Viking Polaris: Day 9! Overnight, “Polaris” made its way north, through the Bransfield Strait, to the South Shetland Islands. The ship was headed to Half Moon Bay, a sheltered inlet to the east of Livingston Island (I learned later that this was the first place in the area accidentally discovered by modern man). Within the bay, there was an aptly named Half Moon Island, which was supposed to be the location for our scheduled excursions for today. Overnight, I was forced to adjust to an annoying cold - surprisingly, I slept alright (awake at 0615). Despite being under the weather, I had no intention of changing my planned off-ship activities for our last day in Antarctic waters: I had an SOB trip, a kayaking session, a zodiac landing and a zodiac cruise to Edinburgh Hill (volcanic formation that looks like Devil’s Tower). Those events were scheduled to start early but, when “Polaris” arrived in the normally sheltered “harbor”, the wind readings were in excess of 50 knots!!! As a result, the Captain and Cruise Director delayed the first departures twice (for an hour each). Meanwhile (0715), I got some photos (rainbows) and then ate my breakfast (eggs, sausage, fruit, cereal) in the World Cafe. While there, I was joined by a guy I'd met in Pap's a few days before (David, retired Farm Equipment Company Executive) - we had a nice chat. Returning to my room after a short walk, I was disappointed to receive notifications that the afternoon zodiac cruise and kayak excursion had been canceled. This made sense, through, and I consoled myself with the knowledge that I’d already been paddling three times (out of five possible opportunities), had been on an SOB almost every day and had gone ashore five times. (Note: this was all due to wonderful crew members who were looking out for me.) The delays did allow me to go to the (unhosted) Interdenominational Church Service in The Hide (0900). Most of the same people that I met last week were there but some new attendees joined as well (I think we were all Catholics). Unlike last week, the crew had not set out any liturgical items; one of my fellow passengers had already found an online copy of the Missal for the First Sunday of Lent and led us through that. One of the readings involved God’s Covenant with Noah and resonated strongly after our earlier rainbow sighting. Afterwards (0920), I did a little walking on Decks 5, 4, 3 and 2. Back in my room, I relaxed and read while waiting for my SOB launch time. During this time, zodiacs started making the trip to/from land and I began to feel confident that I’d get ashore before the day was over. While I was getting ready (1100) to go outside, I realized I’d left my “puffy” jacket (middle layer) at dinner (World Cafe) the night before. Fortunately, I had alternative gear... I was putting that on when I got a call from Deck A, asking if I was still planning to go on the excursion. This was puzzling because it hadn't happened during the entire cruise. I told them I was enroute and then raced down to Deck A. We ended up having to wait for the SOB anyway but I guess the reason for the call was that other passengers were trying get on earlier excursions (hoping for cancelations) due to the weather. During this timeframe, I noticed that the folks getting off the excursion before us were completely soaked and had faces that implied unpleasantness. Once I made it on the boat myself, I noticed that it was windy, with a relatively high sea state, but it didn’t seem too cold. Our driver, Nikolai, and guide, Olly, ultimately made the trip a good one by keeping us mostly out of waves and wind. Olly also gave us lots of amazing information about the visible wildlife. Even though we couldn’t get too close, we could see chinstrap penguins, fur seals, Antarctic Shags (cormorants), several kinds of petrels, snowy sheathbills, skuas, gulls and Antarctic Terns. Half Moon Island, as the name implies, is shaped like the letter “C” and we were able to cruise mostly peacefully along the bottom of the curve. As soon as we tried to peek out into the bay on the North-to-South segment of the island, however, we found ourselves in the biggest waves I’ve seen near land. Nikolai deftly maneuvered us back into the calm, though, and we had a relatively relaxing journey for the rest of the 45 minute-long cruise. Back aboard “Polaris” (1200), I changed clothes and joined some friends (Donna, Kathy and Jennifer) for lunch in the World Cafe. I enjoyed a few kinds of pasta and some veggies, drank some Double Amber beer and sampled some more delicious desserts. After getting done (1315), I retired to my cabin to rest and wait for the next event. By that point, I had to admit that I’ve been batting 1000 on maximizing the active elements included in my cruise fare, even if I didn’t get to go ashore again. Meanwhile, the Captain and Cruise Director were calling an audible, due to the heavy winds and high seas. After some scrambling, "Polaris" received permission for landings at the Argentinian Research Station called Cámara Base. It was located on the northeastern end of Half Moon Island but was mostly devoid of wildlife (I assume because of the extensive human presence there). Most of the other passengers were disappointed not to be able to visit a chinstrap penguin colony but I was just happy to have a chance to touch Antarctic soil one last time. My spirits soared even higher when the weather improved tremendously this afternoon. By the time I boarded a zodiac for the landing excursion, the sun was shining brightly, the wind had almost died completely away, the temps were in the high 30s and the sea state was excellent. On the way to the beach, we passed a sailing yacht that had managed to reach the relative shelter of Menguante Cove - I wonder who the heck thought it would be “fun” to sail here… The waterfront was made up of lots of pebbly rocks and appeared to have tiers like a step pyramid. At the lowest level, there were several Gentoo penguins playing in the water and sunning themselves (I also saw a fur seal and a skua). On top of the tiered area were the buildings related to scientific research. I’d hoped we would be able to go up there but we were restricted to a rather small area of the beach. I ran into the penguin counters and they had actually walked all the way down the coastline to visit the closest chinstrap colony - I felt a little jealous. There were some pretty views, mostly due to the improved weather conditions, but it was a bit sad to realize the Antarctic exploring was going to end as soon as I re-boarded the zodiac. Stalling as long as I could, I eventually returned to the ship... Later, I figured out I was with some of the last passengers of “Polaris” to return and I was soon watching the pack-up operations from my stateroom (1530). It was bittersweet to be finished with Antarctic landings but my spirits should stay pretty high for a while after this! I had to get some of my gear ready to turn in to the Steward but then rested and relaxed for about two hours. During this break, I sent a bunch of information about my Patagonia Trip to Richard. Meanwhile, the ship departed Half Moon Bay and started making its way towards the Drake Passage. At 1745, I left my cabin and walked around on several decks (including outside) and logged bunch more steps. Along the way, I stopped at Guest Services and inquired about making an appointment to discuss future Viking cruises. I'd learned that there were some good discounts to be found if I just listened to the Travel Consultant's spiel. As a precaution, I also picked up some seasickness medicine. At 1845, I went to dinner (chicken noodle soup with premade bowl & broth, calzones, veggies, desserts) at the World Cafe. My meal was accompanied by some glasses of Cuvée Rotwein, German wine by Heinrich Vollmer) - I've sure felt like a king during this tour of the world's adult beverages! Before leaving the dining area, I talked with some of the crew and thanked them (words and tips) for a wonderful time. Some of them gave me suggestions for where I might go during our upcoming Ushuaia port visit. Afterwards (1955), I went down to visit the Viking Travel Consultant (it turned out to be Danny). However, he was busy for a while so I sat outside his office until I could get in for my own appointment. At 2000, “Polaris” arrived at the departure passage (between Robert Island and Nelson Island) for the Drake Passage and officially departed from Antarctica. Meanwhile, I finished my meeting with Danny (2100) and captured some loyalty discounts for a future Viking cruise. I returned to my room and took the sea-sickness pills (Guest Services said they’d help me sleep). Also did some more blogging and watched a little bit of TV. Finally went to bed at 2230. We won’t see land again for almost two days but I definitely believe these DP transits, not matter how bad they might be, have totally been worth the "risk." Sadly, my amazing Antarctic adventure has nearly run its course. Overall, this trip has been a great, chance-of-a-lifetime adventure that I’ll never forget. Every day since we reached the Seventh Continent has been action packed, educational and awe-inspiring. Viking has done a great job, all around, to make this Expedition unforgettable and it is very hard to leave…
