Antarctica Epilogue
After traveling over 20,000 miles and making 22 Zodiac landings we arrived back in Satellite Beach Sunday March 15 around noon, after leaving the ship at 10:00 am Saturday 14 March, a very long 24 hours. Our bodies are still recovering from the most amazing trip we have ever taken. This was the ships last Antarctica trip of the season because the winter ice is starting to form. Even though we experienced some rough seas during our sea days we were extremely lucky as far as weather and were able to make all planned Zodiac landings. The seas got calm when they had to. The crew said that it is extremely rare to make all planned landings and the trip before ours had to cancel half their planned landings due to weather. The weather gods were with us.
“Virtually every visitor to the ice returns to “civilization” converted into a passionate life-long South Polar Ambassador. The enriched lives of these privileged few will never again be the same for they have truly experienced paradise on earth. That such a wondrous, unspoiled place still exists on this beleaguered planet is one of the real miracles of the 20th century. The indescribable splendor of the magnificent final frontier and its remarkable wildlife must be forever regarded as an irreplaceable international treasure that justly deserves to be protected indefinitely for future generations.” (Frank Todd, 1988)
The End,
Tom and Holly