Contributed Photo/Courtesy Brando Quinn: Brando Quinn stands on the sixth continent of Antarctica holding the Flag of Antarctica during a recent cruise.
Column By Brando Quinn/Elite Cruise Counselor Brando’s Fun N’ Sun Travel & Cruise
SAFFORD – Brando Quinn of Brando’s Fun N’ Sun Travel an Independent Affiliate of the Avoya Travel Network recently returned from an Exploration Journey to Antarctica aboard the Atlas Voyages “World Traveller” luxurious cruise ship.
My goal has been to visit all seven continents so it was fitting that I would visit Antarctica known as the sixth continent during January 2024 the Antarctica Summer. I’ve visited Asia, Africa, 49 of the U.S. states and Canada, South America including Mexico, Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Peru, Chile, and Argentina; Europe including the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, and more, and next year my wife Janet Quinn from Trophies N’ Tees and I are scheduled to visit my 7th Continent, Australia.
My journey began from Phoenix to Buenos Aires, Argentina, aboard American Airlines, a One World Allianz Partner, and I was fortunate to be upgraded to first class. American’s first-class accommodations were great as they have a cubicle and the seating can lie down for a bed, the service was great, and the pilots were always competent with a safe take-off and smooth landing. I arrived in Buenos Aires rested and ready to see some of the sites in this beautiful South American City!
The pre-cruise hotel accommodation included with Atlas Voyages was at the Hilton Buenos Aires Hotel. The accommodations were very modern, with spacious rooms and comfortable king-size beds, a great hotel restaurant, and easy check-in. Located near many shops, restaurants, and attractions I spent the day walking through the area and familiarizing myself with this beautiful area of the world. The following morning, 130 guests who were scheduled to explore Antarctica over the next 11 days together took a private charter jet provided by Atlas Voyages from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia Argentina about a four-hour flight south to the “End of the World”, where we would then all board our Exploration Ship the Atlas Voyages World Traveler.
The Atlas Voyages World Traveler is the second ship in the Atlas Ocean Voyages’ growing fleet. Considered a small expedition ship with a maximum passenger capacity of 196, it has a wonderful interior design and I almost felt like I was on a private yacht. The ship décor includes elegant wood-paneled walls, nautical carpet designs, a briefing room where we were briefed daily by scientists and crew about each day’s events, and included amenities like an al fresco pool and hot tub as well as a spa, main dining room, and optional dining facilities, and the food was out of this world good! The Competent Captain Vitaliy Tsylke and his crew, chef, and staff were all delightfully waiting to welcome us onboard the ship and we set sail on Jan. 6, 2024, to cross the Drake Passage and make our way to our first stop Bongrain Point, Pourquoi Pas Island in the Bourgeois Fjord named after Colonel Joseph E Bourgeois the director of the Geographic Service of the French Army, which is located off the west coast of Graham Land surveyed in 1936 by British Graham Land Expeditions under John Rymill.
Crossing the Drake Passage between Cape Horn Chile and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica is considered one of the most treacherous voyages for a ship to make. Waves can reach 40 feet and it has the reputation of being the most powerful convergence of oceans in the world! It took us about two days to cross, and despite my preparations for seasickness, I got seasick both days and spent most of the day in my comfortable cabin hoping to arrive in Antarctica very soon. During the two days at sea, we were also briefed on what to expect when we arrived, and what the daily events would be, and the crew fitted us for our winter boots and winter parkas which are all supplied by Atlas Voyages.
The welcome arrival in Bongrain Point was a site to behold. I felt like I had arrived on a different planet! The beauty of the Ice, snow-capped peaks, Icebergs floating on the water, the Sun in the sky 24 hours a day, and the penguins, seals, birds, whales, and wildlife all combined to make this a breathtaking experience.
We began each day doing a “Landing” which consisted of each group loading into smaller boats called “Zodiacs” that would take us from the ship onto the shore for two to three hours, where we could mingle with the wildlife and take in the immense wilderness of the region, while the scientists onboard could check PH water balances, test for magnetic variances, and monitor the weather conditions for the voyage. Each afternoon we were given the opportunity again to ride in a Zodiac through the icy bays and mingle with the swimming penguins, seals, and wildlife, or kayak with the whales, seals, etc. And then each evening our director would give us a briefing on the day’s events and let us know what to expect for the following day. Evening meals were delightful, as well as the entertainment onboard.
Wildlife was abundant in the region and throughout our 11-night voyage we encountered, Kelp Gull, Antarctic Tern, Brown Skua, South Polar Skua, Antarctic Minke Whales, Humpback Whales, Long Finned Pilot Whales, Antarctic Fur Seals, Crabeater Seals, Leopard Seals, Southern Elephant Seals, Weddel Seals, Adelie Penguins, Chinstrap Penguins, Gentoo Penguins, Black-browned Albatross, Gray Headed Albatross, Snowy Wandering Albatross, Light Mantled Albatross, Southern Giant Petrels, Southern Fulmar Petrels, Cape Petrels, White Chinned Petrels, Sooty Shearwater Petrels, and Antarctic Prions.
Our voyage took us from Bongrain Point to Horseshoe Island where we were able to visit a British Research Station built in the late 1950s, a historic site monument managed by the UK Antarctica Heritage Trust, and then onto Jenny Island discovered by French Antarctica Explorer Jean Baptiste Charcot in 1908-1910. Our temperatures ranged from -1⁰C to 0⁰C, however, our Atlas Supplied parkas and boots kept us warm, and I never felt cold on the entire trip.
We then took a turn to Lagoon Island which is the northernmost of the Leonie Islands and the entrance to Ryder Bay on the southeast side of Adelaide Island also discovered by French Explorer Jean-Baptist Charcot. Here we were given the option of doing a Polar Plunge into the icy waters to the delight of about half of the ship’s guests. We then headed to Port Charcot through the Lemaire channel where the waters were as still as a lake and kayaking was a breeze, and then onto Flandres Bay lying between Cape Renard and Cape Willems explored in 1898 by Belgian Explorers under Gerlache who named it after the historical area of Flanders. Our next two landings would be at Orne Harbour in a cove about a mile wide, and Neko Harbour which was probably used by Norwegian Whalers as stated by David Ferguson a Scottish geologist following his reconnaissance of the area in 1913 aboard the whaler Hanka.
It was then time for us to head back across the Drake Passage for our return flight from Ushuaia Argentina back to Buenos Aires and Phoenix Arizona. The return voyage across the Drake Passage was rough seas on day one, and then day two was the “Drake Lake”, smooth the rest of the way! I again flew back on American Airlines in first class, and arrived back in Phoenix on Jan. 15, 2024, glad to be back home, and glad that I had visited the sixth continent.
For those interested in learning more about a South Pole or North Pole expedition or expedition to Greenland or Iceland, contact Brando Quinn of Brando’s Fun N’ Sun Travel, 513 W. Main St., Safford, AZ 85546, at (928) 322-3271 or brando.quinn@avoyatravel.com our website is www.AvoyaTravel.com/IA/BrandoQuinn
