Xplore in Antarctica: 5 Feb. 2009

Last report before we leave the Antarctic Peninsula [Ed note: dispatch in both French & English, below] Ce mercredi 4 fevrier le soleil nous offre un spectacle magnifique de la peninsule et ses glaciers (Hotine, Bussey, Trooz, Belgica...) mais l'air est vif et glace. La nuit nous a laisse 10 cm de neige sur le pont, et a blanchi encore et encore ces terres vierges. Le voilier quitte son nid douillet de Stella Creek de Argentine Islands pour se diriger sous moteur, trinquette et yankee, Sud Ouest vers les Pitt Islands, un groupe d'iles a l'extremite nord de l'ile Renaud (Biscoe Islands), nomme ainsi en l'honneur de William Pitt, British Statesman, en 1832. Nous nous dirigeons encore vers le Sud, vers ce cercle polaire antarctique, 66 degres 33 minutes, vers le jour eternel de l'ete austral. Mais nous savons que Pitt Islands seront notre ultime etape de cette expedition extraordinaire. Le voilier se faufile entre les rochers et les ilots de cet archipel. Steven ne connait pas encore le coin et les cartes sont vraiment imprecises. Steven trouve finalement rapidemment et facilement un mouillage bien au calme entre les petites iles, au 65 degres 26 minutes Sud et 65 degres 22 minutes Ouest. Steven projette l'idee de bien cartographier cette partie de l'archipel, entre l'ile Jingle et l'ile Weller. Nommes en 1959 en l'honneur respectivement de Alfred Jingle et de Samuel Weller, representes dans Pickwick Papers de Charles Dickens. Jeudi 5 fevrier au matin sous un beau soleil mais toujours aussi frais, en zodiac, Steven cartographie les environs immediats du mouillage, au crayon, main leve, cela ressemble a du L. de Vinci alors que Serge tente un crayonnage style P. Picasso abstrait, tout est histoire de style et d'experience... Nous decouvrons par la meme occasion une faune nombreuse de Fur Seals, Weddel Seals, Blue-Eyed Cormorants, Adelie Penguins, Antarctic Skuas, Antarctic Tern, Big Gulls... L'endroit est tranquille sans presence de voiliers ni de ferry-boats. James et Sonia terminent un bonhomme de neige et Simon et Julia nous trouvent une troisieme barbatte enorme. Cecilia chante et danse dans le zodiac pilote de maitre par Audrey a la decouverte des Fur Seals. Richard se transforme en boulanger et Steph en patissiere maison. Tout le monde profite de cette derniere journee antarctique. Demain, nous partons vers le Nord, vers la traversee du Drake, direction le cap Horn et Puerto Williams. Le barometre indique 1001 hPa, avec 41% d'humidite et 15,5 degres a l'interieur du voilier alors que la temperature exterieure oscille entre -2 et +8 degres Celsus. This Wednesday 4th February the sun offers us a magnificent view of the peninsula and her glaciers (Hotine, Bussey, Trooz, Belgica...) but the air is crisp and fresh. The night leaves us 10cm of snow on deck, and whitens even more those virgin lands that surround us. Xplore leaves her protected nest in Stella Creek in the Argentine Islands to motorsail to the South West towards Pitt Islands, in the northen tip of the archipelago of Renaud Island (Biscoe Islands). The Pitt islands were named by the explorer William Pitt who in 1832 discovered them and then when the British re-surveyed them again in the 1900's they adopted the tales of Charles Dickens to name the islands, hence why so many are named after charecters from his books. The voyage to these islands took us closer to the south towards the polar circle where the endless days, with constant light occurs at 66 degrees 33 minutes during the summer solstice of late December. Everyone though onboard knows that this last stop that we are making is the closing door to an incredible voyage of discovery that has taken us along the length of the normally navigable Antarctic Peninsula. As we enter the archipelago of the Pitt islands, the air is tense as skipper Stephen hasn't explored the island group and the navigation charts are basic to say the least; every corner, every island, is the difference whether the yacht floats or hits rocks as the coast line is littered with unpredictable outcrops of submerged obstacles. But Stephen finds quite quickly a nice, calm and protected anchorage to fit his 'fat English girl' in between all the little islands, at 65 degrees 26 minutes South and 65 degrees 22 minutes West. Stephen then suggested to chart the area of the archipelago, between Jingle and Weller islands, Dickens' characters in Pickwick Papers in 1959. Early in the morning on Thursday 5th February, with a nice but crisp sunshine, a team of four people led by Captain Stephen leave the boat with the zodiac and start drawing the surroundings of the anchorage with a pen and a sheet of paper. Stephen's drawing looks like a piece of art from Leonardo de Vinci, whereas Serge's looks more like abstract art, maybe from Picasso ... Style and experience often talk... Zooming around in the zodiac they also realize that the fauna is more abundant down here than in the northern part of the peninsula ... Fur seals, Weddel Seals, Blue-Eyed Cormorants, Adelie penguins, Antarctic Skuas, Antarctic Terns, Big Gulls... The place is quiet, without any other yacht or cruise ship. James and Sonia are just finishing a snowman, Simon and Julia find a third big fender. Cecilia sings in the dinghy - maybe to attract the fur seals, Richard turn himself into the official baker onboard and Steph bakes lovely sweet cakes. Everybody enjoys this last day in Antarctica. Tomorrow we will be heading North again, towards Cape Horn and Puerto Williams. The barometer shows 1001 hPa, with 41% of humidity and 15.5 degrees inside the boat whereas the outside temperature varies between -2 and +8 degrees Celsus. ~ Serge [Stephen reports the weather looks fair for the departure; they will decide after 'a good sleep' - Ed.]