The Doubloon sailing among icebergs in Antarctica!
Joy Sailors!!
And from the thick mists of past centuries, from a unique and distant place, where everything is white and blue, yet full of tones and sensations, where silence is different, distances are different and time has another rhythm …
I am looking for the moment to write to you and try to convey the sensations that are lived around here …
The Light of Antarctica
The day is infinite, there is no time for darkness, that makes our biological clock awaken to new sensations. Here you sleep because your feeling is that of having the duty fulfilled … There is no place to leave anything for tomorrow because tomorrow does not come, you are always in it…
I notice that something very similar happens to the crew, light is life and life is joy…
Joy Sailors, welcome to the wonderful world of Doubloon!
I would have liked to write to you more often, I remember a lot of all of you but things do not stop happening …
Sailing among icebergs!
A few days ago, not nights, we set sail from Deception Island, sailed south to the Antarctic Peninsula, the days are clean, clear and bright. We sailed about 70 miles to Caleta Cierva, at first there was no ice or icebergs, (this is the first time I come in December) for a moment I thought that at this time there was no ice floating through the channel, but it was approaching Caleta Cierva and it became a wonderful fight against the ice, its elements and we finished sailing between icebergs.
What a wonder to be advancing through the ice at less than 2 knots zigzagging between ice floes . Sometimes there was no choice but to cross them (you can see the improvements I made to the hull of the Doubloon) to navigate between ice, we could not reach the Primavera base, the ice was beginning to close. Even so, we advanced enough to be satisfied and enjoy a meal on deck drifting between sea ice and icebergs of medium size. These days under the Antarctic sun, they are simply being wonderful.
At the end of the meal, we continue towards Charlotte Bay (keep in mind that we set sail from Deception almost 20 hours before).
It is wonderful to travel and sail with sailors, because we get to enjoy and optimize the times.
We sailed for several hours between ice back until we reached the Gerlache Strait, with a more open sea and we could increase the speed.
Travel to Antarctica
I do not want to continue without telling you that we have come across several cruises of those that are capable of carrying more than 500 people and they are not able to enter the Antarctic bowels like us, without any doubt I have to tell you that traveling to Antarctica by cruise or sailboat is like going to two different places, I see it and notice it on the faces of my crew. Maybe I’m getting used to being here, they are amazed and excited really that it is incredible to receive their illusion, for me it is as if they charged my batteries feeling as they are worth fighting and suffering as my team does to achieve this.
Navigation
We continue sailing along the Gerlache halfway through the south wind rises, about 20 knots. This causes coastal ice to rise onto the channel and colonize it with ice. We had to spend several hours dodging ice and icebergs until the orography of the coast changed and the wind subsided…
We continue sailing towards Carlota bay… but not before meeting a Leopard seal on top of a small ice, impassive to our presence, we could approach from the boat to take hundreds of photos, remembering and respecting its harmony, even so it looked at us and we gave it exactly the same. These seals are at the top of the predator chain and they don’t fear us.
Whale in sight!
We continued sailing southwest between ice, icebergs and whales until a whale arrived, I believe that some Antarctic animals are able to perceive our illusion and energy because it seems that it adopted us. He dedicated himself to giving us a spectacle of his beauty, he showed us every angle of his profile, he showed us his tail on more than ten occasions and it merged with a simply Antarctic and wonderful sunset, I have to say that I saw the green ray again …
Leopard Seal
We continued sailing, the ice was closing, another leopard seal appeared, there was no time to be with her, there were a few miles left for anchoring after almost 2 days sailing in shifts. Although it is not night, the temperature drops very quickly, we take turns in the bow to warn of the ice and look for the best defeat.
It was impressive to go away ice, seeing how the sky and the sea turned fuchsia … Finally we arrived at Carlota bay, we could anchor, we slept at about 4 in the morning. The sun came out again and this morning we woke up an iceberg leaning on our port, how wonderful! We pushed him away, rather we moved away and another wonderful day began that another day I will tell you …
How happy I am to share these experiences with you and with them, what a great team, I do not like life on land …
Soon you have to start thinking about coming back… But not today!!
Joy sailors
My dream is our dream, I certainly don’t want to wake up…
Antarctica has a special calm, this is unique and unrepeatable, do not let me tell you, you have to live it …
