How well do Aquapacs perform in cold temperatures? We thought there would be no better test than donating a few Aquapacs to a customer of ours who was setting off an expedition to Antarctica, retracing Shackleton’s footsteps. Although this expedition occurred in the southern hemisphere summer temperatures regularly dropped to -10 C.
Alan Hill, explorer, traveller and loyal customer of Aquapac set off at the end of January to Ushuaia at the southern tip of Argentina to join the yacht Selma, a 65’ steel hulled ketch, and head south for an Antarctic adventure. Alan, a Brit, joined a cosmopolitan ensemble: an American, four Germans, a Swiss plus three Polish crew. Their sailing experience ranged from very little (the American and Alan), to hardened veterans of the north-west passage and Atlantic crossings. They’d all met up in Berlin in April 2023, so they had had a couple of days to get to know each other a little.
Sunrise photo on the east side of the Antarctica peninsula.
The aim of the trip was to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Shackleton’s birth. The expedition plan was to follow in his wake, visiting Elephant Island where his crew were stranded for over 4 months in 1916, and, South Georgia, the destination of Shackleton’s epic small boat journey to seek help for his beleaguered men. They also planned to sail down the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula just south of the Antarctic Circle, stopping at various locations to look at the wildlife, and spend a couple of nights camping on terra firma. The Falkland Islands was their final destination.
Orcas on the east side of the Antarctica peninsula
They set sail down the Beagle Channel at 2am on the 3rd of February then anchored in Puerto Williams, Chile, for two nights while waiting for a reasonable weather forecast. They were about to embark on a 5-day crossing of the notorious Drake Passage, so it was a good idea to avoid any storms if possible. Once out of the benign waters of the Beagle Channel, the swell and wind began picking up. They had a couple of days of exhilarating sailing before the wind died away and had to start the motor. Most unexpected! The Drake Passage had morphed into the Drake Lake.
While chugging gently along, the team met in the galley to discuss options. Avian flu had become an increasing problem in some locations, killing many seal pups as well as birds. Apart from the museum, South Georgia was now completely closed off to visitors. Was it worth a couple of weeks of open water sailing to visit a museum? The unanimous decision was NO, so instead they explored the east side of the peninsula, where the Weddell Sea had less ice than normal, making it accessible for yachts like Selma.
Cape Renard is on the west side of the Antarctica
peninsula, pushing away ice with the long pole
They spent an enjoyable couple of weeks exploring the Weddell Sea and its unusual islands with their flat-topped mesas, looking like they’d been transplanted from the USA’s Monument Valley. They had lots of sunny weather and calm conditions tucked away in the rain shadow of the mountainous Antarctic Peninsula. They saw the first of many whales, mainly humpbacks and orcas, colonies of adelie, chinstrap and gentoo penguins, and leopard, elephant and fur seals. They were taken to landing spots in a Zodiac; there was always a chance of getting soaked by a wave or lipping on the rocks as they leapt out, so Alan’s Aquapac case was perfect for protecting his phone/camera.
They left the Weddell Sea and tacked back and forth across the Bransfield Strait before working their way down the west side of the peninsula, with its stupendous mountain scenery and narrow ice-filled channels. They had a welcome shower and sauna at the Ukrainian base Vernadsky, before reaching their southernmost point at the far tip of Adelaide Island, almost 68 degrees south. Here five of the team roped together and hauled sledges nine kilometres up onto the ice plateau for a memorable overnight camp in perfect clear conditions.
Alan wearing his Aquapac photo in the
Lemaire Channel, west side of the Antarctica peninsula.
Plans to sail north up the west side of Adelaide Island were thwarted by a plethora of large icebergs, so they retraced their route back to the Vernadsky Base where they ‘rode out’ a storm for three days before visiting the volcanic caldera of Deception Island with its numerous relics from the whaling industry. From there they sailed to Elephant Island and looked at the beach where Shackleton’s men were marooned; it would be hard to imagine a bleaker spot, hemmed in by sheer cliffs and dangerous icefalls.
Then it was back across the Drake Passage. Once again, they enjoyed a couple of days of calm weather, and some took the opportunity to take a swim. With a water temperature of 4.5C it was a very quick dip! The last day of sailing to the Falkland Islands saw the Drake Passage finally showing its teeth, and gale force winds made for very exciting sailing. Occasionally a wave would break over the boat and soak the unfortunate helmsperson, and the Aquapac case came into its own, keeping Alan’s phone perfectly dry.
They reached the Falklands after 6 weeks of sailing over 3000 nautical miles and said their sad goodbyes to Selma and its crew. But the trip wasn’t quite over! 10 days in the Falklands where they thoroughly enjoyed its unique landscapes, friendly locals, marvellous beaches and the best penguin colonies of the journey.
Elephant Island photo shows our skipper Piotr.
Shackleton’smen were stranded on the tiny beach between
the low rock on the left and the large rocky beach.
Alan was using an Aquapac mobile phone case in Antarctica
https://aquapac.net/collections/phones/products/waterproof-phone-case-plus
