Oceanwide Expeditions Blog | Antarctic & Arctic Cruise Blogs.

(Nearly) Stuck in the Antarctic Ice

We are at the bottom of deep sleep, gently lullabyed throughout the night by the rhythmic swaying of the Ortelius on a glass smooth Ross Sea plying its way through oily 'new' ice, the wafer thin pancake crystallization atop a black sea, prelude to the more grown up 'pancake' ice which will be our morning's visual breakfast

In polar travel, choice of clothing can mean life or death

With temperatures like this, it is vital to be prepared. In fact, it is life threatening if you aren’t. My first impulse, when planning my journey to the Ross Sea during the heat of mid-summer Brisbane, was to dig out all my warm clothing and just add what was needed.

Wandering in Fields of Ice – Around Svalbard

To see a healthy and strong polar bear in its natural habitat is a delight. The power of this bear was perceivable from our vantage point on board Ortelius. Silence swept across the decks as we watched the polar bear limber across the ice with its soft but lethal padded paws.

Visiting Scott’s Terra Nova Hut - Cape Evans

I have read just about every account ever written on Scott’s Antarctic expeditions. Some hail him as a great hero; some claim he was an autocratic leader who failed his men.

A Ross Sea Odyssey

In 2013 I took part in a trip of a lifetime. Led by Australian mountaineer, Greg Mortimer, this expedition took in the Antarctic Peninsula, Bellingshausen Sea, Amundsen Sea, Ross Sea (with its historic huts) and Macquarie Island over 32 days – a major undertaking.

Ortelius, why are we going in circles?

It seemed as if the ship was not completely certain in which direction to travel, her nose testing the wind. To a certain extent that was the truth of the situation. We knew our destination to Svalbard and therefore the direction of travel should be north: but our ship didn’t know this, yet.

Explorers in the Ice - Ross Sea Antarctica

Although I’ve been to the Peninsula many times, the opportunity to experience the Ross Sea and its historical sites for the first time was very exciting.