Antarctica - Who's actually been?

This seems a rather rare destination. Anyone actually been?

Alas, a continent that I have not yet ever visited! http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/frown.gif

Unless you get assigned there, the only other way to visit is with tour companies going there. You would be suprised at the number that do offer trips.

I haven't been either - but have a facination with visiting someday. I did receive a brochure from the World Wildlife Foundation for a tour they support. It includes a cruise on a very small ship, visits to many islands, etc. - all for a price of something like $30,000 per person! Yikes!

That would be a dream trip if I had 30 large laying around the house. There are also small-ship cruises up north to Alaska that focus a lot on nature/wildlife. Someday...

My wife and I went there several years ago to fulfill a silly goal of going to all 7 continents in one year.

We took a cruise and paid about $7000 each. You can also fly there on charter flights from Southern Chile.

The views are beautiful, but perhaps not breathtaking. We stopped off on land one day to see the penguins, but one thing that fails to make the brochures is that the penguins smell incredibly bad because of all the manure that thaws out in the sun.

I took one of the sightseeing flights from Australia over Antarctica last year, so while I didn't stand on the continent, I got as close as comfortably possible (8000 vertical feet). http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif


[This message has been edited by hauteboy (edited 04-11-2003).]

To those who are interested...

I'm trying to go to Antarctica for the Austral Summer. I figured the best way (read cheapest) would be to go in support of the U.S. Research stations there.

If you're interested, try looking at www.polar.org (http://www.polar.org) and click on the employment link (that's for those of us insane enough to actually go for four or six months but not rich enough to drop 30K or so in travel). ;D



------------------
Travel light, travel cheap, travel often

I've done 6 continents.. and I would love to do #7. My recent AAA magazine lists a Holland America cruise to South America and Antarctica for $5776 on the ms Ryndam Jan 23 to Feb 15, 2002 that includes air, 1 night at the starting point of Santiago, Chili with stops around/in Antartic islands and passages, Argentina, Falkland Islands, Uruguay and ending in Rio de Janerio, Brazil. If anyone wants to hire me as their personal assistant on this cruise - let me know! <chuckle>. Some day.......

I went in 1998 and I just paid $5000 with a Canadian company called Marine Expeditions. I shared a room with a woman I didn't know but who spent most of her time with her parents who were beside our room. This included Buenos Aires, Argentina before and after the cruise, aifare from Miami to Buenos Aires, Ushuahia, and an extensxion of the trip to the Iguazu Falls in Argentina and Brazil.

I differ from Millionmiler but I know that is a matter of opinion. We went to land everyday that was possible and sometimes more than once per day in the zodiacs. The scenery for me was breathtaking. It was amazing to find the penguins, seals and birds in this climate and even the humans in Port Lockroy. The penguins are funny to watch. I have traveled a lot and this has been my favorite trip so far.

Antarctica is a vast region, the area that most people from the US go to is the Antarctic Penninsula. It is outside the Artic circle, reached by ship from the southern tip of South America. I went last Christmas with Marine Expeditions and was very pleased. The weather was very moderate, and the guides knew just where to go to see the wildlife. I wasn't crazy about going, but liked it so much that I would go back. It takes 2 days by ship to get to the penninsula, 3 days touring, and 2 days back. If I had it to do over, I would choose a tour that was longer, and see the Emperor Penguins. I think the penguin poop smell gets worse with the season-at Christmas there was only one colony where it was objectionable. My usual computer is being updated, or I would include some websites of interest. I don't remember all the legal issues of Marine Expeditions, but last year, the sister company, World Expeditions went belly up and stranded 2 ships full of passengers on an around the world cruise. I know that technically, my money paid in May was paid to a corporation that went bankrupt, and the new corporation honored my payment in the interest of goodwill. All went well with the cruise, and I have since done internet searches to try and see if there were any problems with Antarctica trips, and found no bad reports. Their tour staff on the ship was great-extremely capable and willing to please. The phone staff in Canada could use some organization

Here's the next best thing:
watch Imax film on Shacklton's fantastic expedition in 1914.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/shackleton/1914/

Glen has a detailed photo report on spending the first day of the Millennium on the Antarctic Circle on a Russian icebreaker:

www.glenstephens.com/penguin.html (http://www.glenstephens.com/penguin.html)



[This message has been edited by Joh (edited 07-31-2001).]

Reading about a cruise about a year ago, most people on it had already been to the other 6 continents, and wanted make #7.

need to make the 7th, but would like to make all of travelers century club destinations. any info?

If you are going to go, you might as well bust out a little run while you are there...

http://www.marathontour.com/antarctica/index.shtml

I took a three week cruise from Argentina to the Falkland Island, South Georgia, and the Antartic peninsula this year (Jan 2004).

The icebergs, penguins, birds, whales are spectacular and are a must see.

If you are going be VERY careful in the selection of the ship or a very expensive trip could turn up lacking.

Like Viajera, my daughter and I also went with Marine Expeditions - now unfortunately out of business. It was a totally fabulous trip and I was ready to turn around and do it again if I could have afforded it.

One caveat in chosing a cruise - international treaties limit cruise ships to landing only 100 passengers on shore at a time so as not to endanger the environment. That means if you're on a big ship with several hundred passengers, you won't get to go ashore as often as you would if you were on a small ship with only 100 or so passengers. In this case, smaller is better.

And yes, the penguins really do stink. Big time! But they're so cute, who cares? We weren't allowed to approach the penguins - but no one told the penguins that, so they were quite fearless in approaching us. Worked out pretty well that way.

There are fly overs and the cruises and the trips to the South Pole. Plus working there.

To fly to the South Pole ($30K) and other outrageously expensive trips go to:

http://www.adventure-network.com/

They run a camp out of Patriot Hills staging trips to the South Pole. Because the weather can be so bad there (ie blizzards lasting two weeks, shear winds off the mountains over 100 mph, and other fun) they say if you make your way back to Punta Arenas the next year you can have another go at the Pole for free if you fail the first time. They also do charter flights to places such as Vinson Massif -- tallest mountain on the continent. Plus you can maybe try to work for them. They have a staff of about 20 there; mostly Kiwis and Brits.

To work for the US Antarctic Program:

http://www.polar.org

Do you hold an advanced degree? MA, MS, PhD, or JD? Too bad for you! Your best chance is if you have a vocational school education. Not that you can't get a job with an advanced degree but it is more likely to be something like a dish washer, janitor, or general assistant (general laborer). The better jobs go to people who know how to do something like carpenter, electrician, or heavy equipment operator.

Other countries with stuff down there:
British
New Zealand
Italy
Russians (don't go with them, you'll die!)
Chile

I went to the geographic south pole with Adventure Network last January for a special price of $17,500. Due to weather the 1 week trip ended up being 3 weeks. One of the most incredible things I've done.

I went to the georgraphic north pole with Intrav for $25,000 last July. This was a 2 week trip above a Russian ice breaker.

I am currently looking for the east pole and west pole :)

I went to the geographic south pole with Adventure Network last January for a special price of $17,500. Due to weather the 1 week trip ended up being 3 weeks. One of the most incredible things I've done.
How did you get that special price?

How did you get that special price?

A special price to fill specific dates.

The usual price is $25,000. I can refer anyone to a $5,000 discount to $20,000. Please let me know if anyone needs a referral.

However, they did not fly to the SP this year. Hopefully they start up again next year.

The usual price is $25,000. I can refer anyone to a $5,000 discount to $20,000. Please let me know if anyone needs a referral.

However, they did not fly to the SP this year. Hopefully they start up again next year.
According to this itinerary for 2004/2005 (http://www.adventure-network.com/subsubpage.asp?navid=1&id=42), they are now asking for US$33,000.00 for a trip to the South Pole.

Anyone been on these charter flights? (http://www.antarcticaflights.com.au/)

Anyone been on these charter flights? (http://www.antarcticaflights.com.au/)

Pretty worthless if you ask me.
Save the money and do a real trip to Antarctica.

If you are going to go, you might as well bust out a little run while you are there...

http://www.marathontour.com/antarctica/index.shtml


I'm going on this trip -- February 2005 with a buddy of mine. Can't wait. Trying to join the 7 continents Marathon Club. (This will be continent #2, but is by far the hardest one to get). Over the next few years plan to run the other 5 continents.

If you are going be VERY careful in the selection of the ship or a very expensive trip could turn up lacking.
any tips or guidelines to look for that you could share?

any tips or guidelines to look for that you could share?

You should look for recommendations from other ppl who travelled in this region. I travelled with "Quark Expeditions" 2 times and can recommend them wholeheartedly. :)

was the cruise in open water rough?

was the cruise in open water rough?

More than rough in the Drake Passage.

More than rough in the Drake Passage.

so, is it really as rough as they say in the drake passage? We are thinking of doing a tirp on the Polar Star - does anyone know that ship?

so, is it really as rough as they say in the drake passage? We are thinking of doing a tirp on the Polar Star - does anyone know that ship?

The Drake Passage is well known for the roughest sea water on earth. If things go bad you won't be able to leave your cabin for two days.

was the cruise in open water rough?

He, he, he.

He, he, he.

He, he, he.

;)


www.glenstephens.com/penguin.html

A lot of green faces on my trip across. :td:

Remember these are not Carnival or Royal Caribbean Cruse Liners with massive stabilisation.

Most are ice-breakers or old ice strengthened hull Russian built research vessels.

Passenger comfort was not an issue with them. :D

I went on a Russian ice breaker with a company called Quark in February 2003 to celebrate my 50th birthday. It cost £8000 plus the airfare to New Zealand- I used an inheritance from my great uncle.
The itinerary was 'in the footsteps of the great explorers' and it was FANTASTIC.
We sailed from New Zealand to the Ross sea area and then back to Hobart. I saw wildlike including whales but also magnificent icebergs- one 30 miles long.
We also went to Scotts hut etc.

If you want to go then I would say doso you will not regret spending the money but make sure the tour has helicopters and zodiacs as the iced up seas can mean that sites are inaccessible by ship.

Ray Sellers
0044 1522 804787

To those who are interested...

I'm trying to go to Antarctica for the Austral Summer. I figured the best way (read cheapest) would be to go in support of the U.S. Research stations there.

If you're interested, try looking at www.polar.org (http://www.polar.org) and click on the employment link (that's for those of us insane enough to actually go for four or six months but not rich enough to drop 30K or so in travel). ;D



------------------
Travel light, travel cheap, travel often


My cousin spent a few m months as a member of a rsearch team.

I went to Antarctica last month. It was by far the GREATEST vacation of my entire life. I have never seen a prettier place on the planet and I recommend visiting this part of the world to any one. My cruise was just $2500 (USD) for ten days. If anyone is interested in seeing pictures, check out:

http://community.webshots.com/user/myothercarisabackpack-date

I'd be happy to answer any questions any of you have. Just drop me a line.

^ OMG - what a fantastic trip! Those pictures are awesome!

Even Lonely Planet mentions that tour operating offering trips in the below $3000 range are few and far between - what a great deal! - especially if you had Laurie Dexter heading the "expedition"!

Thanks for taking a look at my pictures! And yes Laurie Dexter did a phenomenal job, so the trip really was a steal!


^ OMG - what a fantastic trip! Those pictures are awesome!

Even Lonely Planet mentions that tour operating offering trips in the below $3000 range are few and far between - what a great deal! - especially if you had Laurie Dexter heading the "expedition"!

Pretty worthless if you ask me.
Save the money and do a real trip to Antarctica.

Agreed, especially since there are about 275 people who never came back from a charter flight they took down there in 1979. See http://www.antarcticconnection.com/antarctic/history/plane-crash.shtml.

The Drake Passage is well known for the roughest sea water on earth. If things go bad you won't be able to leave your cabin for two days.

Even if things go well you'll likely be in bed for two days. We encountered 16 foot seas, and the ship was listing 30 degrees in each direction. We had to remove all the clothes on hangers and all the dresser and desk drawers to keep them from banging around while we were trying to keep from heaving our guts out. Try not to think about the Poseidon Adventure.

Nonetheless, it IS a spectacular trip if you can appreciate the wildlife, have fun differentiating among the different kinds of penguins, and find joy in things like clumps of moss and little purple flowers the size of your thumb and wonder how they came to survive in such a hostile environment. If you can't appreciate these kinds of things and be amazed by the nothingness down there (like some people on my trip, who, after the first shore excursion, announced that they were staying on the ship because there was nothing new for them to see and their time was better spent reading back issues of the New York Times) then you will be BORED OUT OF YOUR SKULL and shouldn't waste your time or money or test the patience of your fellow travelers.

I also traveled with Marine Expeditions (Russian hydro-acoustic research vessel R. V. Akademik Ioffe (http://www.eas.asu.edu/~pefdhome/Research/Ocean/AkIoffe.htm), though they sheep-dipped some other name onto it.) In the end, Marine Ex shorted a number of people who paid for their trips later, and then went out of business, as I recollect. :td:

The trip itself was 21 days, including South Georgia - the most incredibly beautiful and stunning places I have ever seen! Even the sounds - I will never forget listening to the air escape from the ancient ice, sounding like being trapped in a huge Champagne glass... among many other things. (The fact that we went with my favorite wildlife artist, Robert Bateman and his lovely wife Birgit, and fave author Peter Matthiesen, added an unmeasurable dimension. The fact the return was on "Drake's Lake" (dead flat - the Captain shut off one engine, we still arrived at Cape Horn hours and hours early for our pilot up the Beagle, so we cruised, did some sightseeing and had a barbecue on the afterdeck, didn't subtract one iota from the trip. :D)

In 50+ years of traveling, all continents, I have to say this was perhaps the most brilliant place I have ever had the pleasure of visiting.


I went in 1998 and I just paid $5000 with a Canadian company called Marine Expeditions. I shared a room with a woman I didn't know but who spent most of her time with her parents who were beside our room. This included Buenos Aires, Argentina before and after the cruise, aifare from Miami to Buenos Aires, Ushuahia, and an extensxion of the trip to the Iguazu Falls in Argentina and Brazil.

I differ from Millionmiler but I know that is a matter of opinion. We went to land everyday that was possible and sometimes more than once per day in the zodiacs. The scenery for me was breathtaking. It was amazing to find the penguins, seals and birds in this climate and even the humans in Port Lockroy. The penguins are funny to watch. I have traveled a lot and this has been my favorite trip so far.

I also traveled with Marine Expeditions (Russian hydro-acoustic research vessel R. V. Akademik Ioffe (http://www.eas.asu.edu/~pefdhome/Research/Ocean/AkIoffe.htm), though they sheep-dipped some othe rname onto it.)


JDiver,
How was the Ioffe? I will be traveling on that ship to Antarctica next month. It is now being operated by Peregrine and I am taking it as part of a trip organized by Marathon Tours. www.marathontours.com -- I am going to run a marathon on the 7th Continent!

Remember these are not Carnival or Royal Caribbean Cruse Liners with massive stabilisation.
Most are ice-breakers or old ice strengthened hull Russian built research vessels.
Passenger comfort was not an issue with them. :D

Yes, but not being prone to seasickness, our crossing of the Drake in the M/V Lubov Orlova was immense fun - and quite a challenge. All of the lockers and drawers in the cabins have locks on them - not for security but to keep them closed during rough seas. Seas were so high and the crossing so rough on the way back that the locked drawer of my nightstand not only broke open, but shot clear across the cabin, spilling the contents along the way. LOL

Eating meals is also an adventure - especially when one diner's chair tipped over sideways during a roll, causing a chain reaction that sent most of the chairs in the whole row tipping over as well.

You really do need to have a sense of humor on these old icebreakers. Some folks didn't, and they were miserable.

I've been off traipsing in Europe, so I haven't had much time to catch up on things, with jumping back into work (fortunately, most Fridays are office stuff rather than being at my clients.)

The Akademik Ioffe, owned by the P. P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology in Moscow, is a sturdy ice-rated ship (NOT an "ice-breaker", which you would not want to be in very rough open water with its very rounded hull,) built by the Wartsila shipyard in Finland in 1988 or 1989 for Soviet "hydroacoustics" research - meaning they intended to follow and attempt to listen in to US Navy submarines. It is now an oceanographic biology research, according to the official documentation. It’s pretty new, and has been refurbished at least once – and with the Russian poverty, has been rented out for occasional research purposes and lots of tourism tours. This means it is ice-strengthened, has very long endurance (20,000 miles / 32,000 km) - and has some strange accoutrements, including an innovative but fairly useless pair of steel cylindrical sails designed to allow some maneuverable silent running. From what I understood from chatting up the crew, pretty useless. I don’t know if it’s sistership, the Akademik Vavilov, was similarly fitted. The ship is stabilized, but of course the passage south can be pretty terrific with large waves and high winds (or on occasion, it can turn into “Drake’s Lake,” and surprise everyone!)

Ioffe (iirc, named for Akademik Abraham Ioffe, but the USSR wasn't about to admit they had a valued Jewish scientist they named a boat after, so only "Ioffe",) also has, or at least had, a sailing yacht aboard! This was for the purpose of silent running and dropping eavesdropping gear into the water. I suspect that worked much better... For maneuverability, it has twin bow thrusters, and was fitted with a 600 HP motor in a pod that extends under the ship and rotates - meaning it can literally turn on a kopeck, if not a dime. For a nearly 350 foot, 6,450 ton ship, it is highly maneuverable!

Cabins were originally designed for engineering staff and scientists, who were toward the top of the food chain in the old USSR, so they are not bad, though not spacious. The lowest priced cabins are pretty tight, with semi-private baths; next are those with upper/lower twins facilities and en-suite, not much larger, but still, one does not spend their time in the cabin in Antarctica (though on a really nasty crossing, one may, but who notices the environment then? IN some US Navy circles, the activity engaged in then is what is euphimistically termed "looking for Mr. O'Roarke" - call out his name and you'll get the idea... O-ROARK, O-ROARK.. :D)

There are few truly spacious cabins - and they are pretty strange, since they were laid out for superior officers or officials - e.g. the Drake Suite has a small cabin, head, large "living area" with the same sized bunk as every other ship's bunk. And the superiors are not bad at all. This is not a cruise ship, but was a well-built research vessel with some of Russia's more valued scientists and "researchers" aboard. Frankly, I'd rather be aboard the Ioffe than a cruise ship (too many people, no ice protected hull, etc. etc.) in these waters. (BTW, I'd recommend your favorite anti-nausea patch or medication, and I always take plenty of candied ginger - no side effects, and pretty decent.)

Shared areas are not bad - to repeat, this is not a cruise ship, but the dining salon is spacious enough to seat everyone at one cozy seating on very long tables; South American wines are usually served with dinner, and the food has been pretty decent, though not gourmet. The salon doubles as a conference hall. The library is small, but usually well-stocked, and there is also a bar, and a small ship’s shop (usually open weird hours or by appointment with one of the South American stewardesses, who are also in charge of all things alcoholic, it seems.) There is a mud room for cleaning up upon returning to the ship. Upstairs, there is a small plunge pool outside, generally empty; there are also, iirc, two saunas – at least one! - that's a nice touch, but of course, what Finnish ship would be without a sauna, right? There’s also an exercise room, and the spacious afterdeck is great for observing some of the albatrosses and other interesting birds cruising the Southern Ocean waters – and more protected from the wind than up toward the bow. (During “warmer” days, barbecues are sometimes held on the afterdeck and fantail.)

Ship's crew are Russian, or course, and the officers are very skilled - many with multiple runs in the polar extremes. The bridge is open most of the time, so it's nice to pop up for a look. Shore excursions and “mini-cruises” are from Zodiacs or similar, reached by a boarding ladder. Everything about the ship is well maintained, and the sailors know what they are doing.

(Sometimes, ship's tours are offered - interesting, though some of the most critical listening gear etc. was removed. I had a funny experience - took the tour and was getting some really nasty glares and looks from one sailor. When I asked the Captain what that might be about, he said the guy was an Afghan war vet who didn't like the idea of the old enemy Americans poking around what had been very secure ship's spaces. I told the Captain to relay on I understood exactly how he was feeling, as I was a Vietnam veteran. Next time he saw me, he was all smiles and high fives! :D )

The Ioffe (usualy about 100 passengers, 56 - 58 crew) is larger by far than the two - three other ex-Soviet / Finnish-built research vessels often used for Antarctic expeditions, the Professors Multanovskiy or Molchanov, Akademik Shokalskiy, Grigoriy Mikheev, Grigoriy Mikheev etc., all generally in the mid-40’s as far as passenger capacity, but perhaps smaller than the Kapitan Klebnikov and the large nuclear icebreakers Rossiya, Sovietskiy Soyuz and Yamal (all told they have SEVEN nuke icebreakers! and are building out a new one,) all used on Arctic and Antarctic tourist cruising, along with the more passenger-like Orlova, or the Disko, I just remembered today, is occasionally used for tourist travel that is not stabilized and quite round-hulled?, as it was built for Scandinavian fjord and ferry duty. I haven’t heard of her being used recently, however, though if offered the opportunity, I'd look for another boat. (Be aware, some expedition companies re-name the boat whilst it is under their auspices - the Ioffe was the "something Explorer" in some brochures... it pays to do one's research!)

You ucan get a pretty good idea of what you are in for with a number of illustrations at http://www.travelearn.com/shipioffeantarcticarcticmain.htm

More ship’s data at http://www.researchvessels.org/country/Russia/Akademik_Ioffe.html

I recommend layered clothing, mainly using newer synthetics that do not lose insulation values if they get damp / wet. Also a decent pair of high gumboots – Nokia come to mind, that’s what I used, as before the big cell phone boom, iirc, Nokia made boots for the Russian armed forces. I’ve also used Canadian boots, Baffins or Sorels, iirc – both insulated, good grippy soles and high enough on the calf you can make a wet landing from a Zodiac without fearing getting your feet soaked with 30 F / -1 C water (the salt allows it to be below freezing without actually freezing.) The best are high on the calf – I can’t emphasize this enough – and have removable insulated interiors which dry quickly. Beach landings can be less than flat-water conditions, and you can, as we did, get caught by a "williwaw" on land - the colder air can mass up and begin "falling" down a slope toward you, suddenly generating blinding snow / ice and over 50MPH / 80 kph winds. You want to be able to zip up some layers and stay warm at times like those. A wool cap and even balaclava are not bad things to take... and mittens (the ones I use have a fingertip area that can fold back, leaving your fingertips exposed for camera operation.)

For the marathon, you’re the expert; I’ll not make any recommendations.

A pair of binocs is indispensable, and cameras require a bit of special care – a salt soaking in high winds or in the drink is not recommended, and though you want to protect the camera, watch out when you remove it from inside the jacket and expose it to cold – and the lens fogs. Also, batteries have a much reduced useful life in cold; take plenty, also photo film / storage - and some ice goggles - it can get mighty white out there!

Antarctica is a beautiful, lovely place – it is indeed a special privilege to visit there, and IMO it makes a lifelong impression. Open your senses - your sight, at all hours, as you will see spectacular light shows, icebergs, coloured ice and water, whales, wildlife, deep water with truly glacial visibility... listen for the bubbles of air thousands of years old being released by the ancient bergy bits, the thunder of sagging ice falls from the glaciers... smell for the first time in years truly pristine air...


JDiver,
How was the Ioffe? I will be traveling on that ship to Antarctica next month. It is now being operated by Peregrine and I am taking it as part of a trip organized by Marathon Tours. www.marathontours.com -- I am going to run a marathon on the 7th Continent!

BTW, if you like seafood, there's a tiny seafood restaurant not far from the waterfront museum (Avenida Maipú, to your right as you come off the pier) that serves a variety of interesting fish - including "centolla", the huge and delicious southern King crab. I think it was Tía Elvira, at Avenida Maipú 349. Map here. (http://www.argentinaturistica.com/informa/ushimapaciudad.htm)

We enjoyed a day in Ushuaia by doing a bit of hiking in the Tierra del Fuego National Park - the refugio has a snack shop and restaurant - then wandering down the main street of Ushuaia (Avenida San Martín, east, parallel to the waterfront) where we found a photo shop with a huge variety of nice postcards and photos, a couple of booskhops with maps and an Argentine tourism office, down to the musem (Museo del Fín del Mundo - Avenida Maipú 175, US$3.50) and on to a nice centolla supper. One can be had at a more upscale Pub Nautico Restaurante (http://www.welcomeargentina.com/nautico/index.html), also on Maipú 1t 1210.

There is a Fuegian tourist office (Instituto Fueguino de Turismo, or Infuetur,) at the foot of the commercial pier (Oficina Antártida Infuetur) with badges, caps, etc. (mostly lettered "Antártida Argentina", with a rather single-minded perspective - iirc, SIX countries claim the Antarctic peninsula!) Since this is most likely from where your ship will depart, it's your most likely stop for souvenirs or an "Antártida Argentina" stamp for your passport.

Since this is most likely from where your ship will depart, it's your most likely stop for souvenirs or an "Antártida Argentina" stamp for your passport.

We got the stamp on the ship. :)

I've been off traipsing in Europe, so I haven't had much time to catch up on things, with jumping back into work (fortunately, most Fridays are office stuff rather than being at my clients.)

The Akademik Ioffe, owned by the P. P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology in Moscow, is a sturdy ice-rated ship (NOT an "ice-breaker", which you would not want to be in very rough open water with its very rounded hull,) built by the Wartsila shipyard in Finland in 1988 or 1989 for Soviet "hydroacoustics" research - meaning they intended to follow and attempt to listen in to US Navy submarines. It is now an oceanographic biology research, according to the official documentation. It’s pretty new, and has been refurbished at least once – and with the Russian poverty, has been rented out for occasional research purposes and lots of tourism tours. This means it is ice-strengthened, has very long endurance (20,000 miles / 32,000 km) - and has some strange accoutrements, including an innovative but fairly useless pair of steel cylindrical sails designed to allow some maneuverable silent running. From what I understood from chatting up the crew, pretty useless. I don’t know if it’s sistership, the Akademik Vavilov, was similarly fitted. The ship is stabilized, but of course the passage south can be pretty terrific with large waves and high winds (or on occasion, it can turn into “Drake’s Lake,” and surprise everyone!)

Ioffe (iirc, named for Akademik Abraham Ioffe, but the USSR wasn't about to admit they had a valued Jewish scientist they named a boat after, so only "Ioffe",) also has, or at least had, a sailing yacht aboard! This was for the purpose of silent running and dropping eavesdropping gear into the water. I suspect that worked much better... For maneuverability, it has twin bow thrusters, and was fitted with a 600 HP motor in a pod that extends under the ship and rotates - meaning it can literally turn on a kopeck, if not a dime. For a nearly 350 foot, 6,450 ton ship, it is highly maneuverable!

Cabins were originally designed for engineering staff and scientists, who were toward the top of the food chain in the old USSR, so they are not bad, though not spacious. The lowest priced cabins are pretty tight, with semi-private baths; next are those with upper/lower twins facilities and en-suite, not much larger, but still, one does not spend their time in the cabin in Antarctica (though on a really nasty crossing, one may, but who notices the environment then? IN some US Navy circles, the activity engaged in then is what is euphimistically termed "looking for Mr. O'Roarke" - call out his name and you'll get the idea... O-ROARK, O-ROARK.. :D)

There are few truly spacious cabins - and they are pretty strange, since they were laid out for superior officers or officials - e.g. the Drake Suite has a small cabin, head, large "living area" with the same sized bunk as every other ship's bunk. And the superiors are not bad at all. This is not a cruise ship, but was a well-built research vessel with some of Russia's more valued scientists and "researchers" aboard. Frankly, I'd rather be aboard the Ioffe than a cruise ship (too many people, no ice protected hull, etc. etc.) in these waters. (BTW, I'd recommend your favorite anti-nausea patch or medication, and I always take plenty of candied ginger - no side effects, and pretty decent.)

Shared areas are not bad - to repeat, this is not a cruise ship, but the dining salon is spacious enough to seat everyone at one cozy seating on very long tables; South American wines are usually served with dinner, and the food has been pretty decent, though not gourmet. The salon doubles as a conference hall. The library is small, but usually well-stocked, and there is also a bar, and a small ship’s shop (usually open weird hours or by appointment with one of the South American stewardesses, who are also in charge of all things alcoholic, it seems.) There is a mud room for cleaning up upon returning to the ship. Upstairs, there is a small plunge pool outside, generally empty; there are also, iirc, two saunas – at least one! - that's a nice touch, but of course, what Finnish ship would be without a sauna, right? There’s also an exercise room, and the spacious afterdeck is great for observing some of the albatrosses and other interesting birds cruising the Southern Ocean waters – and more protected from the wind than up toward the bow. (During “warmer” days, barbecues are sometimes held on the afterdeck and fantail.)

Ship's crew are Russian, or course, and the officers are very skilled - many with multiple runs in the polar extremes. The bridge is open most of the time, so it's nice to pop up for a look. Shore excursions and “mini-cruises” are from Zodiacs or similar, reached by a boarding ladder. Everything about the ship is well maintained, and the sailors know what they are doing.

(Sometimes, ship's tours are offered - interesting, though some of the most critical listening gear etc. was removed. I had a funny experience - took the tour and was getting some really nasty glares and looks from one sailor. When I asked the Captain what that might be about, he said the guy was an Afghan war vet who didn't like the idea of the old enemy Americans poking around what had been very secure ship's spaces. I told the Captain to relay on I understood exactly how he was feeling, as I was a Vietnam veteran. Next time he saw me, he was all smiles and high fives! :D )

The Ioffe (usualy about 100 passengers, 56 - 58 crew) is larger by far than the two - three other ex-Soviet / Finnish-built research vessels often used for Antarctic expeditions, the Professors Multanovskiy or Molchanov, Akademik Shokalskiy, Grigoriy Mikheev, Grigoriy Mikheev etc., all generally in the mid-40’s as far as passenger capacity, but perhaps smaller than the Kapitan Klebnikov and the large nuclear icebreakers Rossiya, Sovietskiy Soyuz and Yamal (all told they have SEVEN nuke icebreakers! and are building out a new one,) all used on Arctic and Antarctic tourist cruising, along with the more passenger-like Orlova, or one that is occasionally used for tourist travel that is not stabilized, as it was built for Scandinavian fjord and ferry duty. I haven’t heard of her (can't recall the name, but she's named after a fjord, so you get the idea!) being used recently, however.

You ucan get a pretty good idea of what you are in for with a number of illustrations at http://www.travelearn.com/shipioffeantarcticarcticmain.htm

More ship’s data at http://www.researchvessels.org/country/Russia/Akademik_Ioffe.html

I recommend layered clothing, mainly using newer synthetics that do not lose insulation values if they get damp / wet. Also a decent pair of high gumboots – Nokia come to mind, that’s what I used, as before the big cell phone boom, iirc, Nokia made boots for the Russian armed forces. I’ve also used Canadian boots, Baffins or Sorels, iirc – both insulated, good grippy soles and high enough on the calf you can make a wet landing from a Zodiac without fearing getting your feet soaked with 30 F / -1 C water (the salt allows it to be below freezing without actually freezing.) The best are high on the calf – I can’t emphasize this enough – and have removable insulated interiors which dry quickly. Beach landings can be less than flat-water conditions, and you can, as we did, get caught by a "williwaw" on land - the colder air can mass up and begin "falling" down a slope toward you, suddenly generating blinding snow / ice and over 50MPH / 80 kph winds. You want to be able to zip up some layers and stay warm at times like those. A wool cap and even balaclava are not bad things to take... and mittens (the ones I use have a fingertip area that can fold back, leaving your fingertips exposed for camera operation.)

For the marathon, you’re the expert; I’ll not make any recommendations.

A pair of binocs is indispensable, and cameras require a bit of special care – a salt soaking in high winds or in the drink is not recommended, and though you want to protect the camera, watch out when you remove it from inside the jacket and expose it to cold – and the lens fogs. Also, batteries have a much reduced useful life in cold; take plenty, also photo film / storage - and some ice goggles - it can get mighty white out there!

Antarctica is a beautiful, lovely place – it is indeed a special privilege to visit there, and IMO it makes a lifelong impression. Open your senses - your sight, at all hours, as you will see spectacular light shows, icebergs, coloured ice and water, whales, wildlife, deep water with truly glacial visibility... listen for the bubbles of air thousands of years old being released by the ancient bergy bits, the thunder of sagging ice falls from the glaciers... smell for the first time in years truly pristine air...
[b[Jdiver[/b]your experiences and history very much echo my brother and sister-in-laws. Reading you account was similar to their account. My brother-in-law is also a Vietnam Vet and my sister-in-law a docent at the Smithsonian. I remember a vivid description of the enounter with penquins. It seems that they all poop horizontally, so it is best to get out of the way. Nice report. Thanks.
O2K

Too add, penguins poop SMELLY! That's old digested fish (or krill) remains excreting out. One can smell a really large penguin colony a long way off on any day it's not below freezing, and I remember one with pink "highways" among the colony. (Maybe Paulet Island - LOTS of Adelies in long queues streaming up and down the "pink highways.")

You're welcome, BTW! :)

[b[Jdiver[/b]your experiences and history very much echo my brother and sister-in-laws. Reading you account was similar to their account. My brother-in-law is also a Vietnam Vet and my sister-in-law a docent at the Smithsonian. I remember a vivid description of the enounter with penquins. It seems that they all poop horizontally, so it is best to get out of the way. Nice report. Thanks.
O2K

A lot of cruising is now done by almost regular cruise boats who have no way to handle pack ice.

They skirt the top tip of the Antarctic Peninsula and that is about it. :td:

You'll likely have a far more memorable adventure to pay the bucks for a real ice vessel, and actually cross the Antarctic Circle, and experience first hand some serious ice like this from my trip:

http://www.glenstephens.com/small_ship.jpg

This was our sister boat 15 miles from the circle. She later got completely stuck in the ice and we needed to free her.

When we went two years ago, we accomplished a major goal for ourselves: 7 continents in 7 years!

But do not take a "cruise ship" which simply does scenic cruising as it passes by the continent. You'll be terribly disappointed. Take one of the former Russian ice breakers that will go into the bays, between the islands, thru the fjords......and which allow you to take daily expeditions onto land!

But do not take a "cruise ship" which simply does scenic cruising as it passes by the continent. You'll be terribly disappointed. Take one of the former Russian ice breakers that will go into the bays, between the islands, thru the fjords......and which allow you to take daily expeditions onto land!


Indeed! ^

It happens that there is no "scenic" cruising at all, because the landside is covered in fog.

Look for a ship with about 100 - 120 passengers. We took a much smaller ship thinking we would get many more landings (the size of landing parties is limited due to environmental concerns). Instead, what we got was the worst sea sickness of our lives as the Drake Passage tossed our boat like a toy. Still, when you get to the continent, the biggest factor will be weather. There are brief windows that open for landings and the size of the ship will be one of many factors that affect landings.