Traveling with Storys: November 30, 2024 - Saturday

November 30, 2024 – Saturday Day 66 of this journey

Explore Antarctica – Day 5 – Wilhelmina Bay & Sea Ice

When we got up this morning and opened our blackout shade, we were right where we were when we went to bed. The unrelenting white is amazing. We wandered around the open decks a little bit and took a few early morning photos.

You can see the ice under the water. It is much thicker than it looks

Just interesting cracks in the ice

Around 8:00 am the beverage staff was in the Shelter and around the ship handing out coffee with whipped cream and cherry brandy. It was also softly snowing but not accumulating.

A little after 9:00 am, the captain announced that Pablo and some of the Expedition Team were going out on the ice to assess its thickness and suitability for an ice landing. We watch from the Explorer’s Lounge as they wander around “assessing”. It is obvious it is much thicker than what we thought. While they were assessing, a couple of penguins wandered over to see what was going on.

3 people "assessing", 2 penguins assessing the humans (lower left)

4 people working, 2 penguins watching, a lot of guests
supervising

Pablo announced that after the assessment, it looked favorable. The Captain is going to back the ship out of the ice then sail forward again to get the ship a little deeper into the ice. They will reassess the area one more time and hope to bring guests out on to the ice in small groups. They’ll be calling people by deck. He also announced that we would not be going to our afternoon stop so all afternoon activities are cancelled.

This is a first for Viking. This is the first time a Viking Ship has parked in the ice. This is the first time guests from a Viking ship will step directly onto ice from the ship.

The first group of guests went onto the ice a little after 10:30 am. We could watch them from our window. Lots of selfies.

We had almost finished lunch when our deck was called, so we quickly went back to our cabin, and I suited up. Russ had decided he didn’t need to walk on the ice.

Downstairs on Deck A, we gathered just as we do for a zodiac ride. 10 guests at a time were allowed to go out. It is just 2 steps from the shell door to the ice. It was snowing lightly. You were paired with 2 Expedition Team members and offered ski poles for stability. Our group headed off on the well trampled trail that had been laid out. From the shell door, we walked away from the ship, then gradually turned towards the bow. We stopped every 100 feet or so and waited as each group moved across the ice. The Expedition Team guides were great, chatting with us about the ice and the ship. Offering to take photos, suggesting individual videos of us walking on the ice as though we are alone.

The goal of the trail was at a hole the Team had dug in the snow, revealing the ice. It was quite clear. Then each group lined up with a mooring line on our shoulders posing as though we were pulling the ship. Cute photo. We then wandered back to the shell door along the edge of the ship. Once inside the ship, we needed to walk through the boot washer. This is something that is done every time there is a landing. It is quite important, that we do everything we can to keep from contaminating any site.

The group photo - that is me in the lead

The whole thing from stem to stern

So strange to see from this perspective with
the ice crunched up against her

When all guests had been called, and it was acknowledged that everyone was back on board, we continued to see groups of people out on the ice. We realized that they had arranged for every crew member that wanted to, was able to walk on the ice.

At the Daily Briefing, Pablo explained the process that they had to go through in order to put together today’s activity. This has never been done before, so there was no existing procedure manual. They basically had to create that and run it through several levels of Viking Senior Management, and finally were given the go ahead. Our Expedition Team as well as our Captain were delighted.

During our walk, I learned that a few days ago, the Polaris had nosed into this same ice field but only a little way. So, part of this is a bit of sibling rivalry. We moved way into the ice, spent the night in the ice, and then offered every guest and crew member the opportunity to walk on this blanket of ice. It might be possible to do this on the next sailing (which will be back in this region in 2 weeks), but after that, the summer conditions will have caused the sea ice to become “rotten” and not safe for this activity.

On a side note: there was one penguin on the ice amongst the guests. He chose a spot and camped out the entire time people were milling about. Of course, everyone kept a respectable distance away from him. After everyone was gone and all materials were picked up and stowed away, he lifted his head, looked around, got up and appeared to be stretching. Then he toddled off. The spot he had chosen was just below our room and we had a perfect view.