Looks like Nat Geo will be streaming the eclipse live on their FB page. 12:45 AM Dec 5th from their ship.

Guppy, keep everyone posted on your trip. Have heard weather has been rough lately.

Not sure what but the Organization that sets visitation ground rules says that to land on Antarctica now everyone has to wear a mask. Only good thing about that is it keeps your nose from freezing.

Marauder Blue 6 said:

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Spore Ag said:

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Going down there again next year for a 33 day excursion starting In Ushuaia, sailing west across the Ross sea ending in New Zealand. Will be a rough but unforgettable trip.

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Who are you doing your excursion through?

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Ring of Fire Expeditions (Direct Travel Houston). They are the travel agent for the NASA Johnson Space Center Astronomical Society.

mike073 said:

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Looks like Nat Geo will be streaming the eclipse live on their FB page. 12:45 AM Dec 5th from their ship.

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. I'll wave!

Let out a whoop!

Tibbers said:

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Let out a whoop!

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Brought lucky ATM Columbia fishing shirt (the one worn @ Bama game this year!).

Made it to Buenos Aires. Immigration was a breeze as zee papers were in order. Love this city. It's clear, 82, dry, with a slight breeze (perfecto-mundo!). Awaiting results of 2nd PCR test to allow for travel within the country (flight to Ushuaia). "Think positive, test negative."

Edit: Tested negative. Now free to move about the country. Onward to Ushuaia tomorrow.

Definitely get the King Crab in Ushuaia. Restaurants by the pier.

Made it onto the boat! Ushuaia is amazingly gorgeous and sailing through Beagle Channel was incredible. Halfway across the Drake (shake, certainly not Drake Lake!).

I was talking about the drake passage with a coworker today who used to make the Antarctica run regularly. I absolutely have to make that run before I die.

Bump for trip report

Sailing back to Ushuaia. It has been an incredible time. However, seas have been awful! We made land at Penguin Island by were unable to get off the main boat at Brown Bluff or Coronation Island via zodiac boats due to high winds and seas. Absolutely gorgeous. Icebergs everywhere. Penguins and elephant seals all over the place. Pics as soon as I get back to the mainland.

We sailed halfway to South Georgia Island to intercept the total solar eclipse path but we're clouded out. We thought we had a lucky hole in the clouds but it closed up right at totality. It got very dark for 2 minutes (darker than it does at night around here in December). 9 out of 10 cruise ships got clouded out (Nat Geo boat saw it). Only other successes occurred on a $50k per person central Antarctica expedition and on a flight through the path.

Spirits are high and plans are being made for the next one! Lectures everyday by brilliant phds and nasa scientists on a wide variety of topics have kept us occupied.

Headed to El Calafate on Wednesday for a 3 day glacier tour. Looking forward to getting off this boat (Ponant Le Boreal). The food and drink have been fantastic, but once again the seas have been brutal. More soon!

https://www.expeditions.com/landing/antarctica-eclipse/

Post about El Calafete. I would like to see it.

I have done La Boreal twice and loved it. Was the French language a problem? It seems the French have a few glacier experts.

Bummer about the cloud cover but sounds like a good time nonetheless.

El Calafate is great, have fun! Hope you are enjoying lots of steak & wine!

-Chinstrap Penguin and sparring Elephant Seals.
-Our Boat from another boat!
-The Total Solar Eclipse of 12/4/21 (captured by my friend from the ground based expedition on Antarctica's Union Glacier)
-Parade of penguins on Brown Bluff Antarctica (zoom in).
The Texas Flag being flown on our French ship to commemorate the Texas-based "Ring Of Fire Expeditions" (tour guide for the NASA Johnson Space Center Astronomical Society).

Chinstrap Penguin don't care!

WOW!

Obligatory!!

Spore Ag said:

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Post about El Calafete. I would like to see it.

I have done La Boreal twice and loved it. Was the French language a problem? It seems the French have a few glacier experts.

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Language barrier was not a huge problem. Just slightly! They often have French passengers on board so the crew were forced to go all English with us. Some had very strong and "outrageous accents" but most speak 3 or 4 languages and can communicate just fine.

The food was outstanding! Best I've ever had on a cruise ship. Staff was incredible and unbelievably accommodating. Would sail with them again!

Edits: Lovely French women working that boat I've never encountered. Oui oui!

Ponant is indeed a very good operation. Used them abound Iceland several years ago.

Apparently if you are a hungry penguin in that line you do not want to be the first or last one in the water. Those are eaten first by the sea lions.

I don't know how I missed this thread earlier. Thank you for sharing! Super jealous. Dying to go myself, just waiting until my kiddo is old enough to go and actually appreciate it/not make me regret bringing her.

Spore Ag said:

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Post about El Calafete. I would like to see it. .

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El Calafate is a town or around 30k just at the foothills of the Southern Andes of Patagonia. A 30-45 minute bus ride gets you to the National Park of Glaciers. Great paths to walk to visit the advancing Moreno Glacier. Crazy sounds of snaps and pops of the "summer" melt. The glacier moves at 2 meters per day and huge chunks fall off and into the lake often. Moreno is one of the few advancing glaciers on Earth. Catching a huge chunk falling on camera is a big challenge as you must be ready (already). If you hear it and look, it's too late!

After the National Park, we took an hour long boat to see it up close. Fantastic! You can also trek on the ice if you are under 65 years or age (insurance liability and no emergency medivac to get the injured to care).

Today we toured two more glaciers on a breakfast and lunch "cruise" that lasted from 8:30 to 4p. More amazing. You to two more glaciers… one receding and one stable.

The scenery is unbelievable.

Home safe in Austin. Questions?

Glad you had a great trip - except for the eclipse. Antarctica is truly amazing.

Guppy91 said:

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Home safe in Austin. Questions?

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how cold was it?

Did you do the polar plunge?

i am stil s jealous of your trip through the drake passage. have you read any books about the fine men who made that perilous journey in the years past? I think arctic and antarctic exploring is the subject I have read the most books about. There is no chance on earth I could do what those men did down south or up north.

That is probably the coolest thing I have seen in a longtime. Pure awesomeness!

An awesome video called Around Cape Horn. Story about a New Englander sailing in 1929 on the bark Peking going from Hamburg to Valparaiso. He climbs the masts and films the ship literally going under water as it rounds Cape Horn. It is on YouTube and I think 29 minutes.

The first time I saw that I was blown away. The decks are completely awash. It's insane what all the whalers out of New Bedford and Nantucket etc used to put up with as well.

If anyone is interested in learning what the arctic and antarctic explorers dealt with, here are a few great books. In the heart of the sea is not about the arctic but it talks about life in whalers of the day.

Philbrick writes great naval stories. Hero's of polar exploration being Franklin and Shackleton but so many others. Norwegian museums on Polar exploration are incredible, particularly the FRAM museum. This is the seemingly indestructible craft that explored N. and S. Polar regions. They have a storm simulation that you actually have to hold on to something.

Guppy, do not mean to hijack your incredible journey. Such an adventurous and exciting trip. You now have the clothes so best get after it and book some more trips!

I wish I was in to this stuff when I lived in Norway, I would have loved to visit those museums. As it were, I just experienced some massive 60 foot seas out in the north sea.

07ag said:

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Guppy91 said:

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Home safe in Austin. Questions?

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how cold was it?

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Not too bad. 30s most of the time. However, the wind was strong, so the chill was sometimes below zero.