LORRAINE WITH SOME OF THE CONTINENT'S PERMANENT RESIDENTS 'POLAR PLUNGE' teve and flew ro ondon to the rgentinian ca ita uenos ires and then down to shuaia the southern ost city in the wor d to ick u our shi he ebridean ky. e were ucky as our crossing over he rake assage between outh erica and ntarctica was re ative y ca a though a ew eo e e t very sea sick and green around the gi s. ts re uted y the roughest sea- assage in the wor d. he rst ew days s ent sai ing towards ntarctica roved to be so he cutest creatures were the tiny baby ur sea s who chase you a over the ace but wi run away i you sto to give the a stern ook. BOSSING IT e anaged to sai very c ose to E e hant s and an uninhabited barren and orbidding chunk o rock where Ernest hack eton set off on a re arkab e ourney back in . hack eton known to his en as he oss was atte ting to be the rst to cross ntarctica when his shi Endurance was tra ed and crushed 'I STRIPPED OFF ALL MY LAYERS AND HEADED BOLDLY INTO THE WATER, BUT ONLY LASTED SECONDS BEFORE RUNNING OUT AGAIN, NUMB WITH COLD' rest u cou d ee the stress oo ing out o y body. Every a ernoon there was a ascinating ta k by one o our tea o ex erts and the chance to ook out or wha es do hins and bird i e. e ade our rst sto at ece tion s and ust north o the ntarctic eninsu a. he is and is the ca dera o an active vo cano so the water is said to be s ight y ther a y heated and the bravest o us decided it was the er ect ti e or a o ar unge. stri ed off a y ayers and headed bo d y into the water but on y asted a ew seconds be ore running out again co ete y nu b with the co d. t was certain y a bracing ex erience but knew wou d have regretted it orever i hadn t taken the chance or a di in the ro en water. erwards s ent so e very ha y hours on the shi s deck bund ed u against the co d s otting icebergs and en oying the wi d i e. ur andings on the ntarctic eninsu a and the continent itse were a ways et with an extraordinary or a we co ing co ittee dressed u in their dinner ackets. ta king o course about the any thousands o curious enguins who are so ta e they co e right u c ose to check you out be ore ha i y wadd ing off again. e saw hordes o e egant ing enguins as we as the cheeky entoos and Macaronis. 326 | AUGUST 2017 by ack ice. e and his en e the shi and had to ive on the ice unti it started to break u . hen they anned three i eboats and rowed or their ives to E e hant s and. hack eton knew they cou dn t survive there ong so he chose ve en and the six o the took one o the i eboats on an - ie voyage to outh eorgia to seek rescue or those e behind. hese waters are a ong the ost dangerous in the wor d and waves o etres are not unco on but they ade it. er trudging across the is ands unchartered high ountains the rst eo e ever to do so hack eton and two others eventua y ound he at a wha ing station and he was ab e to get back to E e hant s and to ick u the en who had been stranded there or our onths. Not a sing e e ber o the ex edition was ost. Even in our odern day shi we were unab e to and due to the high wind and rough seas but we did anage to see or ourse ves what a rightening one y and eri ous ace it was. have no idea how hack etons en survived there or so ong days not knowing whether he was co ing back to save the . course our conditions cou d not have been ore different. he shi was war and cosy and we had the A BABY FUR SEAL CAME TO SAY HELLO