Lemaire Channel – Petermann Island – Vernadsky Station
This morning we were going to cross the Lemaire Channel. It is approximately 8 miles long and only about a mile wide, though at its narrowest point it is a mere 800 metres wall to wall. It separates Booth Island from the Antarctic Peninsula mainland. The channel was traversed in December 1898 by the Belgian Antarctic Expedition under Adrien de Gerlache, where it was named for Charles Lemaire, a Belgian explorer of the Congo.
We had been told multiple times how spectacular that channel was going to be. So Lisa and I went onto the deck right after breakfast, which was about 1.5hours before we were going to enter the channel. Even though the channel was a highlight, the whole way till we got to the channel was also beautiful. I somehow imagined Antarctica to be a set of rolling hills, but instead I found steep cliffs and high mountains. I loved it. Lisa and I were just chatting for hours and exchanging travel stories. Once we entered the channel, the deck got really crowded, and then, as if to commemorate that moment, it started snowing. Just a few moments later, we had some whales show up in front of the boat. Could it get any better?!
As we exited the channel, the view got even better. The sea was absolutely still and glassy, with lots of sculptured icebergs floating in the water. By then, most people got cold and went back inside. It was just a couple of us left on deck. The boat had stopped and everything stood perfectly still in time. It felt like even the slightest noise could disturb this perfect timeless moment we were all witnessing. Since I hadn’t taken many pictures that morning, I felt like I should go to the very front of the ship with my camera. So Lisa and I split up and I went to the bow, the most exposed part of the ship. I was wandering around as a thin layer of snow covered the ship. I snapped a few pictures of the perfectly still water and the icebergs. By then, I had probably spent 4 hours outside and my fingers literally hurting every time I had to press a button to take a picture. I tried to keep them constantly moving to avoid lasting damage, but everything was all too beautiful to think about the pain.
Then, someone called my name, I turned around, and I saw Lisa standing there in the snow with two hot cups of tea. She was an angel fallen from the sky. It was a perfectly British thing to do and such a thoughtful and touching gesture as I was so badly in need of this cup of tea. With every sip, I felt my body parts come back to live.
After lunch, we landed on Petermann Island, which lies just south of the Lemaire Channel and to the southwest of Hovgaard Island in the Wilhelmina Archipelago. It was discovered by the Dallman expedition of 1873-1874 and named after August Petermann, a German geographer and supporter of polar exploration. On the beach near the cove is an Argentinian refuge hut, built in 1955. The hut is now surrounded by breeding penguins. Petermann Island is home to Adélie penguins (~500 breeding pairs), the most southerly colony of gentoo penguins (2,000 breeding pairs) and blue-eyed shags. We also saw a seal on the beach, seemingly undisturbed by our presence. We stood 10m from it and watched it breathe and occasionally move on the snow. There was a memorial cross nearby for three British scientists who died near here in August 1982. The cross serves as a prime location for breeding penguins. Finally, once you walk to the other side of the island, you get a perfect view of the bay and some stunning icebergs nearby. As cold as it had been earlier, the sky cleared up to a perfect blue and it got really warm. So warm that you could have taken out lounge chairs, and many people dropped all of their layers to walk around in T-shirts. Antarctica is a truly bizarre place.
Once we got back on the boat, it was time for another traditional Antarctic activity, the polar plunge. The polar plunge is when you jump into the freezing cold water with nothing but a bathing suite. It’s sort of an initiation activity and it divides the ship into the dare and dare nots. I got really nervous, but of course I was going to do it. We were about 30 people to jump and I was surprised by the variety of the crowd. I think the oldest guy must have been around 70. There is a small risk of your heart stopping as you jump, or your body just going into complete shock and not being capable to swim out of the water again. That’s why they tie a belt around your waist before you jump. The risk must be fairly small though, because given how paranoid the staff was about our safety, they didn’t really seem concerned with us jumping into 0.8ºC water. We were all standing in line in our bathing suites and the bathrobe that they gave us. As the line got shorter, I got more and more nervous. Finally, it was my turn to walk down the stairs to the side of the ship. Just standing outside in my bathing suit, barefeet on the cold metal stairs, I was already freezing. The two guys put the belt around me, the crowd was cheering me on, there was no way back. So I jumped. The water was indeed really really freezing. I swam as fast as I could to the ladder by the boat. I must have looked panicked as the guys who were going to pull me out, told me “Take your time!”. I was lucid enough to appreciate the joke and started laughing at the absurdity of the moment. I got out of the water with a big smile on my face. As I got to the top of the stairs, the doctor greeted me with a towel and a glass of vodka. Then I got pulled over, really confused, for a group picture. Adrenaline was still pumping through my body and I simply couldn’t stop smiling. Right after the picture, we all ran off to our rooms for a hot shower. I must say that the polar plunge wasn’t too bad except for my feet and toes that really hurt when walking. As I got to my shower, I discovered my nose was also bleeding and I hadn’t noticed. Crazy. I lingered in the shower and got out re-energized by all the afternoon craziness.
Our final stop that evening was the Vernadsky Station. I wanted to go kayaking, but the kayaking was cancelled. This was for the better as it turned out it got really really chilly. The Ukraine’s Akademik Vernadsky Station is located on Galindez Island within the Argentine Islands. It was purchased from the British for a nominal price of one pound in 1996. As a British hut, Faraday Base, or Base F was occupied continuously between 1947 and 1996. Research conducted at this site focused on geophysics, meteorology and ionospheric. This is also where scientists first observed a depletion in the ozone layer, known as the ozone hole. The Ukrainian scientists at Vernadsky are continuing this ozone research in addition to studies focusing on geomagnetic, meteorology and glaciology. It was fun walking around the station and having one of the permanent researchers explain to us what they were doing. They were clearly pleased with having us there as not many people stop by. The Vernadsky station also has a small post office, but it might take many months before any letters go in or out. Finally, it also has the Faraday Bar where the researchers brew their own moonshine. You could get your drink for free if you left your bra and the bar had many pieces of underwear on display. We all decided to rather pay for our drinks and enjoyed one of the Southernmost bars in the world. The ride back to our boat was seriously cold, but we got to enjoy a stunning sunset. What an incredible day!
See more photos here.
Time-lapse video of Lemaire Channel:
