Rob Larter
Day 1 of my voyage to the #Antarctic Peninsula on the #tallship #BarkEuropa: departing from #Ushuaia and sailing east along the Beagle Channel.
#BusmansHoliday
Feb 5 at 12:43amWeb
Show threadRob LarterFeb 5
Days 2-4 of my voyage to the #Antarctic Peninsula on the #tallship #BarkEuropa: crossing #DrakePassage until we sighted Smith Island, South Shetland Islands. As expected, there were some rough seas, but I didn't feel well enough to take photos in the worst conditions.
#BusmansHoliday
Show threadRob LarterFeb 8
Day 5 of my voyage to the #Antarctic Peninsula on the #tallship #BarkEuropa: approaching Neptune's Bellows, the narrow entrance to the 7 km wide flooded volcanic caldera of Deception Island, South Shetland Islands.
#BusmansHoliday
Show threadRob LarterFeb 8
Day 5 (continued) of my voyage to the #Antarctic Peninsula on the #tallship #BarkEuropa: first landing, at Telefon Bay, Deception Island, South Shetland Islands. From the landing site we walked to the summit of Cross Hill and around the phreatic eruption crater it stands on one side of.
#BusmansHoliday
Show threadRob LarterFeb 8
Day 5 (continued) of my voyage to the #Antarctic Peninsula on the #tallship #BarkEuropa: first close encounters with some of the local inhabitants at Telefon Bay, Deception Island, South Shetland Islands.
#BusmansHoliday
Show threadRob LarterFeb 8
Day 5 (continued) of my voyage to the #Antarctic Peninsula on the #tallship #BarkEuropa: second landing, at Whalers' Bay, Deception Island, South Shetland Islands. From the landing site we walked up a valley to a depression in the caldera rim from which Nathaniel B Palmer first sighted the mainland of the Antarctic Peninsula in 1820.
#BusmansHoliday
Show threadRob LarterFeb 8
Decaying remains of the old whaling station at Whalers' Bay, Deception Island, including a derelict whalers' hut that was used as the main accommodation building by British researchers stationed here between 1944 and 1969. Under an international agreement Deception Island is designated as an Antarctic Specially Managed Area, but there is little evidence of any management. The decaying remains of the station here are neither being conserved nor removed.
Show threadRob LarterFeb 8
Wildlife encountered during our landing at Whalers' Bay, Deception Island.
Show threadRob LarterFeb 10
Day 6 of my voyage to the #Antarctic Peninsula on the #tallship #BarkEuropa: a close approach to Half Moon Island in McFarlane Strait, South Shetland Islands, but strong winds precluded a landing. Subsequently we approached close to Edinburgh Hill on Livingston Island, a volcanic plug exhibiting spectacular columnar jointing.
#BusmansHoliday
Show threadRob LarterFeb 15
Day 7 of my voyage to the #Antarctic Peninsula on the #tallship #BarkEuropa: an exploration of a narrow channel between Spert and Trinity Islands in small boats, weaving between numerous icebergs and growlers.
#BusmansHoliday
Show threadRob LarterFeb 15
The stand-out sights of this small boat excursion were a number of Weddell seals resting on some of the bergy bits.
Show threadRob LarterFeb 22
Day 8 of my voyage to the #Antarctic Peninsula on the #tallship #BarkEuropa: instruction on climbing on the higher sections of the masts and the yards, then passage through Lemaire Channel (commonly referred to as Kodak Crack back in the day when all photographers used film), followed by a landing on the Yalour Islands, which host a large Adelie peguin rookery.
#BusmansHoliday
Show threadRob LarterFeb 22
Day 8 of my voyage to the #Antarctic Peninsula on the #tallship #BarkEuropa (continued): a few photos of Adelie penguins on the Yalour Islands.
#BusmansHoliday
Show threadRob LarterFeb 24
Day 9 of my voyage to the #Antarctic Peninsula on the #tallship #BarkEuropa: first landing on the mainland of the Antarctic Peninsula, at Stony Point, Paradise Harbour.
#BusmansHoliday
Show threadRob LarterFeb 25
Day 9 of my voyage to the #Antarctic Peninsula on the #tallship #BarkEuropa (continued): a selection of wildlife photos taken at Stony Point.
#BusmansHoliday
Show threadRob LarterFeb 28
Day 9 of my voyage to the #Antarctic Peninsula on the #tallship #BarkEuropa (continued): the varied expressions of a Weddell seal resting on the beach at Stony Point.
#BusmansHoliday
Show threadRob LarterMar 1
A lot of melting was taking place when we visited Stony Point. Of course, this was summer in Antarctica, so some melting was expected. However, temperatures on this day and through January as a whole were 1 to 2°C above the recent average, which itself is a couple of degrees warmer than in the mid-20th century. Later this day the dry air temperature recorded on Bark Europa in neighbouring Andvord Bay was 3.8°C. Average 21st century January temperature at the US Palmer Station on Anvers Island is 2.7°C.
Show threadRob LarterMar 5
Day 9 of my voyage to the #Antarctic Peninsula on the #tallship #BarkEuropa (continued): second landing of the day on the mainland of the Antarctic Peninsula, at Neko Harbour.
#BusmansHoliday
Show threadRob LarterMar 9
Day 9 of my voyage to the #Antarctic Peninsula on the #tallship #BarkEuropa (continued): Gentoo penguins at Neko Harbour, and a penguin egg that had recently been plundered by a skua.
#BusmansHoliday
Show threadRob LarterMar 11
Day 10 of my voyage to the #Antarctic Peninsula on the #tallship #BarkEuropa: landing on Jougla Point, a location formerly used by Whalers and literally a stone's throw away from the island where the former British base of Port Lockroy is located.
#BusmansHoliday
Show threadRob LarterMar 13
Day 10 of my voyage to the #Antarctic Peninsula on the #tallship #BarkEuropa (continued): gentoo penguin, penguin chicks and a giant petrel feasting on its prey at Jougla Point.
#BusmansHoliday
Show threadJohn Faithfull 🌍🇪🇺🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🧡✊🏻✊🏿Feb 22
@PoLaRobs Is that the special penguin-feet rock-grooving-and-polishing in the second pic?
Show threadRob LarterFeb 23
@FaithfullJohn There was some splendid rock grooving (glacial striations) to be seen on these islands that I tried to draw to the attention of my fellow visitors. They only had eyes for the penguins though. Philistines!
Show threadmarkn🚲Feb 23

@PoLaRobs beautiful photos. I've enjoyed looking through them. What a trip.

Also well matched with my current read: The Last Grain Race.

Show threadRob LarterFeb 23
@markn I'll have to check out that book. While on board I finished reading Madhouse at the End of the Earth. Being there gave a great perspective on what it must have been like for those early explorers, who charted much of the area on a somewhat similar vessel.
Show threadmarkn🚲Feb 23

@PoLaRobs ta. nice to have an impromptu book recommendation swap!

Eric Newby had a fascinating life from his improbable beginnings in haute couture (yes really) to the Special Boat Service.

Show threadArtkopFeb 10
@PoLaRobs WOW!!!
Show threadJWcph, Radicalized By DecencyFeb 11
@PoLaRobs If they'd used Edinburgh Hill in a movie - like they did with Skellig Michael in Star Wars - everyone, myself included, would have thought "Yeah, nice CGI island you got there..." 🤯
Show threadRob LarterFeb 11
@jwcph The other-worldly appearance is probably a little exaggerated because I'd accidentally messed up the white balance on my camera. It took me a while to work out what was wrong. I've tried adjusting the colours to appear more realistic but with only partial success.
Show threadJWcph, Radicalized By DecencyFeb 11
@PoLaRobs Sure, that adds even further magic 😝 but just the formation in itself is otherworldly...
Show threadRob LarterFeb 11
@jwcph Columnar jointing formed in cooling magma often produces spectacular features. Other examples are the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland and on the island of Staffa in the Inner Hebrides, west of Scotland. It seems almost too perfect and regular to be natural.
Show threadJWcph, Radicalized By DecencyFeb 11
@PoLaRobs There's also the Bear Lodge formation in Wyoming, commonly known as the Devil's Tower - which I obviously only know about from the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" 😁
Show threadJohn Faithfull 🌍🇪🇺🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🧡✊🏻✊🏿Feb 23
@PoLaRobs wow - never heard of, or seen pix of Edinburgh Hill before 🤩🤩🤩
Show threadRob LarterFeb 23
@FaithfullJohn
I haven't managed to find any published radio metric age on it yet, but it is mapped as being Quaternary, in which case it is part of the alkaline rift volcanic province that includes Deception Island.
It's appearance seems to have a lot in common with Staffa, although I've never been there.
Show threadJohn Faithfull 🌍🇪🇺🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🧡✊🏻✊🏿Feb 23

@PoLaRobs I should have heard of Edinburgh Hill - there are at least three specimens from there in the Hunterian museum collections in Glasgow, which I spent 30 years curating!

https://www.gla.ac.uk/collections/#/results?q=South+shetland&gn=All+Fields

These were collected by Glasgow geologist David Ferguson, who made a lot of trips to the Antarctic, sponsored by Christian Salvasen Ltd before WW1. He made the 1st geological map of South Georgia too. More here if you're interested: https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/97823/

His notebooks are aslo in Glasgow.

University of Glasgow Collections

University of Glasgow Collections

Show threadRob LarterFeb 23
@FaithfullJohn
That knowledge might come in handy. There's a group of old BAS geologists (from even before I started) who have added me to their email list. Some of them worked on South Georgia. Might help my cred to have some gems of historical knowledge if I go to any of their gatherings 😀
Show threadDavid CroyleFeb 8
@PoLaRobs Great stuff! I made a ham radio contact with a Bulgarian in the South Shetlands just recently... Wish I was there!
Show threadRob LarterFeb 8
@croyle Have you been in contact with my former colleague Mike Gloistein who is a ham radio enthusiast (gm0hcq) and often used to interact with other hams in his spare time while down South?
Show threadDavid CroyleFeb 8

@PoLaRobs I have not, but now I'll definitely take note if I do. I only have a few Antarctic contacts personally, but they always excite me much more than they reasonably should. :)

Between my arctic explorer Norwegian grandfather and my fondness for antarctic stories and exploration, I suspect there's perhaps something in the genes that gets me excited about it.

I'm following your account here now and am really enjoying the posts and photos, thanks very much for sharing them.

Show threadRaphiFeb 9
What does one need to do to join such a journey? The ship look gorgeous!!
Show threadRob LarterFeb 9
@Raphi
Unless you're an experienced tall ship sailor and in a position to apply to become one of the permanent crew, you need to sign up as "voyage crew" and pay the substantial fee. It was the most I've ever paid for a trip lasting a few weeks, but so worth it.
Here is the sailing schedule
https://www.barkeuropa.com/en/our-voyages/sailing-schedule
Find your dream voyage | Bark EUROPA

Show threadRaphiFeb 10
Thanks for sharing! The prices are high, but I feel like they are worth the journey
Show threadRob LarterFeb 10
@Raphi Operating a ship of this kind has high costs. The voyage crew fees pay most of the bills.
Show threadNotDennisBonvie 🇨🇦Feb 8
@PoLaRobs Thank you for posting your pictures and telling us about your voyage! Looking forward for day 6!
Show threadRob LarterFeb 8
@NotDennisBonvie There's still more of day 5 to post about yet.
Show threadAndrew DonkinFeb 8
@PoLaRobs Fantastic photos.
Show threadRob LarterFeb 8
@AndrewDonkin Thanks.
Show threadJule SverneFeb 9
@PoLaRobs This is impressive! Now I have to follow for the rest of the journey.
Show threadChris MillsFeb 8
@PoLaRobs what a gloriously rugged landscape!
Show threadCarlos MoffatFeb 8
@PoLaRobs beautiful! (I see you found a way to stay connected!)
Show thread@stevewfoldsFeb 8
@PoLaRobs Beautiful ship
Show threadRob LarterFeb 8
@stevewfolds She's the only tall ship visiting Antarctica regularly. These voyages are probably the closest you can get today to experiencing what it was like to travel to Antarctica during the heroic age of exploration.
Show threadDr Susi ArnottFeb 5
@PoLaRobs Stay well, and keep us posted:)
Show threadJWcph, Radicalized By DecencyFeb 5
@PoLaRobs Beautiful!! 🤩
Show threadStefano MarinelliFeb 5
@[email protected] your ship is beautiful!
Show threadMaksiSanctum he/himFeb 16
@PoLaRobs Often considered joining the Bark Europa crew. But tall ship sailing has been put on hold for school (miss it dearly though).
Show threadRob LarterFeb 16
@MaksiSanctum
Hope you can realise that dream one day.
Show threadMaksiSanctum he/himFeb 16
@PoLaRobs Thanks, me too! Being aloft crew allowed me to sail on many ships and was always an adventure. Always makes me happy 😊
Show threadLot⁴⁹Feb 23
@PoLaRobs Beautiful images. Looks cold though.
Show threadRob LarterFeb 23
@12thRITS
Not really very cold in Ushuaia, but quite a bit colder when we reached the Antarctic Peninsula. Sadly, not cold enough though. The rate of ice melt there is disturbing.
Show threadJo - pièce de résistanceMar 5
@PoLaRobs amazing adventure and photos!