Category: Antarctica
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Spent the last 2 days in bed thanks to a cold – good thing both days were in the Drake Passage. It was relatively calm with some nice slow rocking. I appreciated the TV in the cabin . I thought it was a stupid idea at first but since they livestream all the presentations I…
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My first rerun visit on the cruise was this morning at Deception Island. A narrow passage allows ships to enter the caldera of a sunken volcano – last time we just did a sail around in the caldera, today we got to land. It was formerly a seal & whaling station similar to Gritvyken on…
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Woke to a beautiful sunrise and about 100 humpback whales. They were very curious, swimming among the waiting zodiacs and up close to the ship. All the ship’s staff were out on deck and even the long time expedition staff were amazed. On our morning zodiac ride we we surrounded. The whales were sleeping after…
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Another day, another penguin colony…at Cuverville Island. The gentoo penguins are faring better than other species of penguins since they have a flexible diet of krill, crab and fish. They can adapt better as the food chain fluctuates. Niko says there is a third nesting area that has expanded since last season. Then a post-penguin…
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Started the day of off with a Movement and Mindfulness class then watched a leopard seal eat a penguin. It was a calm but overcast cruise to Peterman Island to commune with some Gentoo penguins when disaster struck for one young pengy. A leopard seal had the penguins head trapped in its monstrous jaws and…
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Beautiful fullish moon last night – was up around 2:30 as we retraced our steps thru The (narrow) Gulch. Stunning weather all day for flight-seeing and zodiac cruising. Very impressed with operations side of this company and after today, the trip seems like a bargain rather than an extravagance. They pulled into the iceberg littered…
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There was snow-globe snow falling when I went to bed last night. It was partially responsible for the jaw dropping view above that I saw when I first woke up this morning. We made our way south overnight thru The Gullet passage to Stonington island at 68 degrees south where the water was practically glassy…
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In the night the ship pressed on south and we are hovering just above the Antarctic Circle. Next steps will be announced with the wake up call. Last night they had Solo Travellers Night at dinner – got to meet a few new folks. Lots of Brits and Aussies on board. Have been hanging out…
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Yesterday was devoid of wildlife to my untrained eyes but after lunch today some petrels and albatrosses put in an appearance. Currently heading toward the west side the Antarctic peninsula that extends northward toward Cape Horn. The captain is taking advantage of another calm day today to press further south – tomorrow they are anticipating…
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Slept like a log last night but forgot to turn my alarm off this morning – got to see a sliver of sun before the fog set in. Today is day one of two for crossing The Drake Passage. Drake, as in Sir Francis the explorer, privateer & plunderer, not the rapper dude. Fun fact:…
66°33′ South 