We fly from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, Argentina landing

at this air strip

Our ship, the Corinthian II is waiting for us at the dock

Docked next to us was Mel Gibson’s Yacht

CORINTHIAN IIDecember 22, 2008 – January 1,

2009 Drake Passage

Weddell Sea

Elephant Isl.

King Georges Isl

Robert Isl. Racon Isl.

Greenwich Isl.Livingston Isl.

Snow Isl.

Smith Isl.

Low Isl.

Deception Isl.

Anvers Isl.

Brabant Isl.

D'Urville Isl. Joinville Isl.

Dundee Isl.

James Ross Isl.

Vega Isl.

Seymour Isl.

Snow Hill Isl.

Trinity Isl.

Clearence Isl.

Bransfield Strait

Neumeyer Channel

Lemaire Channel

Larsen Ice Shelf

Cuverville Isl.Pleneau Isl.

Neko Harbour Paradise Bay, Almirante Brown

Port Lockroy Dorian Bay

Penguin Isl.

Brown Bluff Paulet Isl.

Walker Bay Our route across

the Drake Passage and

various stops in Antarctica

Our incredible expedition staff that will take us exploring

through the Antarctic

On the third day, we arrive

at our first stop

Six Zodiacs are lowered into the

icy waters

I was proud to be riding on the safest transport between the ship and each shore destination, boats manufactured by our company, Zodiac

Sally with a quarter million

penguins

This “rookery” covers the entire island

From the seashore all the way up the hill mating pairs are nesting

Feeding their young

Skipping up the rocky hillside

At locations where snow is present,

penguins develop a roadway between their

nests and the sea

These roadways are complex and allow for two way traffic during the busiest times.

To feed, these penguins have to make their way to the sea shore and then develop the courage to swim in these dangerous waters filled with hungry seals

Courage to enter the water is best developed in groups

We saw many species of seals, mostly molting and

sleeping

They seem so docile while resting, but these are fierce hunters that prey on the penguins

We celebrated Christmas with special carvings by the

talented crewmembers and a delicious feast

Notice the wonderful lighting patterns in the ice

This iceberg rolled over right in front of our eyes

There were spectacular formations

It is simply impossible to describe the majesty that surrounded us in every direction. Everywhere one looks is magnificence on a scale none of us had ever seen before.

We were simply in awe

and spent hours sitting in

the middle of all this

splendor

The weather was magnificent. We were all fortunate souls as it is not always this “perfect”

We saw millions of ice formations in the sea

Our ship had to carefully maneuver its way through ice fields

One day, we had a barbecue lunch on the aft deck

Whale skeletal remains on the beach

A rock shack built by 20 of Ernest Shackleton’s men to

survive the bitter winter

There were many opportunities to climb to great heights like this

volcanic island

And this snow and ice covered island

It was windy at the top

Conditions were ideal for sliding down these slippery slopes

Our Group Photo

We were blessed to have an extraordinary group from around the

world including Russia and Singapore

Oh yes, where there are kids and water……………

The water temperature is 33 degrees Fahrenheit

And in some places, thermal springs to make bathing more relaxing

Beautiful birds were in abundance

A penguin kill

The woman to the right (with hat), was a wonderful 65 year old guest from Singapore

Tragically, on New Year’s Day she was found unconscious in her cabin as we docked back in Ushuaia. An ambulance took her to the hospital in a coma. She died the following evening.