O
nenightinLondon,Frank
Worsleydreamedhewassteering
a shipthroughicebergsasthey
floatedalongBurlingtonStreetin
Piccadilly.Propelledbythepower
ofpremonition,herushedoutto
thestreetnextmorning,noticeda nameplateforthe
ImperialTrans-AntarcticExpedition,wentinandwas
interviewedonthespot.TheveteranNewZealand
seamanwalkedoutwitha newjob,ascaptainof
SirErnestShackleton’sEndurance, anda new
destinyastheright-handmaninoneofthe
greatestsurvivaltalesofalltime.
ForWorsleyandmeandprobablymillions
moredreamers,Antarcticaexistsmostpowerfullyin
theimagination.It belongstonooneandeveryone,
butprimarilytosealsandpenguins.Thoughit’s
biggerthanEurope,Antarcticawasn’tcrossed
until 1958 orfullymappeduntil1983,andthevast
continentis obscuredbylegendandsupernatural
weatherandice,inplaces,nearlyfivekilometres
deep.There’sscanthumanhistoryhere,andscientists
workingat some 100 researchstationsandfield
campsmayneverfullyunderstanditsmysteries.
LikeWorsley,I dreamedI wassurroundedby
icebergs.I woke– ordidI? – andI wasstandingon
thebalconyofa beautifulship,shiveringinmypyjamas
andbarefeet,floatingsouthintoa dreamscapeof
icebergsas paleas thehorizontheytouched.Overhead
theskywasa porcelainbowlfilledwithunreadable
cloudformationsandunearthly silence.Latitude 54°48’S
MydreamsofAntarcticabeganlongago,but
theonewhereI’mona summervoyagefullof
icebergsstartsintheArgentinianportofUshuaia,
onthewindytipofSouthAmerica.Thelocalscall
it “elfindelmundo”butthat’sa misnomerunless
youimaginetheendoftheworldhastidystreetswith
windowboxesinbloomandshopssellingpenguin
souvenirs.I thinkofUshuaiainsteadasthecivilised
frontierofwildplaces:Patagonia,TierradelFuego
and, 1000 kilometressouth,Antarctica.
LeSoléalsteamsoutoftheBeagleChanneland
intotheDrakePassagewith 200 passengers,a crew
includinganexpeditionteamof12, 1844 bottlesof
goodFrenchwineanda fullcomplementofripened
cheesesfromLaFranceprofondeandculturedbutter
fromNormandy.Biensûr,theMarseille-basedPonant
linetakesthetraditionsofFrenchhospitalityseriously,
especiallyat thetable.Fromfeatherweightpâtisseries
inthemorningtofourbijoucourseseveryevening,
thestandardssetbyEscoffieret al arerenderedwith
remarkableconsistencyintheSouthernOcean.
It takesalmosttwodaystocrosstheDrake.It’sa
rite of passage for everyone – veteran or virgin – and➤120 GOURMET TRAVELLER
AntarcticaWeddellSeaRoss SeaDrakePassageSouth PoleAntarctic
PeninsulaUshuaia