The Winter Crew has arrived at Palmer Station with almost Half the Winter Gone

Sunrise in the Gerlache Strait, Antarctic Peninsula.

The Gould on the right sailing through the Gerlache Strait to Palmer Station (the cross).

It wasn't a great day for sightseeing due to the overcast but pretty nonetheless.

Tourists pay $20,000 for a cruise through these waters. 

Ice blue. Two-thirds of the glacier is underwater.

Cool lines.

Looks nice enough to swim in.

Anvers Island with the top of Mt. William peeking over the top of Mar Piedmont Glacier.

The Lawrence M. Gould arrives at Palmer Station, Antarctica June 10, 2020, after 39 days from leaving my home in Florida. I have arrived for my 6th Antarctic winter. 

Once again the beautiful Antarctic sunsets.

Working ship to station fueling ops. 45,000 gallons of fuel delivered from the ship to the station.

Fuel travels from the ship over the gangway.

The fuel travels through a hose across the gangway, in front of the boathouse, to a black tank in the upper right.

Giant yokohamas (ship's bumpers).

It was a long quarantine on the Gould including 25 days in Punta Arenas before leaving port.

Looking out over Hero Inlet.

The Gould's bridge. Photo credit to Hannah.

Palmer Station from the Gould.

Pancake ice forming.

The view from my dorm room window.

The view from my office window.

My first boating day of Winter 2020.

A beautiful sunset as my bow line handling team makes its way to the three bowlines bollards.

On station to drop the three bowlines. I'm on the far right communicating with the Gould.

June 16th, 2020 the Lawrence M. Gould departs with the summer/partial winter crew for Punta Arenas, Chile. Our winter begins over two months late due to COVID. But we made it after seven COVID tests!

A beautiful sight as us 16 winterovers settle into Palmer Station. The Gould will return for us in November.

Underway to Palmer Station

After 25 days quarantine and 7 covid-19 tests, we are underway to Palmer Station, Antarctica.

A sunrise reflection off of Punta Arenas.

We are headed west to the Pacific Ocean then south to pass by Cape Horn, across the Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsula.

We ran a weather pattern in order to enter the Pacific Ocean during daylight.  

Yes indeed!

Usually, we head east to the Atlantic.

With the addition of the west passage, I will have traveled the entire Strait Of Magellan from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

This is a replica of the Nao Victoria which I toured last year. It is 89 feet long and the only ship of five that Magellan started with in his around the world voyage. He was killed by natives in Indonesia. 18 sailors survived on this ship to complete the first circumnavigation of the world.

The two Antarctic vessels on the right.

This is the 500 anniversary of Magellan's circumnavigation. 

To the left is the end of South America.

A calm day in the Strait of Magellan. To the right is the island Tierra del Fuego.

A lighthouse Penia de Brunswick marking the end of South America. To the right is a very isolated house.

A lighthouse near the tip of South America.

Our position headed north in the Straits of Magellan.

The weather off of Cape Horn looks frightful!

The lounge.

The end of South America.

The straits of Magellan separate South America for Tierra del Fuego.

The latest weather.

What a cool commute to work!