecks of two wooden lifeboats still remind us of those dramatic events. On the ship itself – or what remains of it – Antarctic terns and kelp gulls now reign supreme.

 

Antarctic fur seal

Snowflakes gently drift down onto the water. Enchanting white icebergs float on clouds of azure blue water in the grey sea. Where the glaciers meet the sea, ice walls emerge with a delightful array of colours, featuring deep blue crevices and caves.

 

Antarctic fur seal

On the rocky coast, a handful of Antarctic fur seals can be spotted. They've been observing us for a while, but our antics largely leave them indifferent.

 

Antarctic fur seal

For a kelp gull chick, it's less evident, even though we respect a normal distance. A bit fearful, it sits alone on the nest in a crevice between the rocks, waiting for its parents to bring food and shelter. Its plumage resembles more the spotted skin of a giraffe than the spotless white costume of an adult kelp gull. Those strange intruders better move along, the chick seems to think. And so we do. Because across Bancroft Bay, humpback whales have been spotted.

 

Imperial shags

Humpback whales

 

Humpback whales. Again. Do they bore us? Certainly not, our enthusiasm knows no bounds. Because drifting among the humpback whales in your zodiac, it remains an experience unmatched by observations from a deck five meters above the water.

 

 

It's quite a journey over the choppy waters before we approach the playful quartet. In the distance, a few more pairs are also making themselves known. We spend about half an hour observing their movements before returning to the ship through the snow just after six.

 

Zodiacs returning to the Sea Spirit

Our final adventure off the coast of the Antarctic mainland comes to an end. The Sea Spirit immediately raises anchor and sets course northwards towards the South Shetland Islands. With a bit more swell than we had become accustomed to in the past few days, we will cross the Gerlache Strait overnight.

 

 

If there's anyone who can speak about the construction of the Belgian Princess Elisabeth Station in Antarctica, it's Philippe. Because he was there, leading the transport team. We listen with fascination in the lounge to his story as twilight falls outside.

The driving force behind the project was Alain Hubert. Already in 2002, he took on the project. Because the King Baudouin Base from 1957 needed replacement. In 1967, it was officially closed and has since sunk ingloriously into the ice.

The designers didn't make it easy for themselves when outlining the new project. The station would have to withstand katabatic winds up to 200 km/h, it would be anchored on rock ground – not on the ice like its predecessor – and it would run entirely on wind and solar energy. In short, it would become the first zero-emission base in Antarctica.

In short, it would become the first zero-emission base in Antarctica

In 2004, Alain Hubert set out for the first time in search of a suitable location. He found it in Dronning Maud Land, the Antarctic sector claimed by Norway. More precisely at the foot of the Sør Rondane Mountains, where the nunatak of Utsteinen – a granite ridge that rises about ten meters above the ice field – provides sufficient stability and some wind protection. And the location wasn't even far from the Fabiola Mountains.

 

 

It became a futuristic-looking structure, meticulously planned down to the last detail. At the heart of the concentrically constructed main building is the technical core, housing temperature-sensitive and delicate installations. Surrounding it are the active areas such as the laboratory, kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room. The outer edge is formed by the living and sleeping quarters. The station is only manned during the Antarctic summer, but the core remains autonomous throughout the year via a satellite connection to Belgium.

On November 6, 2007, the Russian cargo ship Ivan Papanin left the port of Antwerp with the material for the new base on board. However, the team flew from Cape Town to the Russian Novolazarevskaya Station – Novo for short – aboard an Ilyushin aircraft. Philippe recalls spending eight hours on board a Spartan-equipped Ilyushin with deafening noise.

 

 

And then the real work had yet to begin. Finding a suitable location to unload the heavy equipment on the twenty-five-meter-high coast of Antarctica was by no means easy. Then it was 220 km inland to the site where the research station would be built.

They even had to deal with the notorious whiteout

Along the way, they even had to deal with the notorious whiteout, a weather condition where sunlight is so reduced and scattered by ice crystals in the air that every visual reference disappears. Irregularities in the terrain, obstacles, slopes, the distant horizon – you simply can't see them anymore. Orienting yourself becomes almost impossible. For a person alone without tools, that can be fatal. Fortunately for Philippe and his team, they had GPS.

By March 2008, the first phase of the job was completed. The main building was wind and waterproof, ready to withstand its first Antarctic winter. The finishing touches would follow during the 2008-2009 season. From then on, the base was operational.

What awaits us tomorrow will likely be less remarkable. We will set foot on land for the last time, first at Telefon Bay, an inlet of Deception Island, then at Hannah Point, a promontory of Livingston Island. In between, a Polar Plunge is planned, a dive into the icy waters – everyone is welcome, except the faint-hearted.

Although it's not certain yet that we will be able to land at Hannah Point. There are so many animals there that it could be a problem to find a spot to disembark. A luxury problem indeed.

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Jaak Palmans
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