Day Three: March 20: South Shetland Islands

DAY 3 (Sunday)

Two firsts this a.m.  We sighted land for the first time – the South Shetland Islands.  We are going through a passage to the other side where they say it will be calm. Second, within minutes of seeing land, we saw a pod of whales off the starboard side.  Cold, gray and rainy so far, but looks like we will pile into the Zodiacs this afternoon and go ashore.

So, a little bit about this expedition.  Sir Robert was the speaker a few years ago at a Leadership Council dinner of the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE).  I was a founding board member of ACORE and am now on the Advisory Board (as is Robert).  Swan has been traveling the world to raise awareness of the need to preserve Antarctica.  In 2041 (hence the name of his organization) the current Antarctic Treaty will expire.  That treaty, signed by nearly every country on earth, ensures that no one can own any part of the continent and certainly that there can be no drilling or other exploitation.  This is where the renewable energy connection comes in.  Sir Robert believes (and I agree) that if we as a planet are still addicted to fossil fuels, that there might be great pressure after 2041 to come down here and look for oil and natural gas.  If we have successfully switched to renewable energy, that pressure will not be there.

On the ship, in addition to the crew and the expedition guides, are about 25 people from various nations.  Some are with big energy companies, renewable energy companies, consulting firms, film makers and other corporate types.  My job is to develop and lead an educational program on renewable energy, climate change and corporate sustainability.  We want to help produce a team of leaders who will then make a difference through their jobs in accelerating the use of sustainable energy.

Robert is going to take this a step further.  Next year he is leading another expedition to the South Pole – using nothing but renewable energy.  No camp stoves, no generators to run communications equipment and, I believe, he will use a sailing ship to reach and leave Antarctica when his expedition is over.  Lockheed Martin is well represented on this trip.  They are helping develop the equipment for his expedition – which they think is very similar to what will need to be done to power a trip to Mars in the future.

We went ashore this afternoon to Half Moon Island – actually in the South Shetlands, not the continent proper.  We climbed to the top of the mountain on the island, dodging angry fur seals and inquisitive penguins – Gentoos and Chin Straps.   Great day, but since we cannot leave anything on land (including pee) it was touch and go by the end.  It felt great to get into the Zodiac and head back to the ship.

We are now through the peninsula and heading south. We are now in iceberg territory.  We saw a couple of Titanic-sinking types go by. Amazing.  We also passed where a tour ship sank two years ago. They made the mistake of trying to turn around too close to sea ice and hit it sideways; not good.  But no one died.  They made it to a base not far away in life boats.  We were warned tonight that we will feel bumps with sea ice; as long as we hit it straight on, the ship is designed to get through it. Weather report for tomorrow is great.  So we are to be on deck at 7 a.m. to see ice bergs and we will be going on shore right after breakfast.