Before 7am, Captain Rens came on the speakers announcing that we were going to Paradise Harbor or Bay, which was a nice surprise. We would come close to Brown Station, an Argentinian base that has been near abandoned except for some summer workers. In 1984, the story has it that the doctor at the base did not want to face a long dark winter with his comrades and decided to burn the base down. Knowing that they would be rescued, the staff was evacuated to the Palmer Station, a USA base, then onto Argentina. Iain came on with some commentary, and we did see a whale, but it was almost a mile away. One thing for certain – it was darned cold with the temperature at 28 degrees F. There were broken clouds, but no snow flurries today.
We were also very close to Gonzalez Videla Station, belonging to Chile, as well as Waterboat Point. Honestly unless I see the photos, I cannot say we actually saw this facility.
It was time for breakfast at 8am, even though today was Sunday Brunch once again. Our waitress Jo-an said some of the crew threw snowballs at each other on the outside decks yesterday. By 9am, we were in the narrows of Paradise Bay where we saw numerous gentoo penguins and a few Weddel seals. Many of the sights were on the starboard side of the ship today. We were told to watch out for humpback, killer, and minke whales, kelp gulls, skuas, and snowy sheathbills. About the same time, Captain Rens came on and said he was going to do "donut burning" which we assumed meant he was going to do circles around the extra-large icebergs.
By 10am, we were surprised again to find out we were headed for Neumayer Channel, although it had been having ice problems, it appeared to be clear today. And speaking of ice, here's a snippet about sea ice. Saltwater freezes at 28 degrees F. A slush-like "grease" ice forms on the surface of the sea, where it becomes pancake ice. Eventually this turns to pack ice. This will attach to land and become fast ice. Sheets and sheets of it. The penguins and seals like this shelf of ice since it creates a good resting spot and a place to escape predators.
We waited for the Captain to come on with his noon update, but we heard from Iain again. He said we were heading for Port Lockroy, which was an hour away. We would reach it after navigating through ice from glaciers, which got rather thick and heavy at times. It appeared they were using the side thrusters to move the ice slowly away from the hull. By 1:30pm, we were promised to see up to the 2000 breeding pairs of gentoo penguins that thrive here. Did we see that many? Not exactly, but we did spot a few.
This was a good day for a room service lunch of sliders and fruit. We remembered from past trips here, that every window seat would be occupied in the Lido. We did see Port Lockroy which now has a post office, museum, and a small gift shop. Expedition ships will send their zodiacs here for the tourists to buy stuff and mail postcards. The building was very far away, and unless you had better binoculars or a good camera, it was too far away.
By 3:30pm, the Captain said we were in for a surprise visit to Lemaire Channel. It is 7 miles long with stunning with near vertical peaks. When we got closer, that plan was scrapped due to way too much ice blocking our way. The currents can draw large icebergs into the narrow channel and block the way. So much for that. The first time we were here in 2005 on the Prinsendam, we witnessed spectacular peaks over 3200 feet in elevation. The depth of this channel is over 400 feet deep and if you can tolerate the icy temperatures (we did back then), we probably spotted leopard and crabeater seals. And here's the frosting on the cake…. a humpback whale came alongside the ship while we were stopped taking in the view. It was directly below our veranda room, and stayed there for a long time. Captain Gunderson remarked that the whale thought the ship was its new friend. For first time visitors to this remote part of the world at the time, we sure enjoyed Captain Halle Thon Gunderson's commentary on the sights. We came to listen for his familiar greeting of "Hello, it's just me again".
There was one more chance to see Palmer Station the USA base built in 1965. On a couple of past trips here, a group of scientists came to the ship and spent a few hours onboard with talks about their life here. Then they had the chance to eat plenty of good food and huge bowls of ice cream we were told. We were due to arrive at the station by 5:30pm, and on the way we saw many whales and penguins. There were hundreds of Adelie penguins in a colony on some of the rocky spits near the shoreline. They were being monitored with solar-powered cameras. At the Palmer Station, we did get close enough to see a few fellows walking in front of the buildings, and two more enjoying the comforts of a hot tub, of all things. One of them was a lady. The ship was turned so all could see the station, then we were off sailing into the setting sun. The further away we got, the rougher the swells were. No doubt, it will get worse the next couple of days as we sail north towards Argentina once again through the Drake Passage.
The dining room dinner had another theme menu which we have not seen before. Truthfully, they just gave cute names to the same food we have been enjoying. One of us had the every day chicken "spaghetti" soup followed by a salad, and the other ordered Caesar salad and a seafood croquet. Mains were chicken piccata with mashed potatoes and veggies. It was good for a change. One of us had the Baked Alaska, a small version of what they used to serve on special occasions. Most of the dessert was meringue. So sweet….
The World Stage Cast was rocking and rolling (like the ship now) with Taking It Easy. We stopped and visited with Tom M and his assistant, catching up on news of people we know from many years of cruising. The waiters seemed to be in a hurry to close down their station, so we moved along when they began to close the drapes. Hint -hint?
We will have two days at sea, and really hope they are not too rough.
Bill & Mary Ann
