Team members say

Waking in our bunk beds with the 40cm headroom has never seemed so luxurious as this morning –it feels like the upgrade that never came as we lie and imagine what our camping colleagues have been through over night. The shower and heater in the cabin suddenly seem so decadent.

A quick word about our landing last night – we went to Port Lockroy – a rocky outcrop with a couple of buildings and lots of penguins. This is an Antarctic historic site and provides a Royal Mail postal service during the Antarctic summer months (not now). The rules of the Antarctic are that you cannot approach any closer to a penguin than 5 metres – they don´t know this and soon wander all around you – something to note about penguins - you bring more than the memory of the penguins back with you as the smell is so pungent that it stays in your nostrils long after you have left the island.

Back to this morning - When the first campers came back on board we were looking for evidence of frostbite or at least shivering campers but everyone was far too cheerful (were they briefed to look this way?). The Norwegians apparently didn´t bother with the inconvenience of putting up a tent and slept outside – showing their true mountain men stamina (or did they miscalculate the number of tents???). The biggest issue reported was the snoring in the neighbouring tents. Earplugs in the Antarctic are mandatory as it seems. Isn`t this meant to be the quietest place on earth??? After breakfast the campers caught up on their sleep and Nicola and I went outside to view this beautiful channel as we glided through. Ines tried hard to capture the penguins in the water when suddenly a humpback whale breached completely out of the water. An announcement was made and everyone dashed out on deck to see a tremendous display of breaching and feeding with fin flapping and the photographers dream – the ´tail shot´. We all had to be dragged back in for the next instalment of the Leadership on the Edge programme and left the two whales quietly feeding.

The afternoon was spent cruising in the Zodiacs around the glacial icebergs in the channel and keeping eyes peeled for more whales. We saw Crabeater seals and Gentoo penguins but sadly there were no close encounters with whales. After spending more than hour in the Zodiacs in sub zero temperatures we returned to the ship to prepare for our camping expedition tonight. First job is to warm up and pack just about all the clothes you have with you to take out tonight. The special sleeping bags are reported to be very efficient at keeping you warm as long as you actually get in them properly (as demonstrated yesterday as apparently people have been reported to use them upside down in the past!!??). Looks as if Ines and I are on the same camping team so it will be just like our normal evening of banter and chaos – just in an even more confined space and without the three blankets each and the supplies of chocolate (no food allowed onshore). And knowing us, we would never ever break rules, right?

Another calm night and I’m really getting used to the gentle rocking of the boat followed by Pete’s Team Inspire wake up call and the sudden realization that I’m on a ship in the Antarctic. Yesterday’s landing was still fresh in my mind and the sights and sounds experienced whilst sat quietly on a beach with seals and penguins is just about impossible to describe.

Today we traveled to Charcot Bay and what a place – clear blue skies, majestic snow and ice covered mountains and icebergs and ice scattered throughout the channel We’re now all old hands at getting in and out of the Zodiacs and some go ’hands free’ to take photos and wave to those waiting on the ship. When they said we would be partaking in ‘Leadership on the Edge’ I don’t think any of us realized they actually meant we would have a lecture (flip chart and all) on the edge of a steep slope with one side being an overhang over a freezing cove filled with floating ice and the other being a slope that gave the most unbelievable panoramic view of Antarctic scenery you can imagine. So it was just a little hard to concentrate on Nick’s presentation. As many a blog from today will tell you we were completely in awe/shock when the large iceberg just behind the ship in the bay literally started cracking and thundering and just disintegrated into the water with only a fraction of it’s former self remaining. My heart was absolutely in my mouth – mainly because it had taken a few seconds to associate the roaring noise with the iceberg and not the slope we were sat on happily enjoying the view (we had witnessed an avalanche yesterday) and I expected to be rolling down the slope – Of course I should have know that our trustworthy Norwegians would not have picked that spot if there was a risk – but even so it really brought it home to me how fragile the surroundings were.

All safely back on the ship after what has to be the longest free slide (voluntarily) down a snow slope I’ve ever done it was up to the bridge for a bit of relaxation therapy. The bridge is the most amazingly calm place with classical music playing on the speakers as the captain and his crew navigate around icebergs and avoid disturbing seals basking on floating ice. We had been told there was a possibility of seeing Orca in this area so when I spotted a couple of fins in the water it was with great excitement that I asked the crew if it was the famous killer whales. I was glad they were just as excited as me and immediately announced to the whole ship that a pod of killer whales were heading our way. There were about 5 or 6 females and a male – in fact the crew were so glad to see the whales that they presented me with a bottle of Malbec (red wine) as they hadn’t seen killer whales for a few weeks.

The boat now seems strangely quiet as half the expedition have gone ashore to camp – there has been an air of expectation all day with discussions of how many layers (I can’t stress enough the wonders of merino wool) and tent etiquette whilst in the Antarctic – our turn tomorrow but this evening we make another landing to visit the post office (now closed for the winter season so no post cards from Antarctica I’m afraid).

Arriving at Ushuaia really is the start of the journey as you fly over the snow capped mountains and the Beagle Channel, wondering where the airport is as all you can see is the town and lots of rocks. It’s actually on a rocky looking outcrop in the channel but the breaks were good! I was lucky enough to arrive with all my luggage (unlike others) and was also a day earlier than most of the other team members so was able to meet some other early arrivals and get to know the town and sample the local cuisine – steak and red wine.

We boarded the MV Ushuaia on a sunny afternoon and headed out to the Drake Passage with all those stories of huge waves and sea sickness at the back of our heads. Ines my cabin mate and I spent the first evening laughing as we tried to unpack whilst finding our sea legs and had to keep putting the drawer back in which slid out every time the ship rolled to one side. The highlight so far must be seeing the albatrosses and petrels and there was a rush to the deck when the announcements came that there were fin whales and our first iceberg. It’s still all a bit surreal and I’m not sure if it’s the seasickness patch or not quite being able to believe where I am and what I’m seeing. One thing I do know – it’s definitely cold here.

Today - 18th March is a different story weather wise – we were lucky with the Drake Passage but it´s all change. Today it is very windy and there has been snow and ice all night. The ship couldn´t stay in the bay as it was too rough and there was a risk that we would be blown onto the rocks. So we went further out and they tell us that they had to ensure they avoided the icebergs being blown our way during the night. Now sat waiting for my first Zodiac trip and it doesn´t look that appealing as it´s very choppy and minus eighteen out there. I think I am wearing just about everything I have – but looking forward to seeing Mark, Russ and the others on the E-base as these are the conditions they have had nearly the whole time they have been here. Hope we get to go ashore as the weather has deteriorated and although some Zodiacs have gone we have to wait and see what the conditions are like (spending time watching penguins leaping in and out of water so not so bad) – we now definitely know that we are in the Antarctic.

Nicola’s initial thoughts on climate change…

Having been involved with environmental issues all of my working life I have always tried to express a balanced view, not avoided the issue and tried to make other people aware of the reasons behind climate change and the resulting impacts that we are seeing and could potentially experience in the future. I always use expression and try not to become an environmental bore!