Hurtigruten Weddell Sea + Antarctic Circle

[BORDER REIVER]

We are still planning our future Antarctic trip and I've always said that I'd like to cross the Antarctic Circle, although the Weddell Sea exploration on Fram has always had some appeal. Well, this year, that particular Hurtigruten trip has succeeded in doing both and it looks as though it's been an amazing expedition so far.

I've been following the blogs and plotting the routes of all Fram's recent Antarctic expeditions on Google Earth and saving the route as Jpeg's and although mostly they follow the same route's (well as near as conditions allow), this one has made it further South on the West side of the Antarctic Peninsular than the 2012 Antarctic Circle trip, although it didn't manage to go very far south on the East side of the peninsular. It's certainly been a trip that I would have loved to have been on, although nothing's guaranteed with the weather in control.

[Turtles06]

We just returned from Antarctica (an amazing trip on the National Geographic Explorer), and the Weddell Sea has been choked with ice all summer. No ships have gotten very far. We spent a fantastic afternoon there pushing the pack ice aside and cruising through it.

 

 

As for crossing the Antarctic Circle, I know from your prior posts that's of interest to you, but as others have advised, it's really best not to be too invested in that goal, as there are so many factors that can prevent a ship from getting that far. (And you may miss doing amazing things just to cross that invisible line.)

 

I do hope you have a fantastic trip, whatever you decide to do.

 

(photo by turtles06)

[dileep]

 

As for crossing the Antarctic Circle, I know from your prior posts that's of interest to you, but as others have advised, it's really best not to be too invested in that goal, as there are so many factors that can prevent a ship from getting that far. (And you may miss doing amazing things just to cross that invisible line.)

 

I do hope you have a fantastic trip, whatever you decide to do.

 

(photo by turtles06)

 

Glad to hear that you had a fantastic trip. We only got as far as 65 degrees in the Lemaire Channel both times.

[Turtles06]

Glad to hear that you had a fantastic trip. We only got as far as 65 degrees in the Lemaire Channel both times.

 

Thanks. We were south of the Lemaire Channel, at the Yalour Islands, 65° 13.6' S, about 80 miles from the Antarctic Circle. There was no impediment other than time to proceeding farther south, but going to the Circle was not a goal of the expedition.

[BORDER REIVER]

We just returned from Antarctica (an amazing trip on the National Geographic Explorer), and the Weddell Sea has been choked with ice all summer. No ships have gotten very far. We spent a fantastic afternoon there pushing the pack ice aside and cruising through it.

 

 

As for crossing the Antarctic Circle, I know from your prior posts that's of interest to you, but as others have advised, it's really best not to be too invested in that goal, as there are so many factors that can prevent a ship from getting that far. (And you may miss doing amazing things just to cross that invisible line.)

 

I do hope you have a fantastic trip, whatever you decide to do.

 

(photo by turtles06)

Thanks. It looks like you had an exciting trip and I could see from your photo why the Fram would have to go West of the peninsular instead of pushing too far into the Weddell Sea. It also shows that with Antarctic expeditions, that nothing is guaranteed and that we should expect the unexpected.

My wife is now starting to gain more interest in this and we are going to a Hurtigruten presentation near us next month. She would love Antarctica, but isn't too keen on the long flight from UK, but I'm sure aircraft have improved a lot since she last flew 20 odd years ago. She loved Greenland, but we travelled there by ship.

[Shawnino]

Turtles: Interesting, we also got to the Yalours. Must be one of Lindblad's newest favourite spots. Our Asst. Expedition leader was spending her fifth season in the ice and she said it was the first time she had been to the Yalour Islands specifically.

 

We had an amazing, funny moment there is the company of one of the naturalists. We sidled up to the glacier and he cut the motor. A strong, thoughtful giant, he asked for quiet. He said soft, profound words about how there were so few places on earth where one could sit in perfect silence. We should sit in silence, he declared, and ponder the beauty around us. As he held tongue, I had about three seconds to contemplate how his perception was deep, his words were moving...

 

...moving all right: the glacier started to break apart and his panicked face contrasted his steady hand as he expertly fired up the motor and rocketed us out of there about five seconds of the calving berg. You couldn't script it. "There's your silence." I said as I smiled. And he let loose a laugh that could likely be heard for miles.

 

(And no, he couldn't put this in the daily report.)

[Seahorse Lover]

We were on the voyage before Turtles. We didn't get over to the East side of the penninsula at all, but did make it south of the Circle-down to 66 degrees 57.65'S. We visited the buildings on Detaille Island that are being restored. The hearty souls doing the restoration came aboard to tell us about the area and their work. The crew did their laundry and treated them to a hot meal and shower. They were very appreciative :)!

The entire trip was amazing. No matter which direction the ice, winds and seas point your ship there will be something of interest.