cold

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February 5th, 2006,
evening after cruising the Gerlache Straight of the Antarctic Peninsula
We will be here for 3 days, weather permitting and
then make our way to Africa by the 18th.

Day 31 of our cruise of 105, 74 to go.

Yesterday, as we arrived in the Antarctic, for lunch, we were feted with a snowflake buffet; there were carved ice shrimp boats and sculptures of Antarctic themes- see devilled eggs picture.
Superbowl Sunday, Terry is with the crowd, I can’t find him! He just walked in!!
He tells me that he was sitting with a fine gentleman from Toronto called Ross, rooting for Seattle-Hello you all from Sea Hawk country.
We spent the whole day on deck, in our pink and gold “Circle of the Sun” outfits; temperature is in the freezing range. We went all the way south to 65 degrees and 5 minutes. Terry and I even had our hot lunch on the outside back deck not to miss anything. We saw Icebergs (large), Mediums and Berg bits (small-less than 1m); we saw penguins- what a miserable life they lead, seals- leopard and crab eaters and whales.
Best part of the day was sailing back out of the channel, as the sun was getting to be horizontal (for a long sunset), in the Crow’s Nest (a warm enclosed bar) sipping my hot buttered rhum toddy. Our days start at 4:57am and go till 9:35(tomorrow); it is 10:30 right now and still light.
We are really enjoying our trip, mostly because every new day is a new adventure.

Hi Vicky and Betty Ann
Hello Prior
Hello my children

Ttys, love to all

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Comments

[Jackie]

Hello
Wow..trip sounds amazing!You guys look great in your pictures:)! Working hard..exams coming up(WOW SO SOON!) so im studying hard..Get lots of pics..stay healthy...do a few extra laps for me!!!Love you..Miss you ttyl!xox

[Ken S]

Back in the Snow
Obviously good Ottawa stock - back in the snow again !! Your trip is exotic to say the least. All our family are following your great blog and URL postings amd enjoying each port of call along with you - but in cyberspace format... Continue your obvious enjoyment. Stay warm........Both of you look so cool when dressed to the nine's !! Ta ta for Now !! K.

[Myrna]

Enjoying your adventure!
I look forward to reading your entries every few days. Pat a penguin for me! Enjoy!

[Diane G]

were back....
Hi there Claire and Terry.... I've spent half a day catching up on your news while we were away in CUBA. You both sound great....glad to hear it. We had a good trip...2 weeks. Did a day trip to Havanna and an over night trip to Trinada, Cuba and 4 specific provinces checking out historic buildings, cities, tropical jungles, etc. It was great. Back to the real world now. I don't know if I told you yet but I have Deins news.... He has tried out, passed and been offer a position on the Musical Ride for 3-4 years. Of course he has accepted. It's very exciting. They will be moving back to the Gatineau/Ottawa area some time in the near future. By the way... I love hearing about the Penguins... did you know..................... There are either 17 or 18 known species worldwide, depending on whether the two Eudyptula species are counted as distinct. Although all penguin species are native to the southern hemisphere, they are not, contrary to popular belief, found only in cold climates, such as Antarctica. In fact, only a few species of penguin actually live so far south. Three species live in the tropics; one lives as far north as the Galápagos Islands and will occasionally cross the equator while feeding. The largest species is the Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri): adults average about 1.1 meters (3 ft 7 in) tall and weigh 35 kilograms (75 lb) or more. The smallest penguin species is the Little Blue Penguin (also known as the Fairy Penguin), which stands around 40 cm tall (16 in) and weighs 1 kilogram (2.2 lb). Generally larger penguins retain heat better, and thus inhabit colder regions, while smaller penguins are found in temperate or even tropical climates. The rarest type of penguin is the yellow-eyed penguin (megadyptes antipodes) and is probably the most ancient of all living penguins. adults average about 65cm tall and the adults average weight is 5-6 kilograms Most penguins feed on krill, fish, squid, and other forms of sealife caught while swimming underwater. They spend half of their life on land and half in the oceans. Due to the gender ratio, penguins are one of the few species on the planet whose females fight over single males during mating season, due to the comparatively low number of male penguins. One of the most baffling forms of behavior of the penguin comes when a mother loses her chick, either due to its being unable to endure its first storm, or due to other reasons such as predators. When a mother loses its chick, they have been known to actually attempt to steal another mother's living chick- presumably in order to deal with the grief of the loss. This behavior has amazed scientists, as it is an emotional outburst opposed to an instinctual behavior; something many animals do not exhibit when losing their young. Many have used this as prime evidence for decades that many animals have near human-like emotions and feelings, often for the sake of animal rights. Interestingly, the other females in the penguin groups dislike this behavior and will help the defending mother keep her chick. Another fact about penguins is that they are one of the few species of birds that seem to have no fear of people. In fact, they have been known to approach groups of explorers without the slightest hesitation. Isn't that neat..... I'll be sure to give you more Peguin news the next time I write. Big hug hello to you both. Diane....