We have officially arrived having crossed the Antarctic Convergence at midnight ship’s time Saturday night into Sunday morning (3am GMT). This morning fog had closed in and the ship had slowed considerably – we have been warned that there are icebergs now in these waters. And just before noon we sighted the first one off the starboard side.
A little later the mist began to clear and then, like a theatre curtain being slowly raised on first night, the majesty of the Antarctic landscape was revealed. The rounded snow capped peaks of Robert Island in the South Shetlands were our first sighting of this picture postcard land. It is a moment that will live with us for the rest of our lives. Later, as we entered the channel between Grenwich and Livingstone Islands to anchor at in the not surprisingly semi-circular bay of Half Moon Island, the sense of anticipation among all on board was palpable. Getting on and off the small landing craft was suprisingly simple and the trip to shore took 3 minutes. Stepping on to the stony beach, our first footfall on Antarctica was, for all of us, an ambition achieved, a dream come true.