The Voyage
Day 1Clients will depart Sydney and fly direct to Santiago Chile for the overnight stay in pre-arranged luxurious accommodation.
Day 2
From Punta Arenas, the group flies to Puerto Williams at the bottom of
the world, to board the specially equipped luxury vessel. The afternoon
will be spent stowing personal gear, familiarising the team with the vessel
and undergoing a safety briefing before departure. Clients will spend
an enjoyable evening aboard moored alongside the Micalvi, a ruined Chilean
naval vessel, before setting sail next morning.
Day 3
From Puerto Williams the yacht sails east through the Beagle Channel and
turns south through the Cape Horn archipelago. Weather permitting; we
sail directly across the Drake Passage heading for the Peninsula. If the
forecast is strong headwinds or storms, the boat can shelter in any of
three protected anchorages within the archipelago.
Days 3-6
This leg of the voyage should take no longer than 90 hours. To ensure
the safety and comfort of ESS clients however, it may be necessary for
the boat to shelter for 1 or 2 days in Cape Horn anchorage if the weather
is threatening. Once setting sail, the maritime adventure of crossing
the Drake Passage begins. The first shelter on Deception Island lies ahead.
Days 5-6
Deception Island is a semi-active volcanic island in the South Shetland
archipelago. The unique landscape is formed from volcanic ash and ice.
Our mariners will spend most of the day rigging the boat for inshore sailing.
After a briefing session by ESS personnel on the Antarctic Wildlife Guidelines,
there will be opportunities for a number of pleasant walks ashore including
a visit to Whalers Bay, the site of the first commercial whaling operation
in the region. Sea conditions permitting, on day 6 we hope to land on
the southeast corner of Deception Island where the largest Chinstrap Penguin
colony in the Antarctic lives.
Day 6
The vessel heads south to the Gerlache Straits. Most of the passage is
offshore through the southern portion of the Bransfield Straits. This
part of the voyage may be undertaken overnight or in early daylight. From
the northern section of the Gerlache Straits, the vessel navigates Neumayer
Channel between Anvers and Weincke Islands before continuing southward
toward the Penola Straits.
Numerous Humpback whales share this leg of the voyage. The captain will
turn off the engines and drift to allow the boat to get close to the great
mammals without disturbing them. Leopard Seals can also be seen as they
feeding from the local penguin population.
Day 7
Many experienced Antarctic mariners consider the Lemaire Channel to be
the most scenic stretch of water on the Peninsula, hence the name "Kodak
Valley". Voyagers will enjoy an early morning sail through this narrow
ice filled passage between the high mountains of Booth Island and the
mainland. The rest of the day will likely be spent in the Penola Straits,
with a possible temporary anchorage off Hovgaard Island. Hovgaard Island
and nearby Pleneau Island offer walks ashore to see the small colony of
resident Elephant Seals. The boat is anchored for the night in an isthmus
off Booth Island. We will need stern lines from either side of the boat
to the shore depending on which way the wind is blowing.
Day 8
In good weather, the vessel will anchor at Yalour Island in the middle
of the Penola Straits for a pleasant morning ashore. The island is home
to an Adelie colony and on a sunny day, the views to Mt. Shackleton and
the peninsula plateau are spectacular. The afternoon and night is spent
only a few kilometres away at the Ukrainian functioning scientific station,
Vernadsky. The base was formerly the British Antarctic Survey base, Faraday.
Moored in this narrow backwater in the small archipelago of the Argentine
Islands, the base provides protected, safe and secure storm anchorage,
On a previous expedition, David Armstrong formed strong relationships
with many of the local scientists and personnel living and working at
this base. ESS clients will have the rare and exceptional opportunity
to dive and explore some of the amazing underwater sites known only to
the local base personnel.
Days 9-12
Clients will enjoy a further three days diving spectacular underwater
dive locations while probing south into the Grandidier Channel and possibly
into Crystal Sound. If a swell is running, the dramatic sight and sound
of great icebergs as they heave and crash in the swell, breaking up or
perhaps capsizing, will leave an indelible memory.
The goal of reaching the Antarctic Circle and landing on the mainland
is in reach. If we can make it through the inside passage, the boat will
shelter near Prospect Point at the Fish Islands, the site of an old British
Antarctic Survey Base.
Days 13, 14, 15
During these three days, ESS clients can enjoy deck life or choose to
dive as often as they wish to explore many underwater locations that may
never have been seen before.
Day 16
The vessel turns north through the Penola and Lemaire Channels to anchor
at Weincke Island near Port Lockroy. The port has become the de-facto
visitor centre for Antarctic cruise ships and is well worth a visit. Formerly
a British Antarctic Survey base, the Information Centre provides postal
services, sells stamps and post cards, information sheets and maps. The
base was originally built on the site of a Gentoo Penguin Colony but today,
its guests are all human. Manned in summer only, the base has been declared
a Site of Historic Interest within the framework of the Antarctic Treaty.
Day 17
Sailing south to Weincke Island, the vessel heads back into the Gerlache
Straits, spotting Humpback Whales along the way. Weather permitting, the
night could be spent at Cuverville Island to the north, the location of
many migrating birds and seal populations, or within the Melchior Archipelago
between Anvers and Brabant Islands.
Day 18
The Melchoir Islands mark the beginning of the homeward journey across
the Drake Passage. This demands an early start and our sailors will be
watching the weather closely. A late departure might mean we miss a favourable
weather pattern and are delayed here. ESS uses a weather router in America
to predict the weather approximately 5 days in advance in order to be
prepared for changing weather conditions. Any spare days gained by an
early start may be very enjoyably spent diving near Cape Horn and visiting
Horn Island.
Days 19-21
The days are spent re-crossing the Drake Passage or sailing Cape Horn
depending on weather conditions.
Day 22
At Puerto Williams, clients enjoy one final night aboard. The highlight
will be the finale dinner that ESS has arranged to celebrate the end of
this remarkable sail-dive adventure.
Day 23
ESS has arranged departure flights home from Santiago to Sydney.