Viking Polaris: Day 5! The ship continued moving all night, trying to avoid some higher winds, and I woke this morning (0555, after a good sleep) in the middle of the Gerlache Strait, a wide passage that separates the Antarctic Peninsula from the Palmer Archipelago (“barrier islands” to the west). From the ship's location map that I am able to access on my TV, it was clear that we’d been motoring around in circles for most of the night. Through my balcony window, there was lots of good scenery, all lit by bright sunshine. I read for almost an hour and then (0710) went to breakfast at the World Cafe. Remembering it was Ash Wednesday, I abstained from meat (instead, had some cereal, beans, fruit, hash browns). I ran into the Captain and we talked about our kayak excursion on the previous day. He was very upbeat. During the same window, I saw a couple (Steve and Val, from Iowa) that I’d met at the Sunday church service and we talked a bit about Ash Wednesday. After finishing my meal (0755), I went back to my cabin and filled out a stateroom (customer satisfaction) survey. I also wrote six post cards to send from the post office on Port Lockroy - I later delivered them to Guest Services so they could be sent towards their destinations. My outdoor activities weren’t scheduled until late in the day so I decided to focus on some of the science sessions that the crew was offering. At 0845, I climbed up to Deck 7, usually off limits, to watch the Science Team launch their NOAA Weather Balloon. The lead up to the main event included coffee with Amarula Cream, upbeat oldies tunes and an informal induction into Viking’s Explorers Club. The Travel Consultant (Danny) told us we were among about only 500,000 people who have ever been to Antarctica (0.0000625 of the population). The weather was nice - it was sunny, brisk and only a little breezy. At 0900, the Chief Scientist and her team attempted to launch the balloon. However, it was almost immediately caught in a gust of wind and hit some overhead wires. As a result, the “science package” was severed from the balloon and the whole experiment failed. Consolation prize: we get to try again in a few days. Most people left Deck 7 but I stayed once I learned that a second attempt might take place within the next few minutes. During that time, I met a lady named Jennifer (a City Recreation Manager from Lexington, KY) and we talked for a little while before the crew informed us that the second attempt was not, in fact, going to happen. By then, it was 0930 and I went to my room to respond to texts and emails from my family. At 1000, I joined the Daily Briefing in the Living Room (on Deck 5). There were lots of people (no seats) but it was a short presentation - the speaker also covered our upcoming “port call” at Danko Island. "Polaris" was still going to be enroute until after lunch so I next visited Expedition Central, thinking there was a demo of the data system used by NOAA during successful launches. It turned out that I’d missed that, though. I would have left but the Chief Scientist (Meghan) herself offered to walk me through the material. Thirty minutes later, I was even more impressed by the scientific nature of this impressive cruise! Afterwards, I walked around on Decks 3, 4 and 5 (once again, the Promenade Deck was closed). Along the way, I listened to audiobooks and dodged cabin cleaning staff during each circuit. When I passed by the Spa, I learned that the warm pool had closed again for maintenance but that the hot tub had opened - decided then that I needed to return ASAP in case this might be my last opportunity for the Spa. I then continued walking around the ship for a little while longer, locating pretty viewing areas from each deck and visiting some of my onboard friends. Just before finishing the ship-wide stroll, I ran into “Dr. Deb” (kayak excursion lead) and we talked about our successful kayak trip yesterday. When I mentioned that I was interested in more paddling, she added my name in her draft schedule and then added that she had already received some cancellations. Crossing fingers for another paddling adventure! Returning to my room, I changed clothes and then walked to the Spa for a Nordic Bade session (1130). This time, the outdoor (!) jacuzzi was operational and I took in close to 30 minutes of soaking with spectacular views in front of the window. Never felt cold! Went through the other hot-cold-hot stations (snow grotto, sauna, cold water bucket, steam room and Experience Shower). Along the way, my ancient bathing suit started to tear too much to save. (Actually, I’d already repaired an earlier rip but didn’t feel like wasting more time on it). This happened when I was in the hot tub and my fellow passengers (including Steve and Regina) and I shared a good laugh at the situation. Fortunately, I managed to make it through the whole Bade without any embarrassment. The dilemma of what to use for swimming during the rest of the voyage was solved when another guest asked if I had some workout shorts I could use. The purchase of brand new exercise shorts before the trip turned out to be an amazing stroke of good luck because I definitely don’t want to miss another chance to swim. Wrapped up after about an hour (1230) and headed back to my stateroom. Felt VERY mellow after the visit. By that point, “Polaris” had finally anchored in the Errera Channel. The weather was very nice (30s), with mostly sunny skies and light breezes. Decided to wait for lunch (so I wouldn’t be hungry before my late dinner) so hung out in my room for a little bit, watching out the window as the ship's crew began setting up for the excursions to Danco Island. During this break, I started to wonder about noises and vibrations that seemed to be coming from a few decks below my room. I learned later that this was the ship's state-of-the-art dynamic positioning system (in lieu of anchor). Suddenly (1320), I received a call from Dr. Deb, who remembered me from yesterday’s paddle. Her = “Can you be here within 10 minutes?” Me (who promised “anytime” if there was a cancelation) = “Definitely!” Racing into my gear, I made it in time and was able to board the zodiac for the first kayak run of the day. At that point, I realized I hadn’t eaten lunch… No matter - I was outside in Antarctica! The winds and swells were up, a far cry from yesterday’s excursion. It was also a bit disconcerting that one of the expedition team members was coughing constantly, almost in my face (I learned later that he'd contracted pneumonia!). With the conditions, almost everyone else was tentative and nervous since they had never been on the ocean in a kayak. Frankly, I didn’t really think they would let us do the zodiac-kayak transfer… But Deb found a relatively sheltered area on the eastern coast of Danco Island and we scrambled into our watercraft. Wow - if you didn’t paddle, you were headed out to sea! My paddle partner for the day (an older gentleman named Bob) was quite nervous and rarely moved his arms. As a result, I had to do most of the paddling and maneuvering to keep us from blowing into rocks, mini-glaciers or other kayaks. It was a lot of work. But, on the plus side, there were about four or five Gentoo penguins on the beach, less than 50 feet away at one point. There was also a sleeping fur seal nearby and an ominous glacier at the end of the beach. The original plan had been for us to paddle downwind about a half mile and get picked up again. But Deb then suggested we turn around and head back to the starting point. This was against the wind and swells and caused big time chaos among the other seven boats. Bob and I got back to our zodiac (piloted by Juan from Ushuaia) first, made the transfer and then watched the rest of the members of our excursion group “do their own thing” (i.e., not follow directions), mostly due to anxiety about the situation. I think this startled the crew members and I tried to help - they seemed happy with that. Overall, we probably got about a mile of paddling in the 1.5 hours we were away from “Polaris.” We were soon headed back to the ship again, a bit humbled and in awe of the power of wind and wave. After I got off the zodiac, Deb told me she’d try to get me another ride soon. I’d thought I had lots of time to go get some food and rest before my next excursion (planned for 1545) but then realized I only had 25 minutes! I raced to my room, changed into my other gear, stopped at Mamsen’s to scarf down “lunch” (self serve “tea” fare: split pea soup, open faced shrimp sandwich and piece of cake) and made it to the queue for my Special Operations Boat trip just as they were proceeding to the boarding area. Whew! This excursion was much more leisurely but I finally got to see the SOB’s potential, speed-wise - very speedy. On our tour of most of Errera Channel north of Danco Island, we visited Gentoo penguin colonies on Cuverville Island, watched some of the colony members jumping in and out of the water, observed a calving glacier and raced along at around 20 knots. The weather was cool enough that my eyes watered a bit but I was otherwise just fine with my 3+ layers of clothes. The ride lasted about 45 minutes and we saw so many penguins! We also saw several soaring birds (petrels, terns, skuas). Back at “Polaris” (1645), I went straight into the queue again so I could join my scheduled zodiac landing excursion. Due to my solo status, I got sent to the front of the line to join an earlier trip. The driver was again familiar (Molly from Cornwall) and we chatted almost all the way to the landing site on Danco Island. It started snowing (big flakes) during the transit - it felt like "real" Antarctica! Once we’d waded ashore (through Gentoo penguin filled waters and beaches), we got hiking poles and started hiking up towards a ridge that overlooked Errera Channel. Along the way, we had to yield to Gentoos on their “penguin highways” (clearly marked, by them, trails that they use to move around in the islands). One bird was confused, I think, and started walking on the trail with me for a long while. Before he turned off, I noticed that almost every other excursion guest had stopped what they were doing and were watching me with my “tour guide”. It wasn’t too hard to get up to the ridge but I really had to watch my step - at any moment, I might find myself in snow, ice, penguin excretions or sharp rocks. Years of hiking helped me through… At the top, I was only about 50 feet from a HUGE (thousands of pairs and their babies) colony! They were loud, cute and smelly - I was mesmerized. Many of my fellow travelers ducked in and out (if they even made the climb at all) but I stayed as long as I could. I was rewarded with views of “Polaris”, skuas fighting for scraps and scavenging Snowy Sheathbills. At one point, only I and one of the expedition crew (Briana from Minnesota) were on the ridge - it felt so isolated and surreal. Reluctantly, I eventually headed down the hill again, dodging more Gentoos as they walked, with determination, towards their nests. At the landing area (1800), I didn’t have to wait long for a zodiac and was soon headed back to the ship. On the way, our driver took us to two locations which had sleeping leopard seals - very cool! I was back aboard “Polaris”, exhausted, by 1830. What an afternoon - all my politicking and taking advantage of being a solo traveler had paid off as I scored a rare hat trick on excursions in one day! Spent longer than normal in the World Cafe tonight, nibbling on tasty morsels (sushi, sashimi, tuna salad, desserts) and enjoying some Lagoalva Tinto (red) with several of my fellow travelers. One couple (Don the entomologist and his wife, Julie) I'd met on one of the bus rides earlier in the trip stopped to talk to me. Steve and Val joined me towards the end and we had another nice chat. After I finished my meal, I spent some time obtaining additional photos (via AirDrop) from other passengers I encountered in the dining area. There was a bit of Valentines Day hoopla going on but I tried to ignore it. Back in my room, I completed surveys (on the TV) for each of my excursions. Spent the rest of the night reading, blogging and watching movies. Finally went to bed just after midnight. Once again, the ship has started to reposition - I’m told we will be very close to 65 degrees south by morning. Wish this voyage never had to end...
