Philippa, Passenger
18 February
Facts:
Today’s weather started as damp snow which cleared during the day.
The wind was against us so ‘up anchor’ and moved the Hans Hansson closer to our landing spot before starting the day.
Morning landing at Damoy Point. The hut was established as a transit point by the British Antarctic Survey in the 1970s until the mid 1990s. The other building at Damoy Point is an Argentinian refuge hut -complete with the national flag painted on the side of the hut – much to the delight of our Argentinian shipmates.
We explored the hut and then hiked up the hill to the Gentoo colonies. One pair still had chicks which was a bonus for us so late in the season. An adolescent was stealing rocks for a nest – wrong time of year, but good to capture the behaviour.
There was an opportunity to carry out some ‘citizen science’ as there was snow algae near the gentoo colony. And as an added bonus we had glimpses of Mount Franois.
After returning to the Hans Hansson; Becky, our guest lecturer/ hostess, gave a very informative lecture on cetaceans (whales, dolfins and porpoises). No more farmed salmon for any of us!
An epic visit to Paradise Bay in the afternoon: Brown Base, Crabeater Seal, Antarctic Shags, Shearwater, calving glacier complete with a ‘tsunami wave’, and ice bergs and cliffs completely surrounding us.
All in all, a full-on day immersed in the Antarctic landscape.
Thoughts:
The Antarctic is a magical, other worldly place. The palate of blue, grey and white creates a myriad of visual opportunities. With ever changing weather and epic vistas, the continent is a feast for the eyes at every turn.
While in the ice flows of Paradise Bay we rafted up the two zodiacs and had a minute of total silence to absorb the atmosphere that is the Antarctic. Creaks, pops, drips, gentle wash – the sounds of the peninsular.
Report by Philippa Campbell
