picture of the week
Penguins on Stonington Island, Antarctic peninsula, february 2009
picture of the week
About five hours after this picture was taken the ship you can see to the right, the Ocean Nova, was stuck on rocks and would remain stuck for 36 hours, some of that time being battered by hurricane force winds. It was an interesting wait to say the least, with the nearest ship being 12 hours from us.
Picture of the week
Back in the Antarctic for this weeks picture, taken on the way to Beascochea Bay. An idyllic day.
Picture of the week
Inside the abandoned American base on Stonington Island, Antarctica. The wooden huts have been preserved as a sort of museum, not that they see many visitors. Stonington, below the Antarctic Circle, the majority of the tourist ships turn round well before getting this far.
Picture of the week
Back on Stonington Island this week. This sign was beyond the rusty nails and bits of glass and rusty metalwork of the American base. Whether someone had moved it from its original place or whether there was worse beyond I will never find out.
Picture of the week
Outside the abandoned American base on Stonington Island, Antarctic peninsula. In complete contrast to the British base only a few hundred meters away the American base was showing its age. Outside what was left of the workshop the ground was littered with bits and pieces, from nails to broken candles and exposed film.
Antarctica in the news (sort of)
I can’t have been paying attention to the news recently as it was only by chance I happened on these articles and usually anything about antarctica jumps out at me. Luckily it sounds like the passengers and crew on both ships have got by relatively unscathed, but I guess it’s only a matter of time before Antarctica claims tourist lives. Stunningly beautiful it may be but from experience it’s not a nice place to be when something goes wrong.
Links:
- Antarctic Tourist Ship Foundering in Drake Passage from December 2010 (update – along with some slightly scary looking youtube footage of the ship)
- CNN article about the MV Polar Star and the IAATO update February 2011
update with a couple more links:
looks like the Clelia II managed to get in to trouble twice last year, see the article at the bottom of the page. It would seem I also missed the news last summer that the Clipper Adventurer that we transferred to after the ship we were on, the Ocean Nova, also ran aground in August 2010.
What that says about the Arctic/Antarctic tourist industry I’m not sure.
Picture of the week
If your view of paradise is a warm sunny isle with a sandy beach and waves gently lapping on the shore you will be sorely disappointed visiting Paradise bay. On the Antarctic penisula, and for those people with a slightly wider definition of what counts, this is a truely special place. Stunning in it beauty and so far unspoilt, long may it stay that way.
RPDL of the week
Danco Island, Antarctic Peninsula
Danco Island, 6am local time. Penguins just arriving in on the morning commute and annoyed with us at arriving so early. Union of Penguins now insisting on tourist visits between 9am and 5pm only, with appropriate lunch breaks.
RPDL of the week
Almirante Brown Station, Paradise Bay, Antarctic Peninsula
