Two days in a row, we awoke to the most dreadful words you can hear on an Antarctic cruise: Wind speeds are at 30 knots, so ALL activities are CANCELLED. Such a sad, sad day. Inclement weather has such a way of destroying the best laid plans. The ship director was very fond of always having a Plan A, a Plan B, and a Plan C if necessary. And seriously, we had so many cancelled activities and did so much zig zagging across the Antarctic Peninsula that I really can’t remember which day was which. All cruise ships have to register their planned stops in advance– that way 2 ships don’t show up at the same spot at once. Wouldn’t want to be too crowded on land as it could distress my little penguin friends.

We were supposed to go to Port Lockeroy, but there was too much wind. Not only is wind bad for Zodiac cruises, but it also blows sea ice around which then clogs up the harbor. This means even if you made it out on the Zodiac, you wouldn’t be able to land in the harbor. And truly, missing out on Port Lockeroy is devastating. What is so special about Port Lockeroy you ask? Why, there is a post office there!! And, even more spectacular than an Antarctic post office, at least as far as thetwinsontour are concerned is that they have a souvenir shop!! Everyone knows how thetwinsontour feel about shopping!! And, shopping in Antarctica is like a bucket list item that now cannot be checked off the list. We will have to settle for checking out their online shop. And, because of the aforementioned scheduled ship landings, we couldn’t just wait in the harbor to see if conditions would improve. There were 2 other boats scheduled to stop there that day. I am only slightly comforted by the fact that the National Geographic boat didn’t manage to make it in either that day.

The other truly devastating thing was that we finally made it to the kayak list, but our kayaking was cancelled too. So we also cannot check kayaking with humpback whales off the bucket list. What a pity! I really wanted that Instagram shot. And I’m an excellent kayaker too. Our dear friend Kerry gave us kayak lessons on Olathe Lake, so I was ready for the challenge.

So let me tell you about our Plan B, or maybe it was Plan C, because it was hands down, without a doubt, the most breathtaking scenery I have ever seen in my entire life. We started heading further South into icier waters. They told us to bundle up and come out on deck for the dreaded “ship cruise.” I quickly realized this was going to be an awesome “ship cruise” and that I didn’t have on enough layers, so I ran back to the room to put on my baselayer, Old Navy polar fleece, thin down jacket, and my Goretex waterproof/windproof coat. Not to mention my baselayer pants, fabulous fleece lined Eddie Bauer pants, and Goretex pants. Also lets not forget my sock liners, dirty wool socks, and rubber muck boots. Oh, and my Smart Wool merino headband, merino hat, neck gaiter, and 2 pairs of glove liners. I was ready to spend the afternoon on deck marvelling at the beauty all around me that few eyes ever get to behold–a truly Antarctic winter scene. We were headed to the Lemaire Passage–a passage that is just 300 meters wide, so there’s plenty of room for a 70 meter ship to squeeze through.

The approach was simply breathtaking. There were seals everywhere just soaking up the sun on top of giant pieces of ice. Sometimes they even barked and hissed in annoyance at the ship if we got too close to their ice flow. We also saw another penguin species–Adelie penguins, but I didn’t realize that until a bit later because I was so focused on taking millions of pictures.

As we got closer to the passage, the ice chunks became more dense and mesmerizing. I was really glad that our ship was a sturdy icebreaker. It was amazing to look down and see these giant sheets of ice crack beneath the bow of the ship.

I keep telling myself that I have enough pictures of ice, but then I find myself picking up my camera and taking even more pictures of ice because I realize that I am absolutely wrong on that point (and I’m never wrong) because its absolutely impossible to have too many pictures of ice. In fact, I probably don’t have enough. The composition of the ice changes as you get farther south. It starts out as a few random icebergs with turquoise icebergs mixed in. (Usually the turquoise color indicates that they just flipped or changed positions). Then there are large sheets of sea ice where the seals lay. Then you get into the smaller chunks of ice that haven’t melted yet that are kind of like the ice cubes you leave in your Yeti mug overnight on your desk and marvel at the next morning because they are still floating around in your cup. There are just so many different varieties of ice pictures.

We have already been in Antarctica for several days, and even stepped on land. But we hadn’t really felt what Antarctica truly is until this moment. Antarctica is wild, untamed, unpredictable, inhospitable, unimaginable (I’m running out of adjectives, but I think you get the point). But at the same time it’s a pure, magical, untouched land of untold beauty and mystery that will leave you speechless and feeling quite insignificant. Thetwinsontour feel quite fortunate to have gone through the Lemaire Passage because it is not included on many (possibly any?) Antarctica itinerary. Had we been there a few days earlier, the ice would probably have been too thick to cross (and a few days later wind had blown ice into the passage making it impossible to pass.) It’s all about being in the right place at the right time. After all being in the right place at the wrong time is what gave us the opportunity to visit.

What do you do after such a monumental feat? Well besides having a delicious hot chocolate, you promptly go back out to stand on the back of the deck and marvel at the playful penguins. There were hundreds of them swimming laps back and forth amongst the ice chunks just like if Michael Phelps practiced synchronized swimming. There were hundreds of them, swimming in formation like a pack of geese. Back and forth they went for what seemed like forever. When they swim and jump along the surface it is called porpoising because they are swimming up and down just like a porpoise. I believe we have covered this before, but it bears stating again: THETWINSONTOUR LOVE PENGUINS!!!

And of course, when there is not a “ship cruise” to enjoy, they offer lectures, which can be quite informative. For example, “Ice is Nice.” Huh, who would have thought it. Basically, there are different kinds of ice– continental ice and sea ice. So, sea ice is when the sea freezes. Sea ice freezes and melts each year. Continental ice is ice from the continent, like glaciers. Got it? Great! Because I don’t remember the other fascinating details. But, I do remember that Ice is Nice! And, the penguins and seals also agree that Ice is Nice!!

Love,

thetwinsontour