Video: Ross Sea Expedition in Review

Tuesday, 10 February 2015
Bluff, New Zealand

Enjoy Mui’s Highlights of Our Ross Sea Expedition video — a review of our voyage.

Continuing Across the Southern Ocean

Wednesday, 4 February 2015
At Sea — Southern Ocean
Position @ 1:30p (UTC +12): 62°02’ S / 170°41’ E
Temps: 39F (4C) @ 7:30a (UTC +12)
Distance Since Ushuaia: 5,117 NM (5,890 miles / 9,477 km)

Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.
Oscar Wilde

A surprisingly calm ocean today — and this in waters that are notoriously stormy.  Very little wind as well — certainly not the norm for the Screaming Sixties.  Our luck couldn’t possibly hold, so I spent most of the day on deck to take advantage of Mother Nature’s weather gift to us.

Expedition Day 27 … we’re further north than indicated here, but I neglected to visit
the bridge to take my final reading for the day before changing into my jammies for the night.

Last Ice: From the North Ross Sea to the Southern Ocean

Monday, 2 February 2015
At Sea — Southern Ocean
Current Position: 69°10’ S / 172°01’ E
Temps: 36F (2C) @ 7:30a (UTC +12)
Distance Since Ushuaia: 4,749 NM (5,465 miles / 8,795 km)

The basic problems facing the world today are not susceptible to a military solution.
John F Kennedy

The party must have raged late into the night … there was no wake up call this morning.  Or Don, just didn’t set his alarm ;-)

Today was our day to go through the last bit of the bridge team’s nemesis — sea ice.  The ice charts have been notoriously unreliable on this trip.  We found ice where there was supposed to be none.  We found open — or relatively open — water where there was supposed to be heavy ice.

The helicopter crew takes advantage of a day at sea to do maintenance on the choppers.

Cape Adare: Leaving With Wonderful Memories

Sunday, 1 February  2015 (Part V)
In the Ice — Ross Sea
Current Position: 71°12’ S / 170°20’ E

Back on the ship after our scenic flight from Cape Adare (post here), Mui and I stayed outdoors to continue enjoying the marvelous day on the Bridge Deck.

As our chopper returns to shore to give another batch of passengers
a thrill ride, we stop to take a “postcard” to remember this time and place.

The sun kept us warm; and Captain Ernesto entertained us by pushing through thick ice.  Fellow-passengers came and went, but for the most part we had the deck to ourselves.  It was quiet enough to hear the popcorn-crackling of the brash ice surrounding the ship.  Could it be anymore perfect?

Tucked up against the ship, the gangway looks quite forlorn.

Unless there is a surprise landing tomorrow, it will be several days before
we have to put our footwear through the decontamination process again.

Air operations were to have ended and the choppers secured by 8:00p, but that didn’t happen.  Some said it was because only two helicopters were shuttling passengers back to the ship; some said it was because a couple of passengers ashore had pulled a disappearing act to maximize their time on land.  Whatever the reason, we didn’t really care except for the inconvenience the delay caused the hotel and galley staff as they had to keep postponing dinner, which was finally served at 8:30p.

The last chopper heads off to bring back the team that stayed behind to lock up the hut.

Shipmate Didier, with whom we have been enjoying many a meal on this voyage.

Reflection fun!

Chatting with Captain Ernesto about the pleasures of today.

After dinner, we were invited back up to the Bridge Deck to enjoy dessert — and a surprise.  The latter turned out to be an ice cream social, with mulled wine to take the chill off.  A lovely end to a fantastic day.

Even as the ice cream social was wrapping up, the ship was heading north.  Time to leave this wondrous place behind.  We stayed on deck for a while to enjoy the summer ice wonderland, but as time passed bit by bit — and the breeze picked up — the chill drove us inside and to our warm beds.

We shouldn’t be smiling; after all, we’re leaving the region.  But how can we not
do so in the face of such wondrous scenery on such a beautiful day?

At this moment, I have no idea what we will be doing tomorrow, let alone in the days ahead.  I do know that Don will try to take advantage of any opportunities that present themselves, but everything will depend on the ice that we have to get through to make our arrival date in Bluff on 10 February.  Can’t worry about it … que sera sera … what will be will be.

© 2004-2015 Two to Travel.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED by ERIN ERKUN.

Plog: Cape Adare … Heli Flightseeing

Sunday, 1 February  2015 (Part IV)
In the Ice — Ross Sea
Current Position: 71°12’ S / 170°20’ E

After our visit with the Adélies was up (post here), we boarded a chopper for the flightseeing portion of our day.

Aldo gave us an amazing ride, flying over tabulars frozen in the sea ice; landing on one such tabular; flying us over and around Ortelius; and landing on an ice floe for a different perspective of the ship in the sea ice.

Our choppermates are already seated; Mui’s next, heading to the seat behind the pilot; I’m not far behind.

As a crewman helps us buckle up, German Su immortalizes the moment ;-)

Our flightseeing over the Ross Ice Shelf when we first arrived in the Ross Sea Region was spectacular … and ranks as a wonderful, not-to-be-forgotten-soon experience.  So does this last aerial opportunity to see the icescape of the region before we leave the continent behind.  WOW!  WOW!  WOW!

Plog: Cape Adare … The World’s Largest Adélie Penguin Colony

Sunday, 1 February  2015 (Part III)
In the Ice — Ross Sea
Current Position: 71°12’ S / 170°20’ E

After visiting Borchgrevink’s Hut (post here) on Cape Adare, our landing was far from over.  We were at the world’s largest Adélie penguin colony, and we were going to walk amongst the thousands of penguins that remained ashore even though it was well past the breeding season and most of them had already dispersed to go foraging.

To and fro … to and fro the Adélies go along the penguin highway from their nests to the sea and back … again and again they go.

Cape Adare: Borchgrevink’s Camp Ridley Hut

Sunday, 1 February  2015 (Part II)
In the Ice — Ross Sea
Current Position: 71°12’ S / 170°20’ E

[If you missed it, the story of our day at Adare Peninsula starts with the previous post.]

We had a wonderfully calm day for our helicopter landing at Cape Adare — blue skies, comfortable temperatures, no wind to speak of.  Just an incredible day.  Certainly nothing like the blizzard that caused operations to be cancelled in 2013 — the last time Ortelius was here.  And that was after the expedition team had already landed to open up the hut.

Admiralty Mountains are the only high point on the otherwise flat Cape Adare.
The Adélies follow a “penguin highway” along the pond to get from their nests to the sea.

Cape Adare: Before the Landing …

Sunday, 1 February  2015 (Part I)
In the Ice — Ross Sea
Current Position: 71°12’ S / 170°20’ E
Temps: 34F (1C) @ 7:30a (UTC +12)
Distance Since Ushuaia: 4,593 NM (5,285 miles / 8,506 km)

Computers of the future may have only 1,000 vacuum tubes and perhaps weigh only 1.5 tons.
Popular Mechanics Magazine, March 1949

Ortelius was moving slowly along the Adare Peninsula when Don made his wake up call at 7:30a.  Huh?  What happened to Cape Hallet?  Well, turns out heavy, multi-year ice kept us more than 12 nautical miles (14 miles/22 km) offshore.  The wind wasn’t too friendly either, so the decision was made in the wee hours of the morning to try our luck further north at Cape Adare instead.

  Expedition Day 24 … early plans are a bust; but the rest of the day is spectacular.

An Undulating Ice Kind of Day

Saturday, 31 January 2015
In the Ice — Ross Sea
Current Position: 72°52’ S / 172°20’ E
Temps: 37F (3C) @ 7:30a (UTC +12)
Distance Since Ushuaia: 4,426 NM (5,093 miles / 8,197 km)

The two most common elements in the world are hydrogen and stupidity.
Mark Twain [similar versions attributed to others]

There was no wake up call in the wee hours, which could only mean that the program had changed once again.  And it had.  As Don explained in his 7:30a wake up call, although there was no ice anywhere in sight at that moment, when the planned heli ops was canceled around 00:30a there was plenty of magnificent ice blocking Ortelius from getting where we wanted to go.  Specifically, Terra Nova Bay and all it had to offer us, including a possible visit to Mario Zuccarelli, the Italian Base.

Expedition Day 23 has two planned activities; neither of which works out.

Plog: Going Inside Shackleton’s Nimrod Hut

Friday, 30 January 2015 (part II)
In the Ice — Ross Sea
Current Position: 76°05’ S / 166°38’ E

Like Amundsen and Scott, Shackleton dreamed of being the first to achieve the South Pole.

He first came to these polar latitudes as a member of the 1901-1904 Discovery Expedition, which was led by Scott.  On that trip, he accompanied Scott and Wilson — both of who were to die in 1912 after achieving the South Pole — on a journey that set a record by marching south to 82° … further than anyone else before them.  Unfortunately, Shackleton was shipped home when his health started to fail after the march, but it lit a polar fire in his veins that was not to be extinguished.

Third-Time Lucky: Cape Royds … Before Ortelius Turns its Bow North

Friday, 30 January 2015 (part I)
In the Ice — Ross Sea
Current Position: 76°05’ S / 166°38’ E
Temps: 32F (0 C) @ 6:45a (UTC +12)
Distance Since Ushuaia: 4,195 NM (4,827 miles / 7,769 km)

Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo.
H. G. WELLS

An early morning today — with pre-breakfast pastries and coffee in the bar at 5:45a; and the first passenger group scheduled to fly ashore to visit the Nimrod Hut at Cape Royds — popularly known as Shackleton’s Hut — at 6:15a.  According to the posted list, our two-person Group H was estimated to fly last at 7:25a.  Well, the snacks were in the bar on time, but everything else lagged a while.  No matter, we had a gorgeous day and enjoyed the sunshine on the bridge deck.

On Expedition Day 22 we visit Cape Royds before Ortelius turns its bow north.

New Harbour: Zodiac Cruise & Play Time On an Ice Floe

Thursday, 29 January 2015 (part III)
Off Cape Royds — McMurdo Sound
Current POSITION: 77°34’ S / 165°49’ E

After a wonderful morning during which we enjoyed great wildlife sightings  from the ship and a heli flight over the fast sea ice to the Dry Valleys, the day continued to treat us well, giving us an opportunity to do even more in the afternoon.

We were starving by the time we returned to the ship from the Dry Valleys, so we headed to the dining room immediately.  There was plenty of time before our turn to go for a zodiac cruise, which we were actually hoping would be delayed until later in the day as the orcas had by this time moved on.

Dry Valleys: A Unique Place in Antarctica

Thursday, 29 January 2015 (part II)
Off Cape Royds — McMurdo Sound
Current POSITION: 77°34’ S / 165°49’ E

A spectacular start to our day (post here) … breathtaking scenery, emperor and Adélie penguins; countless orcas up close; and fast ice as far the eye could see.  And if that wasn’t enough — we were ferried to the Dry Valleys by helicopter!  Just amazing.  (The map is in the previous post linked above.)

For the flight, we were paired up with a couple from Germany.  “It will be a tight-fit in the four seater that’s on the pad,” Jim said and gave us two options — split up one couple or wait for the five-seater.  Mui and I agreed to split up, with him following in the next chopper.

New Harbour: Orcas … Not Killer Whales

Thursday, 29 January 2015 (part I)
Off Cape Royds — McMurdo Sound
Position: 77°34’ S / 165°49’ E
Temps:  30F (-1 C) @ 7:15a (UTC +12)
Distance Since Ushuaia: More than 3,848 NM (4,428 miles / 7,126 km) … Bridge still Closed; no new reading

Always remember you are absolutely unique.  Just like everyone else.
Margaret Mead (American Cultural Anthropologist)

WOW!  WOW!  WOW!  An utterance that has not been far from the tip of my tongue since Ortelius arrived in the Ross Sea Region.  From that first glimpse of the Ross Ice Shelf rising out of the sea mile after mile … to the flight over the mighty barrier shining bright and white under the sun the next day … to Cape Evans where sunshine and blue skies added to our pleasure of the spectacular scenery and walk back into history.  And then there was today … another day that left me speechless … WOW!  WOW!  WOW!

Expedition Day 21 … a spectacular one that made me forget that we
lost yesterday to the black hole of the International Date Line.