Further than down under

My vessel had the promising name of the Antarctic Dream. A sturdy workhorse built in 1958 and, after toiling for the Chilean army, been refurbished for the tourist trade.

The ship had a lot to offer, including a much heralded lecture theatre and spa, both of which turned out to deviate from expectations. The theatre was home to many interesting lectures on Antarctic fauna and wildlife, but due to its position in the bowels of this ship, had a peculiar, unsettling motion. So when a lecture started, it was a race to get to one of the comfy, hugely padded chairs at the back, but then the motion and soporific atmosphere made keeping your eyes open really difficult. As for the spa, all I can say is that is wasn’t one.

On the plus side, my cabin was excellent aid airy, the library was delightful and the main dining/common room was comfy and many a happy hour was spent there. Interestingly all the chairs in this room were subtly chained to floor, this was our first hint of what was in store for us – the Drakes Passage crossing.

Prior to entering the passage, the ships’ doctor distributed sea-sickness tablets like candy at Halloween, and it quickly became apparent why. Waves and huge swells left most people afraid to leave their cabins. Those who emerged were treated to the amazing spectacle of twinkle-toed waiters performing death-defying balancing acts whilst bringing plates and drinks, mostly unscathed, to the table.

But all the perils of the sea and any unpleasant memories faded as we sailed in to calmer waters and got our first glimpses of land and icebergs. Due to some technical, scientifical explanation, icebergs reflect a beautiful, almost eerie, blue light in the sunshine - these joined with huge glaciers and mountainous peaks to form amazing vistas.

The ship weighed anchor at Half Moon Bay, we were assigned to smaller zodiacs boats to be ferried ashore to make our first, snowy, footfall. It was a mixed bag of landings and zodiac cruises over the 5 next days. One phrase we consistently heard is that “conditions can change quickly” and boy, did we experience that. Sometimes we were bathed in glorious sunshine, with crystal clear waters lapping at the base of an ice mountain, sometimes we landed during heavy snow and sometimes a whole excursion had to be canceled due to the conditions. Moral was never low as the crew then substituted alternative activities and lectures.

Additional to the scenery, we saw a plethora of animals, thanks to our sharp eyed captain who could seemingly spot whales at 37 miles out, along with seals, albatrosses, petrels and gulls. But most enjoyable were the inquisitive penguins, who came down to check us out (unless they were preoccupied, we arrived in the breeding season) as soon as we landed.

We left with heavy hearts after 5 days to endure the pain of Drakes Passage, but with memories that cannot so easily be shaken.