We cleared Customs and Immigration in Fremantle by 8:30AM. The anticipated high of 40 C (104 F) was a far cry from the temperatures we had experienced in Antarctica.

It was a beautiful day in Fremantle, with a brilliant blue sky. We said goodbye to our traveling companions on the pier, then took a moment to say goodbye to Captain Victor and his officers.

The Hospitality Team was preparing the ship for the voyage to Vladivostok. We interrupted them for a moment to wish them well. Then it was time for us to leave. It was sad to leave the ship, but we had enjoyed an amazing voyage. One we will long remember.

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This morning was so warm that we were on deck in shorts and t-shirts. The wind was light, just enough to remind us that we’re still at sea.

Akos gave us another perspective about the Albatrosses that accompanied the ship. He talked about long-line fishing and the disastrous effect this has had on the larger sea birds such as albatross and petrels. Most legal fishing vessels have stopped using long-lines to avoid the sea bird by-catch. Illegal fishing boats continue to cause enormous damage.

A returning passenger, Nigel, presented the Wonders of the Ross Sea. He showed slides and videos of a trip he had taken aboard Kaptain Khlebnikov two years before. Lars and I had been aboard. We remembered vividly the difficult seas, the ice storm and the sensational landings we had during that voyage.

Afternoon tea was followed by the Disembarkation Briefing. No one wanted to face the fact that tomorrow the expedition would end. We trudged to the auditorium where a Jonas and Danielle gave us the details. The second half of Daisy’s retrospective of our voyage was delivered after the briefing.

The Captain’s Farewell Party is always a special occasion, but this one had special significance. Captain Victor was celebrating 30 years as a ship’s captain. To mark the occasion we presented to him a specially commissioned painting by our resident artist. The gift was in recognition for the 17 years he had captained Quark vessels.

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During the night we had entered the third ocean of this voyage – the Indian Ocean. We sailed through a calm sea and another day of brilliant sunshine.

Norm drew our attention to the characteristics of the Southern Ocean, before Mikeexplained the phenomenon of the Southern Lights or Aurora Australis.

The art class exhibition began after lunch. It was amazing to see some of the artwork the class members had produced, especially as some of them had never painted before. The results were fantastic. David had carefully mounted many of the pieces to show them to their best advantage. Afternoon Tea in the lounge was the perfect opportunity to view the artwork created by our fellow travelers. We were staggered by the quality of the work produced.

Kara’s presentation Monsters of the Sea was entertaining as well as educational. Through pictures we were introduced to creatures that lived long ago that could have been mistaken for monsters.

Recap was a weighty session, with Akos asserting that we had seen more birds than anything else. However Kara claimed her seals and whales outweighed his birds. Norm trumped them when he recounted the density of the rocks we had seen. Bob failed to weigh in. Just how much does a historical memory weigh?

Jonas moved a small image of the icebreaker around a projected map, showing a slide of each location we visited. It was an excellent summary of our adventure. We came to realize just how much we had seen in 37 days.

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The night sea rolled, but by 8AM we were in a calm sea under a cloudless sky. The scenery around was beautiful. The sea was a gorgeous deep blue with white froth. The big swells rlled in from behind us, crashing against the ship, sending spray high into the air. The Albatross around the ship were in their element. This is the world they love. They soared high and swooped low, seeming to enjoy the boiling ocean and the ship dancing on the surface. They were a calming influence.

From seals to whales, Bob continued his blood and guts theme in the auditorium. This presentation was illustrated with black and white slides from the era, as well contemporary colored images.

After Daisy’s PowerPoint presentation lesson, we sat down for a special Austrian Lunch, accompanied by a good German beer. A bout of shopping followed lunch, then a talk by Akos about the process of extinction. Just before dinner the silent auction I support of the Ross Sea project closed.

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As Jonas had promised, we had crossed the Antarctic Convergence during the night. The outside temperature when I awoke was about 5C (40F). That was a big jump in temperature, although the 20 knot winds kept the outside decks fairly cool.

Wandering Albatross kept the ship company during the morning. It was just wonderful to watch them soar and glide around us without any movement of their wings at all. They are the most beautiful birds to watch from a ship. Shearwaters were on the wing as well. They looked so much smaller compared to the Wanderers.

Bobhad warned us the night before that during his presentation today we should be prepared for “Gud and Bluts.” The sealers he told us about were the first to chart the subantarctic islands and some of the Peninsula. They, however, protected their sources from competitors, were very secretive about their discoveries. The fur seal was hunted almost to extinction, but has returned from the brink of almost tenfold.

Many people were out on the bow enjoying the sunshine and doing laps around the deck. I wonder if it counts twice if you walk on a rolling ship – perhaps it should. It does require the body muscles to work a little extra to counter the rolling effect.

The Russian Language Class held its graduation ceremony this morning. Akos sang Russian songs, and everyone received a congratulatory shot of vodka.

There is a noticeable sadness now that the expedition is coming to an end. Last night the life jackets we wore while out on the Zodiacs disappeared from our cabins. No more shore landings to anticipate between here and Fremantle. It has been a fantastic experience with a wonderful group of people. Soon we will have to try and revert to the “real world” and leave this ship behind.

I am not sure how we will cope. When we go home will we get a printed menu and three different courses offered? Certainly now in my home. Can we put our dirty clothes on the bed in a plastic bag and have them miraculously laundered and returned the next day? I don’t think so. The positive side of returning home is that we can probably shower without chasing the water all around the shower stall as the ship moves. But the end of the voyage is always a sad time, and particularly on this trip where I can say categorically everyone has bonded into such a wonderful group.

By about 4:30PM, the sky was overcast with dark threatening clouds. I hoped this wasn’t an omen of rough weather to come. A Wandering Albatross continually circled the ship. The bird was soaring, swooping, rising and gliding on all the wind currents. It was magnificent to watch. There is something about a Wandering and gliding on all the wind currents. It was magnificent to watch. There is something about a Wandering Albatross that restores the soul. The make it all look so easy, with their fluid movement and seeming lack of effort. I am humbled by what I see in Antarctica as the land is way beyond the possibilities of man.

Just before recap, John Weller presented The Lost Ocean: The Ross Sea Project. He told us about his plan to save the last pristine ocean in the world, the Ross Sea. Because it has not been fished, scientists everywhere could learn so much from the Ross Sea. Convincing New Zealand to stop selling fishing rights is the first step to saving the Sea, just as the continued selling of fishing rights is the first step toward destroying it. John has a difficult task ahead.

Many listening were captured by the sincerity of his dream. Heather, our cartoonist, donated the cartoons she had drawn during the voyage to a silent auction. The proceeds would go to John’s Ross Sea Project.

The talk in the bar afterward was about John and his project. The people how travel on these expeditions are interested in preserving the environment and willingly give time and money to assist those who are making an effort to bring about change for the better.

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We advanced our clocks one hour, once again. When I awoke we experienced some big rolls. The sky was very overcast, but we had birds around the ship – Prions and Shearwaters.

After the wildlife watch under the sun that had emerged, we attended Part Two of the Climate Change and Global Warming discussion, led by Gunter. Gunter lived in Fairbanks, Alaska, before his retirement. Much of his research work focused on the Arctic, and in particular Alaska.

Kara continued her Russian lessons, competing with the brilliant sunshine that lured many topside to photograph birds or just enjoy the pleasant conditions. Just before lunch more icebergs were spotted on the horizon. One was a large tabular iceberg. The amount of birds that accompanied the ship had increased.

After lunch, David led a group on a tour and critique of the original art that hung in the ship’s stairwells. Paintings had begun to appear in the lounge as well. They were the work of the artist and his students.

The third part of our study of Climate change and Global Warming was a viewing of Al Gore’s documentary, An Inconvenient Truth.

We learned how to prepare a slide show just before the recap session. During recap Jonas announced we would be crossing the Antarctic Convergence during the evening. As a result the temperature of the sea would be warmer and we should encounter more albatross. Akos spoke of the albatross and all the other birds we had been seeing. Then Kara whet our appetite for what lay ahead, by listing the types of whales and dolphins known to inhabit the waters to the north.

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At around 8AM the ship started to roll. It was strange as the sky was clear and we had some sunshine between patches of cloud. Things in the cabin which we thought were secure began repositioning themselves, so it was a matter of firming up everything again.

We slept in. Instead of the usual breakfast, brunch was served. How the chefs could be up and cooking again after last night’s supper and midnight buffet just amazed me.

At 9:30AM we were at 57 S and I was amazed that we were still seeing icebergs. One particularly spectactular tabular iceberg was very large and stayed with us for some time. It allowed the photographers on board to take many pictures. I thought this iceberg might be the last, but no, soon there was a very pretty rounded ‘berg ahead of us.

After lunch we had sunshine and many birds following the ship. We have already seen albatross, but have said goodbye to the Antarctic Petrels and Snow Petrels. The sea was completely open all the way to the horizon, so we put deck chairs out, and soaked up the sun as we soaked in ocean and the sky.

High Tea was more serious that coffee and cakes – soup, sandwiches, bread, pasta, and hotdogs, as well as cake and cookies. I’m proud to say I resisted temptation!

The afternoon continued to be sunny with just a gentle swell. We had more birds showing up and later a nice flock of Prions flew in gentle patterns around the ship, daintily skimming the surface of the water. We even had another iceberg. Mike informed us that the Antarctic Convergence is slightly more northerly in this area, around the 53rd latitude, as it is just north of Heard Island.

Norm gave us an introduction to Climate Change, with numerous graphs showing the increase in green house gases and sea levels, and the decreases in Arctic ice. Many of us continued the Climate Change discussion in the bar prior to dinner.

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We entered a new time zone during the night. We were now an hour ahead of ourselves. Snow was falling by 9AM and the sea was choppy.

Bob tells the story of Amundesen’s and Scott’s race to the South Pole wonderfully. He explains the disappointment and heartache, when Scott and his companions discovered that Amundsen had beaten them to it.

By lunch time the bar was festooned with streamers and balloons. There were just a few finishing touches needed before the festivities later in the evening.

The party began at 6 when Debbie served her cocktail of the day, the New Year’s Cocktail. Most of us had dressed up for the occasion. Two ladies had pulled LBDs out of their luggage – little black dresses.

Since 1992 when I first traveled on the Khlebnikov I would rate the New Year’s Eve Banquet served tonight as the best dinner ever. It was sensational. The chefs prepared an amazing six courses!

At 11:30PM, Jonas called everyone to the lounge. Champagne was poured, while we waited for the countdown to midnight. Soon everyone was hugging and kissing and wishing Happy New Year!

As if the chefs had not done enough, at midnight they put on another buffet in the lounge. It was an incredible spread. They even served sushi as well as noodles and other Asian delicacies.

This was the first evening that we had proper darkness. It was sad in a way to realize we were getting so far north, but it didn’t make for easier sleeping.

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Many people stayed up very late last night, either celebrating our visits to Amery Ice Shelf, Amanda bay and Davis Station, or they were just reluctant to let go of the ice and this beautiful part of Antarctica. Even though we have been around for almost a month, none of us is really ready to leave, at this place is truly addictive.

I woke early and we were back in ice again. We had quite thick ice floes all around us. Some of these really shook us when the ship broke through them. By 9AM the stalwarts were out on the bow watching for pack ice and wildlife. They were rewarded for thei vigilance. We saw several solitary Emperor Penguins, a Minke whale, and many other birds – Giant Petrels, Snow Petrels and beautiful Southern Fulmars.

The education program got underway at 10AM with a photography presentation. Afterward Jonas announced that we would be recrossing the Antarctic Circle shortly, so champagne was brought to the bow. We toasted the crossing, while Daisy took a group photograph from the fly bridge.

Although art class resumed after lunch, the ship was fairly quiet, as most of us were taking well-earned naps. Norm told us about the shore-beach process during his 5 o’clock presentation.

The daily recap session began with Bob’s explanation of the naming of Davis Station. John King Davis was the captain on the ship that brought Douglas Mawson to Antarctica. Bob also confirmed that Mawson Base is the oldest continuously manned base in Antarctica.

Kara talked about the two elephant seals we had encountered at Davis Station. She explained that elephant seals had been tracked to 77S, which is much further south than we had been on this voyage. Elephant Seals can mate and give birth on the fast ice.

Akos took us back to Amanda Bay, reminding us that the chicks we saw were much farther ahead with their molt than the ones we saw at Auster rookery. He observed that this may be because the ice is breaking up in front of the Amanda Bay rookery. The chick’s parents did not have as far to go to feed the chicks, thus they were better fed and matured earlier.

Norm provided insight into the rocks we had seen at Mawson and Davis Stations. He also pointed out that we have seen our last rocks, apart from ice, until we arrive at Fremantle.

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We were in 8/10ths ice when Jonas made his daily wake-up announcement. Snow was falling, but it wasn’t cold enough to make the snow stick. Three crew members were outside shoveling snow so we could walk around the deck.

During our morning wildlife watch, we saw Southern Fulmars, Snow Petrels, a couple of crabeater seals and Adelie Penguins. Later a Giant Petrel flew back and forth across the bow, very low. We had a great opportunity to see its massive beak with the two tubes ending in a rather large hook.

Norm kept us intrigued with an Introduction to Geology: The Rocks We may See in Antarctica. He prepared us for our hoped for landing in the Australian sector.

Heather, our cartoonist, posted a cartoon everyday beside the shop on Deck 5. It became a daily ritual to gather round and see the latest. We all enjoyed the laugh!

We knew we were approaching the Scullin and Murray Monoliths, because we saw more and more Antarctic Petrels, who breed there.

During dinner the sky began to clear and the cloud lifted, which drew our photographer to the deck to catch the lovely light.

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