Team members say

Just when I thought I’d had enough excitement for the day, I hear the cry of, “Orcas on port side!” It’s not even time for dinner and we’ve been fortunate to see a pod of killer whales near the bow of the boat, effortlessly swimming through the channel.

As dawn broke yesterday, the ‘expeditionary force’ was awoken by Peter’s voice over the tannoy advising us to put on, ‘layers, layers, layers’ and make our way to the ship’s bridge. We were more than 62 degrees south and the temperature with the wind chill was more than 30 degrees below. Quite a contrast to the warmth of our cabins, but there was no way I was missing this to stay cosy under the duvet. We were entering Antarctic Sound, a calm stretch of water that’s littered with icebergs and appropriately named, ‘Iceberg Alley’.
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“In Antarctica, Mother Nature reigns supreme. And she takes no prisoners” commented Anne Kershaw, CEO of 2041, in our welcome briefing this week. Any preconceptions of a holiday-style cruise have now been wiped away. This is serious stuff.

With corporate banners held aloft, photos were taken on Argentina’s terra firma before boarding the good ship Ushuaia. Our destination - even further south.

We’ve now been onboard for a couple of days. So far, Mother Nature’s been kind to us. Our crossing of the notorious Drake’s Passage was relatively calm. We’ve listened to briefings about climate change, Antarctic wildlife and how to safely embark a zodiac (the sturdy inflatable boats that transport us to shore). The tension is mounting. This evening we’ll anchor in Maxwell Bay, near King George Island. Tomorrow, we’ll tentatively take our first steps on Antarctic soil and meet Robert Swan and his resilient team who’ve spent the last two weeks at the E-Base in some pretty horrific conditions.

We’ve been accompanied enroute by a vast array of wildlife. Glancing out of the saloon windows, it doesn’t take long to spot an albatross or petrel gliding effortlessly near our boat. And we also spied a school of humpback whales in our path this morning and watched in awe as they spouted plumes of water before appearing above the Southern Ocean’s waves.

My highlight of the expedition so far occurred just after today’s hearty lunch. Rumour circulated that there was an iceberg ahead. For those of you who are fans of the film Titanic, you can picture the scene. On our port side, was the most majestic, imposing, cathedral-sized block of ice that I’ve ever seen in my life. Its pristine white and aquamarine hues contrasting perfectly with the overcast sky.

“Blimey, it’s huge!” I exclaimed to ‘Jumper’, our trusted onboard safety expert. “That’s just a baby – wait to you see the bigger ones” he replied.

Well, if that’s the case, some spectacular visual treats are certainly in store during the next couple of weeks…

Claire’s initial thoughts on climate change…

On the news, I’ve witnessed the damage caused by the floods last year in England; the destruction of natural habitat caused by disappearing arctic ice, hurricanes in New Orleans and heat waves across Europe. As a keen scuba diver, I’ve also been to dive sites in Bali and Australia where the coral has been bleached by rising sea temperatures.