Voyage to the
end of the world
Antarctica
Antarctica, we are often told, is the coldest, windiest and driest
place on the face of the earth, but what does this actually mean?
 The lowest temperature ever recorded was –89.6C, strong winds
can blow up to 320 km/h and the continent receives only slightly
more rain than the Sahara, making Antarctica the largest desert
on earth.
On our first day we enjoyed a wide variety of lectures and time
on deck watching the impressive flights of seabirds. On the ship's
bridge, the horizon is in every direction. The sky is white and the
water is grey-black like marble. Around us scientists carry out bird
counts, all binoculars and business. An albatross glides and soars,
keeping pace with the ship. We breathe cold, sharp air, with
only the salty taste and marine smell to touch our senses. How
wonderful it is to be away from airports, towns, crowds, the
general hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Antarctica is the only continent that has never had an indigenous
population of humans because of its extreme environment
However, scientists from Russia, Japan, the United States, the
United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South America and
many others come to this place in an internationally cooperative
agreement to study the truly unique qualities of Antarctica.
Half-way during our crossing of the Drake Lake (so-called
because the Passage was very calm), we pass over the Antarctic
Convergence: a great mixing where northern and southern waters
meet, where nutrients from the sea floor are brought to the surface
of the ocean, making it a particularly productive area for algae
and krill (pinkish 5cm long crustaceans, rather like shrimp).
Our first sighting of an iceberg is incredible: a cliff of ice, like a
passing tanker but with sculpted turrets, hollows and spires. It is
still, lifeless and majestic. We snap away and our memory cards
fill up but we can't bring ourselves to delete any of the pictures
we've taken. Each berg is beautiful in its own way. The sun hits
the ice and sends sparkles and shimmer our way. I rest my camera.
I want to appreciate the beauty of these almost unearthly, float-
ing blocks of ice, to take in the moment of being here, in Antarctica,
among these immense white bergs.
 Of course, there's more to Antarctica than simply ice. On our
first landing on the Shetland Islands we come across Chinstrap
penguins, so-called due to the distinctive black line that follows
the contour of their ‘chins' not unlike a helmet strap. Highly gre-
garious and monogamous, they are also the boldest of the penguins
we encountered, fiercely protective of their chicks and territory.
We also saw some Gentoo penguins, by far the most curious of
all, waddling right up to us and pecking at our boots and gear.
Unfortunately, Gentoos are showing alarming decreases in
numbers probably as a result of climate change which is affecting
the abundance of prey.
The smallest penguin we saw were the Adelie, named after
French explorer Dumont d'Urville's wife. The chicks, plump,
downy and brown, comically chase after the adults, aching to be
fed. Penguins eat mainly krill. However, they in turn are eaten by
leopard seals (named after their spotted hide), which can weigh
up to 600kg. They have a large head with a huge gape, making
them fearsome predators. They also eat other seal pups as well
as squid and krill.
We also spotted fur seals, which have recovered in huge numbers
from being overexploited for their coats in the 19th century.
Crabeater seals also abound, although they do not eat crabs.
They have peculiarly shaped teeth that form a sieve to strain
the krill. Weddell seals can live up to 20 years, can dive to 600m
and stay underwater for over an hour. They blow air bubbles,
much like whales, into cracks under the sea ice to flush out prey.
Humpback and minke whales were also a common sight. Since
the banning of commercial whaling, almost all whale research
in Antarctica has ceased. Most whale research is done in more
congenial areas such as Baja California. However, the Japanese
and Norwegians continue to hunt them: out of some 760,000
minkes that the International Whaling Commission estimates
live in Antarctic waters, about 400 are killed each year. Japan's
Institute of Cetacean Research sells approximately 2,000 tonnes
of whale meat a year, earning over US$30 million. The choicest
whale meat, onomi, from the fat marbled tail, can cost up to
US$900 per kg. The meat is also used in school-lunch progra-
mmes and served in kujira-ya, or whale restaurants, many of
which have joined together to form the National Association to
Continue the Tradition of Whale Cuisine. Japan is also the primary
harvester of krill. Nearly half its annual catch is canned or frozen
and sold as ‘Antarctic shrimp'. Krill is also used as cattle and fish
feed.
 Our last expedition was a journey through the collapsed caldera
and into the flooded inner sanctum of Deception Island. This
was the first day of grey skies and fierce winds, making it diffi-
cult to stay on deck for any length of time. Later in the afternoon,
we received an SOS from a nearby ship that ran into trouble in
the middle of the channel. This event brought home the dangers
of this region and, in November 2007, we learned that our own
little red ship had sunk off the coast of the Peninsula, after hitting
an iceberg. The Explorer now lies at the bottom of the ocean, but
luckily its crew and passengers were unhurt, rescued by the
Chilean Air Force. A salutary reminder of the dangers of the
Southern Ocean even for experienced crew and hulls toughened
against ice.
On the return leg, we hit some strong winds and currents in
the Passage (the infamous Drake Shake). The next morning,
rugged-up and bleary-eyed, we make our way on deck to soak
up another magnificent dawn and keep an eye out for the fabled
Cape Horn, discovered in 1616 by two Dutchmen who named
the cape after their ship Hoorn which had burnt down. We
return to Patagonia and then travel on to Buenos Aires where
the stifling, bustling city almost overwhelms us after 10 days in
the frozen wilderness.
Text & photos: Sophie Handy
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