tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31475791314940088562024-03-05T11:15:14.290+00:00New Horizon ExpeditionsTom McManamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16274164893244297038noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147579131494008856.post-25489699954660758092010-02-08T15:25:00.024+00:002010-02-08T19:06:24.038+00:00Antarctica 2010 - Day 14Today was the beginning of the long trip back to Europe for most of us. Our three Galway girls, Rena Norah and Catherine, had already decided that they needed a few more days to see Buenos Aires…and the shopping bags were proof of that!<br /><br />We said our goodbyes on the steps of the hotel and made our way to airport. It wasn’t long before we were airborne once again and settling in for the overnight flight back to Paris.<br /><br />It felt like we had been away for a very long time but in only two weeks we had done and seen a lot. From Dublin to Buenos Aires and a tour of the city, then on to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. Then we caught the first sight of ship the M/V Plancius as she waited in the harbour to take us on our adventure to Antarctica.<br /><br />Out into the Beagle Channel and on across Drake Passage which was kind to us for our crossing. Escorted by a variety of bird life including Albatross and Petrels we then spotted our first sight of Antarctica. We had arrived. The following days were spent visiting some of the most beautiful locations on this planet and seeing some of Antarctica's wildlife in its natural habitat, a real privilege.<br /><br />We've walked, camped, kayaked, talked, laughed, danced and even shed tears of joy during our adventure. It has been a very special trip to a very special place. We had a great group of people who added all the more to make the trip so memorable.<br /><br />There is a saying "it's not the destination but the journey that matters" and in our case I can honestly say the journey was definitely amazing but the destination equally so. Antarctica delivered yet again. It is one of the most special locations on Earth and hopefully will remain so.<br /><br />We have already planned the reunion which will take place in where else other than The South Pole Inn in Annascaul, Co. Kerry in May of this year. The South Pole Inn was originally owned by Tom Crean, our very own Antarctic Explorer so a very fitting place for our motley crew of Antarctic Explorers to meet up again.<br /><br />If you are interested in seeing more on the photos and videos of the trip you can sign up for our newsletter which will have details. We will also be running information evenings if you would like to hear more about travelling to Antarctica or our upcoming trip to the Arctic.<br /><br />We will also be regularly updating the blog with details of other trips, information about the destinations and also logs of other trips we will be doing so a pay a visit now and again.<br /><br />I've included a selection of some other photos from the trip below.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijG5nRNwoJkyRrLIIKotPpfFtSlzDT52UIx27Uespr-gx1SakfE3IBHB55wBPg_XvwJ_u7-O3GgR7kOT7JWZSn7mb29P7MHvWqazSDHDWRwD0Kq4J00-eRI1p9eRhE27jk-pNciHTPSPc/s1600-h/Day+14+11.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 300px; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435945930165773362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijG5nRNwoJkyRrLIIKotPpfFtSlzDT52UIx27Uespr-gx1SakfE3IBHB55wBPg_XvwJ_u7-O3GgR7kOT7JWZSn7mb29P7MHvWqazSDHDWRwD0Kq4J00-eRI1p9eRhE27jk-pNciHTPSPc/s320/Day+14+11.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaenBYL4ZWndPm5K_r7ZaiejGfQpWva7yDubjTTXPZ6vS-LjA-Vy9Wpt8My48axRwvcPCv7WIMhopC5bewn3OHd0wqWTgnIRGiz3kW9KcwYBxhD3eVjAX70XFrNwqKeaKJ4nubeUPLiZ0/s1600-h/Day+14+1.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 300px; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435938582629660994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaenBYL4ZWndPm5K_r7ZaiejGfQpWva7yDubjTTXPZ6vS-LjA-Vy9Wpt8My48axRwvcPCv7WIMhopC5bewn3OHd0wqWTgnIRGiz3kW9KcwYBxhD3eVjAX70XFrNwqKeaKJ4nubeUPLiZ0/s320/Day+14+1.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7DUucSzqcvfEivK4IZIAXY_BrEbHSyUIwR-rquAX8yH_EeoLF-3e5Uwa1kWXdaBGBFj6-YJ-ee9Lctr_8rnOP4h3SK-K7_rnLCeCbaluuDgZmCV3Ii7w6I6knlWMgzCOLL2ln3QvumSY/s1600-h/Day+14+3.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 201px; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435938597517054146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7DUucSzqcvfEivK4IZIAXY_BrEbHSyUIwR-rquAX8yH_EeoLF-3e5Uwa1kWXdaBGBFj6-YJ-ee9Lctr_8rnOP4h3SK-K7_rnLCeCbaluuDgZmCV3Ii7w6I6knlWMgzCOLL2ln3QvumSY/s320/Day+14+3.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitg9sQr5GRstCGttswULbdn9lLG_ybSQldhD0NWPLuOtpzy0BkxI6EeWCGr6eHHJAPfU5Yi4Ayo9qtau9vJf54xtYf6gDCz-ENLbOa6clN0m246hCimRh3c17bElX9c2pHobSqBxn9_Rs/s1600-h/Day+14+2.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 201px; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435938590047703650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitg9sQr5GRstCGttswULbdn9lLG_ybSQldhD0NWPLuOtpzy0BkxI6EeWCGr6eHHJAPfU5Yi4Ayo9qtau9vJf54xtYf6gDCz-ENLbOa6clN0m246hCimRh3c17bElX9c2pHobSqBxn9_Rs/s320/Day+14+2.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexTCAoucrSgYM7uR_deMen9-9Vus6YrrNZR-hBb-vZOe8jLd9LG0_zqbTfTY71h4EYEkNe0DCv-EAvEGOCgxzlbFTxGm3JBNFsBghvQbfP5M38gDDonQlzgYdhE33fb6f2vW8wONZnrg/s1600-h/Day+9+ant2.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 225px; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435941099790651922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexTCAoucrSgYM7uR_deMen9-9Vus6YrrNZR-hBb-vZOe8jLd9LG0_zqbTfTY71h4EYEkNe0DCv-EAvEGOCgxzlbFTxGm3JBNFsBghvQbfP5M38gDDonQlzgYdhE33fb6f2vW8wONZnrg/s320/Day+9+ant2.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7ERDuGYNRp-NYQpswdS049Miy3mz3bFQ-tuEe2YmkngTOuJIszI3kleJyO7P4TN-hStY1K5aoYN2_1azHx9g4mMqiYd8cmq1Unpt0_keJnt77XwUkRa7XIGL8evokDcIRKFDK2mb_sk/s1600-h/Day+14+10.JPG"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg72nGaog59-qqCzNkq7tm_yy_Zi3s0MWqk0sQYO3PrDyAC7EnSZppfdglKGDBctWxfTcmGGTmjvbFuaiqKyUQZWFbdLsMLQbFNQ4I9J5BkV-InKyWJgDssMj_YUF1lOvemIYkB2-bge-s/s1600-h/Day+14+6.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435941111705010578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg72nGaog59-qqCzNkq7tm_yy_Zi3s0MWqk0sQYO3PrDyAC7EnSZppfdglKGDBctWxfTcmGGTmjvbFuaiqKyUQZWFbdLsMLQbFNQ4I9J5BkV-InKyWJgDssMj_YUF1lOvemIYkB2-bge-s/s320/Day+14+6.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMib5mrpA-s610M6V5Bqz1-cW4i9nZoXSBfM8M2EQXJj-pZMb1F_OW-4QwGho0BuhDVaCrrBfgrD0LL7MvZ_tZMRY9ygFqG0GbYQFmIc_1kAD7g6tCaPlniNLk6T4pQnad0d7uMgaRHHE/s1600-h/Day+14+5.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 300px; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435941092134212386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMib5mrpA-s610M6V5Bqz1-cW4i9nZoXSBfM8M2EQXJj-pZMb1F_OW-4QwGho0BuhDVaCrrBfgrD0LL7MvZ_tZMRY9ygFqG0GbYQFmIc_1kAD7g6tCaPlniNLk6T4pQnad0d7uMgaRHHE/s320/Day+14+5.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQw4LXZ7VBvYt1VFUKJHg-WCN67njhjioE4142knYZfkX4twtBBlTnD1FusAEQfVX47-3z3Bd2SOiZf_VIGdZUyLV7SV8osNumqmAgDDDT-p5_k1tOrT5U775eTpqLhVlgE2r4NwlY6s/s1600-h/Day+10+4.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 300px; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435945943152945282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQw4LXZ7VBvYt1VFUKJHg-WCN67njhjioE4142knYZfkX4twtBBlTnD1FusAEQfVX47-3z3Bd2SOiZf_VIGdZUyLV7SV8osNumqmAgDDDT-p5_k1tOrT5U775eTpqLhVlgE2r4NwlY6s/s320/Day+10+4.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_k6qDDfmyL-bCtKr8VBhhf24odaOMuwCpGSSf7RX7n2fARyZbebHZgy0D6nxVtRrEMares7iOrCCDdI4NcGUKGTC-3jHOI8vElxCvKlajVjx6FDa6xpm2UeenVmq2ofBl522-VP-Er3M/s1600-h/Day+14+13.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 300px; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435945950695589234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_k6qDDfmyL-bCtKr8VBhhf24odaOMuwCpGSSf7RX7n2fARyZbebHZgy0D6nxVtRrEMares7iOrCCDdI4NcGUKGTC-3jHOI8vElxCvKlajVjx6FDa6xpm2UeenVmq2ofBl522-VP-Er3M/s320/Day+14+13.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVMGBcv1yIBXl3119uDGVesGODHW4RaPWGgD7s9SzEVP8H5eyGCSaKsZ3ej9CZ_rwuL18ziUZk5Gb9E7-qLhqdkqBiCww2LR52gPCiWnGvQ6lKqbazMvPrW0c0cgzoKkk-AXyfDoiDKkw/s1600-h/Day+14+4.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 300px; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435941089524442450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVMGBcv1yIBXl3119uDGVesGODHW4RaPWGgD7s9SzEVP8H5eyGCSaKsZ3ej9CZ_rwuL18ziUZk5Gb9E7-qLhqdkqBiCww2LR52gPCiWnGvQ6lKqbazMvPrW0c0cgzoKkk-AXyfDoiDKkw/s320/Day+14+4.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLK4IipJuAh-rj8XCWx5CYIfSMiC-xWZgMH4o3bcQDihNDFuIOUV-9uf7GoNzI1XqbzJwuC-rPD77qmBfiSPmIgBTMDlgAAm3KfdWeNtH4smnmZ8BfiPDn5vVsObonXuKav-W_1BnAtic/s1600-h/Day+14+12.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 300px; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435945931370228626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLK4IipJuAh-rj8XCWx5CYIfSMiC-xWZgMH4o3bcQDihNDFuIOUV-9uf7GoNzI1XqbzJwuC-rPD77qmBfiSPmIgBTMDlgAAm3KfdWeNtH4smnmZ8BfiPDn5vVsObonXuKav-W_1BnAtic/s320/Day+14+12.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdk5pLo-MjWtlbsTACVqZokJOvOGF-eVuF3h60a8sZGTbeUSrh-bimPoxdaZ0sKAFVcM9w8MYOde4wIJArkco61MfujffeoUs8RelBuAyZFgTs1JzXTGsKScjPaZxjZW9I-v8w_YeZMg/s1600-h/Day+14+8.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 300px; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435945922670327314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdk5pLo-MjWtlbsTACVqZokJOvOGF-eVuF3h60a8sZGTbeUSrh-bimPoxdaZ0sKAFVcM9w8MYOde4wIJArkco61MfujffeoUs8RelBuAyZFgTs1JzXTGsKScjPaZxjZW9I-v8w_YeZMg/s320/Day+14+8.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKkqs2BNTzRQIxe8ur2GWCnCni7wC5kEkfRUbcgnIw-m98yZjUqkkcV5SsjKQXBMWFY_Q7_jPaPDARDdXCZbwUsRlSI9-3Bj6DTYGKHRdRQHc87if6Z7Le0wC4CwMNFvE2PpIptQ7TCo/s1600-h/Day+14+18.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 300px; HEIGHT: 225px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435948417871804834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKkqs2BNTzRQIxe8ur2GWCnCni7wC5kEkfRUbcgnIw-m98yZjUqkkcV5SsjKQXBMWFY_Q7_jPaPDARDdXCZbwUsRlSI9-3Bj6DTYGKHRdRQHc87if6Z7Le0wC4CwMNFvE2PpIptQ7TCo/s320/Day+14+18.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQa48I7R96sDo5mOxe3IGyxb4wtDhDNNIzQktcgdICO3qy8wP-5hsjOM8QV53ILuGcylbGCG6dPVlm92EoI38CF8CkqUBVxx71sqMPlXmbpDvgHkYGNATQPL6GQQQs2paK1hqHydviogU/s1600-h/Day+14+17.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 300px; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435948413843666450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQa48I7R96sDo5mOxe3IGyxb4wtDhDNNIzQktcgdICO3qy8wP-5hsjOM8QV53ILuGcylbGCG6dPVlm92EoI38CF8CkqUBVxx71sqMPlXmbpDvgHkYGNATQPL6GQQQs2paK1hqHydviogU/s320/Day+14+17.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_dYz54piVuEuzimhoe7rl1MgEbdvu1D4Lp6z37tOOBg_zo6pOSFmzwWipFbszEjSN7DF7AEg-1q8ad3_q7OeDhyphenhyphenD_3bGoIJMGyi97bCFxQh3auN8PyDQ1E2l_RHZyvXaaap6pCkqNMGM/s1600-h/Day+14+18.JPG"></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrRCtKi9T811EKfQlkRylWD4PwrT6cBoC-gVj6Syg_UQ0N39AI46FcVc6YIJ6QXjYUu52PMX6Cpp0eJ0ia2Z8kdexPJVR-MqJd1BkOkP4uezFsOxHbUTJTCUm3ob-OkTiMBmgu23bGgo/s1600-h/Day+14+15.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 201px; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435948407517178258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrRCtKi9T811EKfQlkRylWD4PwrT6cBoC-gVj6Syg_UQ0N39AI46FcVc6YIJ6QXjYUu52PMX6Cpp0eJ0ia2Z8kdexPJVR-MqJd1BkOkP4uezFsOxHbUTJTCUm3ob-OkTiMBmgu23bGgo/s320/Day+14+15.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxnf23EeDD49qtt3QVZfd8oSssPLVbPHhDoMADhJSmto0gvJebOOd2_qXmim0Ry7pcwoxx21zYpjDvh6ZcfBU2ehu9ZV53LSbCI7w7IE-zb68tgxoUc64WPZcdwErIgHt0OUJBaJtbvqY/s1600-h/Day+14+14.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 300px; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435948395583031794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxnf23EeDD49qtt3QVZfd8oSssPLVbPHhDoMADhJSmto0gvJebOOd2_qXmim0Ry7pcwoxx21zYpjDvh6ZcfBU2ehu9ZV53LSbCI7w7IE-zb68tgxoUc64WPZcdwErIgHt0OUJBaJtbvqY/s320/Day+14+14.JPG" /></a><br /><div><br />Thanks for visiting our blog. I hope you enjoyed getting a little taste of what our trip was about. If you have any comments or questions you can contact me directly at <a href="mailto:tommc@newhorizon.ie">tommc@newhorizon.ie</a><br /><br />Best wishes and happy travels wherever they may be to,<br /><br />Tom McManamon - New Horizon Expeditions - <a href="http://www.newhorizon.ie/">http://www.newhorizon.ie/</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYNKuqkBG0sBcyExWp-0Ofc0wa1GG79yqzvKmRmrFwmuTG90vB_43x_BIwDkHAJ7Xl5wtQQqcH6RbW2VIovtKSeRTl6h8iwJTepmMu-_oAw1d0VjLLmYSmZtaQgXraSpDnRKGRIm4vCc/s1600-h/Day+14+16.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 300px; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435936616598264690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYNKuqkBG0sBcyExWp-0Ofc0wa1GG79yqzvKmRmrFwmuTG90vB_43x_BIwDkHAJ7Xl5wtQQqcH6RbW2VIovtKSeRTl6h8iwJTepmMu-_oAw1d0VjLLmYSmZtaQgXraSpDnRKGRIm4vCc/s320/Day+14+16.JPG" /></a> </div></div></div>Tom McManamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16274164893244297038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147579131494008856.post-31513847584214007362010-02-07T18:34:00.008+00:002010-02-07T21:37:47.149+00:00Antarctica 2010 – Day 13<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDr_3qFoAh9lgkgNIuG1I9iPGMeP4n6FYaPAR3NwHY1unyeDWdGHQznWNT1rz6v2kcNp9IISv6eG1UKMbJ_pyCGhbsoxgBRIBJ1IgfOWccthqGbztB0_3JFQYAYFvbmNYtzgfkHNXxRV4/s1600-h/day13+2.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 264px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435582450904552082" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDr_3qFoAh9lgkgNIuG1I9iPGMeP4n6FYaPAR3NwHY1unyeDWdGHQznWNT1rz6v2kcNp9IISv6eG1UKMbJ_pyCGhbsoxgBRIBJ1IgfOWccthqGbztB0_3JFQYAYFvbmNYtzgfkHNXxRV4/s320/day13+2.jpg" /></a><br />We get our last alarm call at 7.30am. After breakfast and customs clearance we were allowed to disembark. We were met by our local guide and transferred to their local offices in Ushuaia. Our bags were stored there to allow everyone some free time in Ushuaia before our flight later that afternoon.<br /><br />Some people opted to take a cable car to the nearby glacier. Others visited the Maritime, Prison & Antarctic Museum located at the east end of town. That’s right Martime, Prison and Antarctic as well as an art gallery! It’s a really interesting museum with areas dedicated to the Maritime history of Ushuaia, the history of the Prison in which the Museum is housed, Antarctic history and also has a gallery as well as some additional wildlife displays.<br /><br /><br />It’s a quirky kind of place but this adds to its charm and there is plenty to see. You could easily pass two or three hours here.<br /><br />We headed to the nearby airport at 3pm and it wasn’t long before we were airborne and retracing our route back up to Buenos Aires. We were well and truly back to the hustle and bustle of civilisation! We had a last glance from the air down to the port where Plancius was berthed preparing to set off again into the Beagle Channel that evening to begin another voyage, this time to the Falklands, South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula.<br /><br />We arrived into a very different Buenos Aires than we had left. Three days of monsoon rains had left the city with rivers of water running through the streets. The approach from the air showed plenty of evidence of flooding with fields full of water and rivers overflowing.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKe_UVdVL990OSwdfXrG_hkuRyVWV2W5GOXRlRaxabxnNaC3KsbJ8lYumpJpHMobz6xiHiWuNBVKgZPgkdt0d3ttu7pwdAimbJfXGl8MkM5VqcBiNjJTAzDoTlxhF_Ii3WI-UTva1Yb-w/s1600-h/day13+1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 202px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435582753099782946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKe_UVdVL990OSwdfXrG_hkuRyVWV2W5GOXRlRaxabxnNaC3KsbJ8lYumpJpHMobz6xiHiWuNBVKgZPgkdt0d3ttu7pwdAimbJfXGl8MkM5VqcBiNjJTAzDoTlxhF_Ii3WI-UTva1Yb-w/s320/day13+1.jpg" /></a>Alexjandra our guide met us at the airport after some traffic delays and soon we were making our way back in the city for our final nights stay. There was time for a quick freshen up before we were off again. A final night out had been arranged to mark the end of our adventure. The Esquina Carlos Gardel was our destination for a dinner and Tango Show. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwsVsqrlhd7aXyoRnB8LxkwACbA9_0zbmMZQUmqMPXfNsX7vj847alqUKMORe9ij_dwQKXDHeRKmrxk0HKN-SKPBSy8p7pRQF33NuJNDRkfAd7Q_1p2u00NcGwZTK9Yw7ryKPuUm54Qs/s1600-h/day13+3.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 229px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435585469949772690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwsVsqrlhd7aXyoRnB8LxkwACbA9_0zbmMZQUmqMPXfNsX7vj847alqUKMORe9ij_dwQKXDHeRKmrxk0HKN-SKPBSy8p7pRQF33NuJNDRkfAd7Q_1p2u00NcGwZTK9Yw7ryKPuUm54Qs/s320/day13+3.jpg" /></a>The restaurant/theatre is a beautifully decorated building thta offers good food and wine along with a the show thta celebrates the music of Carlos Gardel, a famous Argentine singer. The show was a mix of song and dance with some amazing displays of Tango dancing and everyone enjoyed themselves.<br /><br />We also had a little surprise for a couple of our group. Brendan and Olga had let it slip during the trip that this had been part of their honeymoon so we had a champagne toast in their honour to mark the occasion.<br /><br />We made our way back to the hotel. Some decided that they were not quite finished with Buenos Aires just yet and headed out to some of the local bars for a nightcap or two!Tom McManamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16274164893244297038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147579131494008856.post-82319077706701232602010-02-06T15:30:00.007+00:002010-02-06T15:42:51.536+00:00Antarctica 2010 - Day 12Still on the Drake Passage. Everything started to change again. We were still being visited by many birds including Petrels, Gulls and Albatros. People were out on deck making the most of the remaining time. We were all aware of the little time left and thoughts were now turning to the rest of the journey home.<br /><br />On board the staff had arranged some more presentations, one about Shackleton’s journeys and another by the expedition leader about Arctic Spitsbergen which is another destination that the Plancius travels to during the northern hemisphere summertime.<br /><br />Already people are making plans to visit the north. They’ve been bitten by the Polar bug!<br /><br />We had our final dinner together and the staff had created a trip log for us with day by day details about the trip as well as photos and maps of our adventure. Many of the passengers had submitted some of their photos and Anjali, one of the expedition staff put together a great slide show. I will put a link to the slide show on the blog next week when I get back to Dublin. It really is worth a look.<br /><br />Later that evening we arrived at the Beagle Channel ahead of schedule and anchored there waiting for the Pilot to board the ship to guide it into port. The sight of mountains with trees and green grass was strange to see and another reminder that our voyage was coming to an end.<br /><br />We were not due to <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SBKgieaGgGxl6-KMfHwQ-AOJ7DhGuRhuqX0lnpmJ9wV0IPa0EFBqpm-vvvcfSL_QBRSYNceMWwTcPYOvCZh8AOA7lsI2Mr-ruN_LOTEOlUU02-VaHNRGRU2pZZW_3xRgIClgOC9nuDU/s1600-h/Day+12+1.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435154968882383058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SBKgieaGgGxl6-KMfHwQ-AOJ7DhGuRhuqX0lnpmJ9wV0IPa0EFBqpm-vvvcfSL_QBRSYNceMWwTcPYOvCZh8AOA7lsI2Mr-ruN_LOTEOlUU02-VaHNRGRU2pZZW_3xRgIClgOC9nuDU/s320/Day+12+1.JPG" /></a>anchor back at Ushuaia until 7am <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYBJqAAujElPjztGqRV_KzhXEj3tG1s7O5SpChJdVnrvuqThnVe0YtJLJ4Hf-WQkfkm1lyy5BEEO7bSReHru2hek57hhF9u0T2uggzfN6lLC1HVa9YJJShlTzDipJj-M_QjT3v_miEYZU/s1600-h/Day+12+2.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435155163321904914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYBJqAAujElPjztGqRV_KzhXEj3tG1s7O5SpChJdVnrvuqThnVe0YtJLJ4Hf-WQkfkm1lyy5BEEO7bSReHru2hek57hhF9u0T2uggzfN6lLC1HVa9YJJShlTzDipJj-M_QjT3v_miEYZU/s320/Day+12+2.JPG" /></a>tomorrow morning. The pilot will board at 12.30 am and then Plancius will make it’s way up the Beagle Channel overnight. In the meantime we will all make the most of our last night on Plancius.<br /><br />Remember you can track the voyage by clicking <a href="http://newhorizon.ie/antarctica/antarctic2010plancius.htm">here</a>.Tom McManamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16274164893244297038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147579131494008856.post-74057419385339247442010-02-06T01:25:00.005+00:002010-02-06T01:36:07.630+00:00Antarctica 2010 – Day 11<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Pdrz80n38LA0K1f-KiwJdwa-pNL-2j5FdmSnD1wE5-iOnWG12VJTI0UF1BSx9YPwaUV79e5Hz7SCdvQ0veJoh8ZLoyNEH8kEu8Y9Mie4nx29S4no7rd3i3M4peAFX44V9Tf8eS5rDm8/s1600-h/Day+11+1.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434936152569518546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Pdrz80n38LA0K1f-KiwJdwa-pNL-2j5FdmSnD1wE5-iOnWG12VJTI0UF1BSx9YPwaUV79e5Hz7SCdvQ0veJoh8ZLoyNEH8kEu8Y9Mie4nx29S4no7rd3i3M4peAFX44V9Tf8eS5rDm8/s320/Day+11+1.JPG" /></span></a><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">It’s our last day in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place st="on">Antarctica</st1:place>!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The campers returned at about 6am after a night on the ice. They had a beautiful sunrise to greet them this morning and all were in high spirits after a good night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The ship started sailing about 6.30 once zodiacs were loaded back on board. The morning was sunny and perfect for cruising north again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><div><div><div><div><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiarNLZxCvWS-QkU8tT-oCzyvby-_lVSiJSUkoqMmE56LwA4KmSjdXxXKLq7Gvf1-3hNaCztKLcgV1iS-6hMMNMXENiHhZBD2hjzSpGPVTSUoviJzvTeifV1XdEp-p4GW-fz6f_rtbUv0/s1600-h/Day+11+3.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 201px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434936145881874018" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiarNLZxCvWS-QkU8tT-oCzyvby-_lVSiJSUkoqMmE56LwA4KmSjdXxXKLq7Gvf1-3hNaCztKLcgV1iS-6hMMNMXENiHhZBD2hjzSpGPVTSUoviJzvTeifV1XdEp-p4GW-fz6f_rtbUv0/s320/Day+11+3.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">The weather for the week could not have been better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is definitely not normal for voyages down here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You can usually expect at least a couple of bad weather days and often the odd cancelled landing…but not this time…someone was looking out for us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The plan was to make our way north again to the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Melchior</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Islands</st1:placetype></st1:place> which would be our last zodiac and kayak trip for the voyage :-(<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">We sailed back through the Lemaire Channel again and on through the Neumeyer Channel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The scenery was fantastic and everyone was out on deck to soak it up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was a quick breakfast and then a return to deck to absorb more of the scenes around us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtCFSqTJsbU1YHunr22YGbgUQwlH-HpgkaLjqktUYO2i9qi2h8x1n21aKWcbkjhvDfDqn8WAHt_OlBdEIqNdY7p987QwN-ca9dRqtq5L9z9npzi84voo86kM28z-i-YZIZtwCu8VEXE2E/s1600-h/Day+11+4.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 201px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434936141860284594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtCFSqTJsbU1YHunr22YGbgUQwlH-HpgkaLjqktUYO2i9qi2h8x1n21aKWcbkjhvDfDqn8WAHt_OlBdEIqNdY7p987QwN-ca9dRqtq5L9z9npzi84voo86kM28z-i-YZIZtwCu8VEXE2E/s320/Day+11+4.JPG" /></span></a>We also had a chance to get a few group photos and make an attempt to commit mutiny on the ship by flying the Irish flag…you can take us nowhere!</span></span><br /><br /></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">We arrived at the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Melchior</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Islands</st1:placetype></st1:place> at about 2pm and prepared for the zodiac cruise as well as readying the kayaks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There were only 3 single kayaks heading out.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><o:p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;"></span></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">The afternoon was spent cruising through the narrow channels and ice cliffs which ran between the islands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There was also an Adelie Penguin colony located there and plenty of seals around including Weddell and Fur Seals, so lots to see.</span></span><br /></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><o:p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;"></span></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">We were slow to return to the ship realising that this would be our last trip and the time to make the voyage home was approaching.</span></span></span><br /><br /></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuW2LmpMQeD6AAC7tIzeqOVTKSpWmw8NRyWkXuuvmoS1Qx0qjgmJZaN2Gq8D_cvFriwjBbZrHXy60MlIdhYmD3q5qINCiY29YAhuJM5nIJ0NKdSdtonXcNCeNo50yEZCPbPLqudj2XF44/s1600-h/Day+11+5.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434936138782863394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuW2LmpMQeD6AAC7tIzeqOVTKSpWmw8NRyWkXuuvmoS1Qx0qjgmJZaN2Gq8D_cvFriwjBbZrHXy60MlIdhYmD3q5qINCiY29YAhuJM5nIJ0NKdSdtonXcNCeNo50yEZCPbPLqudj2XF44/s320/Day+11+5.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Once everyone was onboard everything was tied down in preparation for the voyage back across the Drake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The weather forecast for the next day or so was looking good so it looked like, yet again, fate was in our favour and we would have a calm sail back to Ushuaia.</span></span></span><br /><br /></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Dinner was served at about 7pm and we were just about to head out into the Drake again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Suddenly from the starboard side there was a shout “Whales!”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>From the windows we could see a group Humpback Whales about 20 metres from the ship. We were all out of our seats to look. It seemed to be a mother and calf and two others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As we passed they started to dive and displayed their flukes as they went to feed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">We were just back to our seats and then there was another shout, this time from the other side of the ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>More whales, another group of Humpbacks again diving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Within minutes again more whales…it was almost like <st1:place st="on">Antarctica</st1:place> was giving us a final send off.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">It was a very happy bunch of people that sailed out into <st1:place st="on">Drake Passage</st1:place> to begin the voyage back to Ushuaia.</span></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> </p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Remember you can track the voyage by clicking <a href="http://newhorizon.ie/antarctica/antarctic2010plancius.htm">here</a>.</span></span></span></p></div></div></div></div>Tom McManamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16274164893244297038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147579131494008856.post-68751180019561489282010-02-02T18:16:00.003+00:002010-02-02T18:25:31.483+00:00Antarctica 2010 – Day 10<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wC_tfFUTMXvIBtn2sugurQs4aTnfWvIGIN-GtIfAP-SolhgZeFo15EEzKvhHkRg-b0N_-UoNsmIB2wpRHmqrnjKbEayCdlpdSyjAfu0FiMkTpxGGITvml54f5ZPeY_5XLP2I3C-obnA/s1600-h/Day+10+2.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433712178986076178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wC_tfFUTMXvIBtn2sugurQs4aTnfWvIGIN-GtIfAP-SolhgZeFo15EEzKvhHkRg-b0N_-UoNsmIB2wpRHmqrnjKbEayCdlpdSyjAfu0FiMkTpxGGITvml54f5ZPeY_5XLP2I3C-obnA/s320/Day+10+2.JPG" /></span></a>Another great day for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Weather conditions can’t be any better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><div><div><div><div><div><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The plan today was to visit <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Petermann</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Island</st1:placetype></st1:place> which was a wintering location for one of the French explorers, Jean-Baptiste Charcot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He spent winter there in 1909 aboard his ship, the Pourquoi Pas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is also the northern-most Adelie Penguin rookery in <st1:place st="on">Antarctica</st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Besides Adelies, Gentoo Penguins and Blue-eyed Shags breed there too.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The Kayakers made a trip around the shore visiting some of the ice caves and bergs in the bay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Some really spectacular views to see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There was a little more swell in the sea today which made the kayaking that bit more interesting.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">After lunch we were invited to visit the Ukrainian Vernadsky Research Station located at the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Argentine</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Islands</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is our southernmost position on the voyage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The station was formerly British and named Faraday and transferred to Ukrainian ownership in 1996.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Its real claim to fame is that it was here that the Ozone hole above <st1:place st="on">Antarctica</st1:place> was discovered.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZhW-YoR8jaK1UAl6AZfJ8g798gPfALV9zMNaVWPI1qA-eCP5qk_r7Uc82Fm-3ZDiL0zxvTF_i2JMsBH9VzBkUh8wkwm1CiD-OK5_l8qUOC1LCaNnRJCNQ6QrvqYwalScXjFdsHVDNJFs/s1600-h/Day+10+3.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433712178558435554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZhW-YoR8jaK1UAl6AZfJ8g798gPfALV9zMNaVWPI1qA-eCP5qk_r7Uc82Fm-3ZDiL0zxvTF_i2JMsBH9VzBkUh8wkwm1CiD-OK5_l8qUOC1LCaNnRJCNQ6QrvqYwalScXjFdsHVDNJFs/s320/Day+10+3.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">It is also unique for another unusual reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The station has its very own bar, specially built by the station carpenter when in British possession.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s a typically British style bar but instead of beer you can now have Vodka, distilled at the station no less!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So twelve staff, 6 scientists and 6 supports (electrician, mechanic, doctor etc.) and one distillery…now if that isn’t good prioritising then I don’t know what is!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">After a tour around the station by Eugene (because it’s easier than his real name) we sampled some of the local brew and it was good, very good…in fact so good we had to sample more just to be sure.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1AI3-m4juYplENQU4X-q6WZ5dJ89cvxRHthLA2TZ0wo090VbsjsN8SR6BLIwY5G9nqMHAxhm_b8yJtYbXHsVJJEMOrRjV9icnY6lZwwEA1eBo-DXc96WhFpdrRiI752u96ZzT3B6CM6Q/s1600-h/Day+10+4.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433712171660972946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1AI3-m4juYplENQU4X-q6WZ5dJ89cvxRHthLA2TZ0wo090VbsjsN8SR6BLIwY5G9nqMHAxhm_b8yJtYbXHsVJJEMOrRjV9icnY6lZwwEA1eBo-DXc96WhFpdrRiI752u96ZzT3B6CM6Q/s320/Day+10+4.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">So with our bellies warmed it was off again to the zodiacs and kayaks for a cruise around the channels and bay along with a visit to Wordie House which was the original British base at the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Argentine</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Islands</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was built around mid 40’s and has been kept exactly as it was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is not a museum as such but rather just a hut that you can visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Everything had been left as it was even down to boxes of stores still in storage including cans of coffee, pemmican, Bovril, dried onions and egg powder…yummy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Back to the boats again…<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDYfAc8Soi9sYkkjoYf0MMwZBLlASE416QS5GE4c3KmjVEu-MGUpdOA_oA1xRYxSspKUKvTmxg_14AvwKrwrG6WiUu6cvmn3Y2Sfurju3RdeXGeRD_ZSIgozKbaZmcPhAcPmpRblAiJI/s1600-h/Day+10+1.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433712185715205170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDYfAc8Soi9sYkkjoYf0MMwZBLlASE416QS5GE4c3KmjVEu-MGUpdOA_oA1xRYxSspKUKvTmxg_14AvwKrwrG6WiUu6cvmn3Y2Sfurju3RdeXGeRD_ZSIgozKbaZmcPhAcPmpRblAiJI/s320/Day+10+1.JPG" /></span></a>Then <st1:place st="on">Antarctica</st1:place> delivered her greatest gift so far…a group of Humpback Whales.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Three whales, two adults and a calf were spotted in the bay and provided a spectacular display of fin slapping and fluking displaying their massive fluke as they dived to feed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This was all happening within feet of the boats so needless to say it was an excited group of explorers that got back to ship.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">As we boarded we were met by the crew who handed out rum which we had received from a Brazilian yacht anchored nearby the night before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A perfect end to an even more perfect day…although it wasn’t over for some.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>After dinner a second group headed out to camp for the night on the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Argentine</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Islands</st1:placetype></st1:place>.</span></span><br /><br /></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv-8WNlDRglydcXQQfBTAv45_QG3WH5B0CnaZKzlpUOCLgM5m4v_M2XernDYO3YiZTduhn1gdXBcdPi9rtbI2xg1tChO4CGhFzJIbGmk_ApOCLfCKvtuSPmPIRYhBk0eLqlvkIUfwU9PY/s1600-h/Day+10+5.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433712167147949618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv-8WNlDRglydcXQQfBTAv45_QG3WH5B0CnaZKzlpUOCLgM5m4v_M2XernDYO3YiZTduhn1gdXBcdPi9rtbI2xg1tChO4CGhFzJIbGmk_ApOCLfCKvtuSPmPIRYhBk0eLqlvkIUfwU9PY/s320/Day+10+5.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Camp was set on a hill with a 360 degree view overlooking the channel and bay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Every one busied themselves pitching tents in case of stormy weather but the plan was to sleep out which we all did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There’s always time for a bit more fun and it wasn’t long before the inner child had us speeding down the hillside on plastic bags.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As the light faded, one by one we started to get ready for sleep.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Spending a night in the open wrapped up in sleeping bags and a bivouac is a very special experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Watching the light change on the mountains and icebergs as day moves to night and listening to the sounds of Antarctic is food for the soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I don’t think there is anywhere in the world that can compare.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">All around you could here the sounds of nature, nearby birds calling, the constant hushed sound of glacial melt water running into the bay and now and then the crack and thunder of a glacier calving or the sound of a whale blow. Pure, pure magic.</span></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Remember you can track the voyage by clicking <a href="http://newhorizon.ie/antarctica/antarctic2010plancius.htm">here</a>.</span></span></span></p></div></div></div></div></div>Tom McManamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16274164893244297038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147579131494008856.post-77684763049230781002010-02-02T11:56:00.002+00:002010-02-02T12:31:21.657+00:00Antarctica 2010 – Day 9<div><div><div><div><div><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place st="on"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggJSyv-FcDBRbQ-I4jCqzwg7dkNycvTWNVIE-AaMxLEC1Jbq-BUn2_xKmgNxxegHEAUIatwZCGSW2AE8HnS96s2lR-CbXUSzoWsKvzFl_M_Z9mW8s58nR1B8PBCeyLc3LL5f_e6GnAoW8/s1600-h/Day+9+ant1.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 225px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433619359904439522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggJSyv-FcDBRbQ-I4jCqzwg7dkNycvTWNVIE-AaMxLEC1Jbq-BUn2_xKmgNxxegHEAUIatwZCGSW2AE8HnS96s2lR-CbXUSzoWsKvzFl_M_Z9mW8s58nR1B8PBCeyLc3LL5f_e6GnAoW8/s320/Day+9+ant1.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Antarctica</span></span></st1:place><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-size:130%;"> just will not stop surprising us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">We get a call at 6.30am announcing that we have reached the Lemaire Channel and conditions are perfect with mirror like waters, blue skies and sunshine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Walking out onto deck we were greeted with the most amazing scenery yet. As we sailed through the channel we were surrounded on each side by huge mountain which then narrowed at the end of the channel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The peaks at the end formed what looked like some mythical gateway.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><o:p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;"></span></o:p></span></p><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Passing through this natural gateway we then arrived at an iceberg strewn bay with bergs of all shapes and sizes stretching out all around as far as the eye could see.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br /></span><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span></span> </p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Everyone was now on deck with cameras clicking trying to capture the beauty and sheer size of our surroundings but it really is impossible to do this place justice with a camera or words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It really does have to be seen to be believed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Aa1OO9KV7noX-UYqDlE81dS20OFtDz2AyuHaxi7oWHpJqVfOB1UCLGaMmdD3CnVWbNUTrGszT922zO-pYkhFMCB_HrilQAbuG7ygxEtlXTLJIILyZH-nD5J1DgWG90o46vYQTFgXKhg/s1600-h/Day+9+ant2.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 225px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433619352047650418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Aa1OO9KV7noX-UYqDlE81dS20OFtDz2AyuHaxi7oWHpJqVfOB1UCLGaMmdD3CnVWbNUTrGszT922zO-pYkhFMCB_HrilQAbuG7ygxEtlXTLJIILyZH-nD5J1DgWG90o46vYQTFgXKhg/s320/Day+9+ant2.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">The plan for today was a zodiac cruise around <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Pleneau</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Island</st1:placetype></st1:place> and the bay to get close to the bergs and some of the seals that haul up on the bergs to sunbath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Close to the ship we spotted a Leopard Seal basking on one the ice floes. Once zodiacs were loaded people started to get a little closer for a look.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As we were looking at the seal a single Gentoo penguin, the main diet of Leopard Seals, darted from the water landing on the ice but within a second was back in the water, a bad choice of ice to land on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Funny to observe but at the same time you are reminded of how tough life is down here. It’s a constant struggle for survival every day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfk1mvn2OYbyQq2tixqSM22QzQDfL02T-yhSGfiqkSVi6Q0-s6B8ZLQu5hMV8RB6XOLyU-oG7ii0nFs1wUNpIR3TBFnn_o0tncUaxwf62mkaqIwrUieWyJrwTtSL2cqcD6DrfoTqAS1TU/s1600-h/Day+9+ant3.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 225px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433619350802758402" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfk1mvn2OYbyQq2tixqSM22QzQDfL02T-yhSGfiqkSVi6Q0-s6B8ZLQu5hMV8RB6XOLyU-oG7ii0nFs1wUNpIR3TBFnn_o0tncUaxwf62mkaqIwrUieWyJrwTtSL2cqcD6DrfoTqAS1TU/s320/Day+9+ant3.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">The kayakers had set out at the same time and headed across the bay visiting some of the shallower channels not accessible by zodiac. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>They got to cruise one channel with gigantic ice cliffs on one side dwarfing the kayaks as they passed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s these times when you really feel how enormous <st1:place st="on">Antarctica</st1:place> is.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Both groups also got to see some young Elephant seals basking on the rocks after feeding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s unusual for this area but sometimes they do wander great distances from their normal breeding and feeding areas so this was a extra treat for us.</span></span><br /></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKPm1xet34O1OSotXijQWyVr16lk5ydZkXpvuqU5HytYx0OCry_p2e6ds7yCRTV0hTkSmFtVlaqKhHkpzeFT_w2vBwtne02QJ8fdPJ2n1s609DYVjnugwv-bNbnKkgRwSFJeYV-mCSkI/s1600-h/Day+9+ant4.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433619346339810610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKPm1xet34O1OSotXijQWyVr16lk5ydZkXpvuqU5HytYx0OCry_p2e6ds7yCRTV0hTkSmFtVlaqKhHkpzeFT_w2vBwtne02QJ8fdPJ2n1s609DYVjnugwv-bNbnKkgRwSFJeYV-mCSkI/s320/Day+9+ant4.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">The rest of the time was just spent cruising around the icebergs in their many shapes and sizes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The wind and water can act as sculptures down here shaping and changing the bergs. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>Beautiful forms, colours, ice arches, glaciers and caves surround the whole area. It’s hard to try taking it all in.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Back on board everyone is swapping their experiences and browsing photos before heading for lunch and preparing for the next outing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">This time it’s off to Port Charcot and <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Booth</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Island</st1:placetype></st1:place> to see more Elephant seals and penguin colonies and cruise some more of the icebergs in the area. The bay is so large and there is so much to see.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4l1CuB2uRZE0t0lHI4K8rTPRCi-vmFtDEEaPlvWjGBHIvpLcgLCye8H_8M_K1e3BRiegZ-DcTUC5KS8bu-7YP7BJV1kSNc8n9x2_GElbTZblLJNDSVprk2Fwfb4WS64cDK4FXtbIvotw/s1600-h/Day+9+ant5.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433619337616636418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4l1CuB2uRZE0t0lHI4K8rTPRCi-vmFtDEEaPlvWjGBHIvpLcgLCye8H_8M_K1e3BRiegZ-DcTUC5KS8bu-7YP7BJV1kSNc8n9x2_GElbTZblLJNDSVprk2Fwfb4WS64cDK4FXtbIvotw/s320/Day+9+ant5.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Tonight was the night when the first group went ashore to camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There was a group of 15 and they headed off about 8.30 Pleneau <st1:place st="on">Island</st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The first job was to get the tents set up in a good location and then prepare the sleeping equipment including sleeping bags and bivouac bags.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Using this equipment you can choose to sleep out under the skies instead of the tents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The tents are there for additional shelter if a storm comes in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There are also emergency provisions available in the event that the campers cannot be retrieved the following morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is <st1:place st="on">Antarctica</st1:place> and things can change very quickly so every event has to be planned for.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The weather was in their favour, not too cold, no wind and very light sporadic snowfall. Once all was setup the zodiacs returned to ship leaving the group to enjoy one of the most amazing sunsets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They were in for a real treat tonight camping in <st1:place st="on">Antarctica</st1:place>.</span></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></span></span> </p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Remember you can track the voyage by clicking <a href="http://newhorizon.ie/antarctica/antarctic2010plancius.htm">here</a>.</span></span></span></p></div></div></div></div></div>Tom McManamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16274164893244297038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147579131494008856.post-10696417799505968322010-02-01T00:44:00.004+00:002010-02-02T12:32:47.436+00:00Antarctica 2010 – Day 8<p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuPG7sf2EjS29i3K2K2xBjtYVwXK9v6QLFaEmi9JMt-CPvV2sV5vMvZBwKoF89oTkZ__e0YiUrc0fSXIa6_ndxG27Vf1-ecRASqHk0jsD33YWGzroOd8lNFFYJQiHke7XsnpF2lboTLPI/s1600-h/Day+8+ant4.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 225px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433069875696871154" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuPG7sf2EjS29i3K2K2xBjtYVwXK9v6QLFaEmi9JMt-CPvV2sV5vMvZBwKoF89oTkZ__e0YiUrc0fSXIa6_ndxG27Vf1-ecRASqHk0jsD33YWGzroOd8lNFFYJQiHke7XsnpF2lboTLPI/s320/Day+8+ant4.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Today we visit <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Dorian</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Bay</st1:placetype></st1:place> and Port Lockroy which are located in the Neumayer Channel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We arrived this morning to a more overcast and colder day although still very calm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This gives the location a more eerie and mysterious feel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><st1:place st="on">Antarctica</st1:place> showing another side of itself.</span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The plan today is for zodiacs to visit <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Dorian</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Bay</st1:placetype></st1:place> which is a small natural harbour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is a large area dotted with groups of Gentoo penguins nesting at various locations and gives everyone a good chance to stretch the legs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There is plenty of place to stroll off by yourself and get some personal time with your very own nest site.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhokERS8ilhYaYQEcaNlBRjhxVPNHAsMUpc0jjnplYylWd0Gfo6jvXZJ_FH_vXCkQqVYEyuwETjRjQt2jr3FSpyYQ8yEu9fN7x_IThuq7fecoiXj9et4kl_hcHQxu77gsFR-TX1fiznA_4/s1600-h/Day+8+ant3.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433069880900878594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhokERS8ilhYaYQEcaNlBRjhxVPNHAsMUpc0jjnplYylWd0Gfo6jvXZJ_FH_vXCkQqVYEyuwETjRjQt2jr3FSpyYQ8yEu9fN7x_IThuq7fecoiXj9et4kl_hcHQxu77gsFR-TX1fiznA_4/s320/Day+8+ant3.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">The general consensus seems to be that this has been the best zodiac landing yet.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Meanwhile the kayakers were away early heading further out into the Neumayer Channel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The channel itself is very wide with plenty of floating and grounded iceberg scattered around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There is also a lot of brash ice around which is basically smaller pieces of ice which make for some negotiating with the kayaks.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEO2wvzl33P6MRV2irwlKd4QVKgv0mV09_1NMOFEOD69BhsRkQ1pWt7ecarrbuVIQuwKqqInx8QMaUIfBA6uiIIjT4vyVryItwsj0tQCAhBKlPexExaEwcKP99p8WpzIND6MxSZPAZbpc/s1600-h/Day+8+ant2.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433069884110814946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEO2wvzl33P6MRV2irwlKd4QVKgv0mV09_1NMOFEOD69BhsRkQ1pWt7ecarrbuVIQuwKqqInx8QMaUIfBA6uiIIjT4vyVryItwsj0tQCAhBKlPexExaEwcKP99p8WpzIND6MxSZPAZbpc/s320/Day+8+ant2.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">We had a lot of penguins passing us throughout the trip, porpoising through the water on their way back to the nesting grounds after being at sea to feed. It’s a great sight to see.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Making our way out further into the channel we started to hear the sound of whales blowing and in the distance spotted a group of Minke whale but they were heading further south away from us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">We continued along the channel for a while taking in the scenery before deciding it was time to head back. Just as we started back a Minke surfaced about 10 metres from us and continued on right by us. It was great end to our kayaking trip.</span></span><br /><br /></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVC3h9gVPS6mQssyRDsWpxGfxea-d8ShZRG_6vJ8CyQ105p4WfQLN6zr394OkAU20ONpnLM5_wNOBuRV9-cXrbqJDfw9OurqiNDBflOkXSehrKEQ8GAb0fNWddJg5M2I5mIvu2InFMBw/s1600-h/Day+8+ant6.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433069868811657410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVC3h9gVPS6mQssyRDsWpxGfxea-d8ShZRG_6vJ8CyQ105p4WfQLN6zr394OkAU20ONpnLM5_wNOBuRV9-cXrbqJDfw9OurqiNDBflOkXSehrKEQ8GAb0fNWddJg5M2I5mIvu2InFMBw/s320/Day+8+ant6.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Back on the ship we had lunch and again were then treated to another group of four Minke whales feeding around the ship. </span></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;"></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;"></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">They stayed at the ship for about an hour so a lot of photo cards got filled up!!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">One of the four staff from Port Lockroy came to the ship to tell us more about it so here is a bit of history! Originally it was discovered by French explorer Jean Charcot in 1904, during the French Antarctic Expedition of 1903-05.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A base was established in 1944 by an whalers also used the site between 1911-31 and other expeditions visited between 1912-1935.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Some time around 1945 it became a base camp for a British expedition team to Grahamland (what the peninsula was called back then).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It had various uses through the years but went into disrepair for some time and then the penguins moved in! The British government then decided to invest in renovating the base and it now operates as a museum, post office and shop catering to the different ships that visit.</span></span><br /><br /></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><o:p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;"></span></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">They have retained all the original fittings and fixtures and even original tins of food etc. so you get a real feel for what it was like to live there then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You can also send cards from here too and plenty were being written today!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrprKrOK22ca1u4hTj-fZu70sfaexKPmGypZC5V7HUcsOFqQy5H_77gfVAFaqvO0Cu3TNWDvDBasLDaktLUqEUKE8QmZzmRivAeynP765lDVXC7bxUkS6XiLBafWBk1NJEayELLbfzMGY/s1600-h/Day+8+ant5.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 225px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433069874224287442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrprKrOK22ca1u4hTj-fZu70sfaexKPmGypZC5V7HUcsOFqQy5H_77gfVAFaqvO0Cu3TNWDvDBasLDaktLUqEUKE8QmZzmRivAeynP765lDVXC7bxUkS6XiLBafWBk1NJEayELLbfzMGY/s320/Day+8+ant5.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">So for the afternoon we were off again. Some landed at nearby Jougla Point which has a Gentoo Penguin colony, Blue Eyed Cormorants and some huge whale bones from whaling times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The others went to Port Lockroy and then swapped around later on.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">It was back again to the ship and some time to relax before our surprise dinner!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>At 7pm we got the call to make our way to the dining room, then continue to the rear deck of the ship!.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We arrived out on deck to a full blown bbq.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Before long we were all tucking into great food with some absolutely beautiful backgrounds of mountains and ice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>BBQ in <st1:place st="on">Antarctica</st1:place>…now there’s something you wouldn’t expect.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">So it’s party time. Signing off for today.</span></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Remember you can track the voyage by clicking <a href="http://newhorizon.ie/antarctica/antarctic2010plancius.htm">here</a>.</span></span></span></p>Tom McManamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16274164893244297038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147579131494008856.post-74491035558959013512010-01-30T10:47:00.008+00:002010-01-30T11:11:13.660+00:00Antarctica 2010 – Day 7<p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeyTAMfjTgg2RJn7FOFQqoxlAhTD6Tr3c6DXTQF7qRfpmjPOPrsMesy-VyVdk4r4Zp4yrUaOAuzGSepXYaX88pyfuR7WuXmGz6tK9aTUueo3iE0DVJB-vDuvReP4K36rO07n8xf5V3H7k/s1600-h/Day+7+ant1.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432483567520075826" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeyTAMfjTgg2RJn7FOFQqoxlAhTD6Tr3c6DXTQF7qRfpmjPOPrsMesy-VyVdk4r4Zp4yrUaOAuzGSepXYaX88pyfuR7WuXmGz6tK9aTUueo3iE0DVJB-vDuvReP4K36rO07n8xf5V3H7k/s320/Day+7+ant1.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">We awake this morning to a very calm sea...we have arrived!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We have reached the continent and are sailing through the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Gerlache</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Strait</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>All around people are drawing breath in awe of the beauty of the place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Gerlache is a very special place, a channel corridored by towering, ice encrusted mountains.</span></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;"></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;"></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;">Someone has us in there favour as we are escorted by scores of Gentoo penguins porpoising along side the ship. Porpoising describes the way they swim, submerging and then propelling out of the water repeatedly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s amazing to watch.</span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Within minutes there is an announcement from the bridge…”humpback whales, 10’clock”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We’re all out on deck within seconds and sure enough about 30 metres in front of the ship there are two big blows from the whales as they move right across in front of the ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They travel about 200 metres before starting to dive turning their tail flukes into the air and disappearing into the depths of the Gerlache.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">We haven’t even had breakfast yet!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">8am and it’s time for us to make out first shore trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There’s plenty of activity getting ready. Boats and kayaks have to be launched, people have to get their gear together and then it’s down to board the zodiac.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Meanwhile the kayakers busy themselves getting their boats prepared.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBdbJ-8iJ8YPPr3mXQCNOXADnO5Vnu6zEAZaVKdkJijV-irZN5jqYJRngwkEJsdt9EOod9SLtuGumyTRC9oJfC_hSElrip9gD84a-xwAnUZ8NsMoX5DfxOLc6WdtzyN3fTeimzLSWaVhs/s1600-h/Day+7+ant2.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 183px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432483571642110194" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBdbJ-8iJ8YPPr3mXQCNOXADnO5Vnu6zEAZaVKdkJijV-irZN5jqYJRngwkEJsdt9EOod9SLtuGumyTRC9oJfC_hSElrip9gD84a-xwAnUZ8NsMoX5DfxOLc6WdtzyN3fTeimzLSWaVhs/s320/Day+7+ant2.JPG" /></span></a>The plan for the morning is to visit <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Cuverville</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Island</st1:placetype></st1:place> which is home to a large colony of Gentoo penguins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Landing on the beach everyone is free to roam amongst the penguins although there are strict guidelines in place on how near to approach etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The beach area is a hive of activity with Gentoos coming and going from the waters on their feeding runs. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Take all of this and then surround it by the most breathtaking scenery of ice covered mountains, berg strewn waters, blue skies and sunshine and you will get an idea of what its likes although to honest words nor pictures can do it justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s difficult to try taking it all in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’ve even had a couple of people tell that even though they had read about it or I had said what it might be like they still didn’t believe it until they saw it for themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ghTmrcqtXbZvj1nhnbUfl6hz1Iz6gayvov-N2iKfHxoFza3oL50wc4TBKhEQVgftqQsh86E7gEUvzofHe71UstZRwDTwQvK3mH7qbOk_Fvz8s2Swt0obueuDdHD2KLMmEwWQozpmZSw/s1600-h/Day+7+ant3.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 225px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432483570350860450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ghTmrcqtXbZvj1nhnbUfl6hz1Iz6gayvov-N2iKfHxoFza3oL50wc4TBKhEQVgftqQsh86E7gEUvzofHe71UstZRwDTwQvK3mH7qbOk_Fvz8s2Swt0obueuDdHD2KLMmEwWQozpmZSw/s320/Day+7+ant3.JPG" /></span></a>Meanwhile the kayakers, after spending some time watching the penguins then took off in superb conditions with flat calm waters circumnavigating the island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Paddling past glaciers and through ice fields you became aware of how tiny you are in this amazing place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Every now and then a load crack would be heard echoing around us and heads would dart in all directions looking for avalanche or glacier calving.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">You are very aware of the power of nature here but also how fragile it all is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We are hearing from the guides of big changes being seen here over the years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Global warming rears its head frequently in discussions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">After a fantastic morning of activity it’s back on board to relax…yeh right…we are no longer sitting down for a break than there is a call over the intercom from the bridge…”minke whale 1 o’clock”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There is a dash for cameras, jackets and hats and it’s out onto the decks again to observer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><st1:place st="on">Antarctica</st1:place> constantly throws new things at you at every minute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Everywhere life is full action.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Before lunch the boat relocated to <st1:placename st="on">Neko</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Bay</st1:placetype> and our first landing on the continent of <st1:place st="on">Antarctica</st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>After lunch zodiacs were launched and again we were on our way.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><st1:placename st="on"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToXSkCqvIHRmaqh3jwjTfbhjSfEFLiof6M9bdtOZQnw-v0t0-upwEHprp-hoGp-cvI3E5jjeulUZwm1BQ4MuYD-_FSzJyj7JWOUvXNDh2A9mi_02z7uABfHBQ1eQp8fJgxa9sEFdC-k4/s1600-h/Day+7+ant4.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432483574626442562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToXSkCqvIHRmaqh3jwjTfbhjSfEFLiof6M9bdtOZQnw-v0t0-upwEHprp-hoGp-cvI3E5jjeulUZwm1BQ4MuYD-_FSzJyj7JWOUvXNDh2A9mi_02z7uABfHBQ1eQp8fJgxa9sEFdC-k4/s320/Day+7+ant4.JPG" /></span></a>Neko</span></st1:placename><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"> <st1:placetype st="on">Bay</st1:placetype> is one of the few areas on the <st1:place st="on">Peninsula</st1:place> where you can do a landing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Similar to Cuverville we landed on the stony beach and were greeted by the usual traffic of penguins coming and going out of the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Even though we have guidelines to observe of staying 5 metres away it’s not long before you realise that these little guys are not going to let something like a big two legged, weirdly dressed animal with gadgets hanging out of them, stop their trek to the nest area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Before you know it there’s a penguin almost walking across you feet! <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Meanwhile higher up from the beach you can hear to constant sound of the penguin’s calls as parents closely guard their nests from the circling skuas that are looking for an opportunity to snatch a chick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The chicks are now about a month old and beautiful little creatures with downy grey fur coats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s like Happy Feet multiplied by a hundred here.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">We spend about 3 hours at Neko and then make our way back to the ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A nice end to a great day?...think again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Dinner at 6 around more whales, penguins birds etc. and we are off again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This time the kayakers are going for an evening paddle to <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Paradise</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Bay</st1:placetype></st1:place> while the rest go for a landing at Admiralte Brown Station, an abandoned Argentine Station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There’s some body tobogganing scheduled too! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>Hey it’s not all hard work down here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>After that it’s a cruise of <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Paradise</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Harbour</st1:placetype></st1:place> with Leopard and Crabeater Seals, Minke whale and of course penguins!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Back on the ship and it’s into the bar for some drinks made with freshly harvested glacial ice…jealous?...you should be!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Signing off now and I do have one of those drinks waiting for me right now!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Remember you can track the voyage by clicking </span><a href="http://newhorizon.ie/antarctica/antarctic2010plancius.htm"><span style="font-size:130%;">here</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">.</span>Tom McManamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16274164893244297038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147579131494008856.post-82749103931412402252010-01-29T19:41:00.007+00:002010-01-30T11:12:17.304+00:00Antarctica 2010 – Day 6<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUOHbiFnX6Oie7HigSmxUhvjyNjctWuOP-aagsIZv5-5nC7WhESrrFiBjxychlSwCql7T-7Z1bX3KKYqntFUqWHqCrOmdPcixGfe-T9miC9C1TYm9ctFKd_yh4L8kAa42tiO1udIgQDdk/s1600-h/Day+6+drk2.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432250719277890114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUOHbiFnX6Oie7HigSmxUhvjyNjctWuOP-aagsIZv5-5nC7WhESrrFiBjxychlSwCql7T-7Z1bX3KKYqntFUqWHqCrOmdPcixGfe-T9miC9C1TYm9ctFKd_yh4L8kAa42tiO1udIgQDdk/s320/Day+6+drk2.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">We continue our voyage across the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place st="on">Drake Passage</st1:place> towards the peninsula. Last night about 1 am we crossed the Antarctic Convergence which can be described as the area where the <st1:place st="on">South Atlantic</st1:place> turns to the Southern Ocean. This is an area of the ocean that is ever moving but lies roughly between 50 and 60 degrees south.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></span><br /><br /></span><div><div><div><div><div><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The most noticeable difference now is that the water turns colder and there is an increase in sea bird activity with Southern Ocean and Antarctic sea birds converging in this area.</span></p></span></span><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUD81o5r105phnI9GByCVufHtUadBOgR0eJiqSBZDfTH_xwdZkgnkC5YGWO2UBhjcuKCfpPhkLfhlRHcnEVJx8aY7eK8LcqNz5opXWMr-EewAY8AbUa4G8whlmYGFVfoDPybZn3A2i3mc/s1600-h/Day+6+drk1.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 172px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432249848451147394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUD81o5r105phnI9GByCVufHtUadBOgR0eJiqSBZDfTH_xwdZkgnkC5YGWO2UBhjcuKCfpPhkLfhlRHcnEVJx8aY7eK8LcqNz5opXWMr-EewAY8AbUa4G8whlmYGFVfoDPybZn3A2i3mc/s320/Day+6+drk1.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">We are starting to see more Albatros now including Black Browed and Wandering Albatros and Petrels which come to check out the ship. We even had some Chinstrap penguins in the distance this morning.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Throughout the day there have been some additional presentations as well as safety briefings for the zodiac landings and kayaking trips that will begin tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrdYtY1H5MqhLpt54jpSQ7yxpVlwNDwkXJ1mKPF4A-xL7qd_RQRjoouHnNyMX9AORczPYW-YiuiDTgRXgOmBWlMpeaCPhDciIc4G1O_vh71WQY-L2GKK4Dpx3yH56hMnhVP9fusrQpK4Y/s1600-h/Day+6+drk3.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432249690423513826" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrdYtY1H5MqhLpt54jpSQ7yxpVlwNDwkXJ1mKPF4A-xL7qd_RQRjoouHnNyMX9AORczPYW-YiuiDTgRXgOmBWlMpeaCPhDciIc4G1O_vh71WQY-L2GKK4Dpx3yH56hMnhVP9fusrQpK4Y/s320/Day+6+drk3.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">There is a palpable sense of excitement now as we near <st1:place st="on">Antarctica</st1:place> and the realisation of where we are and what we are about to see starts to sink in.</span></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMtrxMLp-PdpteMkpBEr1M800zfIQe9zBRvvNHZGqKm3-GGJQINaxZUMiBJ3l5_467DqLztpsOKlzhMQRkYHC4U4me5tc399Ln4cOygwUCyhbSsSl9mc9aKMkoC8hjia1lu73KpRPBMLs/s1600-h/Day+6+drk4.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432249606988494290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMtrxMLp-PdpteMkpBEr1M800zfIQe9zBRvvNHZGqKm3-GGJQINaxZUMiBJ3l5_467DqLztpsOKlzhMQRkYHC4U4me5tc399Ln4cOygwUCyhbSsSl9mc9aKMkoC8hjia1lu73KpRPBMLs/s320/Day+6+drk4.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">At about 4.30pm we spotted our first land since leaving Ushuaia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><st1:placename st="on">Smith</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Island</st1:placetype> which is part of the <st1:place st="on">South Shetlands</st1:place> lies off our port side about 40 kms away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We are continuing our way south heading towards <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Cuverville</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Island</st1:placetype></st1:place> for the first landing tomorrow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We will land at <st1:placename st="on">Neko</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Bay</st1:placetype> tomorrow afternoon which will be our first landing on the continent of <st1:place st="on">Antarctica</st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">We’ve just had our first whales also with blows seen in the distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They’re also heading south towards the feeding grounds around the peninsula.</span></span><br /></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><o:p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;"></span></o:p></span></p><span style="font-size:130%;"><st1:place st="on"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-: EN-IEfont-family:'Times New Roman';" lang="EN-IE" >Antarctica</span></st1:place><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-: EN-IEfont-family:'Times New Roman';" lang="EN-IE" > is starting to show why it is so special.</span></span></div></div></div></div></div>Tom McManamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16274164893244297038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147579131494008856.post-589256490403456112010-01-27T22:28:00.004+00:002010-01-30T11:13:14.104+00:00Antarctica 2010 - Day 5<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibeSqRY_7uzsFceB3pT4j58lEZw2rSxRlbWoDZBkan7AQcFRRF3u2Fb7kUdnuPgsCxtB6mGj5ZFiuQaB6LlAZ0RksKdZfN3PRNbrsVOx-fiIlXOvyOf5cz3Oj0mBFrDWkBi5mbtpAhbQA/s1600-h/Day+5+drk1.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431551588250421522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibeSqRY_7uzsFceB3pT4j58lEZw2rSxRlbWoDZBkan7AQcFRRF3u2Fb7kUdnuPgsCxtB6mGj5ZFiuQaB6LlAZ0RksKdZfN3PRNbrsVOx-fiIlXOvyOf5cz3Oj0mBFrDWkBi5mbtpAhbQA/s320/Day+5+drk1.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">We are now in the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place st="on">Drake Passage</st1:place> and making good headway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Woke at about 7.30 and was aware that something had changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There was now a lot more movement in the ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A heavy roll in the sea moving from the starboard to port side is causing the ship to pitch about 20 degrees both ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It makes from some interesting attempts to move around the ship!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There are a few victims to the sea conditions but this will pass as soon as people get their sea legs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is the Drake being gentle though. It is regarded as one of the most treacherous bodies of water in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Hopefully we won’t get to see it at it worst.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So far the forecast is looking good but down here things can change very fast!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></span> </span><div><div><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">We are doing about 10-12 knots so we will continue sailing Drake until late Thursday and are scheduled to make our first landing at <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Cuverville</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Island</st1:placetype></st1:place> on Friday morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Our first colony of Adelie Penguins is located there so looking forward to seeing them.</span></span><br /><br /></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOk-2LDFhuBQoX2PaVLL_BDnHzw_sK6lnxpE2Btdli_eB5n4vLfVlwjozTOfRY0M5sMd4pqzoRqCI1EcceVWZtsfga_5xtlMtrs4RO19Xf38CwcbLkb_Pcjk74-SMhAWKjXGz33wQmEc/s1600-h/Day+5+drk2.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431551511649948754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOk-2LDFhuBQoX2PaVLL_BDnHzw_sK6lnxpE2Btdli_eB5n4vLfVlwjozTOfRY0M5sMd4pqzoRqCI1EcceVWZtsfga_5xtlMtrs4RO19Xf38CwcbLkb_Pcjk74-SMhAWKjXGz33wQmEc/s320/Day+5+drk2.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">In the meantime the staff had arranged some presentations about the wildlife, exploration and some history which were great. Jodhi, one of our guides also gave a presentation about his work researching black browed Albatros in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Chile</st1:place></st1:country-region> including some incredible photos of these huge birds.</span></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">We’ve also had some Albatros visiting the ship although with the light rain we are having, numbers are down due to lower visibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The ones that we have seen are enormous with 6-8 foot wingspans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Really impressive to see.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">We had a brief with our Kayak guide to go through what we need to know and do for our upcoming kayak trips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It sounds like it will be amazing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The weather is now picking up with some great sunshine and less swell so fingers crossed it’s a good omen for the rest of the trip.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p></div></div>Tom McManamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16274164893244297038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147579131494008856.post-34933247231394185572010-01-27T22:13:00.005+00:002010-01-30T11:13:50.394+00:00Antarctica 2010 - Day 4<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuR9c2ugFUz5wlsIt473a43uKrYNK_ap6IKLPsMZLiRL-c0rL18kbA0ij_iRV5tpfrS0HoDTIe03Fmla1sDet5IS2pITN7OqG1PPU5b2wOhfXhpNcozc7qD21018OtuHgjvAIyaFjHms/s1600-h/Day+4+ush1.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431547618951002594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuR9c2ugFUz5wlsIt473a43uKrYNK_ap6IKLPsMZLiRL-c0rL18kbA0ij_iRV5tpfrS0HoDTIe03Fmla1sDet5IS2pITN7OqG1PPU5b2wOhfXhpNcozc7qD21018OtuHgjvAIyaFjHms/s320/Day+4+ush1.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Finally the day has arrived for us to begin our voyage to <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place st="on">Antarctica</st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Before that though we have a trip to the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Tierra del Fuego</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">National Park</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The national park is located north of Ushuaia and the morning was spent taking a look at the flora and fauna of the area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The <st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on">Pan American Highway</st1:address></st1:street> which begins in <st1:state st="on">Alaska</st1:state> and winds down through North and <st1:place st="on">South America</st1:place> ends here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We had a really great day with plenty of sunshine and dramatic backdrops of snow capped peaks.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div><div><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">It was back to town then and after some lunch there was time to pick up a last few bits and pieces before going to the ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>At 4pm we boarded ship and were brought to our cabins along with our bags.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The M/V Plancius is just back from its maiden voyage after almost two years being refitted in <st1:city st="on">Vlissingen</st1:city> in the <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Netherlands</st1:country-region></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The ship is in beautiful condition with all the modern comforts, a far cry from what the 19<sup>th</sup> century explorers were faced with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>After an introductory brief by the staff and crew we then had a full safety drill, donning lifejackets and evacuating to the lifeboats.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6fKfHXDsiWkJb7_e9sNnmtrxB28vqsPHXpS52sQ0Jqq4G5JnyOwXS0uGT2rWdBm8q4DiEO3zBsArma2PszxzJ33MbMjQMtTbH3hYdYBfPnRylDdC2fx-rk9SMqPC5CXtTZx0kjnzH0zg/s1600-h/Day+4+ush2.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431548219007946738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6fKfHXDsiWkJb7_e9sNnmtrxB28vqsPHXpS52sQ0Jqq4G5JnyOwXS0uGT2rWdBm8q4DiEO3zBsArma2PszxzJ33MbMjQMtTbH3hYdYBfPnRylDdC2fx-rk9SMqPC5CXtTZx0kjnzH0zg/s320/Day+4+ush2.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">At last we started to sail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We left the dock at Ushuaia at about 6pm local time, 9pm GMT to make our way down the Beagle Channel towards the <st1:place st="on">Drake Passage</st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;"></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Eating dinner while we sailed down the Beagle was really enjoyable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s a fairly wide channel which runs roughly west to east before then turning south to open out into the <st1:place st="on">Drake Passage</st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Its north shore stretches back to the towering mountains of <st1:place st="on">Patagonia</st1:place> and the changing light and shadows made from some really beautiful scenes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE" lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;">As we are in southern hemisphere summertime we have long days with the sun setting at about 10pm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A few of us spent some time out on deck taking in the night sky which was starting to unfold above us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Everything that is familiar in the sky totally changes and we get to see the Southern Cross constellation which isn’t visible I the north.</span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-: EN-IEfont-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:130%;" lang="EN-IE" >A couple of nightcaps in the bar rounded off a great day and soon we would be making our way into the <st1:place st="on">Drake Passage</st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Next stop <st1:place st="on">Antarctica</st1:place>!</span></p></div></div>Tom McManamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16274164893244297038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147579131494008856.post-63859125301244759902010-01-25T13:58:00.001+00:002010-01-26T14:30:12.668+00:00Antarctica 2010 - Day 3<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIg782y7g1Rgu3hqYKO-0L7a-stuC9kOxuvWkNOJLZklhN6ESSVxKue2y7PKyWZJ1b2by0lBqUEy3uPDm2GYthJcibprb9UXu7t_YXXcEFivxc2TSk7sGDkoTC3xyVi3IDz_qWUhzQGjI/s1600-h/ush2.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 201px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIg782y7g1Rgu3hqYKO-0L7a-stuC9kOxuvWkNOJLZklhN6ESSVxKue2y7PKyWZJ1b2by0lBqUEy3uPDm2GYthJcibprb9UXu7t_YXXcEFivxc2TSk7sGDkoTC3xyVi3IDz_qWUhzQGjI/s320/ush2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431055480999231378" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMp1U86UuBoaNjNfrfJanOARu3Hh3GaYQQ_29VJw0hQ8UObZKArsQfGLrJxhwvNCkKfY1ZB3APacfOLIxdLDEoq8xS6G5TaDFiQnvnEmPUTe8PeXMNgR8ueG-jmYxF_pdBC8Zi49QKV4/s1600-h/ush1.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 201px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMp1U86UuBoaNjNfrfJanOARu3Hh3GaYQQ_29VJw0hQ8UObZKArsQfGLrJxhwvNCkKfY1ZB3APacfOLIxdLDEoq8xS6G5TaDFiQnvnEmPUTe8PeXMNgR8ueG-jmYxF_pdBC8Zi49QKV4/s320/ush1.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431055304721413538" /></a><br /><br />Greetings from Ushuaia, Fin del Mundo (end of the world)<div><br /><div>We arrived today from Buenos Aires flying in over beautiful snow capped mountains and then circling over the Beagle Channel to finally land in Ushuaia, our final destination before we board ship tomorrow for our voyage. </div><div><br /></div><div>The weather is nice. We've left the high temperatures and strong sunshine of Buenos Aires behind and now we have some broken sunshine with temperatures of about 15 degrees. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ushuaia has a real frontier town feel about it with all sorts of people coming and going. This is the staging post for marine traffic travelling to Antarctica. There are a variety of vessels here from the small expedition cruise vessels that we will be travelling on to supply vessels that ply the waters around South America as well as Antarctica.</div><div><br /></div><div>Around town there is a buzz of activity with people either finishing cruises and spending there last hours in town or people just arriving and picking up there last bits and pieces before departing south. It's peak season now for voyages south so lots going on.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our ship has not arrived back yet but will dock sometime early tomorrow morning to resupply and pick us up. Two of the other ships I use, the Professor Molchanov and Multanovskiy are in port and will leave this evening to begin their voyages. </div><div><br /></div><div>Everyone is starting to get excited now as there time to board draws closer. Conversations now turn to Antarctica...what will the Drake Passage be like...time will tell. We sail tomorrow at approx 9pm GMT.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Tom McManamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16274164893244297038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147579131494008856.post-84627716922971798882010-01-24T21:35:00.010+00:002010-01-24T22:45:33.206+00:00Antarctica 2010 - Day 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhyrc3V_Rfmo5QtCDVW7DEeQvu2CZxFzkkODbtH4MicrgOEfPAdZnssWJVjqwcaloFeQAwVDpWQ3phjuBAj-nezqF9Jh7GbU0l2uo5ECLklqoeBDjiMP1bVK8ov6vGwlbufekBbokXME/s1600-h/ba2.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 201px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhyrc3V_Rfmo5QtCDVW7DEeQvu2CZxFzkkODbtH4MicrgOEfPAdZnssWJVjqwcaloFeQAwVDpWQ3phjuBAj-nezqF9Jh7GbU0l2uo5ECLklqoeBDjiMP1bVK8ov6vGwlbufekBbokXME/s320/ba2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430440479224706978" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCala6X9SB5fga46CbvYOaC_6WuBbb1R72xnmeDal_npFdCGTZD1nd1GbU2n6qA0hfOQRq6rR2eINRrJutDbGSC7-4IPVl0E-5k8KpkOFvK5Ks-Vuqh1An5biSzvObRTZAB4E5Iny6lbg/s1600-h/ba1.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 201px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCala6X9SB5fga46CbvYOaC_6WuBbb1R72xnmeDal_npFdCGTZD1nd1GbU2n6qA0hfOQRq6rR2eINRrJutDbGSC7-4IPVl0E-5k8KpkOFvK5Ks-Vuqh1An5biSzvObRTZAB4E5Iny6lbg/s320/ba1.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430439816431074818" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">Well what can I say? As we approached Buenos Aires this morning on our flight from Paris the cabin crew informed us that it was fair with a temperature 24 C...it was 8.30 am!</div><div><br /></div><div>Yes indeed after confronting arctic conditions at home in eire over the past few weeks we are now landing into 24 C at *.30 in the morning! Mucho bueno as they say down here.</div><div><br /></div><div>Met up with Alejandra and she brought us to our hotel which is well located right in the centre of Buenos Aires. After a quick freshen up we were out again into the sunny streets of BA. Now midday and over 30 C we were like kids lapping it up.</div><div><br /></div><div>We went to Cafe Tortina, the oldest restaurant in BA at 150 years for a great lunch before taking off for a tour of the city. Taking in all the highlights we got back to the hotel and now getting ready to head out and soak up a bit of BA's night life. There are an amazing range of restaurants, bars and entertainment in the city so some thing to suit everyone! A great day had by all and many thanks to Alejandra for showing us the sites.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Tomorrow we make our way further south to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world and our last stop before boarding ship and starting our voyage to Antarctica. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 20px; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Remember you can track the voyage by clicking </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><a href="http://newhorizon.ie/antarctica/antarctic2010plancius.htm" style="text-decoration: underline; ">here</a>. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 20px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Plancius is currently half way across the Drake Passage on its way to pick us up. Check it out at the link above.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div>Signing off for today as the throat is a bit dry and calling for a libation of the alcoholic kind.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 20px; font-size:13px;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Hasta manana,</span></span></div></span></div><div>Tom</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div>Tom McManamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16274164893244297038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147579131494008856.post-45222656370618643702010-01-23T19:51:00.003+00:002010-01-23T20:07:08.015+00:00Antarctica 2010 - Day 1The day finally arrives and we are off on our adventure to Antarctica. We have another 3 days before we actually board ship. Currently in Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris waiting for our overnight flight to Buenos Aires.<div><br /></div><div>Already stories of trips past are being swapped over some beverages.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Plancius is just about to begin it's voyage back across the Drake Passage from the Peninsula where we will meet it on Tuesday afternoon. Let's hope they have a calm sail across. Then it'll be our turn to experience the Drake and all it can throw at you. there might be some "interesting" photos and video coming out of that...but then again thats all part of the adventure </div><div><br /></div><div>I hope to upload some pictures during our voyage so that you can get a feel for what we are experiencing way down there. It all depends on a satellite uplink so they may not make it onto the blog but I will certainly be putting them on the site when I return along with plenty of video.</div><div><br /></div><div>We are heading down at a great time for whale activity as many species feed in antarctic waters at this time of year...and of course the penguins...lots and lots of penguins.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tomorrow it's Buenos Aires for the day and overnight. I have a city tour set up to take us to the highlights and then some good Argentinean food and a drop of Malbec to wash it down...tough eh?</div><div><br /></div><div>Remember you can track the voyage by clicking <a href="http://newhorizon.ie/antarctica/antarctic2010plancius.htm">here</a></div><div><br /></div><div>More to follow...</div>Tom McManamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16274164893244297038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147579131494008856.post-4509190938229994212010-01-21T12:30:00.019+00:002010-01-21T21:28:00.299+00:00Antarctica 2010Follow us on our voyage using the map below. You can zoom in for a closer view of our location and I'll be updating from the ship each day with details of our expedition voyage. We will board ship on 26th January in Ushuaia.<br />As you can see Plancius is currently at the Peninsula on it's maiden voyage.<br /><br /><a href="http://newhorizon.ie/antarctica/antarctic2010plancius.htm"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 299px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429306534298801602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjreJFVTA0Y1QtKfiagsjzRYYDz7T4zW4yZOs_20W3OhJLCNQ7rhnKKQ0aDzKYgJJ0YyNCMC9i1VbI3eK-x9CqO1fyBTnot3nlIr2cq-96IJX0Q36CrmqGiCqyhKfbZjd_i6NcvCKZB1cw/s320/plancius+map.jpg" /></a>Tom McManamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16274164893244297038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147579131494008856.post-2696899904182251892009-12-16T11:07:00.001+00:002009-12-16T11:25:30.082+00:00Leopard Seal "Face-off"National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen's YouTube video "Face-Off With a Deadly Predator," an account of his scary encounter with a leopard seal in the Antarctic, has been downloaded more than a million times. Have a look at this amazing piece of footage...<br /><br /><a href="http://newhorizon.ie/videos.htm">Leopard Sea "Face off"</a><br /><br />Tom McManamon<br /><br /><strong>New Horizon Expeditions</strong><br />www.newhorizon.ie | +353 (0) 1 2883385Tom McManamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16274164893244297038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147579131494008856.post-9955777517477522732009-12-08T12:33:00.000+00:002009-12-15T12:48:05.344+00:00World Leading Polar Expedition Operator<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX74GZwyeAztr7xpcrXXu9SxSN44LoUQjnn9vIpAchbyHIZu37SoRXY6cNBoWPpV6mrTXHDOBHY4H4VadzUpTGH-tJuPX4QNZwC0joxFM0fipoYgm7iu9Im37PvxDjoUD13Iy3awm0XLY/s1600-h/WTA.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 153px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 254px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415441382940720338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX74GZwyeAztr7xpcrXXu9SxSN44LoUQjnn9vIpAchbyHIZu37SoRXY6cNBoWPpV6mrTXHDOBHY4H4VadzUpTGH-tJuPX4QNZwC0joxFM0fipoYgm7iu9Im37PvxDjoUD13Iy3awm0XLY/s320/WTA.jpg" /></a>We are proud to announces that our partners, Oceanwide Expeditions has won the World Travel Award 2009 in the category World's Leading Polar Expedition Operator. The presentation of this international prize took place during a spectacular gala performance in London on Sunday 8 November, 2009.<br /><br />It was the second time that this prestigious award was categorized by the World Travel Awards Committee. The first time was in 2005 and Oceanwide Expeditions was also the winner of the contest.<br /><br /><br />I look forward to many more years of Polar travel to the Arctic and Antarctic with Oceanwide.<br /><br />You can follow our next New Horizon Expedition to Antarctica here on this blog. We will depart Dublin on January 23rd for Buenos Aires and then on to Ushuaia where we board the M/V Plancius on 26th January and make our way South to the Great White Continent of Antarctica.<br /><br />Tom McManamon<br /><br /><strong>New Horizon Expeditions</strong><br />www.newhorizon.ie | +353 (0) 1 2883385Tom McManamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16274164893244297038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147579131494008856.post-76030745790765913032009-12-02T00:23:00.000+00:002009-12-15T12:48:19.766+00:00Nearest the South Pole14 December 2009, 8.30pm - Kevin Barry Room - National Concert Hall, Dublin<br /><br />Featuring Jonathan Shackleton, Michael Holohan, Donal O'Kelly, Simon O'Dwyer, Peter Sirr and Joseph Woods.<br /><br />A Multi-Media event commemorating ' Nearest the South Pole' a lecture by Sir Ernest Shackleton based on The Nimrod South Pole Expedition given in the University Buildings (now The National Concert Hall) , Earlsfort Terrace on December 14th 1909.<br />This commemorative evening will include Jonathan Shackleton's presentation about the Antarctic, rare recording of Ernest Shackleton's own voice, readings from the archives of the 1909 Irish Times, poetry by Derek Mahon, Bill Manhire, T.S. Eliot, Claire Benyon, Peter Sirr and Leland Bardwell read by Peter Sirr and Joseph Woods and a new work by Michael Holohan, ' Where a single footprint lasts a thousand years' - a piece of music-theatre performed by Donal O' Kelly, Simon O 'Dwyer and Michael Holohan.<br /><br />Tom McManamon<br /><br /><strong>New Horizon Expeditions</strong><br />www.newhorizon.ie | +353 (0) 1 2883385Tom McManamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16274164893244297038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147579131494008856.post-70528441367438192112009-11-03T12:29:00.000+00:002009-11-03T12:47:14.716+00:00EPA Ireland Lecture Series - Lecture 10<o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-IE;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-weight: bold;">Back to the Future – The Role of Climate Science - Tues. 24th November 2009</span><br /><br />This is another in the really great series of lectures being organised by the EPA. There has been a great response to these and if you are interested you should register asap. You can also have a look a some of the previous lectures <a href="http://www.epa.ie/downloads/pubs/other/events/oclr/ccvideo/#d.en.24330">here on the EPA website</a><br /><br />Speaker: Professor Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, Head of Climatology and Environmental Sciences, University Catholique de Louvain. He is Vice-Chair of IPCC and has participated in United Nations conferences on climate change issues as scientific advisor. A hugely busy expert on climate change, we are very fortunate that he is able to come to Dublin ahead of the Copenhagen Summit in December.<br /><br />Lecture Date: Tuesday 24th November 2009, 6.30 p.m. - 8.30 p.m at the Mansion House, Dublin 2.<br /><br />Attendance is free, but advance booking is essential.<br /><br />Please feel free to circulate this information as widely as possible to relevant colleagues.<br /><br />Booking and enquiries to Clara Clark, Tel 01-289 8533.<br /><br />Email: clara@claraclark.ie with Climate Change 24 Nov in the subject line.<br /><br />PLEASE BOOK EARLY TO SECURE YOUR PLACE<br /><br /><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span lang="EN-GB">Tom McManamon</span></span></b></strong></span><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong><b><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial;">New Horizon Expeditions</span></span></b></strong></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></strong></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></span><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:100%;color:navy;" ><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Verdana;"><a title="blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/ blocked::blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/ http://www.newhorizon.ie/ blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/" href="blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/"><span title="blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/ blocked::blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/" style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span title="blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/ blocked::blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/"><span title="blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';">www.newhorizon.ie</span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;" lang="EN-GB">|</span></span></b></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span lang="EN-GB"> +353 (0) 1 2883385</span></span><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Tom McManamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16274164893244297038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147579131494008856.post-61353927236493869822009-10-28T12:31:00.000+00:002009-11-03T12:45:59.285+00:00Treaty tribute to Irish polar explorersIRELAND IS to subscribe to the international Antarctic Treaty as a tribute to Sir Ernest Shackleton, Tom Crean and other Irish polar explorers.<br /><br />The commitment, included in the new programme for government, has been welcomed by Green Party TD Mary White, who spoke at the Ernest Shackleton Autumn School in Athy, Co Kildare, at the weekend.<p style="text-align: left;">Ms White intends to meet Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin early next month with a view to expediting the commitment.</p><p style="text-align: left;">“Now Ireland can hold its head up in joining some 47 states which support conservation,” the Carlow-Kilkenny TD said.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtoox7FrO8wekt0sdjsqsZGeecyntmdSdBiscAriQc5KwaIpH3Vk3qVsS53Pp9ErtvstgpVunyvKM3NKMOX8cw312D_quPkmTP6Q9YdLQzL4Rl8BCvjd7114iH9Nd3VY1R06uPtSw4Q80/s1600-h/AntarcticStationsMap.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 315px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtoox7FrO8wekt0sdjsqsZGeecyntmdSdBiscAriQc5KwaIpH3Vk3qVsS53Pp9ErtvstgpVunyvKM3NKMOX8cw312D_quPkmTP6Q9YdLQzL4Rl8BCvjd7114iH9Nd3VY1R06uPtSw4Q80/s320/AntarcticStationsMap.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397628373430543250" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Antarctic Treaty will be 50 years old on December 1st, and 47 states representing more than 80 per cent of the world’s population support the agreement. It was written by 12 countries involved in Antarctic research to maintain the region as a “continent for science”, to protect its environment and ensure it was a non-military zone under a “Pax Antarctica”.</p><p>Six y<img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/TOMMCM%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-1.png" alt="" />ears ago, the Ernest Shackleton Autumn School passed the first of six resolutions proposing tha<img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/TOMMCM%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-3.png" alt="" />t Ireland sign the agreement.<br /></p><p>In 2007, the Government provided funds to the Antarctic Heritage Trust in New Zealand to conserve the huts on Ross Island used by Shackleton and Robert Scott.</p><p>“It would be terrific if we can have this signed by 2010,” Ms White said, “and I would hope that people who have campaigned for this, including Jonathan Shackleton, Chris Wilson and Séamus Taaffe of the Ernest Shackleton Autumn School, would be present for the occasion.”<span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Source: Irish Times, 26 Oct. 2009</span> - <span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><span class="headline-info">LORNA SIGGINS</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">To see a copy of the Antarctic Treaty text click the link below. You will also find a link to a copy of the original document signed in 1959 .</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><span class="headline-info"><a href="http://newhorizon.ie/antarctica/antarctic%20treaty.htm" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:100%;">Antarctic Treaty text</span></a></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong><b><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;" ><span lang="EN-GB">Tom McManamon</span></span></b></strong></span><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong><b><span style=";font-family:Arial;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" lang="EN-GB">New Horizon Expeditions</span></span></b></strong></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></strong></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></span><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:100%;color:navy;" ><span style=";font-family:Verdana;" lang="EN-GB"><a title="blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/ blocked::blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/ http://www.newhorizon.ie/ blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/" href="blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/"><span title="blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/ blocked::blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/" style=";font-family:Times New Roman;" ><span title="blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/ blocked::blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/"><span style=";font-family:'Times New Roman';" title="blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/" >www.newhorizon.ie</span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;" lang="EN-GB">|</span></span></b></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span lang="EN-GB"> +353 (0) 1 2883385</span></span>Tom McManamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16274164893244297038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147579131494008856.post-68050540851791397922009-10-23T12:49:00.000+01:002009-11-02T10:25:08.610+00:00Clocks go back<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"> <div style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="color: rgb(70, 70, 70);font-size:130%;" lang="EN-IE">Hi there,</span></div> <div style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="color: rgb(70, 70, 70);font-size:130%;" lang="EN-IE">Just a reminder that day light saving ends this weekend. </span></div> <div style="font-family: times new roman;" face="times new roman"> </div> <div><span style="color: rgb(70, 70, 70);font-family:Verdana;font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-IE"><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >Don't forget to change your clock, winter's here!</span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >Clocks go back at 2am (to 1am) on Sunday 25th October.</span><br /><p align="center"><img title="" alt="" src="https://app.icontact.com/icp/loadimage.php/mogile/335936/5cc9839055b628bd613bc8d063aa3579/image/jpeg" complete="complete" height="249" width="227" /></p> <div style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Enjoy the winter season. The penguins are looking forward to their summer way down south!<br /><br /></span><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><strong><b><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" ><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12pt;">Tom McManamon</span></span></b></strong><span lang="EN-IE"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><strong><b><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:12pt;" lang="EN-GB">New Horizon Expeditions</span></span></b></strong></p><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></span><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;color:navy;" ><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB"><a title="blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/ blocked::blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/ http://www.newhorizon.ie/ blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/" href="blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/"><span title="blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/ blocked::blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/" style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" ><span title="blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/ blocked::blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/"><span style=";font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;" title="blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/" >www.newhorizon.ie</span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></span><b style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;" lang="EN-GB">|</span></span></b><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span lang="EN-GB"> +353 (0) 1 2883385</span></span><br /></div></span></div></span></p>Tom McManamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16274164893244297038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147579131494008856.post-32614190146951442982009-10-21T16:39:00.000+01:002009-11-02T10:23:40.384+00:00Antarctica 2010Planning for our expedition voyage to Antarctica is well under way. Our ship the M/V Plancius is in great condition after a completely new refit. I visited last week to see the progress. I've included some photos below.<br /><br />I intend to update the blog with more details as we get closer to our departure date. I'll also update each day during our voyage so if you would like to monitor our progress and take a look at some daily reports then follow this blog.<br /><br />I'll be putting up details of some other great trips we have lined up for 2010 including a Polar Bear trip to Spitsbergen, a whale safari to St. Kilda, Faroes, Jan Mayen and Spitsbergen as well as a planned expedition trip to South Georgia where a team of walkers will aim to repeat the South Georgia Traverse undertaken by Ernest Shackleton, Tom Crean & Frank Worsley during their epic expedition in 1916.<br /><br />So lots of great stuff happening over the coming few months.<br /><br />OK back to Antarctica 2010. We will be leaving Dublin on January 23rd, making our way to Buenos Aires and then on to Uhsuaia in Tierra del Fuego where we board ship for our voyage down to Antarctica.<br /><br />This is our ship, the M/V Plancius<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0CiR5ScRbSLMngpZdcTTabuPRrqiBYb6pCN63S6VA0gF6VDQHpZLF7fMXd6AIzK4zhWrdfAlc26K8ke2we__7vobEiEDqeVXHwXeloR_hZsU5piidZaUf5NQu1wQ2IN_V3zgAr0GtuY/s1600-h/Plancius-back.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0CiR5ScRbSLMngpZdcTTabuPRrqiBYb6pCN63S6VA0gF6VDQHpZLF7fMXd6AIzK4zhWrdfAlc26K8ke2we__7vobEiEDqeVXHwXeloR_hZsU5piidZaUf5NQu1wQ2IN_V3zgAr0GtuY/s320/Plancius-back.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395088519798759346" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9w7AkmP4bFV4hlJ2aET0-d5DRZrhYZ1yPAir1jmocOAGZbA16X3QUjydNJiuuRlFMRfDqQuXFppKIoWp4Q5x2IFqvVqNozmPd9Hc2JWBmaV6PJ1asdtJnqqOKAt4ngezQGh9zA88Tj4/s1600-h/Plancius.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 393px; height: 128px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9w7AkmP4bFV4hlJ2aET0-d5DRZrhYZ1yPAir1jmocOAGZbA16X3QUjydNJiuuRlFMRfDqQuXFppKIoWp4Q5x2IFqvVqNozmPd9Hc2JWBmaV6PJ1asdtJnqqOKAt4ngezQGh9zA88Tj4/s320/Plancius.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395088516482078706" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We will be spending 7 days around the peninsula visiting penguin colonies, reaseach stations and other sites of interest. We will be there during whale season too so hoping to spot some giants of the sea while we are there. If you want to keep up to date then follow us. More to come...<br /><br /><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><strong><b><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-size:12pt;" lang="EN-GB">Tom McManamon</span></span></b></strong><span lang="EN-IE"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><strong><b><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:12pt;" lang="EN-GB">New Horizon Expeditions</span></span></b></strong></p><p style="" class="MsoNormal"><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" ><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;color:navy;" ><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB"><a title="blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/ blocked::blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/ http://www.newhorizon.ie/ blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/" href="blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/"><span title="blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/ blocked::blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/" style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" ><span title="blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/ blocked::blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/"><span style=";font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;" title="blocked::http://www.newhorizon.ie/" >www.newhorizon.ie</span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" ><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></span><b style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;" lang="EN-GB">|</span></span></b><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" ><span lang="EN-GB"> +353 (0) 1 2883385</span></span><span style="color:navy;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color:navy;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;" ></span>Tom McManamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16274164893244297038noreply@blogger.com0