WISH YOU COULD PADDLE LIKE A GIRL?

I'm privileged to work with some very talented and outstanding people in the eco tourism world.
Two women kayakers who inspire and motivate are Hayley Shephard and Christine Hawes. Both are undertaking expeditions of a huge magnitude this year.
In May, Christine (age 28) and her best friend departed Vancouver and are paddling to Glacier Bay, Alaska, a trip in the open ocean of about 1,600 miles. They plan to play it by ear. If the weather is way too rough they make sneak into the Inner Passageway. Those who have traveled there know it to have challenging conditions at times, too. Follow their progress through the link below.
Next winter, our winter but summer in the way south, Hayley (age 39) will attempt the first solo circumnavigation of South Georgia Island. This is a large island off the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula and sits way out in the Southern Ocean right in the path of the storms, gales and cyclones that roar out of the Drake Passage to the west. She will raise money for the Save The Albatross fund. It's a daunting bit of water. Follow her progress starting next January through her links below.

Hayley's web page.
Hayley's blog.

Christine's blog.
Christine graduated from a college in Vancouver with a degree as a trip leader/expedition guide. She's young and has a fantastic attitude and lightness in spirit that makes her a joy to be around. In fact we laughed ourselves silly for weeks on end, kayak guiding together on the Ioffe this past season in Antarctica.

Hayley was my mentor when I first started working as a kayak guide in Antarctica. She's been an inspiration too all around her ever since. She left our company to work for Peregrine on their ships as an Expedition Leader.

What a joy to be around these two outstanding women!
Pledge your support if you feel their spirits move you.

BLUE WHALES!

These are not our photos. They've been downloaded. They show the massive length of the blue whale and below, the way they feed. It's difficult getting good shots of them. Generally what we see is a very huge blow, straight up and a very powerful blast. This is followed by a low and very long back profile that seems to go on forever, followed by a very tiny dorsal fin, then they're gone beneath the surface. Even up close we could see the two-tone blue coloration but still had a hard time getting decent representative photos.

Above is a diagram of the Bransfield Straight, a huge body of water between the South Shetland Islands and NW of the mainland Antarctic Peninsula. It's here where more blue whales were taken than any place else on earth during the 60-year whaling industry slaughter. Elephant Island is above the NE corner of this vast body of water. Note Deception Island, the active volcanoe in the lower left. We sail into its 7-mile long cauldera to visit Whaler's Bay, where thousands of whale bones litter the bottom of the 1-mile bay.

This is the body of water where my Norwegian great grandfather and dozens of others took whales between 1904-1909. Their catch was focused on blues, fins, seis and humpbacks.

What were the conditions that created such an abundance of krill, the blue whales' staple, and made it enticing for them to populate these waters for their summer feeding?
We were lucky enough to spot two blue whales while in Antarctica this season. It's highly unusual, even rare, to see these largest mammals that are still roaming the earth.
In Antarctica they were nearly hunted to extinction and it is believed they associate the sound of ships' engines with the disappearance of their families. A combination of strong family ties, their keen memories and their very long lives (120+ years) has made them nearly invisible all these years.
They're seen in deep waters but rarely by the naked eye. Normally they've only been visible by sonar.
In fact, before this season, there were only two reported sightings. We can add to this list having spotted two of them off Elephant Island in February.

THE VIEWS FROM OUR KAYAKS

THE CLOSE PROXIMITY OF LEOPARD SEALS

As long as we´re quiet and respectful leopard seals will spend time with us and not show aggression. The don´t appear stressed or anxious, simply curious. When they enjoy a penguin meal they don´t seem to mind us watching them.

After spending some time observing them we move on. They do, too, following us for a while until they find better things to do.

Below, Christine in the Ice Sculpture Garden.

I think I got the shot!

WHALES CLOSE IN

Sometimes we get lucky and a curious whale or two will show up. They slow down, come over, sneak a glance at us as they cruise by. It´s thrilling for us but everyone once in a while we have a paddler who gets just a little too overstimulated...

Yes, that´s the snout of a humpback whale, just inches from Les´ bow. He didn´t mind.

Phil paddles with his "find" strapped to the bow. It was a headless, hollowed out penguin. We brought it back to the ship so all could see the structure of the hapless little fellow...leftovers from a leopard seal feed and the ensuing sea bird clean up. Nothing´s wasted here.

WE TAKE TURNS DRIVING ZODIAC...

Sometimes it´s my turn, sometimes Christine´s...it´s a tough job!

Just two of the hats I´ve made this season. Christine models the macaroni penguin while mine is the gentoo penguin.

Awesome surroundings.

Ice bergs everywhere!