The international expedition of the Tomsk Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society reached the shores of Antarctica on January 12. The project participants visited the Russian station «Bellingshausen» and visited the famous traveler Fedor Konyukhov, who is currently on Smolensk Island (Livingston).
The project started on January 5 in the Argentine city of Ushuaia. On board the sailing yacht, the ship’s captain Sebastian Juth, the expedition leader Evgeny Kovalevsky, Filipp Alekseev, Manuel Benzi, Miguel Angel Carrillo, and Sandra Yori went to the shores of the southern continent.
Two days later, the ship docked at the port of the southernmost settlement of our planet, the Chilean village of Puerto Toro on the shores of the Beagle Strait. According to Evgeny Kovalevsky, only 23 people live here now.
«10 Carabinieri are the local police, one officer of the Chilean Navy, one family, a teacher with a family who teaches two students. A ferry arrives once a month, bringing food. There is a Lancia boat once a week. Residents can use it for free to sail to Puerto Williams and back, to the store, to the doctor, on business. King crabs are also caught here, and there are many fishing devices. Now the fishing season is ending, there is no one there, only the fixtures on the shore. There are 20 ships a season here,» said Evgeny Kovalevsky.
Then the travelers had to circumnavigate Cape Horn. A storm raged in the Drake Passage at night, but it weakened by morning. The ship passed the southernmost point of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago on the morning of January 8.
«The Drake Passage begins, separating South America and Antarctica. The waves increase to three meters, cloudy, windy, cold, heavy rolling,» Evgeny Kovalevsky wrote in his diary.
The ship is heading for King George Island (Waterloo). There, it will take on board the scientific director of the expedition, Yulia Kalyuzhnaya, who flew to Antarctica by plane and is currently filming a video for a new «Lesson from the Ocean.»
«The ocean breathes majestically, evenly moving the surface of the water. The ship glides smoothly, waddling through the misty semi-darkness. No animals, no birds. It seems that we are alone in Antarctic space. Suddenly, an albatross appears out of the fog to the right and instantly disappears into a thick layer of wet, impenetrable air. The greatness and power of the ocean are amazing,» Kovalevsky admitted.
On January 10, the travelers had a romantic event planned. They had prepared a «letter of kindness and love», which was to be presented to an unusual postman, the Southern Ocean. Someday, ocean waves will deliver a «bottle of happiness» to yet unknown navigators.
«10 years ago, Sebastian and Sandra circumnavigated the globe. Then they wrote such a letter, sealed it in a bottle and dropped it in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Six years later, this bottle was picked up by a Brazilian sailboat and it sent a message about the discovery to the address indicated in the bottle message. The Brazilian admitted that he was happy to receive such a gift from the 'ocean post’. Sandra throws a bottle with our wishes of kindness and love and our contacts into the Southern Ocean in the latitude of 60. We are confident that our international crew is contributing to the strengthening of friendship and love on the planet,» explained Evgeny Kovalevsky.
On January 12, at about 06:00, travelers saw the outlines of the islands on the left. This is Antarctica!
«Black, low, snow-covered. Here it is — Antarctica. Five days of sailing along the Drake Passage ends with a new reality. Oh! Iceberg! The second iceberg! Icebergs show us the way to the 'Bellingshausen’ station. We bypass the islands, moving first to the east, then turn south and left into the bay. By 13:00 we approach the shore. There are small houses on the shore, and the Trinity Church on the hill to the right. Yulechka is on the shore with a young woman, waving at us. We drop anchor near an ice block on which there are several penguins. There are more penguins swimming and diving around. They’re funny, but they’re not just local attractions here, they’re natives and owners of the territory,» said Evgeny Kovalevsky.
At the «Bellingshausen» station, the sailing ship’s crew was fed a delicious lunch. Then the participants of the voyage visited the Trinity Church. At a meeting with the head of the station, Andrey Voevodin, the travelers talked about their expedition, about scientific and educational programs, and presented the expedition souvenirs to the host party.
In the evening, the sailboat went to the island of Smolensk (Livingston). There, at the world’s first one-person Antarctic station, the legendary Russian traveler Fedor Konyukhov was waiting for the expedition.
«There are fantastic landscapes around. Islands, glaciers, mountains, snow, icebergs, ice floes, penguins, whales. Cold, wind, fog, rare sunshine. Antarctica!» Kovalevsky wrote in his diary.
The ship reached Smolensk Island on the afternoon of January 13. After anchoring in the bay, they equipped a small inflatable boat for disembarkation and radioed Fedor Konyukhov.
«Fedor came ashore to meet us, to show us the mooring point. The four of us — Evgeny, Yulia, Sebastian, Miguel — are sailing by boat across the bay. And suddenly the engine stops working. We row back. The first attempt failed. We pull the engine onto the deck. Repairs are needed. Our Moscow yachtsman Filipp Alekseev gets to work. Disassembles the engine, cleans it, and reassembles it. Everything is working. We are thrilled!» Evgeny Kovalevsky told.
The second attempt was successful. Fedor Konyukhov, wearing a red jacket, boots, and a pilot’s hat, met the travelers on the sandy beach.
«His wide smile and generous kindness immediately engulf us and do not let go during the entire conversation. We present Fedor with the 'treats we bought especially for him: potatoes, meat, bread. Yulia passes over a birch bark plate, a gift from Tomsk artisans. Fedor takes the initiative and for two hours introduces us to the island, its inhabitants, the one-person 'Konyukhov’ scientific station, his work, and the results of his research. He talks about strong winds that tear and break tents. Of the four, only two are currently active, reinforced with boards around the perimeter. Just yesterday, a giant stone was blown off a cliff by the wind, which fell with a crash at night and almost reached the sleeping tent. Fedor also talks about his friends, whom he fell in love with all his heart: thousands of penguins, hundreds of elephant seals, fur seals, skuas, terns, seagulls. In three months, the island’s population got used to the new phenomenon in the form of a bearded giant, and accepted Fedor into their family. Fedor is open, friendly, sociable, and positive. He not only explores the penetration of microplastics into Antarctica, but also studies the life of animals and birds, and paints. During a long tour of the island, crowded with penguins and other inhabitants, Fedor explains his perception of Antarctica as a territory of purity. Naturalness, virgin nature, sincere and true masters of this continent reign here — penguins and marine animals that do not harm anyone. Fedor emphasizes that Antarctica makes people kinder. 'Look at the clear eyes of this elephant seal — how can you not become kinder next to such eyes? ’ We understand these words because, like Fedor, we believe that the planet is beautiful and divine, and everything on it should be in harmony, kindness, and love,» emphasized Evgeny Kovalevsky.
Having wished Fedor Konyukhov the completion of all his many tasks and success in creating a permanent one-person Antarctic station on Smolensk Island, the expedition set off. Ahead is Deception Island.