Antarctic Peninsula 2

Day 31 5 February

Antarctic Peninsula 2

The night was rather busy what with the light remaining outside and the occasional need to roll over in bed to look out the windows at passing ice bergs, at least until snow, rain and fog shut off visibility. At 0430 an alarm went off as the ship experienced a power outage of an apparently minor nature. ½ hour later the blowers came back on. What with the ice, limited visibility and a short power outage, we lost about an hour of time on our busy schedule.

The morning was foggy as we continued NE between the South Shetlands and the mainland. We ran in the fog all morning and could not see anything. The major event of the morning was the announcement that our itinerary had changed due to the lost day awaiting a repair back in Ushuaia. We will not have a third day in Antarctica but will depart these waters tonight. The talk around the water cask (butt, or scuttlebutt) will have to find a new subject. Okay....noon report:

Total miles 7,997 nm. Depth 290m. Sea temp 34°F. Air temp 43°F. Humidity 71%. Wind W. Lunch: India Curry. Also at this time the voice from the bridge (the Captain's voice which dispels the scuttlebutt he had been kidnapped by two other captains on-board or by deranged graduate students from the research facility) ...reported growlers and bergs ahead . Due to the fog we can't see them , but don't worry, radar can. (Unless there is heavy snow, rain and chop. ) 

We headed for the Antarctic Sound, toward the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula pointing toward South America. I can't say the North end of the continent since every coast is on the North side. Once rounding the tip of the peninsula, we will head into the Weddell Sea which is famous for sending forth huge icebergs and for claiming Shackleton's ship Endurance in 1915 which was crushed by ice and sank. Great. The weather gods went off with the Mah Jongg players and left the rest of us with clearing sky and a tall wind. The voices from new passengers off Palmer Station began calling today's treasure hunt and the active ones began dashing from cabins to seize the best vantage points possible. We dashed up to the Crows Nest for a warn enclosed view of the mountains, water and icebergs ahead. Of course, the best events happen alongside so another dash to get warm clothing then to the upper deck, outside into a gale of icy wind.

We passed a huge berg twice the length of our ship then turned for the windward shore and Hope Bay. Here is Esperanza Station (Argentina), a community of about 100 people. (63° 23'S, 57° 00'W) Complete with cemetery, chapel, bungalows for families, a school for children, two labs and an Argentine military detachment. Right next door is a colony of Adélie penguins with a population of about 100,000 couples. (They count penguins by couples.) The water was teeming with the penguins providing great sport in spotting the little torpedoes as they shot out of the water and dove again, porpoising about in great numbers.

Hope Bay and Esperanza Station

Penguin Colony at Esperanza

Esperanza station

Esperanza Station

 Heading out we passed between two huge flat-topped bergs and headed for Elephant Island. Mah Jongg was over and the fog returned. For the rest of the evening we could not see anything so Elephant island was passed unnoticed as was anything else fixed or floating as we took course for the Malvinas/Falklands.

View from our cabin..iceberg out there

(again from Antarctic Experience book)