Juggling Our Schedule

On Wednesday, eight of the scientists from the United States’ Palmer Research Station came on board after driving out in their inflatable Zodiac boats to meet the ship. They gave a presentation about the environment in which they work and live for months at a time.

Palmer is the smallest of the three U.S. stations in Antarctica. The others, at South Pole and McMurdo Sound, house 200 and 1,100 people, respectively. Palmer’s capacity is 45. Their research is in three main categories: exploration (of plants, animals, weather, subglacial topography, etc.); Antarctica’s role in global systems; and using Antarctica as a platform for other research (such as radio searching for extra terrestrial life).

They are assisted by two research vessels, but they do much of their waterborne work from the small, inflatable Zodiacs.

Tidbits about Antarctic research:

+ The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is at 9300 feet above sea level. (Palmer sits about ten feet above sea level.)
+ Eighty percent of all meteorites found on Earth have been found in the Antarctic (because it’s easier to see the dark-colored rocks against the snow and ice).
+ One species being studied is the icefish, which has white blood, due to the absence of hemoglobin. They are pursuing research that indicates something in that fish’s ability to live with very little oxygen may be helpful in discovering new chemical treatments for melanoma, malaria, and viral infections.
+ Over the last 50 years, the average temperature in Antarctica has increased by six degrees Celsius – a major threat to the existing ecosystem.
+ That temperature change shows up in a dramatic decrease in the population of Adelie penguins.

Thursday was a sea day. The captain advised us to be prepared for 20-foot seas and 50 mph winds as we crossed the Drake Passage from south to north. He was right – it was pretty bumpy, but neither of us had any ill effects while transitioning from Antarctica to the southern tip of South America.

Overnight Thursday Amsterdam navigated through part of the Beagle Channel (named for Darwin’s ship) with the aid of a local pilot, so when we awoke Friday morning we were docked at Ushuaia (oosh-WHY-uh), Argentina, which calls itself the southernmost city on Earth.

It was cold, windy, and rainy, but we walked to a cafe that offered wi-fi and were able to check email. But the connection wasn’t stable enough to post a blog entry. (It takes a long time to upload photos.) So we walked back to the ship in the rain.

That afternoon, just before we were scheduled to leave Ushuaia for our next port, Punta Arenas, Chile, the captain made an announcement. He said there was a storm in the Pacific “of monumental proportions” – 40-foot seas – and he wasn’t willing to sail into it. So our schedule changed. We will have two days in Punta Arenas, instead of our scheduled one. He said that delay will mean we’ll probably miss some of our scheduled ports in the Pacific.

We felt pretty disappointed about that, although we don’t yet know which ports we might skip. At the same time, we very much appreciate our captain’s skills and decision-making based on his 40+ years at sea. If he doesn’t want to sail into that storm, we’re certain that we don’t either!

On Friday night, Amsterdam continued through Beagle Channel. It feels like a river with gorgeous scenery on both banks, although even it can’t compare with the landscape of Antarctica. As the ship slipped between the mountains, we attended the entertainment show – another juggler. This one’s name is Jaz Danion, and he’s much better than the other guy. He did a lot of balancing-type tricks, and his background music, accent, costume, and general demeanor strongly suggested Paris. He is French and he shared a bit about his family: grandfather, father, and uncle, who were all novelty performers. His grandfather took his trained sea lions on the Ed Sullivan Show in the 1960s.

We still don’t know our revised schedule, but are confident it’ll all work out for the best.

Diane is officially welcomed on the pier in a cold rain.

The town of Ushuaia nestles between the mountains and the Beagle Channel.

The paved strip below the center of the picture is the runway for Ushuaia airport.

And the control tower sits on a hill above.

Beagle Channel is surrounded on both sides by scenery like this.

A glacier descends to Beagle Channel.

Beagle Channel scenery