14.02.2016: Argentine Islands

Dagmar Aaen in the land of the penguins

On Thursday the 11th of February we reached the southern-most point of our journey: 65° 15,681' S and 064° 15,6' W. The Argentine Islands, on which the Ukrainian research center Vernadsky is situated, lie here. We visited the center the previous evening. It is the oldest active station in the Antarctic. Originally founded by the English and named Farady Station, it was passed over to the Ukraine in 1996 and has been operated by them since.

It is interesting to note that it was this station that discovered the ozone hole over the Antarctic in the eighties. The station is old but is very dedicatedly operated and we were informed in detail about their scientific activities.
Following this we went up a floor to the bar which originates from the time the English were in charge. We were just about to start enjoying this comfortable part of the evening when one look out the window caused us to get up and leave immediately. The "Dagmar Aaen" lie at anchor and several big ice bergs were floating towards her. We got back to the ship as quickly as possible in order to protect her from the ice bergs. The Ukrainian scientists visited us on board the next morning to have a look at the ship - a very nice group of people and a rewarding visit.

Lemaire Channel

Continuing south, considering the ice situation and the time available to us did not seem to be a good idea. It is cooler in the Antarctic this summer although the temperature in the area of the peninsula has risen up to 5 °C in the past 15 years. The Ukraine scientists had informed us of this. There have been many storms and periods of bad weather this summer which have caused a lot of ice to remain near the cost.

We also visited Petermann Island (photo) on the way to the Vernadsky Station. It is interesting that many of these islands were discovered by the German captain Eduard Dallmann in the years 1873/74 with his ship the "Grönland". Dallmann has really made history not only in the Antarctic but also in the Arctic and the South Pacific. He was a very interesting person and dealing with him is well worthwhile.

We passed through the Lemaire Channel for the second time yesterday - a breathtaking passage through a steep glaciated mountain range. Today we lie at anchor at Port Lockroy (photo) and are studying the weather forecast for the Drake Passage. We are heading for the Melchior Islands tomorrow and will sit and wait there for a favourable weather period. At the moment it looks like stormy weather again. We will see what the coming days bring...

Arved Fuchs