December 24, 2017

   Today is Christmas Eve, we were scheduled to see Cape Horn and then start to cross the Drake Passage toward Antarctica, but that was cancelled due to severe weather passing the cape today with high winds and waves up to nine meters high.  We have been rescheduled to head to the cape tomorrow afternoon, once the storm is mostly passed. The geographical location today is 55° 26' S; Oslo, Norway, is located at 59° 55' N which is further north than Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, located at Latitude 58° 46'.  The ship was being sheltering in a passage north of the islands near Cape Horn. In the distance there are mountains, some snow-capped, on both sides. It was windy with some sun in the morning starting with a temperature of 5 C and only attaining 9 C in the afternoon, in the afternoon there were periods of rain but, swells were only two meters.  There was very little movement on the ship during the day.  It was a Sea Day, with lectures, trivia games, people meeting to play bridge or Mahjong, a watches sale, a poker tournament, art auction, spa deals, fitness classes and the daily movie in the movie theater.

  We went for a walk before breakfast watching the clouds hovering on the Chilean Mountains. Steps 5,372  

   Today’s first Antarctica Expedition Team lecture from Dr. Peter Carey was about the more than 12 kinds of penguins in South America and Antarctica and the tiny blue penguin of New Zealand. We may see Emperor penguins, Rock Hopper penguins, Chin Strap penguins, Gentoo penguins and Adalie penguins. 

   The second Antarctica Expedition Team lecture given by Dr. Margaret Bradshaw was standing room only in the Mondriaan Lounge. Her topic was the icy seas of Antarctica. She described different kinds of ice, starting with frazil ice, grease ice, brash ice, pancake ice all the way to pack ice. There is a ring in the Southern Ocean called the Antarctic Convergence, where the water temperature suddenly dropped two or three degrees centigrade on the Antarctic side. She explained the problems that occur when large ice shelves break away. There are two vast areas of ice covering the continent, the largest Eastern Antarctica ice field and the smaller Western Antarctica ice field.

   At noon, the captain updated the weather situation. The ship’s position was about 15 km north of Cape Horn island. He expects the winds to strengthen during the night and early morning and the swells to be moderate as the ship tracks an oval of 32 km repeatedly at low speeds of 12 to 15 km per hour.  Probably tomorrow afternoon the ship will venture to Cape Horn and then begin the crossing of the Drake Passage to Antarctica.   Steps 10,127

    By early afternoon the sky was cloudy and some rain fell off and on. The third Antarctica Expedition Team lecture in the afternoon, given by Gabriela Roldan was about the Antarctic Treaty signed by many nations and the main claims to parts of Antarctica by the countries of Chile, Argentina, Britain, France, Norway Australia, New Zealand and the U.S.A.  No country owns Antarctica, there is also a portion, Maria Byrd Land which is unclaimed. In 1929, when exploring Antarctica, American naval aviator Richard Byrd named the area in honour of his wife. The area is a very rugged and inhospitable part of western Antarctica. It covers most of the lowest elevations of Antarctica. Later that year, Byrd was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral by a special act of the American Congress.

Fifty nations have signed the Antarctic Treaty. The main points are:

·      All territorial claims are to be set aside. No acts or activities taking place while the present Treaty is in force shall constitute a basis for asserting, supporting or denying a claim to territorial sovereignty in Antarctica or create any rights of sovereignty in Antarctica.

·      Antarctica is to be used for peaceful purposes only

·      All scientific information is to be shared

·      All vessels and scientific stations are to be open for inspection at all times

·      Nuclear explosions and the disposal of nuclear waste are prohibited.

  In 1991 thirty-five treaty signatories agreed on a protocol for environmental protection which included:

·      Environmental assessments being carried out before any human activity begins

·      Pollution and waste disposal regulations

·      Wildlife conservation regulations

·      A ban on mineral exploration.

    The rest of the afternoon we read. “The Forgotten” by David Baldacci was a quick read. Now it is on to another choice from the Zaandam library – “Prince of Ravenscar “by Catherine Coulter.

   We knew that Jan and Doug would be attending the 6 p.m. Interdenominational service and that Violet and Jerry were busy for dinner, but we were by ourselves at our table.  Tonight, we were given a special Christmas menu that featured:

Appetizers  >  Mango and Papaya                                   Thai Crab Cakes

Soups & Salads > Lentil Soup with sausage pieces          Caesar Salad

                                    Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Main Courses > Maple Glazed Arctic Char & Lemon Shrimp Scampi with wild rice and green beans

            Scallop, Crawfish and Crab Jambalaya with peppers and smoked sausage

            Crackling Pork Belly with red cabbage & boiled potato

            Prime Rib au Jus with Yorkshire Pudding, roasted potatoes and green beans

            Roasted Goose, cabbage, poached apple, cranberry and potatoes

Desserts > Southern Pecan Pie with vanilla ice cream

            Fruit Pavlova                        chocolate Yule Log

     Doug and Jan have a leaking pipe in their cabin that maintenance thinks was been fixed, but they now have a heat blower trying to dry out their entrance carpet.

      The evening entertainment was a Turkish pianist, Naki Ataman playing parts of tunes from 19 different countries with a few carols thrown in. The audience gave him a standing ovation. Hopefully we hear him again before arriving at Port Stanley on December 31 (a week away).

   Later in the evening at 11, the staff and crew of the Zaandam presented “The Sounds of Christmas Show” in the Mondriaan Lounge.  Christmas carols were sung in English and the native languages of the Indonesian Choir and the Philippian choir. Also performing were the Zaandam dancers, the Zaandam Singers and the staff and crew International choir, from 30 countries.  There are also two midnight services, one for Catholics and one for other Christians.

Steps 12,851