highplanesdrifters

We are all armchair travelers when we're not traveling. Thanks for the encouragement. 😁

@PaulaJK Thanks for your report. Did Silversea do anything for you? Did they at least find you a hotel or offer guidance? FCC? Thanks.

Wow! The Wind has been dealing with lots of weather in the last month. This is another level. Did it happen in Puerto Deseado?

It's not over yet. Still on ship for one day in Walvis Bay. Who wants to go on a little safari with us?

One of these days!

Sea days, sea days, glorious sea days. I was worried there would be too many on the C2C. Please can I have a few more. Unheard of calm seas for the entire crossing. Rarely more than 2 meter swell. 20240318_093834.mp4 What's this? No chair hogs? May be more rare than the calm seas or the Inaccessible Rail. Let's throw a party to celebrate all the amazing, kind, witty, and wonderful people we have met. You know who you are. A quiet sunset dinner. An example of the plethora of activities should you need entertainment.

@taxatty @cruisintime Avaian Flu I've talked to a few of the bird experts on board to try and get a sense of what has happened and the future for South Georgia and Antarctica. It is a challenge to predict exactly what will happen. I'll try and summarize. Avaian Flu seems to have a 2-3 year cycle. We are at the beginning of the cycle in Antarctica and beginning/middle in South Georgia. South Georgia There is hope that the King Penguin population will show some resistance. Seal pups in some areas were particularly hard hit. Fears about the Albatros persist. Much of Grytviken was closed including Shackleton's grave. The Post Office, museum and church were open, and a hike was offered. We had a zodiac cruise at Salisbury Plain which IMHO may have been better than a landing. At other sites there were multiple landings where we were surrounded by King Penguins and Seals, including hundreds of pups. Some site were closed and then re-opened once it was determined that Avian flu was not the cause of deaths. We were scheduled for 5 days in SG but left after 3 to outrun a storm. I did not feel like we missed out. Antarctica Two popular spots were closed. The Chilean Base and the British Post Office. They have gift shops. It is impossible to social distance with the critters there. I don't think you'll miss much by not going to them. As for the future there, it is anyone's guess. How and who will monitor the landing sites? How much resistance will be in the colonies there? There are many more sites in Antarctica vs SG. But there are also many more ships. It is hard to say given the unknown, but you are just as or more likely to miss landings due to weather, swell or hostile fur seals. I was worried that our trip would be overweighted with zodiac cruises. I found just the opposite. Except for missing out on a leg stretch the zodiac cruises offered a different perspective, the ability to see more, and sometimes were preferable. That being said, nothing compares to being part of the multi species interaction on land. Land vs Zodiac The Expedition team picks a landing spot based on how few critters are there. As the day progresses more and more of them gather around the spot out of curiosity and it becomes a happening attracting even more. King Penguins on icebergs with hundreds swimming about the berg and your zodiac. I hope this helps. Feel free to ask more questions.

Inaccessible Island, Tristan Archepelago We searched for the Inaccessible Island Rail. It is the smallest extant flightless bird in the world. The ultimate Holy Grail of the trip for the Birders. It is dark brown and only 5-6 inches. We bobbed far from shore as the swell was, well, swelly! It was not easy to spot. No one did. We got a few Rockhoppers and a pleasant ride before our upcoming 4 sea days. The Swell 20240317_101143.mp4 This is 'Where The Pig Fell Off'. Seriously, it's a real place name. Some brilliant government bureaucrat forced some Tristans to start a farm on the top of this volcano. They did not succeed. Nor did the pig. The Tristans returned to Tristan. The Rockhoppers and seals had BLTs.

Nightingale Island Part 2 No landing this afternoon due to some fur seals with hate in their hearts blocking our path. Based on @Fletcher description perhaps a nice zodiac cruise is just what the doctor ordered. Rocks, rocks, and more amazing volcanic rocks. For the Birders. We saw numerous Nightingale Thrush and the equally rare Nightingale Finch. Not just a fleeting glance mind you. Lots of chirping, flitting about and other birdsy things. Sights along the trip were common. We also saw a few Sooty Albatrosses. So elegant soaring about, dropping things off at their nest. Even easy to spot and enjoy for an amateur. Major Finch and Thrush spot. Seal pup nursery area. 20240316_164333.mp4 Aw, what the heck, here's another seal pup video. 20240316_164333.mp4 20240316_163739.mp4 Cave time. Yes, these are the vibrant colors we saw. The Zuber drivers were crazy about this cave. As were we. We did a double zip through . Some did 5 passes. What a delight. The video does a good job of the insane colors coming to life as your eyes and lens adjust to the darkness. The smile on Sam's face at the end tells the tale. tale. 20240316_172100.mp4 @drron29. We learned today that touching rocks from a zodiac is considered a landing. I can neither confirm or deny that we landed.😁 20240316_164603.mp4

Will check in with a few of the bird guides to get the latest bird flu info. Opinions vary. Stay turned.

Sounds exciting. On one of those risking life and limb hikes there were a few sprained ankles and a broken leg. We began passing on the slippery slope hikes. Glad you came out unscathed. Did you do a trip report? Were the Albatros nesting in the Tussock? There were a number of concerns about disturbing them.

Nightingale Island Calmer seas, no wind and bluebird skies made for another spectacular day. Nightingale here we come for a zodiac cruise. Overnight we had a long commute.😅 First up, some caves. Petral cruising for chow. 20240316_104318.mp4 Jackson Pollock was here. 20240316_112040.mp4 Some of the subantarctic fur seals have a mullet. This genetic mutation started in the 80's. Not happy about the Skua. 20240316_105934.mp4 And now the star of the show, Northern Rockhoppers. 20240316_103949.mp4 Look, @jpalbny you brought me luck. Seastack with Tristan in the background. 20240316_110418.mp4 More Rockhoppers, specially back-lit. 20240316_105015.mp4 WARNING GRAPHIC VIDEO A few Petrals having a Rockhopper lunch. 20240316_113910.mp4 Remember all those supplies the ship unloaded on Tristan? Well guess who got treated to Lobster lunch. Quite possibly the best Lobster I have ever eaten. Simply steamed with a touch of butter. The way it should be! After we finished Mahomed came by and offered another round. Oh yes please! A glass of bubbly put us in heaven. And the promise of a landing this afternoon. Is all this really happening?

I agree. There is always a place out there that I didn't known needed to see. The Tristan Archepelago and Gough were much more interesting than imagined. They are more than just a remote place. Yes to C2C! Let us know what you find.

@Fletcher I am humbled. It's amazing what an amateur can do with a cell phone. Now about that spelling and punctuation.......🤣

Tristan da Cunah Tristan is an active volcanic island with rare wildlife and home to 238 British Citizens living in the world's most isolated settlement of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, far from the madding crowd in the South Atlantic Ocean. About 10 cruise ships visit the island every year. On average only 40% land passengers. There are 10 supply ships that visit every year. Weather was looking perfect. No wind, sunny, high 60's. That nasty swell reared it's ugly head. Touch and go for a bit. For some, it was a challenge to get into the zodiacs if the swell was swelling. ABs and the most excellent zodiac drivers got us to shore. YAY! We have all day here. Zodiac swell meeting. All systems go. 20240315_092328.mp4 Multiple tours were offered. Guided settlement, volcano hike, hike up the lava fields, steep hike up the lava fields, potato patch, and golf. Yes you read that right Golf! 20240315_101442.mp4 The Potato Patch was tempting. About 2 mi outside of town where folks have their weekend house and a potato patch. I am not kidding. We chose the free roam and headed to the lava fields. It was nice to explore quietly and get a sense of the beauty and isolation. Who can pass up the Most Remote Gift Shop? First things first, found the Albatros Bar. We'll hit that on the return. The volcano erupted in 1961. The Settlement was evacuated and eventually returned 2 years later to find the town intact. We chose the easier climb on the two track. Anniversary Park. I'm liking the lichen. Giant chunks of lava everywhere along with erratics from the explosion. We met Nick who has been living here for 10 months. He is making a documentary about Tristan. He advised to keep going all the way to the town dump. Nicest town dump you will ever visit. Street scenes My favorite, the grocery store. Things we're very reasonably priced. And now with some sweaty miles under our belt, time for a cold beer, Lobster tart, and cucumber sandwich. It was our first proper leg stretch on land since Port Stanley Falklands. There has been some debate about the remote island claim. We're happy to give it to them. We can say for certain the it is the most remote inhabited island that doesn't take credit cards. 😁 Silver Cloud sent some supplies ashore. Rumor is there might be a Tristan Lobster lunch onboard in our near future. 20240315_131331.mp4 Thanks Tristan for a truly lovely and special visit.

Great shot! Headed back to his room after a trip to the LT buffet?😃

I know what you mean. We've done the tours carrying flags on poles so they attack that instead of our heads.😅

These were Antarctic Terns. Not quite the amazing pole to pole journey of their Arctic cousins, only to Africa. Still a favorite of mine. Love to see your snap.

Inaccessible Island Yep, still inaccessible. Captain is kindly going to circumnavigate to give us a taste of this volcanic masterpiece. Bali Hai - Take off the parkas. Yellow billed Albatros. C'mon, you must be impressed I got a bird picture. Sun in, sun out, so many moods. After the Captian circled once with nowhere to go, he turned around and went the other way. We made lemonade. OK, maybe we ordered Champagne. Nathan, the man, the legend! Luckily this time around Inaccessible was on our Starboard side. Look at me, another bird picture. Great Northern Petral. The Antarctic Tern never gets enough street cred. It's always Albatros, Albatros, Albatros. Oh sigh, can we count our lucky stars before its dark? We circled around and with the sun at our backs the island lit up. Look at those basalt columns. Another glass, thank you very much! Caves yet to be explored.....by us. Time to gussy up for a little more fun. 20240314_173834.mp4 Sheerwater raft. There are millions here. 20240314_175100.mp4 Scan of the landscape. 20240314_175148.mp4 More fun, what a crew! 20240314_182931.mp4 Sun slipping away. Will we return? Sweet dreams. OK, maybe dinner first!

Inaccessible Island What a forbidding place. Well perhaps it is inaccessible. 20240314_143329.mp4 @FauxNom. Take the expedition gear off, guess you can stay on the sunbed. 20240314_144322.mp4

Again, you are so kind. I feel that so many contribute to CC bringing so many places to life for me. It is a small thank you when I can return the favor.

Some of us struggle more than most.🤣

Thanks Drron! For those interested here is a link to Drrons C2C journey. Always worth a look see! https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2467121-from-cape-to-cape-on-the-explorer/

At your service Ms. Nom

*cacophony It's a slippery slope with me, but perhaps one correction. 😅