Antarctica Cruise : Icebergs and Emperors: Mawson's Antarctica, 27 days / 16 nights
Named for one of Russia’s most famous 20th century poets, Marina Svetaeva was built in 1989 in Poland’s famous Gdynia shipyards. Originally an ice strengthened passenger vessel, she spent many years plying the frozen waters of the Arctic and northern Pacific Oceans. She was refurbished in early 2005 to provide comfortable but not luxurious accommodations for 100 passengers and 41 Russian crew. A helideck was added so that 2 helicopters could provide the magical key to unlock the secrets of the more remote corners of the globe. Impressively stable at sea, Svetaeva is a robust vessel yet still small enough to explore places beyond the reach of bigger ships. The spacious bridge is always open to us and the decks are ideal for viewing. A large lecture room allows Aurora’s team of experienced naturalists, historians and special guest lecturers to share their knowledge with passengers. The chefs are European, and the dining room is attended by Russian stewardesses. A fleet of inflatable Zodiacs with outboard motors enable us to travel from ship to shore.
Triple
Two lower and one upper berth, a desk, wardrobes and washbasin. Showers and toilets are located just outside the cabin, and are shared with other cabins
Flexibility is one of the keys to a successful adventure. Blizzards, katabatic winds and heavy ice are likely obstacles for our passage to Commonwealth Bay and beyond – just as they were for early explorers.
Day 1 :
Morning transfers from our Hobart hotel take us to Marina Svetaeva where Aurora staff and Russian crew welcome us aboard before we set off down D’Entrecasteaux Channel and turn south along Tasmania’s east coast.
Days 2-3 :
We make our way towards Macquarie Island some 850 nautical miles to the south, accompanied by soaring albatross, shearwaters and flighty petrels. Entertaining and informative talks by our on-board experts enhance our understanding and appreciation of the magnificent wildlife, oceanography, and history of the mighty Southern Ocean.
Days 4-5 :
Macquarie Island, where Mawson set up his communication base in December 1911, is home to some 3 million royal penguins, hundreds of thousands of inquisitive king penguins, and nesting albatross. On the beach of this World Heritage area, we may encounter elephant seals in wallows and frisky fur seals.
Days 6-8 :
Time to reflect on our Macquarie Island visit, and enjoy informative lectures to prepare ourselves for Antarctica. Just south of Macquarie Island, we cross the Antarctic Convergence. We may see our first icebergs any time now.
Days 9-11 :
Reputedly the windiest place on earth, the Cape Denison Historic Site is located near the South Magnetic Pole. Weather permitting; we plan to make a landing and to visit Mawson’s Hut, the main base of the 1911-1914 Australasian Antarctic Expedition. With a bit of luck we may also see Wilson’s storm-petrels, Weddell seals, Adélie penguins and some skuas.
Day 12 :
Overnight, we wend our way through iceberg-adorned seas to Petrel Island or to the sea ice edge, home of the French research station Dumont D’Urville and the nesting ground of snow petrels and Wilson’s storm petrels. We hope to visit the station, go for walks along the island shores and take our Zodiacs out to admire the formidable ice front of the Astrolabe Glacier.
Days 13-15 :
We follow the route taken by Captain John King Davis in 1912 as he pushed the SY Aurora through pack ice to find a place for Mawson’s Western Party to winter. Like Davis, our path will be dictated by ice and weather, but we hope to get close to the Dibble Iceberg Tongue and push along the Wilkes and Sabrina coasts as far west as time allows, watching for emperor penguins along the way. What a Christmas treat!
Day 16 :
As we make our way east again, we hope to stop at Port Martin, a rocky toehold on the Antarctic Plateau, usually out of reach of the katabatic winds of Commonwealth Bay. Here we will cruise near the French base abandoned because of a fire in the 1950s and visit a lively Adélie penguin colony.
Day 17 :
We pass the awesome ice tongue of the Mertz Glacier, a natural boundary that attracts wildlife including the larger whale species. Should the opportunity arise, we could take a closer look from our Zodiacs.
Days 18-20 :
We thread through the maze of icebergs formed by the Mertz Glacier to reach open water along the Oates Land coast. With our helicopters we hope to chart a route and explore as much as we can of this seldom-visited coast.
Days 21-23 :
As we head north we welcome time at sea to assimilate the rich experiences of the past few weeks.
Day 24 :
After our weeks spent south, we delight in the luxurious rata forests found on the Auckland Islands. We search for rare yellow-eyed penguins, the endemic teal duck and powerful Hooker sea lions. If conditions permit, we may use our Zodiacs to obtain views of breeding grounds of both shy and wandering albatross.
Days 25-26 :
This morning we may continue our explorations of the New Zealand Sub Antarctic islands. We then start our journey home across the Southern Ocean towards Australia.
Day 27 :
We expect to dock at Hobart in the early morning. We disembark and farewell new friends, or join them to explore this atmospheric town before transfers to the airport.
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