Sometimes travel itineraries don’t roll out according to plan. Flights can be delayed, hotels can be overbooked, taxis can be non-existent and ships can break down.
This is particularly true when you are travelling near the Arctic shield. Unpredictable weather, including sudden hurricane-strength gusts, can take a toll on ships and make travel to Antarctica a real challenge. An old sailor’s adage has it that “Beyond 40°S, there is no law . . . beyond 50°S, there is no God.”
Most travellers to Antarctica come by boat on what is typically a rough ocean voyage, but the unique landscapes, plants and animals of this icy environment are incredible attractions that keep visitors coming back. Voyages to the Arctic shield have become incredibly popular in recent years — despite the challenges that come with getting there.
A few years ago, Cliff Soper of Lacombe County experienced his first expedition to Antarctica and was so captivated by the beauty of it that he planned another journey with a slightly different itinerary last April.
As it turned out, the itinerary proved to be vastly different from what was advertised when the ship he was travelling on broke down, leaving the passengers and crew stranded on a remote island.
Some of the passengers handled the change in plans better than others. For Soper and his good friend John Chapman, it was an opportunity to gain a more in-depth view of South Georgia Island — something few visitors ever get the chance to do.
“Our ship was called the Plancius and it was supposed to travel from Ushuaia, Argentina to Antarctica and voyage on to Holland,” said Soper.
“John and I chose this sailing because it had some interesting stops along the way, including a stop at Tristan da Cunha, the most remote inhabited island in the world. Since it has no airstrip, the only way to reach it is by sea and it is so remote that very few people ever get there. There was also a planned stop on Ascension Island, an isolated volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean in the same region as Tristan da Cunha. We also planned a few stops in Europe.”
Soper was not the only person attracted to the unique itinerary offered on this sailing. There were several passengers on board who were classified amongst “the most travelled people in the world.” These other travellers had selected this particular sailing for the express purpose of setting foot on Tristan da Cunha and Ascension Island.
“There was no shortage of intriguing conversations on the voyage,” said Soper. “Many of our fellow passengers were very engaging and it was fun to get to know them better over the course of the trip.”
The Plancius was one of the last vessels to leave Ushuaia this travel season and as they travelled closer to Antarctica, the weather became very poor. “It was so stormy that I got up in the middle of the night at one point and put on my emergency gear,” Soper said. “There were icebergs all around the ship and there was ice forming behind it. It was clear that the weather had already started to turn.”
The sea was so rough that several of the Antarctic stops had to be cancelled because the zodiac boats were unable to land.
They were ultimately able to complete only two landings on the Antarctic Peninsula. One of those landings was the Argentine military base known as Esperanza located at Trinity Peninsula. Built in 1952, the base is one of only two civilian settlements in Antarctica and is home to about 10 families, including some with young children.
The boat also tried to land at Elephant Island, but was unable due to rough seas and with the risk of getting stuck in the ice that was rapidly forming, the captain decided that for safety reasons they needed to move on.
After a couple of nights of extremely rough sailing, they came around the lee side of South Georgia Island and made a stop to visit Ernest Shackleton’s gravesite and a nearby penguin rookery.
“I love that island,” Soper said. “We stopped at King Edward Point to register in order to stop on the island and then we visited the cemetery next to the bay at Grytviken, where Ernest Shackleton is buried, and saw the penguins. It’s the kind of place you would like to see more of, but visitors are typically only allowed to stay for a few hours.”
After a visit of nearby Prion Island for a look at the wandering albatross colonies, the main engine failed on the Plancius. Without the main engine, the ship could only travel at a maximum speed of four knots, so they returned to King Edward Point to hunker down and wait for a rescue vessel.
At this point, the passengers realized they would not be finishing the journey and some became very upset.
“Some of the most travelled people had come on the journey for the primary purpose of visiting Tristan da Cunha and Ascension Island, so they felt like the trip was a waste of time,” explained Soper.
“John and I were disappointed that we wouldn’t be able to stop in those places and carry on with our travel plans in Europe, but we also saw this as an opportunity. We could hike to our heart’s content on an island that most people only get to see for a few hours. We had nice accommodations, good food, and zodiac boats for exploring. It was like staying in a luxury hotel in an absolute wilderness area.”
Shortly after being stranded near the island, they had a scare about a possible tsunami, but fortunately it bypassed the island.
Over the next nine days, the pair hiked all over the island and had close encounters with penguins, seals, elephant seals and whales. They also discovered old military artefacts and gained an appreciation for the rugged beauty of the landscape.
“South Georgia is such a wild, remote and beautiful island,” Soper explained. “It was a rare opportunity to explore it the way we did.”
When the rescue boat arrived, the passengers and the ailing vessel were taken back to Montevideo, the chief port of Uruguay, and the passengers were flown back to their homes. The two friends explored this vibrant, eclectic place while they waited for their travel arrangements to be finalized.
The company they sailed with offered a 70 per cent refund on the voyage and paid for the expenses of getting them back to their homes. They also offered a 65 per cent discount on a future sailing.
Asked if he would be using his discount on a future sailing, Soper replied. “I’ll definitely go back. I never tire of exploring South Georgia Island and I would still like to make it to Tristan da Cunha someday.”
Check it out:
There is a website listing the world’s most travelled people. The website identifies 872 countries, territories, autonomous regions, enclaves, geographically separated island groups, and major states and provinces. To visit all 872 would be to go everywhere and no one has done that yet. The most travelled person at this time is a man from San Francisco who has visited 827 of the 872 places on the list. You can check out the website by visiting: mosttraveledpeople.com.
Debbie Olsen is a Lacombe-based freelance writer. If you have a travel story you would like to share or know someone with an interesting travel story who we might interview, please email: DOGO@telusplanet.net or write to: Debbie Olsen, c/o Red Deer Advocate, 2950 Bremner Ave., Red Deer, Alta., T4R 1M9.