So I have to start with an apology for not posting last night. I had every intention of writing my blog post in the evening like every other day, but failed to take into account the effect that the Drake would have on my plans. Yesterday we said goodbye to continent and hello to the open water and may have forgotten that my seasickness patch takes about 4 hours to kick in. If you’ve ever been in an airplane that hits an air pocket and looses a little bit of altitude quickly, then you kind of know what the Drake feels like. Instead just imagine your stomach lurching over and over again. So basically the idea of looking at a computer screen made me green. I decided to go to bed and sleep until the medication kicked in. It was also incredibly nice to have my first full night sleep in quite some time.
Yesterday morning marked our final shore landing of the trip. It was definitely a bittersweet moment; great because we were getting to visit Port Lockroy, sad because this was it. Port Lockroy, originally established as a whaling station then converted into a base by the British during World War II, is now a civilian manned station, complete with a gift shop and post office. There are four people currently living there, 3 Brits and an American. Two of them came on board the ship this morning for a shower, hot breakfast and to give us an overview of the island. He also brought the good news that a number of eggs had hatched on the island so that we’d finally be able to get some good views of baby penguins.
The group was split in three, and our first stop was the rookery to see a mixture of blue eyed shags and penguins. There were also a number of whale bones along the shore that made for some great pictures. Moored in the same harbor was a sailboat and Eric told us that this was often times a starting point for some of the climbing that happened along the peninsula, or skiing that happened on the mountain on the other side of the harbor.
Yesterday morning marked our final shore landing of the trip. It was definitely a bittersweet moment; great because we were getting to visit Port Lockroy, sad because this was it. Port Lockroy, originally established as a whaling station then converted into a base by the British during World War II, is now a civilian manned station, complete with a gift shop and post office. There are four people currently living there, 3 Brits and an American. Two of them came on board the ship this morning for a shower, hot breakfast and to give us an overview of the island. He also brought the good news that a number of eggs had hatched on the island so that we’d finally be able to get some good views of baby penguins.
The group was split in three, and our first stop was the rookery to see a mixture of blue eyed shags and penguins. There were also a number of whale bones along the shore that made for some great pictures. Moored in the same harbor was a sailboat and Eric told us that this was often times a starting point for some of the climbing that happened along the peninsula, or skiing that happened on the mountain on the other side of the harbor.
Whale bones in the foreground, dive boat and sailboat in the background
After about 45 minutes we transferred to the other island that houses the post office and museum. The museum was fascinating as it was the site of much of the original ionospheric research, from which it was determined that there was a hole in the atmosphere. The gift shop in the adjoining part of the building seemed a little out of place in Antarctica (kind of like “Chez Monique’s on the West Coast Trail) but we all took the opportunity to buy official Antarctic souvenirs for families and friends. As soon as our gifts were purchased, it was a rush outside to spend a final few minutes hanging out with the penguins. The penguins on this island were likely more acclimatized to humans that most others which made for some great photo-ops if you were patient enough to sit until one happened to walk by you. I have become so used to seeing penguins everywhere I look that it seems so hard to believe that these would be the last that I would see (for now…)
Port Lockroy
The afternoon was spent cruising in the Gerlache Strait and Dallmann Bay. The line of mountains on either side of the straight made for a perfect backdrop to watch for whales. It seemed as though the humpback whales knew that we were leaving and came out in full force to give us one final show. For quite some time we watched them off the bow of the ship using a bubble netting technique to catch their prey, while dozens of orange jackets looked on, trying to get the perfect picture.
Humpack whales
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