Adventures aboard Pelagic Australis
| Vessel Name: | Pelagic Australis |
| Crew: | Miles, Laura and Dave |
| About: | Miles hails from Yorkshire farming stock, Laura is from Kent and competed in the 2000 BT Global Challenge, and Dave is a dinghy sailor from Devon |
14 June 2012 | Cape Town, South Africa
The final chapter
And so we have arrived in Cape Town. Our final journey across the
20 April 2012 | Estero Coloane, Beagle Channel South West arm
Caleta Wow
It is difficult to know what to write to you about without repeating myself, but as this whole Pelagic adventure nears its end, we are appreciating more and more the places we visit, the people we meet, and the things we do. Yesterday we were in our favourite anchorage, Estero Coloane (otherwise known as Caleta Wow), which I know I have written about before, but it really is spectacular. A circular bay, maybe as much as a mile in diameter, is surrounded by mountains and glaciers. All around there are waterfalls cascading down from hidden lakes high up in the mountains. In one corner, there is a small island and a little nook under the trees. We reverse in with the yacht, so the stern is under the overhanging branches, and we tie a shore line from each corner of the boat, to the trees. When we arrived a couple of days ago, the wind was strong out in the Beagle Channel and swirling around the bay. Williwaws (katabatic winds) raced in different directions sometimes catching our bow, and sometimes leaving us be. We could see them coming down the hanging glacier high above us, and follow their progress to the water and then across the bay. Miles looked nervously at the tiny tree on the island that was holding our starboard bow line as it bowed under our weight, but there are no bigger trees and it held firm. [p] Yesterday it was calm and clear and we split into two groups. Dave and I took Andy and Sue up to the ridge behind the boat for a fabulous view of the bay, the glaciers and then, when we were high enough, the Beagle Channel. It is a hard climb but every time you turn around the view gets better. There was an easterly wind blowing when we got to the top, and the sky was dark dark dark - full of snow. By the time we'd had a a cup of tea and a biscuit it was snowing heavily, so we carefully picked our way down and joined the others on board. The other group had gone on a shorter adventure, but no less magnificent. They climbed up to a lake on the other side of the bay maybe 250m high. The lake was formed by a hanging glacier and the water still poured in from above. However, it has also been heavily affected by beavers. They are a real pest in this part of the world as they dam rivers and create huge areas of flooded land. Miles, Jarrod and Jeremy had a good look at the beaver dams, slides they use to get down to the waterline, the trees that have been recently gnawed and the mass of dead trees in the middle of the lake. They came back buzzing.[p] In the afternoon, we took the kayaks and the zodiac over to the far corner of the bay and made our way over the moraine to the glacier. This one is slowly retreating and for various reasons I haven't been over to it since our very first time in the bay 3 years ago. It has moved back quite some way since then, but just melting - no chunks of ice falling from it. It was so amazing to get up close, and actually walk on the ice. We had a hilarious photoshoot with all of us trying to stay in place without sliding back down, or falling into a crevasse. Then it started snowing again and so we walked down the valley bottom towards the boats. On our way down, despite the snow we decided to go and look at another beaver lake. They really are incredible creatures - collecting their wood and stockpiling it, then chopping it down into sensible size sticks to make a beautifully constructed dam. Then in the middle their lodge - an igloo made of stick and wood - amazing! It was almost dark and still heavily snowing when we returned to the kayaks, but so beautiful and still that we decided not to have a ride back. It was a stunning paddle back with that absolute silence that comes with falling snow and snowflakes so huge they could have been on steroids. We got back and Dave had started the bar b q. It was a special request from our South Africans on board - Andy and Sue lived in Botswana for 22 years, they are not used to snow and it was so fun to see them playing around in it. "I promise I'll cook, but we must have a bri in the snow!" - "Once is enough" he said afterwards! A great evening ensued with lots of wine, music and chat. Everyone on a high from such a fantastic day. As always, it feels as if we have known these guys for our whole lives, but just 10 days ago, they were strangers to us. What other job or environment pushes relationships so fast? [p] It is becoming more difficult to imagine leaving this world, but we are excited about setting up a home in Yorkshire and being able to welcome some of our guests - or new friends - to stay when they are in the area. This has been an extraordinary way to live - out of range for the media, and in the company of people that are on holiday, and therefore enjoying themselves and relaxing. We don't hear the doom and gloom, and melodrama of the worlds press, just the oohs and ahhs as we move through some of the most stunning countryside on the planet.[p] More soon, [p] Lots of love[p] Laura and Miles[p]
04 April 2012 | Puerto Williams, Chile
An exciting rounding
It seems ages since I wrote my last update. It was probably when we
15 February 2012 | Port Lockroy, Antarctica
Is our Antarctic luck running out?
We have around 10 days left in Antarctica for this group, and our final
20 January 2012 | Antarctica
A fabulous day
It's been a difficult charter so far - starting with a delay for the guests, some 'essential' equipment that didn't make it through customs in Buenos Aires, a four and a half day up wind Drake passage crossing, and then continuing with rain and snow and grey days, and so much ice in the channels down [...]
Back in Antarctica
We arrived this morning and my watch - consisting of myself and two Russians: a young married couple - were on from 6am till 9. We were really lucky that soon after we came on watch, the snow stopped, the visibility improved and we motored quietly into the magic that is Antarctica. We saw several whales, some distance from us, but unmistakably large humpback whales. They moved so slowly that I could see a large black thing in the corner of my eye, had time to look us and focus, warn the others that there is a whale to be seen and then watch as it flicked its tail high into the air and then dived down. Usually they disappear then for up to thirty minutes.
We are now safely moored in Enterprise Island. We have been here twice before - for our last stop last year, and our first stop the year before. Both times we had other yachts in the bay and they had taken the best mooring spot. This time, when we arrived, we saw that there were no masts and so we could tie up alongside the wreck. It is quite an interesting experience working out what to tie up to. The wreck was a cargo ship, used during the years of Antarctic Whaling, and now just the bow sticks above the water, rusting away, but still sufficiently strong apparently for Dave to climb all over it finding places to tie our lines, and to hold us in place. The weather is very benign, overcast but still, and incredibly bright. It is all so different from South Georgia when any minute we expected the wind to howl and blow us out of the harbour. There is no darkness, and it was amazing this morning at 7 o'clock that the sun was already high in the sky - we had to do a double take to be sure of the time when the fog lifted and we could actually see the sun.
Yesterday we stopped at Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands. It is such a cool place, the crater of a volcano, and it has steaming hot sand and water at various points around the inside. There is a small gap in the crater which is deep enough for us, and quite big ships, to get through and to sail around on the inside and some reasonable anchorages so we could get ashore for a walk - and a swim! Yesterday morning, we had just dropped anchor at Pendulum Cove, when a rib came by with Spaniards from the Spanish science base. They said hello and then went ashore just behind the boat. Then, quite surprisingly one of them stripped off his dry suit and dived into the steaming water. Many shrieks of delight indicated that this wasn't a daily ritual and actually that conditions must be perfect. After some coaxing, even Dave and I (Miles says he has done enough swimming this season) donned our swimmers, put foulies over the top and headed to the beach in the zodiac with all 6 of the guests.
No sooner had we beached the dingy, than two of the Russian girls - both young, thin and beautiful, were in their bikinis and preparing to dive in. The Spaniards could not believe their luck and amongst much hilarity a photoshoot took place with penguins, two girls in bikinis, Spanish scientists in dry suits, and snow capped mountains in the background. It was quite a sight. I think in the end, everyone swam, or at least sat in the very hot water at the edge. Dave, Carla (Italian) and I swam well out into the cold water and it was such a strange sensation to have some parts of the body in the hot water, and the rest in cold, not to mention that only the top 10cm were hot. We thought it would be fun to invite the spaniards for coffee and so the flirting continued and a return date was planned for later in the day. It was interesting to see the Spanish base, they are researching a mixture of marine biology, lichen and mosses, and seismic activity and at its peak there are 35 people living there. The tradition down here is that they stamp passports for tourists and as it happens I took our Pelagic Australis stamp, so ended up stamping their passports - not sure if it is legal, but it is done now so there we go.
So we head on tomorrow, hoping to cross the antarctic circle at some point, and see some of the spots further south. One thing that is different from the first time we came here is the number of cruise ships. This is absolutely peak season and this morning we had three within 10 miles of us. We are hoping that if we head further south we will find some space for us and us alone and not have to hear the announcements on the speakers - "On your port side you will see the sailing yacht...., and to starboard a humpback whale is..., drinks are being served in the ..., for those wishing to send a postcard please... etc"
Anyway, I will try and keep in touch but in the meantime, happy new year and happy Christmas (we have Christmas music playing as i type as it is Russian Christmas day tomorrow!), in fact we have Russian New year on the 14th Jan so on this trip in total, 2 new years, one Christmas, and two birthdays - I might actually get quite good at baking cakes!
Lots of love
Laura, Miles and Dave
xxxxx
