Firebird
69.40 m • Feadship • 12 guests • $575,000/pw
SuRI
63.40m • 12 guests • $450,000/pw
Embark onboard your yacht in Maxwell Bay, King George Island, the unofficial capital of Antarctica. This is the largest of the Southern Shetlands, which is an Antarctic archipelago with 8 winter scientist stations and is usually the first port of call for those cruising the icy lands. Speckled with a wealth of wildlife, and some of those enigmatic never ending mountain ranges that make Antarctica seem so imposing, King George Island is an adventure-lovers paradise. Due to its location and its opportunities for exploration, King George Island has been highly coveted by a sprawling range of countries. England first claimed the place back in the 19th century but since then it has had a Russian, Brazilian, Argentinian, South Korean, Chinese, and German presence (to name but a few). While in the midst of remote wilderness, King George Island is fascinating as it plays host to a number of scientists and their families, meaning that civilization flourishes against one of the wildest backdrops of all. Visit Russian churches, catch the famous annual marathon, and get your fill of Giant Petrals and penguins on King George Island.
Overnight cruise through the Bransfield Strait towards Deception Island. A collapsed volcanic cone (caldera), the island has a narrow break in the volcano’s walls known as Neptunes Bellows. Take the tender ashore at Whalers Bay to the black sandy beach and dig your toes in the sand to experience the warmth of the sulfur-scented steam escaping from the subterranean volcanic vents. Still considered to be an active volcano in the South Shetlands, this isle is every inch impressive with its ashy glaciers, smoking beaches, and remote slopes. The colour schemes of white and black and palest blue are striking and hikers will be in their element to climb the trail that leads up from Whalers Bay to Neptunes Window where you can see moon-like craters and enjoy incredible viewpoints. Despite its simmering nature, Deception Island is also home to plenty of wildlife wonders including chinstrap penguins, snowy sheathbills, cape petrels, and more.
Cruise via the Croker Passage and Gerlache Strait to the entrance of the Nuemayer Channel. Visit Base A, the former British station-turned-musuem (and post office) at Port Lockroy. Home to the most southern place you can post a letter, Port Lockroy is a must for any charter guest exploring the breadth of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Antarctica is wild and remote and known for being a spot considered highly inhospitable with its frozen landscapes, bitter winds, and lack of civilization. But science and exploration have made humans have to carve out spots that capture our modern life and Port Lockroy is one such place. The former base can be found surrounded by majestic scenery on Goudier Island. Found back in the early 1900s by a French explorer, Port Lockroy makes for a fascinating stop. Send a postcard from the edge of the world, duck into the small museum, peruse the gift shop, and share this slip of land with a wealth of noisy Gentoo Penguins who call this place home.
Beneath groaning glaciers, the Lemaire Channel runs for 7 miles between Booth Island and the peninsula. Famed for being one of the most photogenic bodies in the icy breath of the Antarctic Peninsula, the Lemaire Channel also goes by the name of the Kodak Gap. This channel is home to waters so still, that they appear almost mirror-like and dreamy beneath the mega mountains that line the banks and reflect back to themselves. As you travel along the channel enjoy vistas of glittering ice and snow, soaring mountains with peaks that rise to a thousand meters or more, and the shadows of minke and humpback whales cruising the waters too. At the northern end of the channel, two tall rounded peaks welcome you to Cape Renard.
A classic Antarctica experience awaits charter guests at Paradise Harbour. Located between Lemaire and Bryde Island, Paradise Harbour is home to penguins, whales, snow-covered mountains, ice floes that sparkle in every imaginable shade of blue and not one but two scientific research bases. Paradise Harbour is perfectly picturesque but it is also known for its challenging weather with temperatures plummeting and staying below freezing throughout the entire year. Still, guests can invoke traditional whaling days by wrapping up and standing on deck as you watch a humpback whale breach the icy placid waters. With its shards of ice and glacial rock, Paradise Harbour is a deep dive into the ever-changing whim of nature that makes the Antarctic such a special place.
Deep inside Andvord Bay is a stunning setting where you can watch in awe as the glacier across the the landing site often calves with a thunderous roar. In the summer months when the ice ebbs and flows, this pristine cold water paradise opens up unimaginable vistas of mountains blanketed in snow and glassy surfaces interrupted by whales breaching the surface. Andvord Bay spreads on for nine nautical miles and is three miles wide and is actually a fjord found along the western coast of Graham Land. It was discovered back in 1897 for the first time and is close to the popular cruising spot of Neko Harbor. There’s little to do except watch for wildlife from your yacht deck, attempt to drink in the unimaginable sight of the planet’s mightiest glaciers, and let the white continent disorient you into a dizzy kind of revelry. Early evening navigate back through the Gerlache Strait and Croker Passage towards Hannah Point.
Overnight cruise through the Croker Passage to spend the day at Hannah Point on Livingston Island. A stop at Hannah Point is sure to introduce you to some of Antarctica’s most famous wildlife. Sitting in the middle of Livingston, Hannah Point is a popular breeding ground for thousands of Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins and home to Southern elephant seals. Charter guests can also see a wealth of large wing spanned birds including Kelp Gulls, giant Petrels, and Snowy Sheathbills. While Hannah Point is a first-class spot for seeing wildlife, there are restrictions during the breeding season to prevent the animals from being disturbed. Sailing around this glorious rocky outcrop dusted in pure white makes you feel like you have been dropped into a whole new world.
The small glacier encircled harbour that goes by the name of Yankee Harbor is certainly worth a visit on your yacht charter. Home to a sprawling beach, resident seals, Gentoo Penguins, elephant seals, petrels, and more – Yankee Harbour opens up a world of wildlife wonders. Considered a safe haven by a whole slew of animals, the circling glaciers also make it a sheltered spot for yachts looking to take a breather from the fierce winds that can chill. Back in the early 19th century, Yankee Harbour was a popular spot for British and American sealers and the foundations of the sealer’s hut can still be seen by those who visit this enigmatic spot. In the right season, no less than four thousand gentoo penguin pairs shack up on this spot making it a wild and noisy but very fascinating place to see.
Lying just off Turret Point on King George Island, the tiny Penguin Island is where you will find all sorts of pengiun varieties including Chinstrap and Adelie penguins. Climb the 170m to Deacon Peak, the highest point on the island, to find an extensive crater at the summit and stunning views over King George Island with its wide icecaps. Back on board head to King George Island for disembarkation in Maxwell Bay.
69.40 m • Feadship • 12 guests • $575,000/pw
63.40m • 12 guests • $450,000/pw
Contact Us
Email:
USA: +1 561 800 2994
Rest of the World: +44 (0) 20 3457 1696
126 New King’s Road • London • SW6 4LZ • UK
Newsletter
Contact Us
Email:
USA: +1 561 800 2994
Rest of the World: +44 (0) 20 3457 1696
126 New King’s Road • London • SW6 4LZ • UK
Newsletter
