Esperanza Base      Lat. S 63⁰ 23’, Lon. W 057⁰ 00’

Esperanza Base on the Antarctic Peninsula

“A journey is a person in itself, no two are alike. and all plans, safeguards, policies and coercion are fruitless.  We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip, a trip takes us.”

John Steinbeck (1902 - 1968)

For our first landing in Antarctica we hope to land at Hope Bay and the Argentine base, Esperanza, situated on the Antarctic Peninsula.  The old British Base "D" was established here in 1945 and was closed in 1964.  The present Argentine Base (Esperanza) was established in 1952 and has an extensive military presence (Argentine Army), and includes a "colony" with families with 21 children from 15 years old and younger.  The first birth of any human being in Antarctica occurred here in 1978, when Arturo Palma was born to the wife of an Argentine naval officer. Nearby are the ruins of a stone hut built by members of Nordenskjöld’s 1901-1904 Swedish expedition, in which three of his group were forced to winter over after his ship, Antarctic, was crushed by the ice.  Hope Bay/Esperanza was the site of the first shots fired in anger in Antarctica in 1952 when an Argentine shore party fired a machine gun over the heads of a British Antarctic Survey team unloading supplies from the John Biscoe.

As a simple reminder, as this is Expedition Cruising, we are always reliant on good weather and seas free of pack ice as a prerequisite to making any and all proposed landings.  Flexibility is key to the success of any expedition voyage.

0630 - 0730       Early bird breakfast available in the Explorer Lounge.

0730 - 0900       Breakfast is served in the Dining Room.

0915     Join us in the Magellan Lounge for “90⁰ South”, With Scott to the Antarctic.  Cinematographer Herbert Ponting’s spellbinding chronicle of Scott’s heroic and tragic race for the South Pole.

1030     Freshly made Bouillon available in the Explorer Lounge.

1100     Ken Wright will be in the Magellan Lounge for Birds in Tuxedos, a natural history of the penguin species we may see while in Antarctica.

1200 - 1330       Lunch is now served in the Dining Room.

1400    Zodiacs depart for Esperanza Base.

1600     Continuous Zodiac shuttle from shore to ship begins.

1700    Last Zodiac departs from shore to the Explorer.

1700     Tea time in the Explorer Lounge.

1900     Recap and briefing in the Explorer Lounge.

1930 - 2100       Dinner now available in the Dining Room.

2115     Evening Video: Another BBC Blue Plant production - Frozen Seas (45 min.).  Join us in the Magellan Lounge.

2230     Late night snack available in the Magellan Lounge.