rapidfire

Bucket List See the 7 Continents: Antarctica

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rom November through March, a handful of cruise lines with specially de- signed ships make the journey to the “white continent” and its majestic land- scapes, unparalleled wildlife, and sparse history. Antarctica is the fifth-largest

continent — larger than Europe and about twice the size of Australia. It is the cold- est, driest, and windiest place on Earth and has never supported a native population. Today, scientists occupy a handful of research stations: About 4,000 people are there during the summer, and 1,000 are present year-round. Our One Ocean Expeditions cruise ship, Akademic Ioffe, departs from Ushuaia,

Argentina — often called the world’s southernmost city — and sails due south through the turbulent Drake Passage toward Antarctica. The ship bucks and rolls through this treacherous stretch of water where the vast southern ocean is squeezed through a relatively narrow and shallow bottleneck. After two days of tossing and stirring, the seas suddenly calm and the vistas turn

from stone-gray skies and churning waters to ivory castles of snow and ice. We have arrived in the magical surreal wonderland of Antarctica. To explore the ice-laden waters and rugged shoreline, passengers board small in- flatable boats. Humpback and minke whales swim alongside our small vessels as they head toward penguin- and seal-populated beaches and abandoned whaling camps. At Palmer Station on Anvers

Island, the only U.S. research sta- tion in Antarctica, a tour offers us a glimpse into the isolated exis- tence of scientists and their sup- port staff of 15 to 20 year-round and up to 40 during the summer research season. Back on the ship, natural-

ists give talks on research being conducted in Antarctica and photographers give instruction for photographing wildlife in this unyielding location. After five days of exploring,

Akademic Ioffe heads north again toward Ushuaia, where we disembark, carrying with us photographs and a lifetime of memories of a barren and beautiful land. For more information, visit www.iaato.org.

— Marilyn Jones