East Antarctica & Magnetic South Pole by Icebreaker

Feb 12 - March 17 2026

I have travelled to Antarctica numerous times before, in fact, this marks my 6th journey to the frozen continent. In the past, each of my visits has been to the Antarctic Peninsula, one of the "easier" parts of Antarctica to get to. This time however, I travelled to East Antarctica, a place visited by very few indeed. In fact, many more people have been to the Geographic South Pole.   Once again I was aboard Le Commandant Charcot, operated by Ponant. Back in 2025 in Greenland, I was a guest lecturer aboard this incredible vessel, which I consider to be the most capable polar exploration ship in the world.

2026 02 12-14 - Toronto to Auckland, New Zealand

Toronto-Edmonton-Vancouver-Auckland I woke up at 5:30 in the morning only to discover that my flight from Toronto to Vancouver had been delayed by five hours, which would have caused me to miss my flight connection to New Zealand. I scrambled to book new flights, and was somehow able to get the very last seat on a connecting flight through Edmonton. My connection time there was very tight, with only about 10 minutes between when we landed and when my Edmonton to Vancouver flight was scheduled to board. Thankfully it worked out and I made it to Auckland on the morning of the 14th, having completely skipped over Friday the 13th by crossing the International Date Line.

2026 02 15-16 - Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

I caught a morning flight from Auckland to Hobart, Tasmania and ended up walking a bit along the waterfront and got set up at the hotel. Lunch was some brisket & jalapeno pies from a bakery called Banjo where the airport driver recommended. Highly recommend.   The next morning, I took the ferry over to MONA (Museum of New & Old Art). It was cool and bizarre. Some of the more unusual & interesting exhibits there included: the poop machine (which simulates the human digestive system. Yep, for real), a cool exhibit with dripping molten metal that sends huge showers of sparks flying when lengths of wire were fed into an induction coil, and a huge boulder that was just the right weight to bend a massive sheet of tempered glass but not quite heavy enough to break it, and much more. It was a perfect bluebird day outside. Nice and warm.

2026 02 17 - Hobart, Tasmania, Boarding Le Commandant Charcot

Today was the day to finally board Le Commandant Charcot. The last time I was aboard this great ship was a year ago in Greenland.   It was very hot with scattered cloud, including some amazing lenticular clouds that formed over the mountains. After dropping off luggage in the morning, and doing some more walking around town, including a trip to the Maritime Museum, it was time to board the ship.   The Australian border formalities were taken care of, and once on the aboard, I got settled in. Docked beside us was the French research icebreaker L’Astrolabe. Apparently, it is headed south too, and we may spend some time in close proximity to it. We'll see. By the late afternoon, the weather had shifted, and it was raining. The captain warned that the next 2 days could be rough, so they locked all the balcony doors and emptied the pool. Mandatory safety briefings were carried out, and we started to sail away, waving goodbye to Hobart and any civilization for the next month.

2026 02 18-21 - At Sea

Four full days at sea. In the past I've always reached Antarctica via the Drake Passage from South America which takes about two and a half days or so. From Australia it's a full fours days. The swell started off pretty intense, but after passing south of a big low pressure system, the seas eventually calmed down. For a while, the waves were crashing, and the sun even came out, giving us a great opportunity to see rainbows in the spray from the bow wake. During this travel time, there were several mandatory presentations on safety and Antarctic regulations, plus a biosecurity cleaning of all our outdoor gear to prevent us from accidentally carrying any invasive seeds or other species with us to the continent.   The big highlight came around bed time on Feb 19th when the captain made an announcement that there were very bright southern lights (Aurora Australis). I dashed to grab up my camera gear and head out on the deck. It was amazing. This was my first time ever seeing the southern lights, and Mother Nature put on quite a show for us. They stopped the ship and positioned us to get the best view. They were completely surrounding us with greens, reds, and pinks filling up the sky. It was difficult to photograph due to the movement of the ship and the high winds, but it worked out.   On Saturday we saw the first iceberg of this voyage. There will be thousands more, but there's always something special about the first one of each trip. In the afternoon I tried on one of the ship's bright orange, bulky, survival suits. I hope I never have to put one on in an emergency, but they are able to keep you alive in freezing cold water for about 10 hours if needed. Shortly after sunset, we reached a bank of thick fog. The searchlights from the ship looked surreal as the bridge crew kept a close eye out for more icebergs in the dark. The plan tomorrow is to try to land at Dumont D’ourville Station. We were not supposed to be here yet on the itinerary, but it looks like some bad weather is headed our way on Sunday, so we're taking advantage of the potential weather window.

2026 02 22 - Antarctic Circle & Ile du Gouverneur

I woke up to find myself in another world. Overnight, we had made it to the pack ice and looking outside was a wonderland of white ice floes. We had just crossed the Antarctic Circle (66° 33' south latitude), and I am now farther south than I've ever been before. It was overcast with some snow as we continued south towards Dumont D’ourville Station, a French research base. The ship slowed down as we passed a group of 4 emperor penguins just hanging out on the ice. It was a special encounter for me because this was my first time seeing emperors (I was really hoping to see some on this voyage, and they showed up right away). Between them and the southern lights, this voyage has already really delivered, and we're just getting started.   Because the area is so poorly charted, the crew had to send out a Zodiac with a depth sounder to lead us in closer to land.   At 11:00 we went ashore using the ship's inflatable Zodiacs. It was just below freezing with a wind chill of -5, there was snow falling and visibility was not fantastic. We landed on the ice at the edge of Ile du Gouverneur, and a perimeter had been set up plus a path to a higher viewpoint. The island was very small with an interesting terrain of lumpy rocks, half covered in snow. Strewn about, there were a few dozen Adelie penguins, some walking or sliding around on the snow, with a small group of them near the high viewpoint. The snow started to intensify, and the visibility got even worse, to the point where the captain had to turn on the Charcot’s lights so that we could see where the ship was.   We got a brief glimpse, but mostly couldn't see Dumont D’ourville Station itself. After about an hour and a half ashore, exploring the island, we returned to the ship.   The commander of the station came aboard via Zodiac to give us a talk about life at the base and to answer any questions we had about working in such a remote location. Coincidentally, The French icebreaker L’Astrolabe (that we last saw docked in Hobart) met up with us as they prepared to resupply the station for the last time before winter sets in. After it leaves, there's no way in or out for cargo or crew until next summer, 8 months away, not even for medical emergencies!

2026 02 23 - Commonwealth Bay & Mertz Glacier

Overnight we travelled east to get to Commonwealth Bay which is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the windiest place on Earth, with winds regularly exceeding 240 km/h (150 mph) and an average annual wind speed of 80 km/h (50 mph). Ferocious katabatic winds blow down from the Antarctic ice sheet and funnel into the bay. Cold air that has been chilled by the ice cap is more dense than warmer, coastal air, and it can rush downhill at tremendous speed.   As we approached the fast ice (sea ice that is still attached to the shoreline), the wind was blowing at over 93 km/h (57 mph) . It was looking like the crew were not going to unlock the exterior parts of the ship, but eventually they opened up deck 6 so we had a chance to experience the intense katabatic winds firsthand. Luckily it wasn't that cold, about 1 degree, but the wind chill was frigid. Cape Denison was viewable in the distance, AKA “The Home Of The Blizzard”. This is also where Australian explorer Douglas Mawson's historic hut is located.   After experiencing the extreme winds, we backed out of the fast ice and continued east towards Mertz Glacier in blizzard conditions raging outside with more high winds and blowing snow.   When we arrived at Mertz Glacier, visibility was still poor with fog and blowing snow plus the continued high winds, but the captain was able to expertly get us in nice and close. We cruised up alongside the tongue of the glacier that pushed 30-50 meters up above the water line. The high winds had blown a lot of pack ice up against the glacier, and we went as far as the captain deemed appropriate, to a gigantic rift in the glacier. On the ice we spotted some seals and a few penguins.

2026 02 24 - Magnetic South Pole

As soon as we finished up at Mertz Glacier yesterday, the ship set a course for the Magnetic South Pole. The plan was to reach there around dinner time tonight.   The magnetic South Pole is the spot where the Earth's lines of magnetism point straight up. It is very different from the geographic South Pole, which is the Earth's axis of rotation. Far fewer people have been to the Magnetic South Pole. Because of variations in the Earth's metal core, the magnetic poles move a bit from year to year.   We arrived there at about 7:30PM. As we approached, everyone went out outside onto deck 6 and the captain blew the ship horn as we hit the exact coordinates. There was no ice, just open water and it was overcast, but luckily we arrived before it got dark. We all took a group picture, and we posed with various flags and signs. I brought a small compass with me, and it seemed to be wanting to point up/down, but the big metal ship might have been interfering.   There was champagne and caviar served to celebrate the milestone. I do hope to visit the other poles some day.   Soon afterwards, a group of 3 humpback whales was spotted close to the ship. They lingered for quite some time before eventually diving out of sight.

2026 02 25 - At Sea through Magnificent Icebergs & 5 Seal Species

All morning, we sailed through some spectacular icebergs and sea ice. Most of the 'bergs were grounded and most likely came from the Mertz Glacier which we visited a few days ago. The light was pretty good with thin clouds and a hint of sunshine here and there. Lots of wildlife was spotted, including emperor penguins swimming amongst the ice. The wildlife highlight of the day was the seals. In one morning, we were able to spot five species of Antarctic seals on the pack ice. Nobody on the expedition team had ever seen that many species of seal in one day before. The 5 were: Weddell seal, Crabeater seal, Leopard seal, Elephant seal, and the elusive Ross seal, which was extra special since they are rare to spot here, especially at this time of year. According to Chat GPT the odds of seeing these 5 species in one morning was "statistically ridiculous".   The epic grandeur of this place was on full display in the afternoon as we navigated around countless tabular icebergs, mixed with more sea ice.   Later in the afternoon we had a video call with the commander and doctor of the French/Italian Concordia Research Base, which is one of only three bases in the interior of Antarctica. In the evening was the officer’s gala with cocktails before dinner.

2026 02 26 - At Sea Through Huge Tabular Icebergs & An Incredible Whale Encounter

The helicopter crew started to get the chopper ready for a reconnaissance flight this morning. The weather was good, but it quickly took a turn with increased wind, low ceiling, and blowing snow. The plan had been to go to the edge of the tongue of the Dalton glacier, or find some fast ice for an ice landing but the captain decided that it was best to continue on westward towards Casey Station.   Around breakfast time, a pod of up to perhaps 30 orcas was spotted, and they remained around the ship for quite some time. They were type-C fish eating orcas. Soon a few humpback whales showed up as well, they seemed to understand that the orcas were no threat. What a rare treat to be surrounded by 2 different species at the same time. Photography was difficult due to distance plus the winds & blowing snow.   We then encountered a huge tabular iceberg measuring about 5km x 7km. The captain brought us in close to get a better look. There were lots of ice caves gouged out along the waterline, caused by wave action against the ice. It was a spectacular sight, but we could only linger so long before having to continue.   Something interesting that I've been doing on this voyage is contributing to something called the Thermal Imaging of Polar Ice Project. It is a project spearheaded by a Canadian researcher who sends FLIR (Forward Looking Infra Red) cameras out in the field to take thermal imaging data from various types of ice. I've been carrying one of his cameras with me on this voyage, gathering temperature data of icebergs, glaciers and sea ice. The camera clips onto my smart phone and each frame contains both a visual image and a thermal image. This is the first time someone has brought one of his cameras to this part of Antarctica. At the end of each day, I transfer the data back to him using the Starlink satellite internet system on board.   After lunch, we encountered another field of tabular icebergs, many of them also with dramatic ice caves in them. At 4:30 there was a live video call with the team at the Australian Casey research base, talking about life at the station.

2026 02 27 - Holl Island - Kayaking Vanderford Glacier - Browning Peninsula

In the early morning, we arrived at the Casey Station, an Australian base in the Windmill Islands. The weather was good, but there as a lot of pack ice. The helicopter took off and did a recon flight and they discovered an area of open water south of the base in Vincennes Bay. The ship repositioned through the pack ice and we ended up going ashore at Holl island.   The weather had started off quite nice, but by the time I was set to go ashore, it was snowing quite heavily. Nobody on the team had ever been to this landing before, and we were most likely the first expedition cruise to ever visit this place. The landing was tricky with steep, wet rocks.   There were quite a few Adélie penguins, many of them young ones that were were molting. Parts of the rocky island seemed to be covered in a layer of penguin feathers and moss. It was unusual to see this much green here in Antarctica. As we hiked up the steep terrain, there was a big male elephant seal sleeping on the rocks. Every now and then he'd let out a snort. The view of the bay at the top was very nice, and the weather cleared up a bit & it stopped snowing. Back at the landing site, we boarded a Zodiac and did a bit of a cruise around. We saw many young penguins contemplating taking their first swim. They wanted to, but seemed afraid. We also saw penguins eating snow to get water, which they usually get from their food. There were also storm petrels and southern fulmars, and we even saw a fulmar chick, which is extremely rare to spot because they usually nest on very high cliffs.   The ship repositioned through the pack ice during lunch to find a landing site on the Browning Peninsula, which is part of the Antarctic continent.   After lunch it was announced that there was a change, and our kayak group was going out in 30 minutes. Once everybody was geared up in dry suits, we took a Zodiac out and started paddling. The weather was favourable with calm winds and temps around 0C. We paddled close to shore and into a little cove where more elephant seals were hauled out on the rocks. The stench was unmistakable, and the water had a brown film on it. Disgusting creatures. I love them! We continued along the shore of the continent, past the Zodiac landing site, and out along the Vanderford Glacier but not too close. It was a nice, long paddle.   After backtracking a bit, eventually we got picked up by a Zodiac and returned to the ship. I noticed that there were still groups going ashore, so I dashed back to my cabin, got changed and headed back out. I grabbed a spot on the very last outbound Zodiac and landed on the continent. It was a very rocky spot with amazing geology… And lots of elephant seals. It had started to snow, huge flakes which looked really pretty, but the stench of the seals was pungent. The noises they were making were amazing. Grunts, growls and snorts that reverberated around the small rocky valley. I continued to trek up the rock to a high lookout point where there great views of the bay and the massive glacier that we had been kayaking beside shortly before. It was already late in the day, so I didn't linger long, and returned to the ship.   A long, busy day with 3 excursions. In all my many expedition cruises, I don't recall if I've ever done 3 in one day before.

2026 02 28 - At Sea

A quiet day at sea as we continued westward towards the Shackleton Ice Shelf. We sailed through some pretty rough seas and high winds today, so it was good that we left the Casey Station area when we did.

2026 03 01 - Shackleton Ice Shelf

The sunrise was really spectacular with blue icebergs and golden light stretching out to the horizon. This was probably the best sunrise we’ve had on this voyage so far. Interestingly, for whatever reason, there were countless sea birds following the ship this morning. The weather today looked like it was going to remain good, but this is Antractica, that could chage dramatically at any time.   The captain took us past some massive icebergs, and down a narrow channel between 2 of them that led to some fast ice right in front of the Shackleton Ice Sheet. The channel was about 3 km wide and 9km long. As we approached the floe edge, I dashed down to deck 6 and filmed over the bow as we started breaking the ice. A few curious emperor penguins were loitering along the floe edge, watching the ship. A taste of what was to come.   The expedition team lowered the ramp and we did an ice landing onto the fast ice. It was very level and smooth, easy to walk on with no pressure ridges. The temperature was just below freezing, and very little wind. Many of the emperor penguins were very curious and came right up to the ship and the expedition team that was setting things up.   The time on the ice was so much better than I expected. There were a lot of emperor penguins everywhere. They really put on a show for us. As we walked around a 3km loop, we kept having to move out of their way. When we got closer to the actual ice sheet, there was a small colony of Adélie penguins as well, and 3 of them came shuffling down to check us out.   The weather started to turn, and it began to snow, but that didn’t last very long. The light conditions seemed to change minute to minute. About halfway through the loop was a second, smaller Adélie colony. Once back aboard, the weather continued to improve. I went to the stern of the Charcot where there were a bunch of emperors swimming in the open water caused by the ship. They kept playfully jumping in and out of the water.   After lunch we continued to navigate through some pretty amazing icebergs and pack ice. Sunset was quite good with plenty of ice as the setting sun lit up the sky orange. The moon was almost full and was really dramatic looking as it lit up the ice and water.

2026 03 02 - At Sea

A quiet day at sea, headed towards the direction of Davis Station, another Australian research base. The weather has been quite good today with patchy cloud and sunshine. In the morning, we went through some very thick and dirty pack ice, then it ended abruptly with open water. As the day progressed we had a mix of sea ice and icebergs.   There was a special buffet brunch served today with suckling pig, sashimi, and other delicacies. I'm getting spoiled on this ship.   The sunset tonight was really good with scattered clouds, crepuscular rays and icebergs. I did manage to catch a bit of a green flash right at sunset as well.

2026 03 03 - Davis Station Area/Zolotov Island

We arrived at Davis Station are in the early morning. The sunrise was very nice, and the weather was looking good in general, albeit a bit cold and windy. We ended up south of the station, in the Vestfold Hills area. There were lots of icebergs, and the area is mostly uncharted, so the captain deployed a Zodiac with a depth sounder to help with navigation, then the expedition team found a good landing site on Zolotov Island.   The sea was a bit choppy, so getting on the Zodiacs was tricky, but we made it ashore unscathed. Once there, the barren, rocky landscape was very other-worldly. One thing that stood out immediately was that there were dead Adélie penguins everywhere. Hundreds of them, perhaps more, scattered about in various stages of decay and mummification. The environment here is cold and dry, similar to the dry valleys in the Ross Sea area, so the dead penguins can remain for decades without decomposing. It was fascinating to walk around and see so many penguin carcasses. There are upwards of 23,000 breeding pairs of penguins that come here to breed each year, so the area has seen countless generations of penguins. The ground was mostly very rocky, but in other spots the vast amounts of guano have piled up over the years, making a soft soil. There were some Adélies still here, many were molting, getting ready to head back out to sea for the winter.   We walked up a rocky hill that had the most interesting and diverse geology, with plenty of tafoni holes in the rock. These holes are believed to have been formed by a complex interaction of physical and chemical weathering processes, including salt weathering and cyclic wetting and drying. At the top, we had a great view of a small lake, and in the distance, the Sørsdal Glacier. The weather started to shift and clouds began to roll in. The sea was quite choppy for the Zodiac ride back to the ship.   In the afternoon, the team arranged a second trip ashore, this time to a small, unnamed cove on the Antarctic mainland. It was cold and windy with about a 4km Zodiac ride to the landing site. This place was the most other-worldly spot we've encountered. Very rocky, with almost no life whatsoever, other than 2 Adélie penguins that greeted us when we came ashore, and a small patch of black lichen/moss. That was it. Otherwise, it seemed utterly devoid of life. No signs of previous penguin colonies, nothing. There were a few frozen ponds, and a hill we were able to climb to get a better view. We got to the end of the walk, which was along the shore of a bay which was mostly frozen, with a view of the Sørsdal Glacier.   This was the last excursion in Antarctica proper for this trip. It has gone so fast, but what a privilege to come to East Antarctica and visit places seldom (or never) visited by people before.   There was some drama on the Zodiac ride back to the ship. Another Zodiac flagged us down and informed us the captain had given orders to head back to the landing site because there was a big ice calving event that produced a tsunami wave. We turned around and waited it out for a while, then as we continued back, we ran out of gas. This was only a minor inconvenience since there was a spare tank on board that just had to be switched over. As it turns out, a big chuck of the glacier face had calved off and sent out a wave that caused a giant iceberg to start moving quickly (3-4 km/h) in the general direction of the ship. It's also possible that it was the iceberg rolling that caused the glacier to calve. Which happened first is a bit unclear. The fast moving iceberg eventually became grounded in shallower water.   The captain did a great job of expertly keeping everyone safe and ensuring the ship was not impacted by the iceberg.   At sunset, the sky was almost completely overcast, except for a clear spot along the horizon. As the sun dipped down into that clear area, the light was fantastic. I was hoping for another green flash, and it happened. It lasted a long time, too. Several seconds because of how slowly the sun sets at this latitude.

2026 03 04-06 - At Sea

It was 3 days at sea to get from Antarctica to the French Southern and Antarctic Lands.   On the morning of the first sea day, I looked outside and saw an iceberg illuminated by some gorgeous crepuscular rays. There was also a huge tabular iceberg off to the ship’s starboard side. The morning light and the ice made for a pretty scene, which didn't last long as the normal overcast eventually took over.   We continued on, heading pretty much due north. The highlight of day two was winning the big evening quiz vs. the ship staff. There were 21 people on that team, including the ship's doctor, chief engineer, the science officer and several of the naturalists. Our team of 6 players beat them 20 to 16.   Day 3 was spent getting ready for Kerguelen with more biosecurity checks and a couple of lectures and briefings. Only about 350 people set foot here a year, so this will be very special.

2026 03 07 - Kerguelen Islands - Port Jeanne d'Arc

The captain woke us up early, at about 5:30 to announce that we were arriving at Kerguelen. The weather was very good, with patchy clouds, no rain, and temperatures going from 7C up to about 11C. These desolate islands are gorgeous with vast expanses of rocky coastline, towering snowy volcanic mountains, large areas of bright green, and so many little islands, peninsulas, and inlets. It was challenging navigating towards our landing site at the old whaling station of Port Jeanne d’Arc. A Zodiac was sent ahead to help with checking the depth of the narrow channels.   The helicopter went up a couple of times, to get photos of the ship, and to pick up the director of the nearby scientific research station. The island's only human inhabitants.   In the afternoon we went ashore, and the weather had changed. It was sunny, but the wind had picked up and it was a short, but choppy Zodiac ride to shore. We had permission to explore the area around the whaling station. It was a real privilege to stand on shore here, in one of the least visited places on Earth.   There were buildings in various states of disrepair, old rusting machinery and huge storage vats where the whale oil was once stored. Countless rusty barrels were scattered about, waiting to be filled with the whale oil that never happened because the station closed down when it was no longer profitable to hunt whales for their blubber.   There was a short walk up to an overlook point, and there was vegetation everywhere, a stark contrast to Antarctica. The invasive rabbits made their presence known with their droppings and dens scattered everywhere. We spotted a small group of gentoo penguins along the shore, but regulations prevented us from getting too close.   Our time was limited because we could only have 60 people ashore at any given time, but it was amazing to have been there.

2026 03 08 - Kerguelen Islands - Baie Larose

The captain woke us up with a sunrise announcement at about 5:30AM. It was dramatic as the morning light lit up the clouds above the rugged landscape of the archipelago. The weather was good. No rain and almost no wind. Because of this, the plan to go ahead and do a Zodiac cruise was given the green light. From the ship, we could already see the mind-blowing landscapes of Baie Larose, along with thousands of king penguins along the beach.   There are a lot of restrictions here. We could only take the Zodiac up to no more than 5 knots, and we had to keep a 50 meter distance from the wildlife. As we got closer to shore, there were king penguins all over the place… In the water, up on the hills, and especially along the beach, where they entered and exited the water through the crashing waves.   The most striking feature in this area, which dominated the landscape, was the monolith known as St Anne’s Finger which rose up from the beach and towered over the penguins below.   In the afternoon, the ship sailed south, then turned west to head up the west coast of the main island.   We stopped the ship at Cape Bourbon, a spot at the extreme southwestern tip of the island, which was breathtaking. The steep rugged mountains had lenticular clouds that kept shifting and morphing for hours. Some of the best I've ever seen. The captain pulled in close to a spot that had a huge colony of Macaroni Penguins. They were pretty far away, and couldn't see individual penguins, but the grey mass of birds was impressive. The wind really picked up, to the point that it was sometimes difficult to stand up outside on deck 6. It was blowing about 60 knots, with gusts up above 80. The light was fantastic, making for picture postcard conditions, but extremely harsh. It was amazing. The plan was to sail up the west coast of the island, but the wind was so strong that it was not a great idea. It started to cloud over, and we lost much of our visibility too, so the captain turned us out to sea and we started our 2 day sail towards Crozet.

2026 03 09-10 - At Sea

Very rough seas today with swell of 6-7 meters with the occasional higher waves. All the outside decks were closed, and the restaurant on deck 9 was closed for today and tomorrow as well. I wasn't sick, but I was feeling off… I guess I'm getting my sea legs to an extent. One very interesting thing that happened was that the sun came out, and because we were crashing through the waves, nice rainbows were forming in the bow spray. I filmed them from deck 9, deck 5 and even from on the bridge.   Day 2 at sea was just as rough, but the weather was grey. This was the most seasick I've felt on the whole voyage so far, but I managed to make it through without losing my lunch. Tomorrow is a big day for us, our last stop will be at the Crozet Islands, another part of the French Antarctic and Southern Lands. We're all hoping for the weather to improve because we only have 1 day there. It's not looking good, but hopefully the weather gods will reward our efforts.

2026 03 11 - Crozet Islands

The ship was woken at 6:30 AM by the captain announcing our arrival at East Island, one of the islands in the Crozet Archipelago. The coastline was incredibly rugged with tall mountains, steep cliffs, waterfalls, sea stacks, and even snow at the higher elevations. A colony of king penguins was spotted on one of the beaches we passed. Higher up, there were incredible rock structures... Pinnacles, and odd shapes that looked more like sculptures. The light got really good too, with crepuscular rays and patches of sunlight on the windswept slopes.   As we sailed past East Island, towards Possession Island, a blue whale was spotted. The captain stopped the ship so that we could get a better look. I saw it only once, but I did manage to get a few photos of it.   Closer to Possession Island, we spotted the research base located on its slopes between the steep cliffs and an ancient volcanic cinder cone. They spend quite a bit of time studying the king penguins on the nearby beach, and we were able to spot the little huts close to the colony that they use when studying them. Meanwhile, many wandering albatrosses were flying around the ship. These incredible birds have the widest wingspan of any bird on Earth.   The weather situation was uncertain. The wind was blowing like mad in the exposed areas, however, once we reached a protected bay on the north side of the island, in the lee out of the wind, it was actually quite nice. The decision was made to drop the Zodiacs into the water.   Once in the Zodiacs it was a short ride to the coastline, where steep cliffs filled with moss and ferns, and mats of kelp were a stark contrast to Antarctica. We saw a small colony of rockhopper penguins, then continued along towards the beach area where there were still quite a few king penguins on land, despite being so late in the season. Several fur seals landed on the beach, playing in the surf. We continued on along the volcanic landscape to a rocky spot where even more fur seals were sunning themselves, enjoying the break in the weather, just like we were doing.   This was our last sortie for the voyage. No more shore excursions or Zodiac cruising. Back on the ship, the winds picked up again as soon as we exited the protective bay. We cruised along the coastline as the weather slowly deteriorated. We sailed past more distant penguins and albatross nesting sites, past an arched sea stack called “Pierced Rock” and other rock formations that looked just like a row of jagged teeth.   Now we begin the long, 5-day sail to Cape Town.

2026 03 12-15 - At Sea

It took 5 days at sea to get from the Crozet Islands to Cape Town, South Africa. Luckily, the seas have been much calmer than they were between Kerguelen and Crozet. The days were filled with more lectures, quizzes, and plenty of top quality food and drink including caviar, lobster, champagne, chocolate and so much more. It has been such a strange contrast having such luxury in the middle of some of the world's most harsh environments.   After the disembarkation briefing on the 15th, the captain announced that there was a pod of pilot whales off the starboard side. I ran upstairs to grab my camera to try and get some photos. I did notice a big splash at one point, and didn't give it much of a thought at the time. It turns out that the pilot whales were being chased by a pod of orcas and the splash was an attack. Helen, one of the naturalists on board had shot some video of it, and I cropped it & slowed it down, and we were able to see one of the orca's fins, confirming the attack. It was unclear if the attack was successful though. The pilot whale pod soon split up and carried on.   In the evening was the final gala. Everyone gathered out on the helicopter deck where the chopper was sitting out, and banners were strung. They played some epic music as the helicopter hangar door in the deck opened up with theatrical smoke billowing out. On the hydraulic lift, up came the bar team, with tables of champagne and hors d'oeuvres. It was quite the spectacle. Tino, the cruise director then used the hangar door as a stage to introduce the staff and crew.

2026 03 16 - Arrival In Cape Town, South Africa

The final full day on the ship. We caught our first glimpse of Africa through the fog as we proceeded northwest, past the Cape Of Good Hope into the Atlantic Ocean (Ocean #4 on this voyage). As Table Mountain started to come into view we spotted a Southern Right Whale. The winds were really picking up, and we got some of the most extreme winds of the trip. As the pilot boat arrived and the pilot climbed aboard, the winds were gusting to 55 knots, not including the ship’s forward speed, and we had an extreme headwind. Standing out on the observation area of deck 9 was like being in a hurricane.   The clouds pouring down off of Table Mountain were amazing (the locals call it the "tablecloth cloud"), and there was a solar halo as well.. We ended up docking in the harbour and we all had to exit the ship to clear South African immigration. After the immigration formalities, we came back aboard and enjoyed some cocktails and one last dinner aboard the ship. Tomorrow we all get kicked off and the Charcot heads north for 3 weeks, towards dry dock maintenance in France.   Stats: 4 continents (North America, Australia, Antarctica, Africa) 4 Oceans (Pacific, Southern, Indian, Atlantic) 7390 Nautical Miles

 

 

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