by James Walsh

As we sped along a channel in the zodiac, a Snow Petrel drifted silently past on 'ghostly' wings over the perfect reflections of towering icebergs in a mirror-glass sea. Suddenly, one of my companions spotted seven long, black dorsal fins straight ahead, a mere 200 yards away. We slowed to a halt and with the engine off all that could be heard were far-off calls from a penguin colony and the quiet synthetic rustle of Berghaus and parkas. The fins, belonging to a pod of curious Killer Whales, moved closer and closer as a party of Wilson's Storm-Petrels fluttered by. A nervous, vulnerable gasp came from a fellow traveller as one of the Orcas actually dived underneath the zodiac, eerily visible in the crystal clear waters.

I was in Antarctica and I sensed that nature couldn't get much more intense than this... This trip of a lifetime - entitled Classic Antarctica - was taken in December '99 and booked through Ocean Adventures, sailing aboard the MV Professor Multanovskiy, a former Russian research vessel. Our guides were the expert trio of consumate English gentleman abroad - Tony Soper, Tasmanian naturalist Kirsten Le Mar and Scottish geologist Chris Edwards.

DAY 1 After flying to Argentina from Heathrow and spending a couple of days soaking in the culture, humidity and hustle-and-bustle of Buenos Aires, I took an internal flight to Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego. Ushuaia is the world's most southerly city and is set against the spectacular backdrop of the foot of the Andes mountain range. Most of Day 1 was spent birding around Ushuaia. The harbour here was littered with birds; Flying Steamer and Crested Ducks tended to their downy young, Chilean Skuas, Dolphin and Kelp Gulls patrolled the shoreline, a stunning summer-plumaged Great Grebe dived amongst the fishing boats and Kelp Geese, Megellanic and Black Oystercatchers, White-rumped and Baird's Sandpipers searched amongst the pebbles and rocks for morsels of food. Wider exploration revealed Rufous-collared Sparrows, Austral Negritos and Long-tailed Meadowlark singing from rough grass and fence-posts by the airstrip, plus small parties of Upland Geese and hunting Chimango Caracaras in the surrounding fields.

In the evening we met up with Tony, Kirsten, Chris and the ships crew before boarding the MV Professor Multanovskiy. A mandatory emergency exercise and briefing followed, then we sailed into the Beagle Channel, noting the first Diving-Petrels, Black-browed Albatrosses and Giant Petrels of the trip. At 11pm as the sky began to darken, I hunkered down to sleep in my cabin and braced myself for the two day crossing of the treacherous Drakes Passage.

DAY 2 Sensing excitement, I woke around 4am and went out on deck. Braving the swell and spray, I was greeted by hundreds of seabirds following our vessel. 'Squadrons' of Cape Petrels and Prions dashed low over the waves, and Albatrosses and Giant Petrels floated gracefully overhead. Almost immediately, I formed a relationship with these birds - I had stepped into their domain. Their flight actions suggested they were totally at one with their surroundings; it was even possible to feel the sheer pleasure they must have been experiencing at manipulating the strong winds.

Having 'gened' up on some of the birds and read of the alternative, coliquial names, it was enchanting to see 'Pintados' (Cape Petrels) and 'Stinkers' (Giant Petrels) become real life. Eventually, cold and hunger forced me indoors to breakfast. Four species of Albatross continued to accompany us through the rough seas; omnipresent Black-broweds were complimented by smaller numbers of Light-mantled Sooty, Grey-headed and the ultimate master of the ocean - Wandering.

DAY 3 Slightly calmer seas today, with light snow mid-morning. The numbers of Albatrosses and 'Stinkers' dwindled during the morning, with much smaller birds - Southern Fulmars and Wilson's Storm-Petrel - taking their place. Three Light-mantled Sooty Albatrosses gave amazing views, wheeling playfully around the ship for 2 hours and diligent searching through the 'Pintados' and Wilson's produced single White-bellied and Black-bellied Storm-Petrel and an Antarctic Petrel.

By mid-afternoon, we saw our first big taster of things to come - icebergs and 'porpoising' penguins!

DAY 4 Early morning, Multanovskiy anchored and we went ashore in the zodiacs to Brown Bluff, a mountain in the Weddell Sea, taking our first steps on the Antarctic continent. We were given an exceptionally warm welcome by the locals; 'troops' of inquisitive, non-incubating Adelie Penguins waddled down through the huge colony to check us out. Walking delicately along the waters edge we were able to observe many fascinating sights - a small Gentoo Penguin colony, volcanic cliffs populated by breeding Snow and Cape Petrels, a Weddell Seal hauled out on the scree, Adelie Penguins nibbling daintily on ice 'cubes' and, most delightful of all, the very first tiny penguin chicks of the season.

The afternoon was spent on Paulet Island, which is free from ice, and is another home for thousands of Adelie Penguins and a colony of Blue-eyed Shags.

DAY 5 Half Moon Island. For pure entertainment value you couldn't beat the Chinstraps, an extremely handsome penguin with gentle features. They had found a short cut to the sea - tobogganing down a snow slope from their hill-top colonies. The next stop was Deception Island, where we had the chance to compare Antarctic and Arctic Terns as they roosted together by the remains of a Norwegian whaling station. At Pendulum Cove, hot springs increased the temperature of the water lapping against the shoreline and, for novelty value, some of the party even managed a quick swim!

DAY 6 Cuerville Island was the most ethereal setting of all the sites visited, the reflections of some of the icebergs turned the sea a vivid turquoise colour. Nesting Gentoo's filled the hillside and a single Chinstrap popped up out of the water, shook himself down, had a look around, realised this was the wrong colony and plopped back into the sea. In the Errera Channel we passed a Leopard Seal. This large ferocious-looking beast was eyeing-up feeding penguins with evil intentions as it rested on an ice floe. Whilst approaching Neko Harbour contact was made over the airwaves with Chilean soldiers and airmen. An 'appointment' was made and we greeted them at their base situated in the middle of a Gentoo colony! This was folowed by the aforementioned extraordinary encounter with the Killer Whales. In the evening we were treated to a barbeque on deck. It was one of those very strange travelling experiences; smelling the aroma of sizzling sausages and burgers filling the cold polar air. Now, I've been to barbies in a few different places; Bondi Beach - yes, Cape May - maybe, even Chorlton Green... but Antarctica?!

DAY 7 More cruising this morning, observing a Leopard Seal by the Petzval Glacier, glimpses of 2 Killer Whales in the Neumayer Channel and Snowy Sheathbills at Almirante Brown, an unoccupied Argentinian station, where an impromptu snowball fight broke out amongst our party. Multanovskiy is not an ice-breaker, but we made our way through a sea of fairly thick ice to our next destination - the British base of Port Lockroy. I spent time studying the behaviour of the Gentoo Penguins and looked on at their manners and habits. These included pooing on each other and stealing stones from each others nests! Here I must thank our guides for all their help and for the excellent slide shows, which were held in the small lecture theatre onboard. Chris, in particular, kept us spellbound with 'old school' tales of running a team of husky dogs and detailed explanations of the landforms.

DAY 8 Sensational day. Today we got up-close to two Humpback Whales. They were first spotted at distance. The crew of Multanovksiy got the vessel nearby, then with military precision Tony got everyone in the zodiacs. We sped out to the two whales, then spent half an hour in their company, with several of our party managing to get superb footage of their tail flukes and blow-holes. A very spiritual experience and a fitting farewell to the amazing continent of Antarctica

DAY 9-10 Two rough days crossing the Drakes Passage. As we gained sight of land - Cape Horn, it was clear we were in the middle of a Shearwater movement - several hundred Sooties and a single Great. We finally docked in Ushuaia Harbour and all made our way back to the real world...