Antarctica, Days 12 & 13

Days 12 & 13 – written on day 13 and on the plane from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires

Hi Everyone, 

The dream of a Drake “lake” faded as quickly as the winds rushed in at the dawning of the second night of the Drake passage. The waves are 4 – 5 meters high with winds of 50-60 knots. All outdoor decks are closed. I spent many hours awake last night unable to sleep given the enormous plunges the ship took. There is so much power in water. Our ship is being flung up and down along with left to right. At night the bathroom door swung open and closed repeatedly. The curtains slid left to right along the rod. The hangers in the closet clinked back and forth. Our room directly above the bow – absorbed so much force and movement. Can you imagine trying to cradle a baby to sleep standing with one leg on a seesaw that is balancing on a swing with a heavy metal band orchestrating it all? I don’t know how Obi slept through most of the night but he did. The wind and waves have continued into the day and by around 3 pm things should settle down as we will have gotten through the most intense weather areas. As of now we are on track to reach Ushuaia by 6:30 – 7:00 am tomorrow, Tuesday morning. I heard from one person with Wi-Fi that the east coast is getting a huge snow (rain?) storm and I am left wondering if MMFS has a snow day today. It’s strange for me to not be at school. The past two days on the Drake passage have felt odd. After so much activity and now, not getting off the ship is exercising my patience and physical restraint to move. I will say that I have done some form of working out or movement/exercise every day. The most hysterical workouts have been on the Drake passage, for example, attempting pushups with the floor moving up and down. Suddenly it’s easy and then in a flash you are pushing against the force of water and gravity. What a strain. I’ve considered these workouts to be extra special and challenging which – while a bit comical to watch have pushed me. There were four stationary bikes in the gym which means I’ve gotten a few hour long rides and worked up a sweat. The best ride was looking out the window and seeing a humpback whale fluke. Couldn’t ask for a better sight to see.

During the last night Obi and I ate dinner with two friends we met along the way. Each of them is traveling solo. It seems this cruise had more younger people than typical (as shared with us by the guides). As I prepared mentally for this trip – I was so focused on the weather, the temperature and the place. Never did I consider we would be on a boat for 14 days with the same people morning till night. I got to know many people on this journey and people from all over the world. The cruise housed many Australian and Europeans (mostly British). There were people from India, Japan, Alaska, Norway and Canada – the list goes on. A few of us started to gravitate towards each other – as we often found ourselves on the same zodiac or at the bridge whale watching. I observed some people who never knew each other become as close as family. Walking arm and arm along the ship, laughing and crying together when it all ended. It was lovely to observe everyone and pay attention to the dynamics. I hope and wonder how long folks will stay in touch with each other. Two people Obi and I hung out with a lot actually met for the first time years ago on a previous Intrepid trip and continued to take trips together. There was a lot of picture, phone and email sharing on the last day. Some of us took photos of each other and wanted to be sure we could share everything when we had WiFi again:) While I did not come here to make a new set of friends – it was a truly special unexpected bonus like sitting in first class when you had no clue;)

My final hours of watching the water were with some friends I met who were very eager to see some specific Antarctic seabirds – in particular the Snow Bellied Albatross. One avid bird watcher caught a glimpse of one and so others were scanning the water for their own sighting. I learned about birds as I stood nearby listening and helping them watch. Next time I take a trip like this I will bring binoculars – they would have been great to have. I used my camera lens as an unofficial zoom support. And when hanging out in the bridge of the ship – binoculars were available to use. As we pulled into the Beagle Channel the sun was setting – after nearly two weeks without seeing a typical sunset this was a great moment to take in. The glow quickly dimmed as it set behind a mountain top. Simply perfect.

The expedition team put together two days of different lectures for guests as we traveled across the Drake. Obi and I attended a talk about gear and the evolution of gear since the age of polar exploration. The most interesting gear I learned about was the use of reindeer skin. The Inuits wore reindeer clothing for a very specific purpose. One main reason is that when reindeer leather gets cold, it does not harden – it has a natural kind of antifreeze. Many other types of animal skin or leather become hard and crack when under extremely cold temperatures. When the temperatures dropped the clothing could be turned around so the fur was closest or directly on the body. This would help create insulation and warmth. With the fur inside, the leather would be on the outside. When the fur is on the outside and the leather is close to the skin/body, it collects natural oils from the person wearing it so when facing outward if it rained the water would run off the clothing without being absorbed. I loved the versatility of the reindeer skin and fur and more importantly, I loved learning how people figured out these concepts. We also attended a talk on knot tying and learned some basic functional knots – very cool indeed! Another talk we listened to was about the geological features of Antarctica and finally, we attended a talk about IAATO. In 2041 the 50 year mining/drilling ban in Antarctica will be up for review. Given that Antarctica is not owned by any one country or nation – a country or nation with a permanent base in Antarctica has a vote in the decision making for future agreements. Smaller countries without a permanent base can listen to discussions and offer opinions, but don’t have an official vote. Building a permanent base is available to any country as long as they follow the agreed upon guidelines. The agreement used to be that decisions needed to be made unanimously, but with time, now only a 3/4 majority is needed for decisions to pass. Admittedly I grew increasingly worried about the potential for drilling and mining in Antarctica given how much of a financial asset the continent is. We will need to pay close attention to what is to come.

The final evening activity was a slideshow/video developed by the professional photographer onboard. All of the guests will have access to the video in about a week, along with all of the professional pictures taken.  This photographer has a rare drone permit to use in Antarctica, so the highlight of the film was seeing the drone footage. Obi looked at me at the end and said, “We were there?!” The drone footage depicts the scale of our landings in a whole new way that our photographs do. It was spectacular to see and will be really fun to show people. 

I am really going to miss being in Antarctica.

While out on the bridge for one last look, before bed last night, Obi joined me for a bit. As we stood there he asked a question which I took seriously (though his intentions were more as a joke), “So, how has Antarctica changed you?” I looked out at sea, in silence and reflected. I suppose my answer to this question would be an even deeper appreciation for preserving pristine natural places. There is so much endless beauty and wonder in Antarctica, it’s hard to contain it. Antarctica is detached and remote. Survival is a privilege. Nature makes music here that can bring tears to your eyes. Water can tell stories a thousand years old. Antacrtica pulled me down to earth so that I could taste, smell, see and hear everything it was trying to tell me. I heard loud and clear. 

It’s impossible to say goodbye. See you later, Antarctica.

Love, Franziska 

ps. By the time some of you read this, I will be back in Brooklyn. We land tomorrow, Wednesday Jan. 9th. 

pps. When the pictures are ready to share, I will send out the album. 

ppps. Thank you to my loyal friends and family who entertain these emails and travel updates.