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On 16 August 1897, the ship Belgica weighed anchor in the port of Antwerp, marking the beginning of the great Belgian Antarctic expedition led by Adrien de Gerlache. The Atlantic crossing proved difficult: temperatures in the cabins reached 55°C, and Racoviță and Arctowski suffered from seasickness. In their rare moments of respite, they set up their laboratories. "All my material and all my jars had been carefully fixed in specially made shelves, and even my microscope had been screwed to the laboratory table; only the expedition's naturalist was not screwed, and for this reason, he often needed to repent" Racoviță noted with humour, years later.
On 6 October, the crew celebrated the Baptism of the Equator, a traditional ritual inherited from the era of great exploration, through which sailors crossing the Equator for the first time symbolically became "people of the seas". Neptune, the god of the sea, was played by an experienced sailor, assisted by mermaids, queens and helpers, all in improvised costumes. The newcomers were subjected to amusing tests, painted, sprayed, and judged, and in the end, received a symbolic certificate marking their crossing.
On 22 October, Belgica arrived in Rio de Janeiro, where the local Belgian community warmly welcomed her. Here, the expedition was joined by the American doctor Frederick Cook, bringing essential equipment for polar research. Emil Racoviță chose to travel separately to Punta Arenas, exploring the fauna and flora of Patagonia. Crossing the Argentine pampas, he had the opportunity to observe for the first time animals that he had only known from books.
Meanwhile, the Belgica sailed through the Beagle Channel, reaching Lapataia to load coal, which was needed for the engine and heating in the polar regions. After a Christmas Eve spent in the cold waters, the ship set sail for Harberton. On New Year's Day, the Belgica ran aground on the reefs – a critical moment from which it was only saved after 22 hours by the extraordinary navigational skill of de Gerlache. Dr. Cook later humorously noted that "the reef on which she had struck was the first scientific discovery of Belgica".
On 7 January 1898, Belgica anchored at States Island to resupply. Here, the islands of Auguste and Liège were discovered and named, and significant scientific research was conducted on them. On 14 January, Belgica said goodbye to the last inhabited land encountered on her journey south.
Between February 1 and 7, the crew explored Brabant Island. Racoviță discovered a colony of penguins on an islet that he named Cobălcescu Island in honour of his high school science teacher. On 8 February, the exploration continued south, discovering Wiencke Island, named in memory of a lost sailor.
By the end of February, Belgica had mapped Hughes Bay and Graham Land. Although aware of the approaching polar winter, de Gerlache decided to continue. The ship was, as he had anticipated, trapped in pack ice, and the crew became the first in history to spend a winter in Antarctica.
Winds reached over 100 km/h, the snow was heavy, and the polar darkness was slowly falling. Navigating through floating ice floes and freshly formed floes, the Belgica made slow progress. Everything seemed like something out of an Arctic fairy tale, and the expedition members were legendary heroes. In the face of these challenges, they showed courage, solidarity, and remarkable self-control.