Mawlers’ Big Adventure ’06:

The Mawlers Go Bi-polar

Leaving Ushuaia Bound for Antarctica 12/08/06

These pictures are, for the most part, of our departure from Ushuaia down the Beagle Channel, out to the Atlantic and the Drake Passage.

The weather wasn't grand as we left Ushuaia, but we were underway! The wharf was lined with ships earlier in the day, but one by one they headed down the Beagle Channel. We were around number four, and saw the others often as we made our way down the Channel.
Looking back at the wharf and harbor in Ushuaia.
Looking at the industrial section of Ushuaia slipping past.

Our first shot out of our cabin window with Chile visible (our cabin was on the starboard side).
Our ship didn't belch black smoke like some, but this was looking back at Ushuaia through the tell-tale wavering of diesel exhaust.
The Polar Pioneer is a Russian boat, based out of St. Petersburg, and her crew is all Russian. Here is her Russian flag. As a point of interest, until we cleared the Beagle channel, she flew an Argentine flag as well.

The sky was just beautiful on our trip down the Channel.
We just kept taking pictures of it.
The sunset was just fantastic, giving us a false sense of security.

We wandered around the ship, getting to know our surroundings. This is the back deck, where they store the Zodiacs. The crane on the right (starboard) is used to load and unload the Zodiacs. In this picture, they are tightly tied down for the Drake crossing.
A lot of parts on the ship are very photogenic. These are gears that help the ropes pass easily over the side when tied into the dock in Ushuaia. They are painted glossly blue, reflecting the sunset.
The lifeboats are actually pretty (from the outside, anyway). Near the mid-line of the boat, you can see that they have "St. Petersburg" painted on the side.

As we went down the Channel, the water became increasingly choppy.
We spent some time trying to capture the sense of the choppy Channel...
...and this was the best effort of the bunch. However, we would have plenty of opportunities for rough sea pictures.

When ships are docked in Ushuaia or being guided by the government pilot, they fly the Argentine flag. Here you can get a sense of the way the wind had started to pick up a bit.
We are about to pull the Argentine flag because here comes the pilot's lift home.
The pilot has successfully left the ship, without either the launch or our ship really even slowing down. Off we go to the Drake Passage!

The previous installment:
Okay, You Asked for It!

The next installment:
Das Boot


The weather wasn't grand as we left Ushuaia, but we were underway! The wharf was lined with ships earlier in the day, but one by one they headed down the Beagle Channel. We were around number four, and saw the others often as we made our way down the Channel.	Looking back at the wharf and harbor in Ushuaia.	Looking at the industrial section of Ushuaia slipping past.


Our first shot out of our cabin window with Chile visible (our cabin was on the starboard side).	Our ship didn't belch black smoke like some, but this was looking back at Ushuaia through the tell-tale wavering of diesel exhaust.	The Polar Pioneer is a Russian boat, based out of St. Petersburg, and her crew is all Russian. Here is her Russian flag. As a point of interest, until we cleared the Beagle channel, she flew an Argentine flag as well.


The sky was just beautiful on our trip down the Channel.	We just kept taking pictures of it.	The sunset was just fantastic, giving us a false sense of security.


We wandered around the ship, getting to know our surroundings. This is the back deck, where they store the Zodiacs. The crane on the right (starboard) is used to load and unload the Zodiacs. In this picture, they are tightly tied down for the Drake crossing.	A lot of parts on the ship are very photogenic. These are gears that help the ropes pass easily over the side when tied into the dock in Ushuaia. They are painted glossly blue, reflecting the sunset.	The lifeboats are actually pretty (from the outside, anyway). Near the mid-line of the boat, you can see that they have "St. Petersburg" painted on the side.


As we went down the Channel, the water became increasingly choppy.	We spent some time trying to capture the sense of the choppy Channel...	...and this was the best effort of the bunch. However, we would have plenty of opportunities for rough sea pictures.


When ships are docked in Ushuaia or being guided by the government pilot, they fly the Argentine flag. Here you can get a sense of the way the wind had started to pick up a bit.	We are about to pull the Argentine flag because here comes the pilot's lift home.	The pilot has successfully left the ship, without either the launch or our ship really even slowing down. Off we go to the Drake Passage!


The previous installment: Okay, You Asked for It!	The next installment: Das Boot