Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Aaaaahhhhh, had a good sleep after finishing watch at
midnight. It was cold and cloudy with
little snow flurries. The watch after us
had snow that stuck!
 |
| Maggie and a snow ball!! |
After breakfast we had watch again from 8am until noon. The rest of our team is feeling better, so
they joined back in the rotation. So
glad they are feeling ok now! We have
lots of adventures coming up! We are
expecting to arrive in Antarctica this evening.
We are about a day behind. The
delay in leaving Punta Arenas (2am instead of 5pm the evening before) and the
delays in Puerto Williams (due to the passport issues) and the lack of wind for
sailing has all added up. But we will
get there soon!
 |
| The dots are penguins on the giant iceberg! |
We saw more birds and some penguins swimming and then…. The
first glaciers! GORGEOUS!!!
The captain took the boat around the glacier so we could see
the entire structure. There were even
penguins on it! The colors of blue were
magnificent.
 |
| We help peel and chop lots of potatoes! |
We motored through the passage (helped peel/chop potatoes
for dinner) and anchored in the South Shetland Islands! After dinner (that included fish, and I ate
it and it was really good!!) we got to take the zodiacs to the island! Our first excursion in Antarctica!
 |
| Cape Petrals |
We saw Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins, a Snowy Sheathbill (trying to steal eggs), elephant seals, and Skuas. There are no words (or photos!) that can describe how fantastic it was being in this wild and incredible part of the world. Just have to look at the photos… and those of us that have been here, the memories. Magnificent!!! The ground is a little muddy… mostly penguin guano. Peeuw! The photos can’t capture that!!
 |
| Chin Strap Penguin |
 |
| Gentoo Penguin |
The sun does not completely set here, there are a few hours
of twilight, otherwise, totally light.
We went ashore about 8pm and had to be off land by 10pm. Incredibly bright!
 |
| A skua checking for unprotected eggs... |
 |
| Keeping the egg safe and warm. |
Antarctica is not owned by any country. One of the groups that helps to keep it as
pristine as possible is the IAATO: International Antarctica Association of Tour
Operators. They set rules and boundaries
for tourists and tour operators and researchers as well. Protects the environment and the flora and
fauna. Before getting into a zodiac, all
boots have to be dipped into a cleaning solution. When we returned, all boots had to be
scrubbed, the treads were full of pebbles and guano. Then into disinfectant solution again and hung
on the rails to dry. The passageways in
the boat were strung with damp clothing.
Hoping all would dry by the next day!
What an incredible day!!!
Stacy, Vet at Sea
No comments:
Post a Comment