Let the Animal Sightings Begin!

On our third day, we did biosecurity and got prepared to leave the ship.  Biosecurity included inspecting and vacuuming and inspecting our gear to make sure we don't bring in any invasive species, whether seed, larvae, germ, or any other way.  The avian flu is devastating some northern bird populations, and yes, humans are not the likely vector for spread, but I'm good for not taking any chances, even if that means I can't allow the penguins to touch me!  We also went to the mud room, scope out our lockers, and got fitted for the boots and zodiac life jackets we will be wearing.  Kayakers had a briefing, and I had a nap.

At lunch, a humpback whale put on a breaching show, but I couldn't get a good angle for a picture, so apparently, it didn't happen!

Afternoon lectures were on penguins of the Antarctic (primarily Gentoo, Adelie, and Chinstrap, plus the penguin that shall not be mentioned because it lives so far in the interior that it is rarely ever seen) and some historical, geographical, and meteorological aspects about the Drake Passage, and the circumnavigation current.  The Drake Passage is named after Sir Frances Drake.  Why is pretty well disputed.  He got blown off course and found that you could go around the island now known as Tierra del Fuego, bypassing the English tax lords who guarded the Strait of Magellan that separates the island from the mainland.  Neill and Gaby explained that the Drake is so stormy and rough because of a number of things.  First, it's a relatively small area that pushes through a significant amount of water.  And, as we all can see with rivers and streams, when a body of water is narrowed, the water speeds up through the narrow portion.  The Drake is the narrow portion.  It is also the meeting point of all of the worlds southern oceans.  Further, there is a semi-permanent low pressure area that sits at the latitude of the Drake Passage.  It was all very interesting.  Staff estimated that our Drake Passage was about average, but that it felt lake-like because of the ship's stabilizers.  If that was the feel of the Drake Lake, I would hate to feel the shake!

After a tumultuous night that saw some pretty serious waves, we got past the barrier islands, through the storm, and started some smooth cruising.  About 5:30 or 6:00, I cracked an eye and saw the most amazing landscape!  Pictures just do not do it justice!  Even professional pictures that I have seen made by professional photographers.  I tried to open my balcony door, but it appeared to be stuck and I couldn't budge it.  So I took a couple of shots through the window and started getting dressed so I could go out to the deck again until Dede's shift started and I could ask him to open my balcony for me.  Before I could get dressed, a chunk of ice started floating by my window, and it appeared to have a seal on it!  So, crappy picture through the window, my first wildlife sighting that was not a bird!  I have my underwear on and my tights up to my knees, and here comes another one!  So, I do that “pants-at-your-knees” waddle to the window and get a picture of that one.

Before I could get completely dressed, here comes another seal!

I finally managed to get fully clothed and went out on the back deck, where there are a couple of more people.  After watching and doing some bird pictures, we found a group of chinstrap penguins swimming through the water, doing their little dolphin-type maneuvers, called porpoising!  FIRST PENGUINS WERE CHINSTRAPS!!  Ohhhh, I was soooo hoping those shots came out okay!

When things started calming down, I decided to go in, maybe to get some breakfast, maybe to see what the inside early birds were doing, but mostly to get a breakfast drink.  Once I got inside the hallway, I flagged down somebody who looked like they may have been on the staff or crew, and he opened my balcony door for me.  My options for drinks without ordering from the bar are pretty much any type of coffee or hot chocolate you could possibly want, including espresso, lattes, etc; a huge variety of teas, including my current favorite Lady Gray and some fruity herbal mixes; or a mediocre orange juice.  So, I grabbed a couple of watermelon wedges and a cup of hot chocolate and started talking with the staff and early risers downstairs.  I tried to describe the seals I saw and, as usual, did a pretty poor job of it.  Fortunately, I carry my camera everywhere, and I showed them the pictures.  Turns out, both seals were male fur seals, one wet and in a molt and the other in his normal plumage (looking amazingly like a California Sea Lion, but not being one).

FIRST HOURS ACROSS THE DRAKE PASSAGE, AND I'VE ALREADY SEEN TWO FUR SEALS AND A GROUP OF CHINSTRAP PENGUINS!!  I HOPE THIS IS A GOOD OMEN FOR THE TRIP!

Then, I decided to go across to the dining room.  I really was kind of wanting runny eggs and potatoes, which I got.  While eating breakfast, there was a pod of whales off in the distance.  They were just breaching enough that you could see their backs and the characteristic dorsal fin of a humpback whale, but there appeared to be at least three of them.  I didn't get pictures because they were so far away, but they were there.  I don't have pictures, but I do have witnesses.

After breakfast, we dropped anchor in Foyn Harbor in Wilhemina Bay by Enterprise Island. My group was in the second shift for the zodiacs, and Sanne was giving a lecture on humpback whales to the group that was on board.  Lectures can be live-streamed to your cabin, so I had already decided to charge batteries and get ready for the landing.  The morning announcements included that the ship now has a confirmed positive COVID case.  So, another good reason to live stream the lecture instead of actually attending.

Finally, my group was called for the zodiac cruise!  We cruised around the harbor, looking at all the beautiful, mystical scenery.  There was an old shipwreck and so many icebergs!  The water was so clear, you could see the submerged parts of the shipwreck as we cruised over it.  Our driver, Ab, took us close enough that I was able to get a handful of snow off the iceberg and taste it.  So clean!  Just pure snow!  One of the people on the zodiac even tasted some of the sea ice.  I'm doing really well physically, but I'm not able to bend enough to reach into the water over the pontoons of the zodiacs without falling in, so I did not.

After everybody got back on board from their zodiac tours, the ship started moving again.  The plan was to move from Wilhelmina Bay/Foyn Harbor to Portal Point in Charlotte Bay.  At that point, we would do a land hike, stepping foot on the Antarctic Peninsula for the first time.  

Well, I have some things I need to do in town.  Hopefully, I'll have the energy to tell you about the afternoon of November 4 this evening!  It was an amazing afternoon, though, and will take lots of time!