Meet the M/Y Legend, the world’s first mega yacht built to venture into the globe’s coldest, farthest-flung corners. With her 77 meters and gadgets like a mini-submarine, snow scooters, and a Eurocopter, she’s the ultimate way to explore waters that are tricky to reach even with expedition ships. During an endless, soft pink summer night when the sun never sets, with a view of Mount Français, the highest mountain in the Antarctic Peninsula, and a group of killer whales in the distance, I raise my glass of crisp Sauvignon Blanc to being here in one of the most hard to reach regions on the planet. I am aboard M/Y Legend, the first boutique icebreaker in the world. She’s now gracefully bobbing around in Antarctica and she feels completely in her element. Legend looks like an elegant and classic super yacht. Sleek, dark, brand new teak decks plus a commercial helipad and a hidden room where a mini submarine for three passengers, jet skis, snowmobiles and other water toys are stored. It feels great to be back in Antarctica. I was here twice before, but only ever aboard larger expedition ships, once with 65 passengers and once with almost 200 guests. This time it’s different. We are a select group of 20 odd guests and the best part is, we just skipped the vicious Drake Passage by flying from Chilean Punta Arenas to King George Island in Antarctica where Legend was waiting for us in the bay. What could be better than flying to Antarctica in 2,5 hours, no Drake Passage, saving four boring sea days and experiencing the highlights of the White Continent in ten days aboard a private ex-Russian icebreaker?

The M/Y Legend was originally built in Holland in 1974 as a Class 1 icebreaker for use in the Baltic Sea during the Cold War. Dutch yacht owner Jan Verkerk bought her in 2013 and with two other investors, he wanted to add something completely new to the existing expedition cruise market. Following a two-year revamp at the Dutch Icon Yachts shipyard she’s been transformed into a floating boutique icebreaker for 22 passengers along with a Balinese spa, a giant heated outdoor Jacuzzi with a built-in rain curtain, a gym with a view, a panoramic salon with a piano, and a mini-cinema for cozy evenings after long days in the cold. My favorite spot is at the bar, not because Mitch, the Dutch bartender, can do magic in the cocktail department, but because my seat is a prime spot to watch the ocean and the White Continent floating by. Like today for example, while having a steaming cup of Rooibos tea I see a Humpback whale playing around in the icy waters of the Antarctic Peninsula. When more whales join in, the captain and onboard expedition team decide to lower one of the tenders to see the action up close and personal. Being able to stop whenever we want, while respecting the rules that apply here in the protected waters of Antarctica, is just great. It goes without saying that the weather is variable. The experienced expedition team—which includes a trip leader, biologist, an Antarctica expert, and an ice pilot—set the course for each day based on current conditions and guests’ personal interests.It’s clear that Legend can do much more than any other ice strengthened super yacht. Sailing through the iceberg-dotted Lemaire Channel? No problem. Checking out the glacial Wedell Sea? It’s possible, thanks to the M/Y Legend’s relatively small capacity. Most other expedition cruise ships exceed the strict passenger limits set by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, which regulates where groups can go. In other words: we have more access to penguin colonies and scientific stations than almost anyone else. The expedition team tries to get us on land as much as possible. Late one afternoon, the Legend nestles into a thick patch of ice in a remote bay. There’s no wind, the water is like a silver platter with the only ripples formed by minke whales feeding under the ice sheet and seals playing around the floe edge. “Let’s set foot on land, or rather, on the ice!” says Tom, the cruise director. After a brisk hike on the frozen sea to spend some time with some sleepy seals, the crew builds a giant natural bar made out of snow and stocked with all kinds of bottles and drinks.“Who wants champagne or a Jägermeister to warm up?” asks Tom. I sip a glass of rosé, thinking how insane this setting is: next to us is Legend, firmly locked with her bow in the ice, and behind us the towering mountains of Antarctica. The sky changes color every minute, now and then we hear the sound of small avalanches and the so recognizable blow of a whale in the distance. “Magical!” we tell each other. “Let’s have another drink to heat up our cold toes!”

There’s another favorite spot on the Legend where I like to sit. It’s not in the oversized jacuzzi with its waterfall on the stern of the ship, and it’s also not on the helipad where for now a bunch of lounge chairs are placed. It’s the outdoor deck just outside the lounge with grand piano and gas fireplace. The small deck is fitted with an open-air kitchen, grill and teppanyaki station where the night before we had a fabulous outdoor BBQ. I sit here a lot, on beautiful, wooden deck chairs, while enjoying the sun (watch out for sunburn!), gazing over the water dotted with gigantic icebergs. I could sit here for hours and hours, taking in this intoxicating polar landscape. Sometimes giant pieces of ice float by with leopard seals basking in the sun. When Legend’s waves hit their piece of ice, they barely move, too lazy to be afraid. After a whole day of being outside, spending hours in the invigorating Antarctic air, there’s nothing better than retreating to my cozy cabin. Each of Legend’s staterooms is named after a city. New York is sleek and modern while my Tokyo stateroom has ruby red ceramic tiles adorned with cherry blossom patterns. The master suite, with a his and hers bathroom, is located on the bow of the ship and has portholes on both sides. The décor of some suites hark back to the time of the great explorers. How brave Shackleton and Scott were and how they probably never, even in their wildest dreams, could have imagined sailing to remote and far-flung polar regions aboard a luxury icebreaker like Legend. I’ll raise a glass to them tonight while sitting on my favorite bar stool, sipping a pisco sour and hopefully watching a school of playful whales in the ocean. A toast to old explorers and cruising in pure style through the most remote region in the world.

Legend is available for charter from 625.000 per week, including 19 staffers and up to 10 expedition crew (excluding helicopter, submarine, fuel and f&b).
Get in touch for more information.
david@remoteexperiences.com

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Bet that Shackleton and Amundsen would never have dreamed of this. Fly the Drake and cruise Antarctica. Yes you heard it right, skip the feared Drake Passage and go directly to the White Continent. Until recently, only scientists and researchers used the back door to get into Antarctica. Not by ship, but flying from Chile. Why sail across the Drake if in just three hours you can be standing with both feet on the Last Continent, safe and well.No fifteen metres high waves that make the stretch of ocean between the tip of South America and the Antarctic Peninsula so notorious. Flying also means being completely ready and full of energy to discover this extreme part of Earth. In 2001, a clever Chilean company came up with the idea of creating an air bridge during the summer months between Punta Arenas, the southernmost town in Chilean Patagonia, and the Antarctic Peninsula. Not only for biologists, oceanologists and weather scientists but also for the ordinary tourist. So image: no Drake Passage, no 19-day Antarctica sailing itinerary that only travellers with oceans of time can afford. No lost days at sea. But Antarctica in a compact way: a fantastic, adrenaline-filled six days aboard a small expedition ship, without crossing the Drake.

Quick & intense

If you ever dreamed of flying those legendary, rusty Russian cargo planes, you will be in for a disappointment. No Russian steel crate with a glass nose and a semi-drunk, bearded pilot behind the wheel. The BAE-146 built by British Aerospace looks pretty neutral, except that “Antarctica” is painted on its fuselage.  A comfortable 3 hours later we land on King George Island, where Chile’s Eduardo Frei base is situated. Not on ice but on an ordinary gravel airstrip, which in the most extreme occasions is covered with dry snow. Technically, this is not the Antarctic Peninsula but the Southern Shetland Islands. In the distance floats the Ocean Nova, our expedition ship for the next six days. Purpose built in Denmark to smoothly conquer icy seas, this is no ultra-deluxe ship, but a very comfortable home for up to 68 people. Many other ships can take more than 200 people on board but that makes things more complicated in  Antarctica. A short Zodiac ride from King George and we’re in the observation lounge of the Ocean Nova. A warming drink, a beaming 12-strong expedition team and the prospect of seeing and doing things we have never experienced before. The Ocean Nova team is not low calibre. A couple of seasoned biologists, young naturalists, a historian, an ornithologist, an ocean specialist, a doctor and other crew members who have sailed Arctic and Antarctic waters for many years. Some even worked on Russian nuclear ships and have plenty of stories to tell. They are the perfect entertainment and companionship for when having a drink at the bar. Did we mention already it’s an open bar?

Crossing the Bransfield Strait

A glance through the cabin porthole and you know enough: a sunny, early morning overlooking Mikkelsen Harbour on Trinity Island where we will soon make a landing. The strong rubber Zodiacs can take eight to ten passengers. Life jacket on, sunscreen and sunglasses and cameras at the ready. Several Weddell seals lie sunbathing in the snow and a leopard seal circles around the Zodiacs then disappears. “Dangerous animals,” smirks a biologist. “It’s known that they can bite straight through a Zodiac.” Further up near the old whaling station sit a flock of cackling Gentoo penguins. “Never block the way of a penguin,” Mariano, the expedition leader explains. “Penguins always have right of way. No matter what!” In the afternoon, after hours of sailing through a sensational silent white landscape and a hearty lunch, there is a Zodiac trip between icebergs and ice floes in Cierva Cove. The location is the south side of Cape Herschel in Hughes Bay along the Antarctic Peninsula. We glimpse the Argentine research station Primavera in the distance, while close to our Zodiac we see crab eater seals, penguins, and skua birds… Slaloming with the Zodiac between sculptured icebergs you can listen to almost supernatural sounds: the ice releasing millions of years-old air. In the far distance icebergs are breaking off glaciers, and a little closer an iceberg is tipping over… The trip doesn’t end here and will take us to famous spots on the White Continent like Livingston Island, Port Lockroy, Petermann Island, Paradise Bay, Cuverville and Deception Islands. The target of this trip will be the crossing of the Lemaire Channel and latitude 65° South. The highlight for us? A South-American BBQ on the deck of the Ocean Nova while the sun is barely setting behind the blue and pinkish frozen horizon and giant ice pieces are floating by the ship. Antarctica XXI is the ultimate way to see the White Continent in a more intense way. The trip is shorter but better and the dedication of expedition team is infectious. Travelling with a small group in Antarctica means more landings and time ashore.

The verdict

A trip with Antarctica XXI starts at 9.260 US dollars. Included in this price: Flights according to the itinerary, cruise in full board plus all drinks, excursions and lectures, transfers and if needed accommodation on land. Good to know is that due the limited availability the trips sell out fast, so if you want to do this in the season 2012-2013, it is best to book now! We loved the trip, even while there is big room for improvement on the Chilean pre-&post- travel ground control side (but we heard rumours they are working on it). The most important thing: big thumbs up for the expedition team of the Ocean Nova! They were our dream team and made this trip a fabulous experience!

WWW.ANTARCTICAXXI.COM

Are you packed?

Special waterproof boots are provided by Antarctica XXI, but warm clothes are not. Ideally is to bring water- and windproof outdoors clothes. Patagonia and Canada Goose resist the Artic temperatures and extreme wind.

WWW.CANADA-GOOSE.COM
WWW.PATAGONIA.COM
WWW.BAFFIN.CON

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