Diary of a Journey under the World – Part 8 – A Passenger Ship at Pine Island?

David travelled aboard the magnificent Le Commandant Charcot by PONANT Cruises earlier this year on a half circumnavigation trip from Ushuaia, Argentina to New Zealand and what follows are his notes and highlights of a once in a lifetime trip to Antarctica in 2023.

David Heydon has been many things, nominated for Australian of the Year in 2016, the 2012 recipient of the Moore Medal, and a deep seabed mining pioneer. Most days David would be one of the expert naturalist guides aboard a ship, but today he is a guest on the Le Commandant Charcot. 

David is an expedition cruising veteran, one who is uniquely specialized in the Polar. His extensive geological knowledge provides welcome insight into these regions’ many fjords and glaciers. 

Day 10

Pine Island is in the bay draining from Thwaites Glacier, which comes directly off the Antarctic Ice Cap. It is filled with massive icebergs calved from the ice shelf and the glacier itself – sounds like an interesting location to explore – but can the Le Commandant Charcot get there? 

Only two ships in history have ever ventured to this area, a Russian and US research ship. No passenger ship has ever been here before. 

So, the Expedition team and the Captain briefed David and the other passengers about their proposed plan. 

Based on the ice charts, wind and current pushing back ice north, away from the Antarctic coast, the Captain believed there was a chance they could get close to Pine Island. 

The discussion and vote amongst passengers revolved around the following question: could they afford a day to divert and attempt to enter there, knowing they might fail and have to backtrack, thereby wasting a day to explore somewhere else? 

There is a fixed date, the ship has to arrive at New Zealand on February 13th, so they would miss opportunities at future locations to reach New Zealand if they made this attempt.

The Captain presented the most recent satellite ice charts to the passengers. To get to the bay where he is pointing, they would first have to cross a large patch of thick sea ice to the North. The green spots in the chart represent thin ice, where the purple spots are much thicker. The other alternative would be to sail around the pack of ice to the west, missing out on the opportunity to visit this remote bay.

The result of the vote was a resounding yes. Best case scenario they are able to reach the bay, worst case they have to backtrack through the thick ice – but get the experience of ice navigation. 

The plan is then to send the Captain off on a helicopter to survey the area, determining the likelihood success and optimising the route to have the best possible chance. 

The view that morning as the Captain flew off. 

The Captain reports back and confirms they have a good chance – so they commit to the thick ice ahead.

The Bridge diligently looks ahead for wildlife, ensuring they find the best possible passage without disturbing any seals or emperor penguins on the ice floe.

As they push through the ice, pushing down, bobbing up and rolling forward, the ice cracks extend out and shatters. Just imagine the sound.

Notice the splotches of brown in between the cracks? David says these are lines of krill which live in the honeycomb underneath the ice.

Whether they are successful in reaching the bay remains to be seen, but the prospects look hopeful.

continued in Part 9 coming soon…