Pat Arling ,Skip Thaler, Dave Bellows
Dave Bellows introduced our speaker Lakeville Rotarian Skip Thaler. Skip shared some of his experiences on his recent trip to Antarctica.
Background:
Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent. It contains the geographic South Pole and is situated in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. At 14,000,000 square kilometers, it is the fifth-largest continent. For comparison, Antarctica is nearly twice the size of Australia. About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice that averages 1.9 km in thickness, which extends to all but the northernmost reaches of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Skip traveled 4 days from Minnesota to reach up with a small team of passengers that traveled with Silversea Expeditions.
Skip shared that shore excursions were offered twice a day and required an hour and half sterilization process to leave the ship and almost just as long upon return. Excursions ranged from guided hikes around penguin colonies to Zodiac outings for spotting and photographing whales, seals, and albatrosses. The ship travels with 16 Zodiacs and 10 kayaks, so nearly everyone can explore simultaneously.