December 12th 2007

Enterprise Island in Wilhelmina Bay

Latitude 64

Neko Harbour I

As Polar Star completed the crossing of the Drake passage, the rocking and rolling subsided as did my sea sickness. We entered the calmer Gerlache Strait early that morning. Our destination is Enterprise Island in Wilhelmina Bay and Neko Harbour, Latitude 64 32′ South, Longitude 062 20′ West.  The day was surprisingly warm at +3 C , much warmer then the -15 C temperature in Alberta, Canada when we had left, just a week ago. 

Up until this point I had been in a horizontal position in my bunk estimating the hours that remained for this crossing to be completed, so that I might feel somewhat better physically and regain my original enthusiasm for this adventure. Yellow being my current skin coloring having recovered from spring green. I am now hoping for a pleasant rosy color once we embark on the first Antarctic landing not long after breakfast.

Early that morning before the breakfast announcements on the intercom Debbie has been enthusiastically tearing the velcroed window blinds from their mooring with a more then irritating ripping sound that was not improved by my present yellowish state of mind. Ahhhh yes, Debbie is a early bird and all the more early when the sun does not set! She was beside herself with excitement and couldn’t wait to see some of the vast sights promised us. At this point we are just a week away from the longest day of the year down here. The sun just ducks down below the horizon for what seems mere minutes before beckoning us to wake yet again to enjoy the glorious sunrise. It seems a bizarre concept that I can photograph the sunset and sunrise within a hour of each other. Although as a photographer, this is of course a perfect time of the year having the sun at it’s lowest point for extended periods of time, giving us continuous and fabulous long shadowed panoramas bathed in the warm light of the evening or morning as you would have it. This warm lighting creates a wonderful contrast to the stark Cerulean blues cast by various ice chunks floating their way to eventual oblivion somewhere beyond the horizon. The play of warm and cool tones was what I was hoping for, as this to me creates wonderful visual excitement combined with the right compositions.

As I threw my feet to the floor I did a mental and physical check……was I feeling better? Hard to say, I was sitting upright, I wasn’t dizzy and disoriented…..hmmm…..time for the galley test. As I had mentioned earlier once the sea sickness subsided no amount of rocking or rolling set me off again, I was good to go! The breakfast was fantastic, as had all the meals been up to this point. The kitchen staff and chef were top notch in my book. I was never happier to be enjoying a meal.

 

Disembarkation

 

Ice Headwall

This will be the first time we have disembarked for land since leaving Ushuaia 2 days ago. There are around 20 Zodiac inflatables with 60hp Yamaha outboards ready for these twice daily excursions to shore. Once there on land we have a few different options for exploration. All of the landings are areas where there a numerous types of fauna to watch and photograph or if you choose there are hikes to some of the surrounding areas. Sometimes there are small summits to be conquered of 300 meters or so. This was my favorite exploit, a time to stretch the legs and see what is on the other side. All my life I have been enamored with the “other side” finding wonder and vastness but no answers, and yet I am still intrigued. The third option at times, is exploring via the Zodiac to some of the near bays, penguin rookeries or just shapely Ice sculptures beckoning to be recorded by the occasional photographer.  Today it was moodily calm and reflections were to be had at every turn as the zodiac slid at an idling pace through the small and ever changing passages in the “brash ice”. My camera was more at my eye then at my side, this unique and tremendously abstract landscape cannot leave you without deep impressions of a land yet unaffected by human manipulations. The stark power and rhythm of the environment here envelops your very being to the point that feeling the vibrations of the land is a visceral experience.  In an effort to allow you a small sense of what we are experiencing I hope that these images will give you a feel of all that we are immersed in.

 

Neko Harbour II

 

Latitude 64

After exploring various nooks and crannies of the undulating coastlines here within Wilhelmina Bay we come upon the sunken and burned hulk of the Wreck Guvernoren, a 3400 ton Norwegian Whaling factory ship that was built in 1891 as a cargo ship and converted for the use as a factory ship in 1914. The ship caught fire and was beached in 1915 right here where we found her, half submerged but amazingly intact for the length of time at this location. Upon looking within the rusting hull you could discern the stern planks far below the surface of the water. The clarity of the sea here was amazing where seemingly there is no limit to the depths unveiled.

The Wreck Guvernoren

Wilhelmina Bay