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| Admiral Bellinghausen Yacht with Estonia's President Kersti Kaljulaid aboard. |
We had heard rumors of the President of Estonia being on a boat to celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the Discovery of Antarctica, so naturally every time we had the rare spotting of another ship, a buzz went around that he must be on that ship.
Only when we returned home did I find a news article with a photo of the ship, and we had indeed seen it.
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| Expedition ship rumored to be President Kersti Kaljulaid's ship but was not. |
It was that tall masted sailing yacht that seemed very small and totally out of place among gigantic icebergs.
Perhaps an even bigger surprise is that the President of Estonia is a tech-savvy young woman, Kersti Kaljulaid.
As a man married to a strong career woman with whom I have two strong daughters and a strong daughter-in-law, this of course shouldn't surprise me in the least. Our oldest daughter Gina is a huge "Star Trek" fan, with her favorite character obviously Captain Kathryn Janeway.
Our ship's Captain fancied himself as an Antarctic explorer himself, and so during our cruise, he took advantage of every opportunity "to explore new worlds," often boldly nosing into bays where no Princess Cruises ship had gone before.
And he would know.
Captain Todd McBain had been aboard a Princess ship in every season that Princess went to Antarctica. That experience made him a natural choice when Princess announced they'd be returning after an eight year hiatus. This might be his grand finale season in Antarctica, although he doesn't look old enough to retire. He was training his replacement, who is scheduled to take the helm next season for Princess having had the benefit for on-the-job training under the adventurous Captain McBain.
Two Captains on a cruise?
We must be in good hands, right?
Well, in fact there were essentially six captains on stage to answer passenger questions in one session, each with his own specialty. Bob Parson was a veteran of ice breakers in the U.S. Coast Guard, whose experience on those thick-hulled ships would be invaluable in knowing which of the many icebergs we cruised past could rip a deep gash in Coral Princess, which frankly is more suited to the tropical Panama Canal than the icy waters of Antarctica. None of us wanted a Titanic ending.
While we were just tourists bundled up in ski clothes and blankets between great meals, Captain McBain's enthusiasm and occasional commentary made us feel like we too were explorers ourselves.
We went into so many additional ports that my buddy Mike, himself a boat captain of sorts who in addition spent a tour on a warship taking fire from shore in Vietnam, wondered if we might be using too much of our precious fuel, considering there's not exactly a Chevron station on every corner in Antarctica.
Apparently one of the captains kept an eye on the fuel gauge, as we made it home without a dramatic rescue.
We had gorgeous weather for exploring Antarctica on our second day there.
While our cameras held so many photos that we ended up deleting many just to make room for more, I can't say any of them do justice to the pure grandeur of Antarctica.
Our camera phones make everything seem small and far away, but in the end, we travel for the experience, not the photos. Spectacular pictures are readily available online or in coffee table books at Barnes & Noble.
Still, there's something about looking at those photos and knowing you were there, letting them conjure up memories of the experience.
Perhaps you've been whale watching other places, but in Antarctica, we would see assorted pods of whales all around the ship, competing with different shows.
Little penguins swam through the icy water by the dozens, arching their backs above the surface like dolphins as they raced along beside the ship.
And of course the huge blue glaciers and snow-covered mountains provided the perfect scenic backdrop.
Words don't do justice any more than our photos.
Our Captain nosing through channels left me a bit confused about where we saw what between whale watching under grey skies in Charlotte Bay and the incredible blue skies of Neumayer Channel, so you'll just have to experience Antarctica for yourself.
Our ship's Captain fancied himself as an Antarctic explorer himself, and so during our cruise, he took advantage of every opportunity "to explore new worlds," often boldly nosing into bays where no Princess Cruises ship had gone before.
And he would know.
Captain Todd McBain had been aboard a Princess ship in every season that Princess went to Antarctica. That experience made him a natural choice when Princess announced they'd be returning after an eight year hiatus. This might be his grand finale season in Antarctica, although he doesn't look old enough to retire. He was training his replacement, who is scheduled to take the helm next season for Princess having had the benefit for on-the-job training under the adventurous Captain McBain.
Two Captains on a cruise?
We must be in good hands, right?
Well, in fact there were essentially six captains on stage to answer passenger questions in one session, each with his own specialty. Bob Parson was a veteran of ice breakers in the U.S. Coast Guard, whose experience on those thick-hulled ships would be invaluable in knowing which of the many icebergs we cruised past could rip a deep gash in Coral Princess, which frankly is more suited to the tropical Panama Canal than the icy waters of Antarctica. None of us wanted a Titanic ending.
While we were just tourists bundled up in ski clothes and blankets between great meals, Captain McBain's enthusiasm and occasional commentary made us feel like we too were explorers ourselves.
We went into so many additional ports that my buddy Mike, himself a boat captain of sorts who in addition spent a tour on a warship taking fire from shore in Vietnam, wondered if we might be using too much of our precious fuel, considering there's not exactly a Chevron station on every corner in Antarctica.
Apparently one of the captains kept an eye on the fuel gauge, as we made it home without a dramatic rescue.
We had gorgeous weather for exploring Antarctica on our second day there.
While our cameras held so many photos that we ended up deleting many just to make room for more, I can't say any of them do justice to the pure grandeur of Antarctica.
Our camera phones make everything seem small and far away, but in the end, we travel for the experience, not the photos. Spectacular pictures are readily available online or in coffee table books at Barnes & Noble.
 |
| Yes, that is a whale in the water, in fact one of many. |
Still, there's something about looking at those photos and knowing you were there, letting them conjure up memories of the experience.
Perhaps you've been whale watching other places, but in Antarctica, we would see assorted pods of whales all around the ship, competing with different shows.
Little penguins swam through the icy water by the dozens, arching their backs above the surface like dolphins as they raced along beside the ship.
And of course the huge blue glaciers and snow-covered mountains provided the perfect scenic backdrop.
Words don't do justice any more than our photos.
Our Captain nosing through channels left me a bit confused about where we saw what between whale watching under grey skies in Charlotte Bay and the incredible blue skies of Neumayer Channel, so you'll just have to experience Antarctica for yourself.
Some of Julie's Other Photos In Chronological Order
Some of Wes's Other Photos In Chronological Order
1 comment:
Great pictures Wes. It was a magnificent trip with fantastic friends. Thanks for all you do!
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