Antarctica & Cape to Cape on Cloud 2-21-24

[Fletcher]

When we were in South Georgia in January a few years back we never saw a single iceberg.  Funny how they have swept up from Antarctica, turned the corner, and are off the north coast of the island.  

 

I see the Wind (which we will board next month) left South Georgia on schedule and is now steaming headlong into high winds and even higher seas.  Must be quite a ride.

 

Good luck for landing on Tristan @highplanesdrifters . . . looking forward to your snaps there and also Gough Island.  We saw  Inaccessible Island from Nightingale.  Hardly anyone goes there and I guess the best you can hope for is a zodiac cruise.  It's part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site with Gough.  

[drron29]

We got to have a zodiac cruise at Gough Island,rescued a fellow from the South African weather station who showed his gratitude by bringing along a box of lobsters. Chef Pia had the crew fishing off the stern and caught enough gold band snapper for 2 meals.'

However that evening we ran into a force 12 Atlantic gale. Didn't even get to see Tristan Da Cunha. But I still claim to have had my foot on the territory of Tristan Da Cunha. At Gough island we had an over enthusiastic zodiac driver who put the zodiac on to the rocks. I was seated at the front and had to put my left leg over the side and push us off the rock.

 

I hope you have fair weather and enjoy the next few days.

[highplanesdrifters]

Just now, lincslady said:

Unbelievably lovely photos.  Thanks so much.

 

You are so kind, thank you!

[highplanesdrifters]

Just now, Fletcher said:

When we were in South Georgia in January a few years back we never saw a single iceberg.  Funny how they have swept up from Antarctica, turned the corner, and are off the north coast of the island.  

 

I see the Wind (which we will board next month) left South Georgia on schedule and is now steaming headlong into high winds and even higher seas.  Must be quite a ride.

 

Good luck for landing on Tristan @highplanesdrifters . . . looking forward to your snaps there and also Gough Island.  We saw  Inaccessible Island from Nightingale.  Hardly anyone goes there and I guess the best you can hope for is a zodiac cruise.  It's part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site with Gough.  

 

 

Thanks for the well wishes.  I have no expectations for the next few days.  We'll see if we get lucky. There is going to be some very Angry Birders if we don't get something!  Captian is worried about the fog.  Time for a little Xanax in the water.

 

The Wind has once again found itself in less than ideal conditions.  But she did eek out a few things in SG so perhaps worth it.  Captian Freddie and EL has apologized numerous times for the early departure from SG.  We are all grateful he did.  Fantastic iceberg show and an extra day in Tristan area. Smart move. 

 

  We also had almost no bergs on our last trip here. Captian and crew have all remarked its been a while since they have seen this much. It's what got Shackleton and many others in trouble, not listening to the whalers who knew what was out there.

 

Dork alert. These are pics from Dan Olsens presentation, sorry for the poor quality.

 

The slide on left shows historical tracking of icebergs in red. There is a current around Antarctica that runs counter clockwise which they track and then spin off to South Georgia. The slide on the right showes the circumpolar in purple which runs clockwise. 

 

 

As the bergs head north of the South Shetlands they go into a spinning pattern and head to South Georgia.

 

 

They are given a letter designation based on where they come from. Then numbered and more letters as they break apart.

 

 

A satellite from the D28 smash.

 

Tracking of A68 red. And the position of D28A, the one we did the drive by.  D28 came from the Avery ice shelf.  I am wondering if the Avery ice shelf is responsible for a large numeber of the jade icebergs.  Time to find Dan!

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

Just now, drron29 said:

We got to have a zodiac cruise at Gough Island,rescued a fellow from the South African weather station who showed his gratitude by bringing along a box of lobsters. Chef Pia had the crew fishing off the stern and caught enough gold band snapper for 2 meals.'

However that evening we ran into a force 12 Atlantic gale. Didn't even get to see Tristan Da Cunha. But I still claim to have had my foot on the territory of Tristan Da Cunha. At Gough island we had an over enthusiastic zodiac driver who put the zodiac on to the rocks. I was seated at the front and had to put my left leg over the side and push us off the rock.

 

I hope you have fair weather and enjoy the next few days.

 

Drron, you have the best stories.  Thanks for sharing.

 

I'm calling your shove off a landing!  Worth it for a seafood Chef Pia feast.  BTW, word is she has left cruising for a land based life. Will see if I can get more info.

[highplanesdrifters]

This has been the last 3 days.

 

 

 

And just like that, it's time to shed the parkas and order tropical drinks!

 

Beam me up Scotty.

 

 

 

 

Well maybe a nice red.  Sorry no food porn. Lighting in restaurant makes pictures awful.

 

 

Sixty degrees, calm seas, where am I?  Certainly not the South Atlantic or Southern Ocean.  Gough Island here we come.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

Gough Island

Part of the Tristan Archepelago. 

One of the most remote island groups in the world. Hawaii being the competition. 

 

Another one of those days where superlatives fall short.  The colors, sounds, rocks, kelp, birds, plants, Rockhoppers, subantarctic fur seals thrown at you all at once.  Into the land that time forgot. 

 

We landed in Quest Bay named after Shackleton's last ship. He left our world before this spot. His men carried out the expedition and named this peak after his financial sponsor,  Rowlett. Hit the Google machine for the fascinating story.

 

Mea culpa for the photos. Challenging conditions, waves, swell, and spray - and after all it is just a cell phone doing all the work. 

 

 

Photos can't convey the sheer cliffs as we experienced them. Imagine looking up a skyscraper coverd in plants. The volcanic mountains rise straight up from the sea floor, 5000 feet.

 

 

The zodiacs with red parka clad guests give a small example of scale.

 

 

Our first Northern Rockhopper Penguin of the excursion. Turns out they are good at hopping up and down rocks.

 

 

Unlike all our previous excursions these Seal Pups are not used to seeing floating black things full of red.

 

 

Sound on for the full cachiopy experience. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basalt columns in every shape and size and configuration. Twisted and turned by the ultimate artist. The more perfect the columns, the slower they cooled.

 

 

 

A cave with a bridge. Even our Zuber drivers couldn't wait to explore this one.

 

 

 

The entire excursion we were dive bombed by Petrals.  I was sure they were going to leave a present or snatch a hat.

 

 

This Petral was unphasd by us.  They take an extensive bath after eating to clean away all the blood and guts. We were happy to pass by at the end of the ritual.

 

 

It was hard to get near to shore for a closer look due to.massive boulders lurking about. . Nonetheless we enjoyed all the Rockhoppers dotted up the cliffs. 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting back to those colors. A lower tide exposed the kelp and related sea treats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look up, look left, look right but dont forget to look down for the kelp and the color of the water.

 

Gough Island did not disappoint.

 

 

 

[FauxNom]

What a great travel log! Thanks for doing all the work while I sit on my veranda getting sunburned. What an amazing turnaround in the weather!

[drron29]

That is where Prince Phillip landed in 1957 at Gough. There is a film of it and after his voyage published a book of the birds seen from the Britannia.

 

 

Gough starts `~ 7.23 minutes.

[highplanesdrifters]

*cacophony

 

It's a slippery slope with me, but perhaps one correction. 😅

[highplanesdrifters]

3 hours ago, FauxNom said:

What a great travel log! Thanks for doing all the work while I sit on my veranda getting sunburned. What an amazing turnaround in the weather!

 

At your service Ms. Nom

[jpalbny]

1 hour ago, highplanesdrifters said:

*cacophony

 

It's a slippery slope with me, but perhaps one correction. 😅

 

The struggle is real. I have so many on this site, saved in perpetuity. At least on my other blog site, there is no time limit and you can always correct them, even if you happen to notice them years later! 

[highplanesdrifters]

4 hours ago, drron29 said:

That is where Prince Phillip landed in 1957 at Gough. There is a film of it and after his voyage published a book of the birds seen from the Britannia.

 

 

Gough starts `~ 7.23 minutes.

 

 

Thanks Drron!

 

For those interested here is a link to Drrons C2C journey.  Always worth a look see!

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2467121-from-cape-to-cape-on-the-explorer/

[highplanesdrifters]

3 hours ago, jpalbny said:

 

The struggle is real. I have so many on this site, saved in perpetuity. At least on my other blog site, there is no time limit and you can always correct them, even if you happen to notice them years later! 

 

Some of us struggle more than most.🤣

[lincslady]

Thank you for the fabulous pictures and reporting from a part of the world most of us will never have the opportunity to visit.  You have really brought it to life for me.

 

I did Antarctica with landings many years ago, and still remember a great deal of  it, but this is just so different and seems even more remote.

[highplanesdrifters]

11 hours ago, lincslady said:

Thank you for the fabulous pictures and reporting from a part of the world most of us will never have the opportunity to visit.  You have really brought it to life for me.

 

I did Antarctica with landings many years ago, and still remember a great deal of  it, but this is just so different and seems even more remote.

 

Again, you are so kind. I feel that so many contribute to CC bringing so many places to life for me. It is a small thank you when I can return the favor. 

[highplanesdrifters]

Inaccessible Island

 

 

What a forbidding place.

 

 

Well perhaps it is inaccessible. 

 

 

@FauxNom. Take the expedition gear off, guess you can stay on the sunbed.

 

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

Inaccessible Island 

 

Yep, still inaccessible.  Captain is kindly going to circumnavigate to give us a taste of this volcanic masterpiece. 

 

 

 

Bali Hai - Take off the parkas. 

 

 

Yellow billed Albatros.  C'mon, you must be impressed I got a bird picture.

 

 

Sun in, sun  out, so many moods.

 

 

After the Captian circled once with nowhere to go, he turned around and went the other way.

We made lemonade. OK, maybe we ordered Champagne. Nathan, the man, the legend!

 

 

Luckily this time around Inaccessible was on our Starboard side.

 

 

Look at me, another bird picture.

Great Northern Petral. 

 

 

The Antarctic Tern never gets enough street cred.  It's always Albatros, Albatros, Albatros. 

 

 

 

Oh sigh, can we count our lucky stars before its dark?

 

 

 

We circled around and with the sun at our backs the island lit up.

 

 

Look at those basalt columns. 

 

Another glass, thank you very much!

 

Caves yet to be explored.....by us.

 

Time to gussy up for a little more fun.

 

 

 

 

Sheerwater raft.  There are millions here.

 

 

Scan of the landscape. 

 

 

 

More fun, what a crew!

 

 

Sun slipping away. Will we return?

 

 

 

Sweet dreams.  

 

 

OK, maybe dinner first!

 

[jpalbny]

The terns are amazing. Longest migration route of any animal. If you think C2C is impressive, these guys go pole to pole!

 

I got a lucky picture of one during our first Antarctic cruise, with a fresh krill in its beak. And I've been dive-bombed by them during the Arctic summer in Svalbard. Amazing birds.

 

Enjoyed the shots of Inaccessible Island. Sorry the name was so apropos.

[DavyWavey70]

1 hour ago, jpalbny said:

The terns are amazing. Longest migration route of any animal. If you think C2C is impressive, these guys go pole to pole!

 

I got a lucky picture of one during our first Antarctic cruise, with a fresh krill in its beak. And I've been dive-bombed by them during the Arctic summer in Svalbard. Amazing birds.

 

Enjoyed the shots of Inaccessible Island. Sorry the name was so apropos.

Noisy buggers though. The complimentary ear plugs provided at Lady Elliot island were a give away but at 5am I was expecting Tippi Hedren to run past my Ocean front villa with a burger in her hair. 

[highplanesdrifters]

11 hours ago, jpalbny said:

The terns are amazing. Longest migration route of any animal. If you think C2C is impressive, these guys go pole to pole!

 

I got a lucky picture of one during our first Antarctic cruise, with a fresh krill in its beak. And I've been dive-bombed by them during the Arctic summer in Svalbard. Amazing birds.

 

Enjoyed the shots of Inaccessible Island. Sorry the name was so apropos.

 

These were Antarctic Terns. Not quite the amazing pole to pole journey of their Arctic cousins, only to Africa. Still a favorite of mine.  Love to see your snap.  

Edited March 15 by highplanesdrifters

[highplanesdrifters]

10 hours ago, DavyWavey70 said:

Noisy buggers though. The complimentary ear plugs provided at Lady Elliot island were a give away but at 5am I was expecting Tippi Hedren to run past my Ocean front villa with a burger in her hair. 

 

I know what you mean.  We've done the tours carrying flags on poles so they attack that instead of our heads.😅

[jpalbny]

1 hour ago, highplanesdrifters said:

 

These were Antarctic Terns. Not quite the amazing pole to pole journey of their Arctic cousins, only to Africa. Still a favorite of mine.  Love to see your snap.  

 

Thanks - I had to look them up to remember the difference. And the fact that they both are in Antarctica for the Austral Summer.

 

Here is my lucky shot, taken from the shoreline at Deception Island almost 15 years ago.

 

[highplanesdrifters]

On 3/15/2024 at 7:03 AM, jpalbny said:

 

Thanks - I had to look them up to remember the difference. And the fact that they both are in Antarctica for the Austral Summer.

 

Here is my lucky shot, taken from the shoreline at Deception Island almost 15 years ago.

 

 

Great shot!  Headed back to his room after a trip to the LT buffet?😃

[highplanesdrifters]

Tristan da Cunah

 

Tristan is an active volcanic island with rare wildlife and home to 238 British Citizens living in the world's most isolated settlement of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, far from the madding crowd in the South Atlantic Ocean.

 

 

About 10 cruise ships visit the island every year. On average only 40% land passengers. There are 10 supply ships that visit every year.

 

Weather was looking perfect.  No wind, sunny, high 60's.  That nasty swell reared it's ugly head. Touch and go for a bit.  For some, it was a challenge to get into the zodiacs if the swell was swelling.  ABs and the most excellent zodiac drivers got us to shore. YAY!  We have all day here.

 

Zodiac swell meeting.

 

 

All systems go.

 

 

Multiple tours were offered. Guided settlement, volcano hike, hike up the lava fields, steep hike up the lava fields, potato patch, and golf.  Yes you read that right Golf!

 

 

 

 

 

The Potato Patch was tempting. About 2 mi outside of town where folks have their weekend house and a potato patch. I am not kidding.

 

We chose the free roam and headed to the lava fields. It was nice to explore quietly and get a sense of the beauty and  isolation. 

 

 

Who can pass up the Most Remote Gift Shop?

 

 

 

First things first, found the Albatros Bar.  We'll hit that on the return.

 

 

 

The volcano erupted in 1961. The Settlement was evacuated and eventually returned 2 years later to find the town intact.

 

 

 

 

We chose the easier climb on the two track. 

 

Anniversary Park.  

 

I'm liking the lichen.

 

Giant chunks of lava everywhere along with erratics from the explosion.

 

 

We met Nick who has been living here for 10 months.  He is making a documentary about Tristan. He advised to keep going all the way to the town dump.

 

 

Nicest town dump you will ever visit.

 

 

Street scenes

 

 

 

My favorite, the grocery store.  Things we're very reasonably priced.

 

 

 

 

And now with some sweaty miles under our belt, time for a cold beer, Lobster tart, and cucumber sandwich.  It was our first proper leg stretch on land since Port Stanley Falklands. 

 

 

There has been some debate about the remote island claim. We're happy to give it to them.  We can say for certain the it is the most remote inhabited island that doesn't take credit cards. 😁

 

 

 

Silver Cloud sent some supplies ashore.

 

 

Rumor is there might be a Tristan Lobster lunch onboard in our near future.

 

 

Thanks Tristan for a truly lovely and special visit.