Ushuaia to the Falklands

Tuesday, embarkation day, I took a nice long walk from the hotel to downtown Ushuaia and stopped by an internet/phone shop... in addition to a call and email there, I also watched the inauguration, as they had it on TV there. I was flummoxed when the broadcast switched from English to dubbed-over Spanish 7 minutes before the inauguration. I even dashed out onto the street to look for a place nearby that might have had it in English, but no luck. So I went back to the internet place... in the end, I found it fitting to watch it in Spanish – from most people I talked to, the whole world is following the story of our new president. Even the main tourist street in Ushuaia was nearly deserted during the inauguration.

We met our bus at 3:30, and were driven a very short distance through the Port to the pier where our ship, the Akademik Shokalskiy was waiting. Like several other boats in this part of the world, Shokalskiy is a Russian-owned boat with a Russian crew. So in addition to announcements from the Staff over the PA, sometimes we also hear the captain, in Russian, alerting the crew to some issue or other. I like the ship. It was built in the early 1980's as a research vessel used by several institutions, including Seattle University. The ship is clean and basic. The staff are enthusiastic, friendly, and knowledgeable, and very safety-conscious.

At 5:43 we were underway. As we sailed down the Beagle Channel, we met fellow passengers (46 passengers total), checked out our cabins, received our parkas and loaner boots, had a welcome session, did a safety briefing and lifeboat drill, had dinner and, stood on the deck watching birds and scenery. We can also visit the Captain's bridge anytime; later that evening, I went up to the bridge and looked out and saw dolphins "bow riding" – swimming along in the wave off the bow. I ran to get my parka and camera, but by then, the dolphins were gone. I would be frustrated for the next 36 hours as I missed the appearance of the dolphins every time I took a nap.

My cabin mates are Wayne from Calgary, Canada, and Alexey from St. Petersburg, Russia. I am in one of the two triple cabins on this ship, with a shared loo and shower… very tight quarters, and getting in and out of my top bunk is awkward – but the cabin-sharing seems to be working OK. Plus we don't spend much time in the cabins anyway… we're usually on a landing, a briefing in the classroom, or hanging out in the bar.

Every day we get a flyer with the day's scheduled activities and times… landings, lectures, mealtimes, etc. We'll typically do two landings per day. Everything seems to happen efficiently, and it all feels well-planned. And the food is good and healthy.

Wednesday, we were on open ocean all day. And it was crazy… big swells kept the boat rocking and rolling all day. I woke up at 4:30 a.m. and couldn't fall asleep again, as I was getting tossed about by the movement of the ship. Walking anywhere was a challenge, and mealtime was also interesting, trying to keep things from flying off the table. A surprisingly few people got seasick, but I felt OK – probably thanks to good meds (scopalomine patches) but maybe I'm not sensitive. The staff kept us busy all day with lecture sessions about wildlife, history, and photography. Plus we spent more time on the bridge looking out for birds and other wildlife… I was happy to be the first to spot a whale; not sure what species it was because we only saw the spouting and one brief glimpse of the dorsal fin. For being on open water, the day went by quickly. Later in the evening, we stood on the top deck and Dan pointed out various constellations, including the Southern Cross, and explained a little about how mariners used stars to navigate.

Thursday we awoke with the ship anchored at our first landing site. After an early (6:30) breakfast, we "kitted up" as Shane the expedition leader says – donning parkas, rain pants, boots, etc. – and then got into Zodiacs to be transferred to shore. Boarding the zodiacs was an exciting process in the rough seas – the rubber Zodiaks get tossed like toys on the waves, while people are trying to get off the gangplank and into the Zodiaks. Our first landing was at New Island, which is one of the Falkland Islands. On shore we visited a bird colony… I got to see my first penguins in the wild… rockhopper penguins. Also blue-eyed shag (a species of cormorant), and black-browed albatross. We were told if you sit down and stay still long enough, the birds come to you – sometimes taking a nibble at your boot to check you out, or even hopping right up on you. I had some close encounters with a couple rockhoppers, but more notably I was approached by several albatrosses, including one that climbed up on the rock a foot above my head.

We came back to the ship, had lunch, and cruised to our next location, Carcass Island. On the Zodiac ride to shore, we were followed by two Commerson's dolphins that swam along side the Zodiaks, almost close enough to reach out and touch – wow. On Carcass Island, we saw Magellanic Penguins and Gentoo Penguins, nesting near the shore. Then we did a hike up a long ridge on the island. Great views, and a surprise as we crested the ridge and found a gentoo penguin colony on top of the mountain! Seemed very odd that the penguins would choose to make that location their breeding grounds, but there they were. We ended the hike at the home/farm of the only two permanent residents of the island, where they served tea and pastries. Then back to the ship.

Also Thursday, I finally met the other Seattle people… Barbara and Rick, a recently-retired couple. Additionally, Dan, our kayak guide, is originally from Seattle. And Gordon, another fellow passenger, is an engineer who used to live in Seattle and knows several people at R.W. Beck, where I work. The people on this ship are from all over the world, so I'm kinda proud that there are four Seattleites out of about 50 passengers and staff.

I'm on the younger end of the age range among the passengers. The majority are in 50-60 range… several are recent retirees. There are people from United States, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, UK, Hong Kong, and Australia, and probably other countries.

Today (Friday), we woke up in the Port of Stanley, really the only proper town in the Falklands, and the capital. It is a quaint little town… they have preserved the historical feel of the place, although I'm not sure whether that is by intent, or simply because it is so absolutely remote. We Zodiaked to shore, and a few of us jumped in a taxi and went down the road to the nature preserve, where we did a hike that was considerably longer that I expected… saw more Magellanic penguins, mostly in their burrows. Betty-Lou and I fell behind the rest of the group because we were stopping frequently to take photos (she is a professional wildlife photographer). At one point, we just sat down and watched an adult and chick sunning themselves in front of the burrow.

At the end of the hike, I flagged down what I thought was the taxi, but it turned out to be a private vehicle. As soon as I realized my mistake, I apologized, but the driver cheerfully invited us to ride with him. We made it back in town, and went to a pub called the Globe. Had excellent fish and chips (so good I had to order another plate) and a few beers (ah, yes, beer before noon). Walked around the waterfront a little… saw more dolphins swimming in the shallows near the pier, and stopped at the post office. Then back aboard.

The ship tends to be quite warm (I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt as I write this), but that is better than being too cold. It is usually quite cold standing on deck, largely due to the wind. On land, the temps have been pleasant… I was down to a t-shirt today.

There are lots of fun little details about being on the ship. We scrub and disinfect our boots before and after each landing to prevent the introduction of non-native species between islands. We have a little tag board that indicates when we are on or off ship (which I still need to remember better). Another rule is "one hand for the ship," meaning keep one hand free to grab rails or to brace against walls as the ship rolls about. And we wake up each morning to Shane's mellow voice over the PA, with a cheery good morning, and news on weather, breakfast time, and the first planned landing.

Wildlife sightings are good for camaraderie on board… everyone, staff and passengers alike, really gets into comparing what's been seen. I am keeping general track of the interesting/big ones, but not keeping a detailed check list. Plus I have taken photos of just about every species I see.

Once we were all back on board this afternoon, we were quickly underway. It'll be two days of open ocean to reach the South Georgia Islands – wildlife mecca!