I heart Antarctica

LOCATION: 64 degrees in latitude, 61 degrees in longitude. Cruising at 4.6 knots.

TODAY IS VALENTINE’S DAY - at least it is in Antarctica - and I give my heart to the ice and its life.


It’s past 10pm and I’ve come in for a breather from the dancing on deck that kicked up among high spirits at the near-end of the most wonderful day.
We are anchored in Cierva Bay and are full of barbequed prawn, steak and corn on the cob. Warmed with mulled wine, laughter, and great conversation. There was scotch on the rocks made with chunks of glacial ice that have hundreds of thousands of years on the liquor.


In the lull of anchorage, Russian pop, salsa and ‘70s disco hits drift from the deck and pan out over the water. The music mixes with the steam from hot plates and the penguins have split for the night.



We came back to this barbeque (manned by our Malaysian chefs) after an afternoon’s cruise around the Bay. In zodiacs, we manoeuvred through growlers and bergy-bits, getting up close to their sides and gorgeous glacier blue water melting at the edges.
Humpback whales kept just ahead of the boats, swimming at a stately pace and offering an occasional flipper for the camera. Gentoo penguins popped across the water’s surface and we visited a lone leopard seal luxuriating on a flat floe. Dan manned our zodiac, pointing out geological aspects and taking us just that little bit closer to ‘bergs.




I’d been waiting for a quiet moment like this to drop the aqua-phone over the edge and hopefully have captured some underwater seal-sounds.
If not, the recordings of the brash ice grinding against the sides of the boat are fine enough a sonic souvenir.

This morning we pulled into the curves of Trinity Island in brilliant sunshine. For the record, I wore sandals – sockless – all morning and worked the camera in bare hands. For most of the morning the Professor cruised on one engine, cutting the other as it drew close to Trinity’s shores.


On the island we were welcomed by gentoo penguins, fur seals, and a patch of Weddell seals around the corner from the wreck of a small sailing boat and a graveyard of whale vertebrae and ribs bleached over the years.
Barry found an interesting (dead) crustacean that Dan later said was an isopod in exceptionally good shape. Lying along the length of hand, the critter’s legs waved a little menacingly in the slight breeze and Barry had to double-check its dead-ness.


Tomorrow morning we have an especially early start at 6am to take in the Errera Channel. I’m not certain as to its significance, although can guess at its beauty and will be sure to tell you all about it.

Until then,
Stephanie

PS: You will be please to hear that there is plenty of photographic evidence of our classic, and innovative, dancing.