20 | Viking Explorer Society News
An expedition journey to the "White Continent" was a once‑in‑a‑lifetime
experience for Mary, Alan and Thomas Clement.
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ANTARCTIC ADVENTURE
Our Viking expedition began in the lively,
energetic city of Buenos Aires in the middle
of a heat wave—a stark contrast to the
serene, icy continent of Antarctica. We were
excited about what lay ahead and felt
immensely privileged to join the Viking
Octantis in Ushuaia for her journey to
Antarctica. The feeling of great excitement
and anticipation was almost palpable on
board our plane, where we were surrounded
by many well-seasoned travellers craning
their necks to catch a glimpse of our Viking
ship.
After a short motor coach journey through
Ushuaia, we reached our expedition ship, the
Viking Octantis. As always, the Viking staff on
board were friendly, warm and welcoming.
All guests attended a safety briefing before
we settled into our staterooms, which were
comfortable and well-equipped, with
binoculars and interesting books about
Antarctic explorers. All staterooms had a
drying closet, which housed our keepsake
Viking expedition jackets, as well as
waterproof pants and rubber boots—all of
which proved invaluable during our
excursions.
The Viking Octantis navigated the Beagle
Channel and sailed into the Southern Ocean
and the Drake Passage. We were fortunate
that the crossing of the notorious Drake
Passage was relatively smooth and especially
thankful for our ship's fin and U-tank
