Gone to See Antarctica 2014/5: Day 12 – At Sea on the Hurtigruten MS Fram in the South Atlantic Ocean
A 1 minute video from the observation deck of the Hurtigruten MS Fram of the sea conditions while traveling between South Georgia and Antarctica. I didn’t get sick, but remember that there were not many folks in the dining room. I did notice that my GPS track for the day had about six times as many data points from all of the rocking and rolling. We were going into some really heavy head winds, which reduced the speed of the ship from about 15 knots to 7 knots.
Gone to See Antarctica 2014/5 Day 10: Christmas Day on South Georgia Island
The Hurtigruten MS Fram arrived at South Georgia early in the morning. We were ferried from the ship to the island on Polarcirkel boats (a more comfortable version of the Zodiac boats). We then hiked across the island to Grytviken — an abandoned whaling village to attend Christmas Service at the Whalers Church. This is reported to be the southern most church. It was prefabricated in Norway, and dedicated 104 years ago on Christmas Day. The Christmas service was performed in Norwegian, German, and English. The church has a foot-pumped organ that the ship’s musician used to play Christmas music (as well as “A Whiter Shade of Pale” by Procol Harum). We then spent the remainder of our time on shore investigating the remaining whaling buildings in Grytviken and visiting a King Penguin rookery just outside of the village.
Hikers from the Hurtigruten MS Fram going to attend Christmas Service at the Whalers Church at Grytviken in South Georgia. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 18-56 mm lens (ISO 100, 30 mm, f/16, 1/160 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 8, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CC 2014. (David J Mathre)
Gone to See Antarctica 2014/5 Day 6: Hurtigruten MS Fram visiting the Falkland Islands
The first place we stopped in the Falklands was Carcass Island. I was surprised to see palm trees this far south. It almost looks like the MS Fram was anchored off a Caribbean tropical island.
Hurtigruten MS Fram anchored off Carcass Island (one of the Falkland Islands). Image taken with a Leica T camera and 18-56 mm lens (ISO 100, 40 mm, f/16, 1/125 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 8, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CC 2014. (David J Mathre)
Gone to See Antarctica 2014/5 Day 4: Ushuaia, Argentina
After spending two days in Buenos Aires we flew to Ushuaia. This is known as the southern most city. The voyage to Antarctica on the MS Fram (Hurtigruten Line, Norwegian Flag) begins and ends in Ushuaia in Southern Argentina. You see a sign as you enter the port that loosely translated tells British pirates to stay away. Argentina does not allow British registered ships into the port if they have been to the Falklands Islands/Malvinas. During our voyage the Hurtigruten line was sold to a British investment group. They are going to have to be very careful to keep the ship registered in Norway to continue the voyages in and out of Ushuaia. Prior to embarking on the Hurtigruten MS Fram, we spent the morning touring the city, saw the Ocean Tramp anchored in the harbor, then spent the afternoon in Tierra del Fuego National Park.
It Appears that British Pirates Are Not Allowed to Dock at the Port of Ushuaia in Argentina. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 18-56 mm lens (ISO 100, 32 mm, f/9, 1/400 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 8, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CC 2014. (David J Mathre)Ocean Tramp anchored in the harbor in Ushuaia, Argentina. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 18-56 mm lens. (David J Mathre)
In Patagonia, the Wind Only Comes From One Direction. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 18-56 mm lens (ISO 100, 24 mm, f/8, 1/200 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 8, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CC 2014. (David J Mathre)
While departing Cuba on an Eastern Airline flight from Havana International Airport, I noticed a DC-10 parked next to the runway. The plane was missing its engines, and looked like it had been in a fire. I wonder if it is a training prop for emergency drills?
DC-10 (shell) Parked at the Havana International Airport. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 23 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 100, 23 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec) (David J Mathre)
