Antarctica - Dec 11th

Antarctica – Monday, December 11th

It’s interesting how quickly things can change.  The captain of this vessel has been monitoring the weather.  The day we were to have made the trip across the Drake Passage looks to be a challenge at best.  The forecast calls for swells in excess of eight meters (roughly 30 feet).  To make it even more fun the winds are forecasted to be upwards of seventy knots (85 to 90 mph).  This would not be fun for anyone on board and could also be quite dangerous.  With that in mind the decision was made to skip the transit through the Antarctic Sound and spend today in Yankee Harbor where we will be afforded the opportunity for two landings, one of which will be on Half Moon Island, which was already on the schedule.  As luck would have it Half Moon Island is located in Yankee Harbor.

After the decision was made to alter course we sailed by Deception Island, which is a volcanic caldera.  The volcano under the island is apparently still active.  The last eruption was in the late 1960’s.  There have been a number of research centers located within the caldera itself.  Surprisingly we actually saw green on the outer surface of the caldera.  Because of the volcanic activity the rocks in one are are warm enough for lichens to grow.  It was odd to see the green color since we had not seen anything green since leaving Argentina.

We were given the opportunity to see some more Gentoo penguins during our zodiac landing this morning.  We also go to see some Elephant Seals.  None of them were old enough to have grown the large proboscis that is common amongst the older males.  Even though they were considered adolescents they were still quite a bit larger than any of the other seals we have seen.  We were told that a fully grown adult elephant seal can weigh upwards of 8800 pounds.  They also did not seem be troubled by laying on rocks or even on each other.

We did meet two new Gentoo Penguins.  We named them John and Donna.

In the afternoon we made a landing on Half Moon Island.  There is another unused Argentine research station on the island.  More importantly there were many Chinstrap Penguins using the island as a nesting ground or rookery.  There were many making their way up and down the rocky island.  They seemed to have less trouble navigating on the rocks than navigating on the snow.  They would hop, waddle, or even run across the rocks.  

The sun was out in the morning and it looked as though it was going to be a very nice day.  Then around ten o’clock in the morning it turned cloudy and overcast.  It began to rain lightly.  By about two o’clock in the afternoon the weather had turned.  It began to rain.  Then it began to snow.  Then it began to rain and snow at the same time.  We had made it back to the ship and the wind began to blow at around thirty knots, or about thirty-five miles per hour.

So naturally we had another excursion scheduled for later in the day, another ride on the Special Operations Boat.  When we made our reservation the day before there was only one slot left.  I naturally told Gigi that she deserved to take last available seat.  Yesterday she agreed.  However, when the weather changed she ‘kindly’ told me I could go in her place.  The wind was blowing.  The rain wouldn’t stop.  There were two to three foot swells in the harbor.  It was a WILD ride.  Everyone on board got very, very wet.  But it was still great fun.  We had the last ride of the day and the last ride of the cruise.  To celebrate the ship provided some hot apple cider.  You could have it with or without rum.  I chose without.  It was very good and warmed the hands and body.

This evening we are making our way toward the Drake Passage.  The captain announced that we should only see about three meter swells or so (ten to twelve feet) on our way across the passage.  We will enter the passage around midnight.  It will take over a day to make the transit.  Should be fun.

Tomorrow will be another adventure.