Sid’s blog – Jan 21
Ice and the LeMaire Channel
Greetings from the 12-man Vernadsky Base, a former UK base which was sold to the Ukraine, for £1, after the Ukrainian Antarctic scientists lost access to the Russian bases they had formerly used. We first attempted to anchor in a tiny cove off the base but were prevented from reaching the preferred anchoring spot by a large ice flow inhabited by twenty sleeping seals. We bashed into the ice, several times, in an attempt to break through. Our bashing did little to open the anchorage or to rouse the lazy seals who took no notice.
Speaking of bashing, much of our 50+ mile passage, today, was spent bashing through and maneuvering around ice. As we approached the very narrow and steep-sided Lemaire Channel, we crossed paths with the British icebreaker JAMES CLARK ROSS. We fully expected that they, being faster and bound in our direction, would clear a nice pass for us. However, they decided to first sail in a few circles, possibly for scientific data collection, before falling in behind us for the entire canal transit. It was definitely one of those “What’s wrong with this picture?” moments.
The Lemaire Chanel is about 140m deep, 11km long and only 1,600m wide, and bounded by steep mountains and glaciers on either side. It is nearly impossible to see until you are in the opening. Currently it is filled with icebergs and a nearly continuous coating of thinner ice. Capt. Fede did a superb job of navigating OCEAN TRAMP through the channel while leaving only a little blue hull-paint behind.
Although it is now calm, as it has been for most of the voyage, we did have a lovely following breeze for much of today and were able to comfortably sail, on jib alone, for much of the day. The temperature continues to range between 35⁰ and 45⁰ F and the water temperature right around freezing. Inside the boat is comfortably warm, thanks to the diesel heater which also acts as a clothes dryer for wet gloves and socks. We are comfortably anchored with two stern lines tied to boulders ashore and have just returned from a visit to Wordie House, a British hut built in 1946, on the site of an earlier cabin which was washed away in a tsunami. The current hut is maintained as a sort of museum and looks as if the six inhabitants just left leaving clothes, food and equipment behind. After dinner tonight, we will visit a still operating pub, originally built by an English carpenter who chose to build it rather than his assigned tasks. Now under Ukrainian control, it serves vodka rather than stout.
Our yacht, OCEAN TRAMP, is very well run by her owners, Laura and Fede, who know the waters well and who seem to really enjoy sharing their love of the region with their guests. In truth, we are made to feel more like family than guests. We all participate in the boats activities, including standing watch and washing dishes. From my perspective, this is a fantastic way to experience the cruising lifestyle in Antarctic waters without having to spend the time and effort to sail one’s own boat all the way here.
– Sid
