Lowes Travels

After two days at sea we sailed into Fort Point, Greenwich Island, our first stop actually in Antarctica:

We were thrilled to make our first Antarctic landfall at Fort Point:

Fort Point got its name from its jagged basalt spires that stand out in the landscape. This formation is connected by a low half-mile isthmus to the glaciers of Greenwich Island. The area is very open to the conditions of the Bransfield Strait, and this morning seemed like an ideal day for landing – or so we thought.

The views were stunning. We were surrounded by beautiful high mountains and glaciers as we arrived, then the overcast cleared a bit to reveal blue skies peeking through the clouds:

These early groups were lucky that they were able to go out Zodiac cruising:

In a few short hours all vessels were called back to the ship and our scheduled kayak trip was canceled. The weather had deteriorated by noon, with forecast strong winds and high swells. We were obviously disappointed, but this was just one of several itinerary changes that happened during our trip. We were told on the first day to be prepared for changes to our course, stops and activities, as the weather here totally dictates where and when the ship moves – and it’s the middle of summer now! Again, it’s an expedition, not a cruise…

Oh well, let’s go get something to eat and enjoy the view!

Yankee Harbor

From Fort Point we sailed about six miles to Yankee Harbor, a glorious reward. It is on the corner of Greenwich Island, and here the ship was more protected from the prevailing winds. An announcement came that everyone would be able to go out for a landing. Yay!

It was certainly calmer than where we had just been. Yankee Harbor owes its name to the fact that is was used extensively by U.S. sealers who were after the pelts of the Antarctic Fur Seals and the blubber of the Southern Elephant Seals around the 1820’s. The most famous sealer of all time, James Weddell, visited this bay on December 22, 1821. 

It was difficult to walk here in our heavy boots. The boulders and stones smoothed and rounded by ice-action were all over the place. But with the amazing views and a few penguins around to entertain us it was a lovely place to just take in the solitude and the magnificent surroundings:

As we walked along the designated path, the Gentoo penguins were oblivious to our presence. They paid no attention to us foreign creatures standing around taking pictures of them.  When they crossed our path, we always had to give them the right-of-way, and they often took their sweet time doing it:

A few Gentoo penguins were standing (or maybe posing?) on the shore among ice boulders washed in from a nearby glacier:

Then we spotted a seal species we hadn’t yet seen – a Weddell seal, likely named after James Weddell who was here in 1821. This guy was napping on the beach, completely unaware of us just like the Gentoo’s around him:

All too soon it was time to Zodiac back to the ship and get out of our heavy gear:

Mikkelsen Harbor

Our third stop in the surrounding islands was at Mikkelsen Harbor, a 1.8 square mile wide bay. It was lined with ice cliffs and indented into the south end of Trinity Island. When we arrived the harbor was covered in fog and looked very gloomy. We thought, “Oh oh, it doesn’t look like we’ll be landing here”. Just look at the video:

But right before noon the fog lifted, and viola, we had a breathtaking view of snow covered mountains all around us! We soon landed at D’Hainaut Island, a small piece of land that held lots of history and wildlife:

We explored the area via the designated path carved out for us. We were instructed not to walk on the “Penguin Highway” path (the one with a brownish hue to it) or we’d get a ticket for a “penguin right-of-way violation” 😉 There were many Gentoo penguins, so we just watched them waddling back and forth, or sitting in their rookeries protecting eggs.  One little guy was walking on his highway so we stopped to watch him shuffle along:

There were some remnants of a whaler’s boat, a large pile of whale bones and a small hut near the shore. Mikkelsen Harbor was once a common spot for sealing and whaling ships to anchor, and the beach at D’Hainaut is filled with whale bones, a sad testimony to the horrors of the past for these gentle giants:

https://videopress.com/v/3Nl7e7BU?resizeToParent=1&cover=1&autoPlay=0&controls=1&loop=0&muted=0&persistVolume=1&playsinline=0&preloadContent=metadata&sbc&sbpc&sblc&useAverageColor=1

On the island we also passed the Refuge Caillet-Bois, an Argentine refuge inaugurated by the Argentine navy on December 10, 1954:

Back at the ship, a wonderful surf-and-turf lunch had been prepared for us:

Since we were done for the day, we watched the action below and the stunning scenery!

https://videopress.com/v/3Nl7e7BU?resizeToParent=1&cover=1&autoPlay=0&controls=1&loop=0&muted=0&persistVolume=1&playsinline=0&preloadContent=metadata&sbc&sbpc&sblc&useAverageColor=1

We were told that even though we had landed in Antarctica, it isn’t “official” until we step onto the continent. Our three stops were on nearby islands, so we hadn’t raised our personal “7th continent” flag yet. But we were holding our breath – the white continent was just across the bay and we would be there soon!

The grandeur of the surroundings here are hard to describe in words, no matter how hard I try. There’s no justice to it unless you experience it yourself and see it with your own eyes!

Until next time, enjoy a few of the hundreds of photos I took for you in my slideshow below:

---

Next up: Onto the Antarctic Ice!