Blogs from Antarctica - page 17

DALLMANN BAY, CUVERVILLE ISLAND AND PARADISE CHANNEL Sunday, January 20. Well we’re here! The morning was foggy but the sun broke through and the fog lifted about 1:00 pm. I spent the morning in a cooking class and then went to an early lunch in preparation for my old world/new world wine tasting. When the fog broke the glory of the Antarctic was all around me. We entered Dallmann Bay and everyone observed the beauty of the continent. I saw humpback whales, seals, various birds and penguins, penguins, penguins, penguins. Most of the day was spent just taking in the magnificent environment. Even the wine tasting program was held in the dining room so we had vision to see the “landscape” as we passed it. The commentators pointed out the various species and features of the ... read more

I can hardly imagine what those early sailors in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries must have felt when the lookout yelled “Land Ho!” from the crow’s nest following an Atlantic crossing to the New World, but our journey to the bottom of the world certainly made us feel like we were being transported to a whole new world. Our arrival was initially marked by our crossing the Antarctica Convergence, where the ocean surrounding Antarctica is a completely different ecosystem from that in the ocean north of the convergence. The convergence itself is a band of ocean about twenty miles wide. In the convergence the temperature fluctuates lower; until, finally the ocean temperature stabilizes at about 4.5 degrees Celsius (or 41 degrees Fahrenheit). They say that the ocean color is distinctly different; indeed, it appears darker and ... read more

The next stop was Neko Harbour, our first continental landing! The landing was delayed due to many icebergs beaching themselves near the shore and blocking access for the Zodiacs. Though a suitable spot was found, we had to jump out into waist high water. My waterproof pants came in very handy. Our walking route took us through some more Gentoo penguin colonies and up to a great lookout across the bay and over a massive glacier. We were lucky enough to see a couple of decent sized ice calvings off the face of the glacier. The noise produced was very cool. On the way back down to the beach we were given two options – walk or slide. Obviously I chose the slide. No OH&S babysitting here. It was quite steep and I got some speed ... read more

We are awakened about 8 am by the captain's announcement that we have entered Neumayer Channel between Anvers Island and Wienke Island. (In the night, the ship has sailed past Brabant Island, if anyone is following on a map.) Vi and I scramble to get dressed and get outside to enjoy the scenery. It is stunning. We are bracketed by sheer black-and-white cliffs on both sides of the ship as we glide silently forward on tranquil waters. It's like being in church. We spot several groups of penguins on floating ice floes and the occasional seal lounging on the ice at the base of the cliffs. Our avian escorts are now mostly shags and skuas, the latter large vicious-looking birds that mostly prey on penguins. The fog is moving in quite thickly, blotting out the shore, ... read more

Another completed season. Met new friends, and got the chance to work again with friends from previous years. Arrived in August 2011 and departed 1 March 2012. If anyone has any questions, I can be reached at k1frei@yahoo.com.... read more