Showing posts with label Anvers Island. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anvers Island. Show all posts

Antarctica I


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⏳ Dec 2018























First scenic cruise was in Dallmann Bay lying between Brabant Island and Anvers Island.
Brabant Island is the second largest island of the Palmer Archipelago within the British Antarctic Territory, lying between Anvers Island and Liège Island. Brabant Island is 59 km (37 mi) long north-south, 30 km (19 mi) wide, and rises to 2,520 m (8,268 ft) in Mount Parry. The interior of the island is occupied by two mountain ranges, Solvay Mountains (Cook Summit, 1590 m) in its southern part and Stribog Mountains (summit Mount Parry) in its central and northern parts.
It was named by the Belgian Antarctic Expedition (1897–1899) under Adrien de Gerlache, who named it after the Belgian Province of Brabant, in recognition of the support given to the expedition by its citizens.
Anvers Island or Antwerp Island or Antwerpen Island or Isla Amberes is a high, mountainous island 61 km (38 miles) long, the largest in the Palmer Archipelago of Antarctica. It was discovered by John Biscoe in 1832 and named in 1898 by the Belgian Antarctic Expedition under Adrien de Gerlache after the province of Antwerp in Belgium. It lies south-west of Brabant Island at the south-western end of the group. The south-western coastline of the island forms part of the Southwest Anvers Island and Palmer Basin Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA 7).
In central part of Dallmann Bay are Melchior Islands (Eta Island, Omega Island, Lambda Island,Delta Island, Alpha Island, Bremen Island, Gand Island)
Omega Island and Bremen Island are separated by channel Bremenkanal.







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Drake Passage I & II


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⏳ Dec 2018 & Jan 2019







First Drake Passage Crossing

The Drake Passage or Mar de Hoces—Sea of Hoces—is the body of water between South America's Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. It connects the southwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean with the southeastern part of the Pacific Ocean and extends into the Southern Ocean.

It is the most perilous body of water on the planet. When Cape Horn island was discovered by a Dutch vessel in 1616 it was believed to be the southernmost point of Tierra del Fuego. The Drake passage was used from that point on extensively as a major shipping route. However the exploration was so difficult that Antarctica, only 400 miles away, was discovered after more than 200 years, in 1820. Cape Horn was named by sailors Cape Fear.

Our first Drake Passage crossing started in good weather conditions, but having a storm coming from north west behind us. The last pieces of land we saw were Isla Deceit and Isla Hornos within the Cabo de Hornos National Park. There is a chilean navy station on island and a monument in honour of the sailors who died while attempting to "round the Horn", Cape Horn Monument - Monumento Cabo De Hornos.

Cape Horn - "the Everest of sailing"







 Cape Horn Monument
 Cape Horn Monument built in 1992 in honor of sailors who drowned at Cape Horn. It can withstand 200 km/h (125 mi/h) winds. It was damaged in a 2014 storm and then repaired.





...crossing Drake Passage














We navigated west Smith Island (South Shetland Islands) and we arrived on north-est of Anvers Island.





II

We crossed again Drake Passage, but this time we had huge waves, strong winds, storms; Started between King George Island and Elephant Island.





We crossed two times the 60th parallel south, which marks the northern limit of the Southern Ocean. The latitudes south of this parallel are often referred to as the Screaming 60s due to the prevailing high-speed, westerly winds which can generate large waves in excess of 15 m (50 ft) and peak wind speeds over 145 km/h (90 mph).


References:
Drake Passage
60th parallel south






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⏳ Dec 2018 & Jan 2019