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Published: April 16th 2024
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This morning, our first excursion of the day was a zodiac ride around the ice crusted bay near Berthelot Island. The swells were pretty good, but the waves and wind were minimal, so it was actually a very nice morning. Which was good since I was a wee bit hungover - L had to zip me up into my parka because I just.... couldn't. Even the second group of kayakers got to explore the area. However, we were unable to make a landing, which is why we just got to enjoy the zodiac. We were among the first set of the main group to go and set off fairly early. We had two guides with us and one was learning how to drive the zodiac. And she had a bit of learning experience ahead of her as there were so many small ice floes floating closely together. You had to go over ice frequently and sometimes they had to pause to push ice away from the propeller.
It was a pretty calm excursion and we mostly just enjoyed the beauty of the ice-covered bay, seeing the different hues of the ice. The vivid blue colors indicate the oldest ice, which
was broken from the base of the glaciers. There were some ice chunks that were so clear they looked black because of the water below. We did see a humpback whale a little ahead of us just chilling in an clear section of water. We also saw quite a few swimming penguins that seemed to circle us a bit. Otherwise, it was just peaceful.
We got back on the boat and were able to enjoy a decent lunch. Then we started to just enjoy the view from the stateroom as we moved along. We were supposed to make our next stop at Yalour Island or, if conditions were bad, Petermann Island, but the weather conditions did not allow for either. Instead, they decided to attempt to cut through Lamaire Channel, which is often covered in ice. However, this was amazing and we made it through!
We joined many people up on the Dome Observation Lounge to watch our way through, often standing outside to get a close-up view. We saw whales swimming and turning, penguins swimming and the deep blue of the old glacial ice. Just incredible. We saw another ship in the distance, but went a different
direction. We slowly made our way up the channel past the many small ice floes. Soon, the channel was fairly clear of ice and we were able to enjoy the views of the steep slopes to either side of us. It was interesting to see the glaciers approaching the water and some areas of potential failures.
Afterwards, we had a presentation int he auditorium where when of the expedition crew gave a surprisingly interesting overview of ice - glaciers vs "bergy bits" for instance. Then we went to dinner where I had a croquetta and porkloin. I also ordered some orange blossom dessert which turned out to actually be a flavorful creme brulee and was just delicious! We even got to see a rare sunset here; typically it was cloudy for us. The sunsets were interesting and very long though not overly impressive so far. Then we retired to the room to watch a movie - Bad Times at the El Royale.
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Eureka Clark
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Antarctica
Wow, Antarctica must be absolutely breathtaking! Day 6 sounds like it was an incredible adventure, exploring Berthelot Island and the Lamaire Channel. The pristine beauty of these remote locations must be awe-inspiring. Thank you for sharing your journey with us. Looking forward to reading more about your Antarctic expedition!