Because the journey to Antarctica involves navigating the Roaring Forties, where winds and waves are among the world’s strongest, Antarctic research vessels worldwide use large-tonnage hulls capable of withstanding stronger winds and waves. Their displacements typically exceed 10,000 tons.
These ships have enormous internal space and can carry not only large amounts of fuel, supplies, and scientific research equipment, but also at least one hundred people. Since there aren’t many people on this voyage, the rooms are naturally very spacious.
Charlie initially thought that he should find a comfortable hotel in Ushuaia and stay for a few days before going to the port to board the departing ship.
But then he thought, even though Victoria’s plane had never been to Ushuaia and had always flown between Buenos Aires and other parts of the world, this place was not far from Buenos Aires and close to the Breaking Qing Society’s territory.
Whether it was himself, Maria Lin, Jeremiah Yun, or Song Ruyu, they were all people the Breaking Qing Society wanted to find, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to be too conspicuous. Furthermore, Asian faces weren’t common here, and four Asian faces together would attract even more attention.
So, Charlie agreed to the other party’s suggestion. After all their belongings were gathered, the four of them boarded the minibus he was driving and headed straight for Ushuaia Port.
The four of them brought a total of ten suitcases, most of which were prepared by Helena at Maria Lin’s request. She knew that Charlie, Jeremiah Yun, and Song Ruyu would spend most of their time cultivating, and time would pass quickly for the three of them, while she would have to spend several months in the bone-chilling cold of the polar night, so she naturally prepared more luggage.
March in Ushuaia is autumn, with relatively comfortable temperatures. Charlie saw many backpackers on the streets, each carrying large, professional-looking backpacks. Most of their outdoor gear was brightly colored, making the streets quite conspicuous.
Charlie asked curiously to the middle-aged man who picked him up at the airport, “Are all these backpackers going to Antarctica?”
The middle-aged man smiled and said, “These backpackers are tourists who have just returned from Antarctica and the South Shetland Islands before winter. The annual tourist season in Antarctica runs from November to March. Only during these four months can commercial expedition cruise ships go to Antarctica.”
“After this season, all commercial expedition cruise ships will be banned from entering the Drake Passage. It’s now the end of March, which is almost the final window for withdrawal. Once these tourists return to Ushuaia, some will fly directly out of Argentina, while others will choose to stay in Argentina for a while before departing.”
Then, he introduced Charlie: “Ushuaia is the most important departure point for Antarctica, and serves as a transit point for over 90% of Antarctic tourists. Therefore, the tourism industry here is very developed, contributing 40% of the local GDP. Half of the city’s jobs are in servicing ships and tourists traveling to and from Antarctica. Every year, at least 100,000 people leave here to go to Antarctica.”
As he spoke, he smiled and said, “However, it’s not the peak tourist season in this small town right now, as Antarctica will soon enter the winter polar night. Ordinary tourists will gradually leave Antarctica in the next half month, and many professionals from the summer research stations have also begun to leave. We also have to rush back from Antarctica in early April, so the four of you probably only have three days to process the equipment, five at most.”
Charlie asked him, “If the ship leaves from Ushuaia, how many days will it take to get to our research station?”
The other party thought for a moment and said, “If the process is fast, it will probably take two and a half days; if the process is slow, it will probably take three and a half days.”
Charlie then asked, “Are the other research stations around our station seasonal stations or year-round stations?”
Another said, “The research station we’re going to is close to the Antarctic interior. Within a radius of tens of kilometers, almost all European research stations are located there, and all of them are summer stations.”
“This is because the closer you get to the interior of Antarctica, the harsher the environment becomes. Therefore, most year-round stations are built on the Antarctic Peninsula and surrounding islands.”
Charlie felt a little relieved. Before coming here, he had researched the Antarctic winter climate and knew it was very unusual. After the polar night, winter here was so cold that even air movement was severely restricted.
Therefore, during the polar night, the Antarctic continent rarely experiences wind and snow. It is almost always a long, cold, and clear night. In contrast, Antarctica experiences wind and snow in summer.
Winter nights in Antarctica are the kind of nights with temperatures below -80 degrees Celsius, no wind or snow, skies full of stars and the aurora borealis, and incredible tranquility.
In such a cold and clear environment, visibility certainly wouldn’t be too bad. Under the stars and aurora, visibility would be at least several kilometers. If there were permanent stations from other countries nearby, it might not be easy for them to come and go. If there were only four people left within a radius of tens of kilometers, things would be much simpler.