As the Amsterdam approaches the Antarctic Peninsula, we have been inundated with reading material dealing with any aspects of our visit there. Most useful was a map of the specific islands we will be scenic touring. We also brought the extensive map we received while on the Prinsendam's Antarctic sailing in 2010. It is much more detailed, along with the wildlife photos we will need to ID the birds. A detailed guideline for visitors to the Antarctic was informative, but the majority of it was aimed at folks that would be going ashore. We will not be doing that.
Two flyers did apply to all of us. One was a reminder to understand reducing waste…specifically disposable items we may have brought with us. The biggest culprit here is plastic. We were not aware that cigarette butts, chewing gum, eye contact lenses, paper cups, tea bags, and wet wipes all contain some form of plastic. We have been requested to keep these out of nature. The bottom line is reduce, reuse, and recycle. We certainly hear enough about this while at home too.
Now something we have seen on previous visits here are seabirds that land on ships. Many times birds have landed on the outside decks, drawn by the ship's lights at night. They will hide behind deck chairs or in the corners. And many times, we have seen people attempt to return them to the sea, even if they were injured. Now we are obliged to report these birds, and the assigned crew member will deal with it.
Finally, today we got another notice not to litter on deck or into the sea. Yes, we have seen this happen daily, most times by accident, but sometimes on purpose. We are asked to secure our belongings so they do not blow away with a sudden wind. Baseball caps are the number one items that sail overboard. Keeping noise at a minimum was a request. Turn off the cell phone, keep your voice down, and watch those camera sounds. Really? And outdoor smoking is permitted only on the Lido deck starboard and under the overhang. No problem for us, as we do not smoke.
At his PM talk, Captain Jonathon mentioned that we were 200 miles south of Elephant Island, and heading towards King George Island with 230 nautical miles to go. We expect to make landfall, or the sighting of land, by 4am. Although the winds have slowed to 14 knots, the seas were described as "confused", with three distinct swells, some measuring up to 13 feet. The temperatures remained around 45 degrees, thanks to the sun shining.
Today was a good one for bird-spotting, mostly from the back of deck three. Bundled up and protected from the winds, we watched for the sightings of the seabirds that are commonly seen in this part of the Drake Passage. The wandering albatross with an 11 foot wingspan was still with us. Joining him were two types of smaller albatross, the black-browed and the light-mantled one, both with wingspans from 84 to 88 inches. Some smaller ones were also in the mix, and by blowing up the photos, we identified the southern giant petrel with a 77 inch wingspan, some white-chinned petrels with 33 inch spans, and several pintado petrels with 33 inch wingspans.
The biggest surprise was seeing dozens of sei whales, which are a bit larger than the humpbacks, weighing in at 45 tons. Most of them were quite a distance away, but occasionally, a few blew their spouts closer to the ship. After 5pm, Captain Jonathon announced the sighting for all to see. Hoping to get some better photos, we had gone and gotten the good camera and sure glad we did. Not sure we had really seen these whales breach the surface, it wasn't until the photos were enlarged that we saw some skimming the surface.
Tonight's dinner was a most creative one, beginning with a very different type of menu. Titled, The Heroic Age of Exploration Commemorative Dinner, one side of the large menu had photos and explanations of the early Antarctic explorers of the 19th and 20th centuries. The choices for dinner were created with elements that were available to the people at that time. Of course, the food items used here were of the utmost best quality, but made to imitate what meals would have been like back then. One of the first meals served was a Belgium pea soup with dried peas, bacon slab, ham hocks, sausage, beef broth and vegetables. It is one of our most favorite of soups, as it sticks to the ribs, so to speak. A pineapple and orange salad sprinkled with coconut, probably did not include lettuce back then, but it made a pleasant appetizer salad. We chose the Norwegian cod dish with mushy peas, fingerling potatoes, and bacon bits. Woody's slices of maple glazed ham sure looked good as well. Dessert was one pavlova with mango and kiwi, while the Angels on Gliders, a chocolate square with rum-soaked raisins was a second choice.
Tomorrow should be very exciting with our first scenic cruising beginning early in the morning. The predicted temperature is 34 degrees, so the arctic jackets with come in handy.
Bill & Mary Ann
