Embarkation Day- Friday January 12th
- 6:30 to 10:00: Your breakfast will be served in the hotel breakfast room.
- 8:00: We ask that you take your luggage down to reception with the luggage tag attached no later than 8AM.
- 10:00: Please be checked out of your room by this time.
- 10:00 to 15:00: Free time to explore the city and have lunch.
- 15:30: Please come to the Meeting Point at “Playon del Puerto” where we take a bus to the ship.
The line at the Meeting Point was kinda chaotic. It was taking a long time for people to get checked in as some had not filled out the Public Health Questionnaire or validated their vaccine status. What they were doing, who knows? It didn’t help that it was freezing cold and a bitter wind was whipping around us as we stood there waiting, giving us a taste what the weather will be like on the icy continent. Brrr! Finally, everyone was processed and we all loaded on the bus to be taken to the ship. Once on board, we had to turn in our passports, take a photo for our ship ID card, and find our way to our cabin.
We were assigned cabin 307 towards the bow of the ship on the starboard (right) side. The cabin was not super fancy but nice and felt comfortable. We were surprised by how much storage was available. We were packed for two completely different trips and were still able to pack away all of our junk. No time to admire our organization, we had to attend a Safety Briefing and Lifeboat Drill followed by a Welcome Briefing.
The Welcome Briefing was delivered by Jonathan, our Expedition Leader for this voyage. Speaking with a smooth and swoon-worthy British accent, Jonathan gave an introduction to the voyage, explained why the itinerary changed and what to expect during our voyage. Highly infectious bird flu was ravaging birds and seals all over the southern ocean, so getting to the Falklands and South Georgia Island ASAP was the strategy to hopefully get us there before they shut down landings. There was also a lot of logistics to go over, including bio-security checks, getting fitted for our bog boots and parkas, getting in and out of zodiac, safety etc.
The briefing was paused mid-way so passengers could go up on deck to watch our ship pull out of Ushuaia port. From the deck we watched as our internet connection faded away, leaving us in a technical dark age before Pokemon Go. Now Gus will have to (gasp) have an actual conversation with Daisy.
The Sail Away
They ended the briefing with the introduction of the Expedition crew. It was a big crew that included an ornithologist, marine biologist, photographer, geologist, operational staff, historians, and musicians who all doubled as zodiac drivers and tour guides.
Dinner was served at the Albatross Dining Room and it was open seating. It felt like being in a new high school as everyone was trying to figure out which group they would fit it with. On our ship, there were the seniors, the really old seniors and the solo women travelers. There was also the young cool kids, groups who were traveling together and then various couples. We sat with the young Chinese women clique, who acknowledged us but then continue to converse in Chinese amongst themselves, and Jenny from Australia.
After dinner was the Parka Party where we got to try on and pick out our bright red expedition parkas that we would use for the duration of the trip and was ours to keep. We then went off to a kayak briefing. Although we were waitlisted for kayaking we were told to show up anyways, since many people tend to drop out once they hear what’s involved. There were 20 confirmed for kayaking and 5 of us on the waitlist. We were of course #4 and #5. Sarah, our kayak master, tried to warn the group of the potential perils of sea kayaking in the freezing and choppy southern seas such as getting hit by a rogue iceberg or eaten by an Orca, but no one dropped out. Over the next few days, we circled Sarah and the kayakers like sharks, waiting to see if someone would eventually drop-out but still no one did. So no paddling for us.
We were warned that the waters on our overnight trip to the Falklands were going to be choppy, so everyone should secure everything in their room and take a Dramamine. Done and done.
That was Day 1 of our Antartica expedition.
Saturday 13th January
Bound for the Falklands
Day at Sea
8:00. Breakfast Buffet
9:15 Mandatory IAATO & Zodiac Briefing. Please join Jonathan in the Expedition Lounge. Attendance will be taken! We will learn about the regulations we are required to observe when conducting our landings in the Falklands and our Zodiac procedures. After the briefings, you will sign up for a Mud Room Group at Reception.
Following, stand by for your Mandatory Bio-Security Check & Boot Distribution. You will be called by Cabin Number.
For Bio-Security ONLY bring: all outer layers (waterproof pants, gloves, hats, etc), backpacks and camera bags, tripods, monopods and walking sticks.
When you are called for Bio-Security, please empty and check all hoods, cuffs, seams, pockets and Velcro for seeds and plant matter, and bring all of the gear you intend to wear in the Falklands for inspection. You don’t NOT need to bring any new items that you have not yet worn.
We were a day away from our first landing and the expedition team had to ensure that every passenger on board was in compliance with Bio-Security measures and protocols as well as safety procedures around zodiac landings. So that meant more briefings about Bio-Security and zodiac landing rules:
- Don’t Sit
- Don’t place anything on the ground
- Don’t kneel or crouch
- Don’t lie down
- Keep distance a minimum of 15 FT from animals.
The crew really took the precautions seriously and were not taking any chances on spreading bird flu. The question always is: how well will everyone comply?
Hey Baby, What’s your Zodiac Group?
We also got briefed on how to get into and out of a zodiac with potential swells up to 12 feet:
- Hands free
- Use the Sailors’s grip
- Step on the pontoon then on the step,
- Sit where directed and slide to your seat.
Pretty straightforward right? You’ll be surprised how many times we messed this up.
We then signed up for our Mudroom/Zodiac Group which determines the order that you go out on the expeditions. The mudroom is the staging area for all our excursions. This is where we are called down by groups to assemble and disassemble our layers of cold weather gear, disinfect and scrub our boots and poles, sign in and out with our ship id, all while getting in each other’s way. Our mudroom numbers were 80 and 81.
We signed up for Albatross zodiac group which meant we would be the first zodiac to go out once we reached the Falklands. Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean we get to go out first every time since the zodiac groups rotate every outing so that everyone has a chance to go out first. So much for our strategy of signing up for the first group.
Next was the biosecurity inspection. Staff members were stationed at different spots as we lined up with our pile of outerwear, poles, bags, hats, etc waiting to get inspected. Velcro, the ubiquitous fasteners for outdoor gear, is also the main culprit for hitchhiking seeds and plant matter and was inspected very carefully. Backpacks, jackets, pouches and cuffs were vacuumed throughly.
Tripods and walking sticks had to be disinfected in Virkon, a bright fluorescent pink concoction whose main active ingredient is potassium monopersulfate, or Oxone. A pretty good virus killer. We were surprised it hasn’t been endorsed as a Covid cure by our former president. The bio-security may come off as extreme but it is a necessary response to prevent the spread of non-native species into the environment.
Finally, we were fitted for our Bog boots, which we would use every time we left the ship. Of course, all the small size boot (36) were already gone so Daisy had to go up the next size available (38). The boots seem a little loose, but nothing a few pairs of socks wouldn’t fix, so she was told. Not only would we need to disinfect the boots in Virkon before and after every outing, but we would also need to scrub, pick, rinse and inspect them, making sure all organic matter was gone. If they didn’t pass muster, we would be called back to the mudroom and forced to do the “mudroom walk of shame” to clean them again. That was incentive enough for us to make sure we cleaned them throughly the first time.
Whew, that was a lot to take in for Day 2 of our Antarctic expedition.
In closing, breakfast at Las Lengas
It's Opener There 
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