The flag the survived force 11...just. Congratulation and thank Q all
Elysium members for being part of the adventure!
Michael

The flag the survived force 11...just. Congratulation and thank Q all
Elysium members for being part of the adventure!
Michael

Since our adventures did not end when the ship docked, we have decided to continue the blog a few days beyond the ship journey.  Also, since our group began to splinter after docking, we thought it would be nice to share some of the separate stories and how they fit together.

Day 19
2010 03 02
part 2
After the longer than expected journey from South Georgia to Ushuaia through force 11 winds and 15 meter swell AND the delayed docking because the harbor closure due to high winds, debarkation of the Professor Molchanov and off loading of luggage began around 8:30pm(?).  Over 100 very heavy bags were passed down the gangway by a human chain of Russian crew members and Waterproof staff.  Those of the expedition who were scheduled to fly on the 10pm flight scrambled to claim their luggage to place it on the truck going to the airport while those who were staying one night in Ushuaia scrambled to keep our luggage in a separate pile.  Many of us staying the night in Ushuaia pitched in to sort bags as those departing on the 10pm flight were hollered at to board the waiting bus.  “They’re holding the flight for us!  Everyone who has their luggage must get on the bus!”  The bus of 28 people pulled away from the dock after 9pm…

(Gwen): After the bus to the airport departed, about 9 of us began to load the bus going to the Cesar Hotel.  A small lone black pelican case stood by itself.  I had to take the tag completely off to figure out that it belonged to Peter, who had already gone to the airport.  “Oh no, this is Peter’s!... OH NO, the truck full of luggage hasn’t left yet!”  Peter’s bag was tossed in the back and the truck was finally sent on its way.

The Cesar Hotel contingent finally sorted ourselves out with most of our luggage on the bus and some of our luggage with Cabell’s 14 pieces in a separate flat bed truck.  We were the last passengers to leave the dock and we said our goodbyes to Jonathan and Jamie, who are working on the next trip.

We caravaned to Cesar without any delay for the bus and without much delay for the truck through customs.  As we pulled through the gate to exit the harbor, the small contingent of our group staying at the Albatross Hotel were seen walking their luggage through customs.

At the Cesar, we met some of the next passengers for the Molchanov to whom we were able to introduce to their trip’s ship doctor, Craig, because he and Andreas who are both on the next cruise said they had been kicked off the ship for the time being.  After a complicated sorting of people and rooms and roommates (at multiple hotels) and unloading and stowing of a ridiculous number of bags, 11 of us met for dinner at Tia Elvira for crab, fish, and wine.  We had a lovely view of the harbor, including the Professor Molchanov, from an upstairs dining room.  Even when we left the restaurant at 12:30am, the Molchanov was still in dock.  As we wandered weary to our respective hotels, we discussed the challenges of a 2am abandon ship drill.

Meanwhile…
(Wendy and Karen): We arrived at the airport at 9:25 pm having been given an absolute deadline to get there of 9pm.  The airline was great and allowed us to board but could not delay the flight to wait for our luggage owing to a landing curfew in Buenos Aires. Chaos and confusion reigned again.  In the melee, one sneaky expeditioner (no names mentioned serial killer...) snuck onto the last-minute arriving truck and grabbed his two duffels.  Another of the characters onboard had to be dragged away from the truck by one of the expedition staff and frog-marched to the departure lounge.  The man who rescued his kit was given due penance on the flight by being tasked with information gathering as Peter and Karen spent a taxing 3 hours putting together yet another spreadsheet, this time describing the appearance and labeling of everybody's lost bags.
Once in Buenos Aires, the negotiations began as to who continued on
their international flights without their luggage and who was left behind to bring with them on later flights! At 5am the negotiations were still running hot and the promised steak meal and beers at the bar were nowhere to be seen.
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2010 03 03
(Gwen): An 8:30am wake up was about the latest wake up call I had had in 3 weeks.  A leisurely breakfast and a walk to the bookstore before packing the taxis with David B to the airport for the 11:45am flight.  We said good bye to Jen, David D, Cabell, Jamie, Gill, and Ernie at the hotel and goodbyes to Davide, Brian, Leo, and Eric at the airport.  I think I was the only one from the group to be on that LAN flight, surprisingly.  I thought I had said my last goodbyes, but at the Buenos Aires airport I saw a bright orange shirt with “waterproof” on the back.  Goran was trying to track down one missing bag.  I said goodbye to him, too, then turned the corner and saw everyone from the group who had flown to BA the night before!!

(Wendy): Those of us who had flown sans luggage to Buenos Aires on Tuesday night reconvened at the domestic airport at 2pm in hopes of seeing our luggage once again. As we waited, we took bets on how much--if any--of the luggage Marlynda was able to bring up from Ushuaia on the morning plane. Most estimates were not optimistic, but Marlynda came out of the baggage claim area with a big thumbs up, and we all erupted into a rousing cheer! Only one bag out of 80 did not make the flight. Incredible.

(Gwen): After the successful luggage grab by the BA overnighters, I hitched a ride with Ed and Chris to the International Airport and we ran into a few others from our group there trying to check in for their flights.  My flight left on time and I had a rather uneventful (thankfully) set of plane rides home.

(Wendy): That evening about a dozen of us met at Kilkenny Irish Pub, recommended by several locals. Toni Davies had made reservations for us at a restaurant in another section of Buenos Aires, so we hopped in a few taxis for the journey. One taxi in particular had a driver who would yell "Playstation!" then dart in and out of traffic as if in a video game. I'm sure with less alcohol on board we might have been more alarmed! When we arrived at the restaurant, we discovered that their dress code did not allow for short pants on a man (would have been acceptable on a woman), so they would not seat us. Not to worry--we walked down the street to a charming Armenian restaurant for a *delicious* meal. After a late dinner, some carried on to go Tango dancing. Buenos Aires is a city of the night!
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2010 03 04
(Wendy): We all had ambitious plans to rendezvous for a day of sightseeing, but the late nights turned into late mornings, so we were on our own. Strolling along the waterfront, one could see the Uruguay, the ship which rescued the crew of the Antarctic--of special interest as an add-on to our adventure. Walking on a ship that had plied Antarctic waters over 100 years ago was a moving experience.
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2010 03 06
(Karen): I am the last left in BA besides the French girls, Jicky and Fabienne, who are due to fly out tomorrow.  Jen, Aimee and Martin got away this afternoon.  Stuart, Scott and Carl left on Wednesday and have all made it home, so presumably has Peter as well.  Martin took Peter
and Scott’s luggage, Stuart took two bags for Michael Aw and I have Carl’s two 32 kg monstrosities!  In true Terry Pratchet style, the Luggage wins again. I had to purchase a new piece today as one of Michael's bags has lost every handle and now the wheels as well.  Chalk that up as another trip casualty!

Trip Summary Stats
Total ship days: 19
Southernmost point explored: on Petermann Island, 65° 10’ S 064° 10’ W
Largest swell: 15 meters
Fastest wind speed: 65 knots (force 11 on the beaufort scale) or so
Nautical miles traveled: 3277
Number of photos captured by the Video Plankton Recorder: 174,720
Photos contributed so far: 54,000
Memory space consumed by photos and video so far: 1.25 terabytes
Number of nations represented: 19
Amount of money spent in the bar: 3564 euros
Day the bananas ran out: 24 Feb 2010

And a note from yours truly, the Elysium Epic blogging team:
We had fun talking to everyone on the trip in the process of compiling this blog - thank you for your input! - and we hope it has made everyone else feel like part of the trip - sans the sea sickness.
- Wendy McIlroy, back in Corvallis with blooming daffodils and an ecstatic labrador
- Gwen Noda, back in Los Angeles for El Nino year rain and planning her next trip (a short one) to Baja California in April

THANKS for reading!