This was a bitter-sweet year for the cruise industry, effective August 2011 ships that burn heavy-fuel will no longer to allowed in Antarctic waters; that restriction applies to the Seven Seas Mariner. After a less than fulfilling attempt last year, we were very anxious and hopeful at the same time that this year would be better. We had stormy seas leaving Valparaiso, Chile. We slipped into the shelter of Gulf of Ancud for a beautiful day in Puerto Montt where we were docked - first time in many years. In port with us was The World; many friends now work there and I was told they, with only 250 passengers on-board, were allowed to lower zodiacs which gave them the chance to float among pods of killer whales and go ashore to see the penguins and seals. Not only that they stayed in Antarctica for one full month! We had a great day in Laguna San Rafael where even I was awed by a huge serac that calved off the glacier and nearly swamped our catamaran with it’s wave. Continuing through Chile, we entered the southern portion of the Inside Passage via the Gulf of Penas where we saw the Tempanos Glacier in Iceberg Sound and Skua Glacier in Amalia Sound the following day. Skua Glacier was fascinating; a large portion of the right flank of the glacier was gone. A small cove has been created where the sea flooded in leaving only a crescent shaped ridge of ice along the perimeter. One of our guests Mike Gittings, took a look online and saw that Google Earth still showed the glacier extending far out into the water, so this event happened recently. Just goes to show you never know what you are going to see when it comes to Mother Nature. In Punta Arenas, Chile we picked-up our Ice Captain Goran Blumqvist. Next day we cruised past the Avenue of the Glacier in Chile before crossing into the Argentine side of Tierra del Fuego and Ushuaia. We had a meeting to look at the weather forecasts and discuss our options. Given how temperamental the weather is in Antarctica it is hard to make any predictions but as of that morning things looked good. When we sailed that evening it was under clear skies and calm seas. Crossing the Drake Passage we experienced Drake’s Lake! Not bad at all. Day One, we arrived at Deception Island in the South Shetlands; we had perfect visibility at Neptune’s Bellows, the entrance to Port Foster, the bay that sits atop the caldera of an active volcano. Given we were not going to go in as recently another ship went aground on a heretofore uncharted rock (it is an active volcanic area after all…) the Captain chose to take advantage of the good weather and head south for Paradise Bay. No sooner did we leave we sailed into dense fog and we were required to reduce our speed. However, every so often the fog would clear and the ice covered islands around the Antarctic Peninsula would show through. At one point we did see an Antarctic fur seal, gentoo and chinstrap penguins, skuas and some petrels resting together on the ledge of an old worn down iceberg - the perfect Antarctic photo for those fast enough to capture it. We made it to Paradise Bay at dusk. We were greeted on the radio by the Chilean research base, not knowing we were too big to land boats, they invited us over for supper! Can you believe it? We slipped slowly through the bergs in the bay as the ice on the mountaintops turned pink and lilac with the setting sun. Our intention was to stay the night in the bay. Day Two, as it does, the weather turned and we were forced to wait outside on the Gerlache Strait. Next morning we awoke to 4 inches of snow on deck and high winds. That morning was particularly chilly for me - several days earlier the glass in the sliding door of a guest cabin broke - my cabin was one of the few that matched the needed glass. So my glass door was used to replace their door and in place of my door a single-ply piece of plywood was installed. I don’t think anyone was thinking about it getting cold in Antarctica when they gave me the uninsulated plywood. Well, that morning I awoke and not only could I see my breath in my cabin (with the heat on full blast!) there was frost on my plywood door. All I could think about was how on earth the early explorers stayed down in Antarctica in ill-fitted, drafty, wooden boats or thin tents without Gortex and all the other modern conveniences. We headed for were on our Half-moon Island which we reached by late afternoon. The island in known for its huge colony of chinstrap penguins which normally are clearly visible from ship. The wind raged on and the penguins were no where to be seen; with binoculars you could find a few but not many. The bright red-orange Argentine navy base was about the only thing seen well on the rocky little island. Happy for the company the ten men stationed there invited us over for a visit but we had to respectfully decline. Captain then said we would set-off full speed for Elephant Island adding four destinations to our otherwise three-destination itinerary. Day Three, we awoke in front of imposing Elephant Island which was covered by substantially move ice and snow than we had experienced last year. After viewing from afar the narrow, rocky beach front that could have been one of the many landing sites assessed by the Shackleton Expedition, we left by late morning for the The Falkland Islands. Last year our cruise was dogged by high winds, rough seas and huge — HUGE! — tabular icebergs. This year the seas were relatively calm, the skies opened several times to reveal the breathtaking landscape, we saw whales, seals, penguins and sea birds. Though we saw ice, we did not see any magnificent tabular icebergs this time - for so, the only disappointment. All in all, the weather did cooperate and we were able to take full advantage squeezing in more than we had hoped to see. For those whose appetite for Antarctica has just been whet and you now want more, or for those who have not yet been and dream of the day, I wholeheartedly encourage to look into one of the small expeditionary ships that will still operate. Companies include National Geographic/Linblad, Quark Expeditions, Orion Expeditions and Polar Cruises. I have even heard that Azamara is retrofitting a ship to comply with the new environmental regulations. There is no place like Antarctica. You’ve gotta go!