The entrance into Deception Island was full of marvel and wonder. It really was like a James Bond film scene. Even standing on deck waiting to pass through a narrow passage known as "Neptune's Bellows" you could sense the mist of intrigue in the air.
It was cold and it was windy. It was freezing and chilly. Most of the crew had come up to the main deck to witness our arival through this narrow passage in Antarctica into Deception Island.
To the right of our ship as the captain sailed her gallantly through the tight gap. Why a tight gap? you may ask and why make a big deal of it? The reason is Deception Island, by its very shape is like a small "c" letter from a bird's eye view.
And the entrance is like going into the letter "c" so this was a special slow motion part of the Antarctica adventure, another exciting time to be up on deck as the captain, Bulgarian Asparuh Chorbadzhiev sailed us into the narrow entrance at Neptune's Bellows.
I didn't often visit the bridge of the ship during the Antarctica trip but on this occasion it felt like you had to be up there checking out how the captain does it. It was remarkable.
Our captain worked it well - using his experience to sail the ship rather easily through Neptune's Bellows and into Deception Island in Antarctica in front of a lot of the passengers and crew!
Neptune's Bellows (630S 6034W) is a channel on the southeast side of Deception Island forming the entrance to Port Foster, in the South Shetland Islands. The name, after the Roman sea god Neptune, was appended by American sealers prior to 1822 because of the strong gusts experienced in this narrow channel.
After 20 minutes we had done it - the captain did an immense job profesionally getting us inside this island for a truly wonderful experience. Antarctica and Neptune's Bellows were awesome!
It was cold and it was windy. It was freezing and chilly. Most of the crew had come up to the main deck to witness our arival through this narrow passage in Antarctica into Deception Island.
To the right of our ship as the captain sailed her gallantly through the tight gap. Why a tight gap? you may ask and why make a big deal of it? The reason is Deception Island, by its very shape is like a small "c" letter from a bird's eye view.
And the entrance is like going into the letter "c" so this was a special slow motion part of the Antarctica adventure, another exciting time to be up on deck as the captain, Bulgarian Asparuh Chorbadzhiev sailed us into the narrow entrance at Neptune's Bellows.
I didn't often visit the bridge of the ship during the Antarctica trip but on this occasion it felt like you had to be up there checking out how the captain does it. It was remarkable.
Our captain worked it well - using his experience to sail the ship rather easily through Neptune's Bellows and into Deception Island in Antarctica in front of a lot of the passengers and crew!
Neptune's Bellows (630S 6034W) is a channel on the southeast side of Deception Island forming the entrance to Port Foster, in the South Shetland Islands. The name, after the Roman sea god Neptune, was appended by American sealers prior to 1822 because of the strong gusts experienced in this narrow channel.
After 20 minutes we had done it - the captain did an immense job profesionally getting us inside this island for a truly wonderful experience. Antarctica and Neptune's Bellows were awesome!
About the Author:
For more ventures through Antarctica head to Jonny Blair's fabulous site which details a lifestyle of travel showing you how to live your travel dreams.
