Brown & Keene Travel Silversea Cruises

We have travelled to Antarctic five times. Twice on the Hanseatic and once on the Explorer 11, once on the Mariner, larger cruise ship that did land anyone ashore.
Most recently in 2012 we travelled on the best ship we have experienced to Antarctica the SILVER EXPLORER.
The notes below are a combination of all three trips. All pictures taken by Ken Hutyra, Brown and Keene Travel

Next projected Escorted trip Arctic/Greenland- August, 2014
Itinerary not yet available anticipate opening for booking end of 2012 and that this criuse will be offerd in 2014.
Escorted by Ngaire & Ken Hutyra of Brown & Keene Travel

Salisbury Plain in the Bay of Isles: Nothing can prepare you for what you see when you land at Salisbury Plain. Just the scenery alone is spectacular. As you step on the black sand beach you are welcomed by some inquisitive King Penguins, baby fur seal pups, elephant seals and then you will see literally hundreds of thousands of King Penguins. A truly awe-inspiring sight, as far as the eye can see, up and down the beach and into the hills – King Penguins. As you make your way around the beach there will be Silversea naturalists to answer any questions and to point you to the areas to walk to ensure you do not disturb the penguin colony. The penguins are all around you. These are such majestic birds and you feel so privileged to be standing on this beach surrounded by the calling penguins. It is quite noisy. The penguins are in all stages of development. The young chicks have a thick brown coat that eventually sheds. When they are in the process of the change they look quite amazing as the shedding is not even. They look quite different from the regal adult King Penguins.
ROSITA HARBOR: This harbor is home to thousands of fur seals. The ship runs zodiac cruises around the edge of the bay, stopping at the areas of most activity to see the antics of the young fur seals and their parents. The little seals are learning to swim in the protection of the beds of Kelp and further out the larger seals are porpoising around the zodiacs. This was our first sighting of a “blondie”, a white fur seal that is not an albino since they have some pigment. The birds were fascinating as they landed close to the zodiacs and flew over our heads. We were told we could not land on shore since an adult fur seal can be quite defensive of her young. It was not safe because there were so many seals. However, even without landing it was a fantastic afternoon and it exceeded my expectations.
FORTUNA BAY, SHACKELTON, GLACIERS AND Whaling Stations: A wonderful landing spot full of king penguins and gentoo penguins. Seals were abundant and there were some herds of reindeer as well. There is a glacier as a back drop to the fairly green tussock grass and the nice wide beach.The baby seals were a key attraction here with a small pool where the young seals are learning to swim. Looked like a seal day care facility, just delightful to watch. A stream runs across one area of the landing and the kings penguins were standing in the stream with the beautiful bay as a back drop and our ship the Silver Explorer anchored in the harbor it was a picture perfect setting.south Georgia has an interesting history with the incredible story of Sir Ernest Shackelton and the whaling industry.The other landing is to allow people to retrace Sir Ernest Shackleton’s final portion of his trek to seek help for his men on Elephant Island walking from one side of South Georgia to the other. This is not an easy trek and does require some up hill walking and takes about three hours. For those in good shape who like to hike this is a wonderful experience but those that have doubts about their ability to take the walk should probably not attempt this as you cannot turn back. Once you start the walk you must finish the walk On this day we off loaded those who were brave enough to take the final part of the hike that Shackelton made to reach the whaling station in Stromness Bay. Those who stayed on board enjoyed the incredible scenery of glaciers, mountains and old whaling stations along the coast.
GRYTVIKEN: Grytviken is the official entry port of South Georgia and a Maritime officer will come on board to clear the ship. This is where Sir Ernest Shackelton is buried and the ship held a ceremony at the gravesite. Around the gravesite were large elephant seals. We could smell them before we saw them wallowing in mud along the pathway. Located in the abandoned whaling station is a whaling museum and a small church. A walk was offered over the hill for wonderful views of the bay to the museum and church or you can take a shorter walk along the harbor and see all the baby fur seals. The museum offers insight into the life of the whalers – it is small but very well done. You can buy souvenirs and post letters from the post office located inside the museum. The church was tiny and very picturesque
ST. ANDREWS BAY: We awoke this morning to see bright sunshine shining on the mountains and hordes of Kings Penguins on the land. This is reported to be the largest King Penguin Rookery in South Georgia. What a magnificent sight - we were all anxious to get ashore. We were certainly NOT disappointed. There are small hills you can climb and look down to so many King Penguins that it was hard to even comprehend. Activity was taking place everywhere and all our cameras were clicking away as the Penguins entertained us with their antics. The waterfront was especially active with baby seals and penguins going in and out of the water and interacting with each other.
GOLD HARBOR: This was many people’s favorite landing in South Georgia. The diversity of scenery is truly spectacular; mountains, glaciers, plants, seals, birds and thousands of King and Gentoo penguins. The combination of the glacier and the rich green plants make for a stunning backdrop to the penguins. At our landing site there were many elephant seals all piled on top of one another, grunting and making loud noises. They are so big when you are close to them. We all experienced an overwhelming sense of wonder at everything we were seeing. A stream ran through the beach area and many penguins were in the water and crossing between areas. Seeing the Gentoo penguins and the King penguins together was a treat
PRION ISLAND: This is a delightful spot all about birds and seals. You will be greeted on the beach by many fur seals and their pups plus birds sitting on the beach. This landing is all about the largest flying birds, the wandering albatross as these birds are nesting on this island. A wooden walkway has been erected from the beach all the way up to the nesting area of the albatross. It is a lot of steps but pretty easy walking. What is fun is the fur seals like using the walkway too and are often a few steps ahead of you and finally jump off as you arrive. Now and then one will give you a little charge but of course you just clap your hands and they back off. Once you reach the nesting area there is a viewing platform and you can be quite close to the birds and the fluffy grey chicks. It is a lovely sight and the view from the top is wonderful. This is a very easy walk that anyone without major walking difficulties can do. These birds can have a 12 foot wingspan and the opportunity to view these books up close is a unique experience.
ANTARCTICA
Antarctica is quite different from South Georgia. Here you leave the greenery behind and enter a world of ice, rock and snow. Very little grows here and the land is very fragile and must be treated with great respect. The beauty of this region of the world is impossible to describe. The nature of Antarctica is pristine and with rapid weather changes, from brilliant sunshine to driving gale force winds in a very short period of time. It is generally colder here than in South Georgia. If you have a calm day it is amazingly comfortable with your long underwear and parkas and often you see people peeling off clothes. Fortunately during the tourist summer season there are many gloriously sunny days to enjoy the spectacular scenery. In Antarctica you can see various types of seals; Weddell, Fur, Crabeater and Leopard Seals. Many varieties of whales and of course the stars of the show are the Penguins. Adelie, Chinstrap, and Gentoo are the penguins you will see in Antarctica. These are the landings we have made. Each trip will have different landing sites depending on the conditions during your trip.
ELEPHANT ISLAND AND POINT WILD: Most expeditions can only sail past this historical spot due to weather conditions. Fortunately on one of our trips we experienced PERFECT conditions. It was a great outing. You cannot land but you do a zodiac ride around the area where Shackelton’s crew were stranded and a statue is in place to the Argentine Captain who finally rescued the men. The area is full of chinstrap penguins and watching them from the zodiac entering and returning from the water and porpoising around the zodiacs was very entertaining. The adjoining bay had some spectacular icebergs that we buzzed around in the zodiacs. On our 2012 cruise we LANDED on Elephant Island: We were told the night before that there was little hope of landing on Elephant Island in 10 years our expedition leader had never been able to land. That morning there was no wind, perfectly calm seas there was excitement in Robin West's voice as he said "wear your rubber boots we are going to land" Each zodiac took turns landing one zodiac at a time. Landing area is very small and they laid out towels on the rocks to make it easier. Prior our turn we spotted a humpback whale from the zodic and also watched spellbound as penguins jumped from the water high onto an iceberg - picture on the side. Landing was exciting, a truly once in a lifetime experience. To stand in the place where his men waited for rescue and comprehend how they surived bought the Shackelton story to life. There is a chinstrap colony on the island so we also had the penguins to entertain us.
PAULET ISLAND: Paulet Island is located in the Weddell Sea. The odor here was the worse that we experienced on our entire trip, so with our fleece pulled over our noses we landed on shore. The scene was worth the smell as we were surrounded by a large colony of Adelie Penguins. It was very slippery so many stayed fairly close to the landing spot and just enjoyed watching the penguins. In a few weeks after we left all these penguins will depart the island and go to sea. An explorer, Larsen and his men wintered here when stranded during an expedition. At the top of the hill are the remains of a small stone hut they built. After the landing we took a zodiac cruise of the icebergs around the island that were a beautiful blue in color with the penguins jumping into and out of the wa
FRIDTJOF SOUND: Later that afternoon we sailed through the Antarctic Sound and we went via the scenic Fridtjof Sound. We were treated to the sight of many whales and also massive tubular icebergs. The Captain positioned the ship very close to a huge iceberg and we were all in awe of the color and size of this iceberg. During the afternoon there were porpoising penguins jumping in front of the ship and birds at the rear of the ship. There were photographic moments around us all afternoon
DECEPTION ISLAND: Seals were everywhere along the beach. This is an abandoned British Antarctica Survey Base. It was also “swimming day.” This is a volcanic area and the crew dug a pool on the beach. Due to the volcanic region, the water was warm and it became a hot tub. The plan was to run into the ocean and then run back to the beach and jump in the hot tub. A surprising number of the passengers engaged in this exercise. I think seeing people peel off polar parkas and long underwear to their swimming trunks was a spectacle I will always remember. A few Chinstrap Penguins were on the beach, but not a large colony. The area right outside of Deception Island is where many whales are spotted. On our departures from Deception Island we have seen Orcas, Humpback and Fin whales very close to the ship
HANNAH POINT: It was windy and a little rainy; however, it did not dampen anyone’s enthusiasm because we were all wondering how the landings could get any better than what we had already experienced. Next stop was Hannah Point to see the elephant seals, Gentoo and Chinstrap Penguins. I was very grateful for the waterproof pants, as we did get splashed in the zodiacs going over. Once there, it was another stunning scene; thousands of penguins – Gentoos on one side and Chinstraps on the other. If a Chinstrap strayed into Gentoo territory the Gentoo would chase him away and then of course the Gentoo ended up in Chinstrap territory. It was a constant battle chasing each other back and forth. After walking up a slight incline, you look down on this incredible scene. Lots of elephant seals lying on the beach piled on top of each other and surrounded by penguins going into and out of the water. Rugged cliffs, raging sea – it was really fantastic and showed the wild side of Antarctica.
PARADISE BAY: The zodiac cruise of Paradise Bay was a wonderful experience. Huge glaciers and beautiful icebergs in every shape and size are all over the bay. This bay is in front of the Argentine Almirante Brown Station. The landings are split so one group takes the cruise and one group visits the Almirante Brown Station and then a switch takes place. We saw whales, penguins and seals in the water and we moved our zodiacs very close. On one of our trips in Paradise Bay our zodiac engine broke down and we were “rescued at sea” by another zodiac. A high tech maneuver took place of placing oars between the two zodiacs and we simply stepped across. It was quite thrilling. The glacier at the head of the bay has a unique shape that looks like a modern sculpture of a city skyline. The picture below with the small zodiac in front gives an idea of the size of this structure of ice. The seals are lounging on the ice and if you get too close they slip in the water and then return very shortly after you leave.
ALMIRANTE BROWN STATION: For many this is a very important stop as it is here that you actually stand on the seventh continent. After the cruise of Paradise Bay we stepped onto the continent of Antarctica and visited the Argentine Almirante Brown Station. You could climb up the hill and slide down the ice to the bottom. The surroundings were really spectacular and everywhere you looked were mountains and glaciers and, of course, Gentoo penguins. There are a few researchers here but they do not sell souvenirs.
PETERMAN ISLAND: Peterman Island is located at the end of the Lemaire Channel. This beautiful rocky island is idyllically positioned in a natural bay. There is a penguin research place on the island with tents on the that the researchers stayed in during the summer. On one of our trips to Peterman Island there was a lot of snow on this landing and a lone penguin sitting on an ice floe right where we landed. Once again, “click-click” of the cameras. He looked like he was orchestrating the landing. Gentoo Penguins welcomed us ashore and further up an incline we found the Adelie Penguins. This is a beautiful spot with mountains and icebergs all around the island.
LEMAIRE CHANNEL: This a beautiful passage through a narrow channel that opens to the bay for Peterman Island. As you sail down the channel the ship is constantly in sight of glaciers and photo opportunities. In the four hours we had been on Peterman Island, a large iceberg had blocked a portion of the narrow entrance to the channel. Looking at this iceberg, it really seemed to block our path. We watched as our Captain maneuvered the ship around the iceberg.
THE ICEBERG GARDEN: I thought the icebergs at Paradise Bay were fantastic, but then we went into the iceberg garden. How anyone can explain what we saw, I do not know. Pictures cannot do this justice. Incredible large icebergs of every shape and color of blue you can imagine. Seals were everywhere and of many different varieties. It was amazing. Everyone was quiet because it was very mesmerizing and special. You did not want to break the absolute peace and tranquility of the surroundings.
PORT LOCKROY: A British Station where you could go shopping. The two men manning the station sold tee shirts, stamps, postcards, etc., and you could mail something with a “South Pole” postmark. This was a lot of fun. It was also a beautiful spot with Gentoo Penguins absolutely everywhere and a backdrop of glaciers in every direction. Some of our best pictures came from here because the surroundings were once again spectacular. I did not want to leave this area as the little penguin chicks seemed to be particularly inquisitive at this spot – perhaps they were more comfortable with humans because the station was there. We also saw a variety of birds and small chicks wandering around among the penguins.
THE NEUMAYER CHANNEL: The mountains mirrored in the water and the channel was clogged with ice and icebergs. We tested the ship’s ice rating as we made our way slowly through the ice and avoided the icebergs that often held seal. We spotted whales and once again, the cameras clicked away furiously as everyone tried to capture this magical moment. The water where there was no ice was mirroring more than I have ever seen anywhere in the world. The captain opened up the front of the ship and everyone was leaning over in amazement as the ice parted and we moved forward. When I show people pictures of this afternoon it does not seem real. Picture postcard perfection in every shot
CUVERVILLE ISLAND. First, another zodiac cruise in another iceberg garden. Once again, we saw absolutely magnificent icebergs in every shape and size and this time in brilliant sunshine. They looked so different from the other iceberg garden. Both were beautiful and I was so glad I had seen them in an overcast sky (the blues are brighter) and then in the sunshine. Then onto Cuverville Island for our last visit with our new found penguin friends. This scene is hard to describe. Thousands of penguins; very active with all their funny behaviors, which we now understood so much more. The ship nestled in the background with a huge mountain behind it and then in front the magnificent iceberg garden. Everywhere you look there is a picture opportunity.
VISIT TO RUSSIAN BASE OF BELLINGSHAUSEN AND CHILEAN BASE OF PRESIDENTE FREI: King George Island and Maxwell Bay have the biggest concentration of Scientific Stations anywhere in the Antarctica. The two bases that were located next to each other, one Russian and one Chilean. These were interesting to visit and we wandered around looking over all the buildings, including a small Russian Church. There was a store that offered souvenirs for purchase. Both the Chilean and Russian Bases had small churches and the Russian Base allowed us to visit inside their quarters and they were surprisingly comfortable. Surprisingly there were about 15 children on the base, from small children to teenagers. Most of the staff go home for the winter but a few stay on throughout the year.
MADDER CLIFFS: This was an outstanding landing. The area has a great Adelie colony with a sensational backdrop of heavy ice with incredible shapes and sizes. Walking on the ice (not too slippery) you can actually go quite a distance up the hill, about a 20 minute walk. The moment you step ashore you are among the penguins so how far you want to walk is up to you. Almost everyone saw Leopard Seals on the ice and it was a wonderful experience.

BROWN BLUFF: Unfortunately the weather did not permit a full landing at Brown Bluff. This is a penguin rich area with a black sand beach under a giant Brown Bluff. Located in the Antarctica Sound the scene is wonderful and this landing is located on the mainland of Antarctica. So a landing here means you have stepped on the 7^th continent. Due to the weather we were rerouted to a nearby Argentine Station where we did a zodiac tour of the Adelie colonies and stepped on the continent for a Champagne toast.

YANKEE HARBOR: This was a fairly easy landing. Ice had blocked the sandy beach so we had to go up a small rocky hill to reach the colony. Only about 10 to 15 feet to climb and the staff helped you up the hill, most people would have no problem with this landing. The Gentoo Colony was scattered around this large landing area. There were a few fur seals and some great skewer activity with many birds flying around trying to catch some of the smaller chicks. The Gentoos were molting on our visit so they were not too active.

CAPE HORN – SOUTH AMERICA: The final wondrous event was the opportunity to land at Cape Horn where we visited a Chilean weather station. On one trip we had calm conditions and on another the roughest water we had encountered. Tee shirts, postcards and small items were available for sale. Several monuments grace the top of the hill. On one side you have the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic on the other side. Incredible picture opportunities with green grass, something we had not seen in awhile. I had a chance to play with a little girl that lives at the point. Her parents said she loves it when a ship arrives as I am sure most of the time it is pretty lonely living in this remote location. Upon returning to the landing site, the crew had champagne waiting for us and we sat on down and drank "champagne on the rocks" at Cape Horn in the sunshine.