Antarctica Cruise Logbook - Hanseatic Cruise from Ushuaia to Antarctic Peninsula

By Linda Garrison, About.com Guide

The Hanseatic sailed south all night down the Bransfield Strait on the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula. Ronnie and I got up early to see that the channel was foggy and filled with bands of pack ice. The massive tabular icebergs of iceberg alley had been replaced by chunks of ice and larger bands, making navigation difficult. If iceberg alley was like sailing in a glass of water filled with ice cubes, this was like sailing in a glass of water filled with crushed ice. The Lemaire Channel was very narrow (720 meters) and surrounded by huge rocky peaks.

The captain had hoped we could use the Zodiacs to go ashore on Petermann Island, but the ice conditions prevented it. The captain turned the Hanseatic around at 65+ degrees south (our furthest position south) and we sailed back through the Lemaire Channel. Ronnie and I both agreed that we thought that sailing in the severe ice conditions was as exciting as whatever we missed on Petermann Island.

As we cruised along the Lemaire Channel on the way north, we passed another expedition ship, the Endeavor. While sailing towards Paradise Bay, the hotel organized a barbecue on the back of the Columbus Deck. We thought it was a little cold to eat outside, but many of our fellow travlers did not. It was still delicious, with beef, chicken, and shrimp on the grill. We all enjoyed the passing rugged scenery and even saw another cruise ship, the Norwegian Coastal Voyage Nordnorge. It was a busy morning!