Presentation on Polar Vortex & Changing Climate

Here's a short excerpt from one of my recent presentations on board the Zaandam while cruising off the coast of Chile.  The aim here is to provide some context for understanding how ocean currents interact with atmospheric circulation to breed hurricanes and how the melting of arctic ice has influenced the polar jet stream and changed climate patterns around the world.



This is an experiment to see how effective it might be to use my 360 camera (Insta360 One X) for recording presentations.  Both the image quality and the sound could be much better; I'm still experimenting with tweaking the settings for low light conditions.  One problem is the extreme contrast between the screen and the background... very hard to compensate for this.  As far as the sound goes, I think the solution is to record the audio separately and then sync the audio with video in post-production.  A second camera from the audience's perspective will also give me some better versatility.

The 360 camera offers interesting possibilities because it is like having a camera crew with you.  Since it records in 360 I can select the point of view during editing - which gives me all sorts of camera angles to choose from.  In this video you can see that at times I focus on myself as the presenter and then pan the POV to show the audience.  When I have more time I will add more powerpoint images - as I did with the water skier losing his shorts in the video above.

Right now I'm preparing for my next lecture series on board the Viking Sun from Durban South Africa to London England.

Thanks for dropping by!  Happy travels!

Cheers, George

Sea Lion colony & Albatross - Short Videos - South America

Islets in the Beagle Channel near Ushuaia, Argentina

We've just returned home from South America after a terrific cruise on board the Zaandam!  Thank you to all those guests who sailed with us for your amazing support during my series of presentations.  As you know, I love researching the latest scientific findings for the presentations I give around the world.  We had an abundance of amazing stories for this cruise, from the experiences of early seamen rounding the Horn, Darwin's travels in Patagonia... to the Yaghan canoe people who adapted to living in the windswept islands and channels of Tierra del Fuego over the past 6,000 years.

I usually include short videos that I create during each voyage in my presentations and have two for this post: Sea Lions on the Valdes Peninsula and the Black-browed Albatross.  Please enjoy!

South American Sea Lion Colony at Punta Norte

If you are wondering how I achieved some of those crazy camera angles, my new go-to travel camera has become the Insta360 one X.  An amazing camera that takes 360 videos in high-def and allows us to select our point of view after taking the shot.  Opens up a whole new world of neat visuals.

The following video shows how tricky it can be for an Albatross to become airborne!

Wishing you many happy adventures!  Hope to see you again soon.

George & Jan

PS: My next series of presentations will be on board the Viking Sun April 13 - May 11, Durban, South Africa to London, England.

Fly over Buenos Aires to Cape Horn, South America

Buenos Aires from Google Earth

Here's a short video that I've prepared for my next lecture series on board Holland America's Zaandam.  We're joining the ship in Buenos Aires and I often like to provide a Google Earth overview in my first presentation.  On this cruise we will be visiting Montevideo, Puerto Madryn, Falkland Islands (Maldivas), Punta Arenas, and Ushuaia before proceeding up the coast of Chile to Puerto Montt and San Antonio.



Here's a second video of our planned route sailing into the Strait of Magellan, past Tierra del Fuego, and then rounding Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America.

There are some interesting tales regarding the rounding of the Horn. A sailor who rounds the Horn is entitled to wear a gold loop earring. Tradition has it that this should be worn in the ear that faced the Horn as it was rounded.  I've always wondered if left vs right meant anything!

Rumor has it that there were also various privileges accorded to sailors who had rounded the horn. They included being allowed to dine with one foot on the table.  OK - I believe that one... but this next one seems far-fetched.  Guess who would be permitted to put both feet on the table?  A sailor who has rounded both Cape Horn AND the Cape of Good Hope in Africa.  Good luck using your knife and fork, I say!

It was quite a trick just to survive rounding the Horn back in the days of sail...so recognition really meant something!  Apparently 10,000 sailors lost their lives in those treacherous waters over the centuries.  That number is difficult to fathom, but it seems to be the accepted estimate based on my research.

Apparently a sailor could also get a tattoo of a fully rigged sailing ship after rounding Cape Horn (if they survived).  I have already sailed around the Cape of Good Hope twice... once I've rounded the Horn I wonder if I would qualify for a fully rigged ship on each cheek!?  Derriere that is! 

Hope you enjoy!  Thanks for visiting.

Cheers, George

PS: Music for both videos is 7th Floor Tango by Silent Partner from the YouTube Audio Library.

Orcas of Peninsula Valdes (HD)

Video courtesy of Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris

I'm currently preparing lecture presentations for Holland America's South American Passage on board the Zaandam, beginning February 21st from Buenos Aires to San Antonio.  We're looking forward to witnessing the amazing scenery and wildlife in this region.  One of the highlights is wildlife-rich Peninsula Valdes near Puerto Madryn, Argentina.  The dramatic video, courtesy of Cheesemans', shows the spectacular hunting method of Orcas intentionally charging onto the beach to catch young Southern Sea Lions and Southern Elephant Seals.

Península Valdés is a World Heritage site of global significance for the conservation of marine mammals. It is home to an important breeding population of the endangered southern right whale as well as important breeding populations of southern elephant seals and southern sea lions.

Hope to see you on board!!
Cheers, George