13 February, 2023
What a magical day our second full day has been! We woke to a surreal, foggy icescape in Foyn Harbour with Ocean Tramp dimly visible moored to the wreck of an old whaling ship. It was chilly on deck but we were warmed wonderfully with Naomi’s pancakes, warm berries, yoghurt and dulce de leche. It was straight into the zodiacs when we were taken for a tour right by Enterprise Island. The first highlight was climbing a hill behind the remains of three water boats (used to cart water to waiting boilers on the whaling ships) for incredible views of the harbour below. As thrilling as the views, was the slide back down the hill over the snow. We were all grinning ear to ear by the time we reached the bottom. From there, we were taken past many wind-sculpted icebergs for another landing and short walk around a small island. We saw Weddell Seals, Giant Petrels, Gentoo Penguins and countless cormorants. The wind was so calm, we were enchanted by the reflections of the ice walls and bergs in the mirror-smooth water. By the time we returned from the long zodiac tour, it was time for a sumptuous lunch of cauliflower and wasabi soup, ham, cheese and fresh-baked bread.
While we were eating and resting, we motored into Wilhelmina Bay. Our captain, Jared, calmly informed us that we were welcome on the upper deck to view the whales. Boy, were we in for a treat! For at least and hour, we watched a pod of three Humpback Whales bubble net fishing. Something I’d only seen on a David Attenborough documentary, this extraordinary behaviour consists of the whales swimming around a school of krill or fish and releasing bubbles to force the prey into the centre of the net. Then they swim through the concentrated food with their mouths open and gulp down an enormous mouthful. Over and over, we watched them execute this complex manoeuvre and were treated to close views of spouts, spy-hops, arched backs and iconic whale tails. The whales seemed completely nonplussed by our presence. Eventually we moved on and motored to Portal Point for our first continental landing.
It was a thrill to step foot on the most remote, coldest, driest and least populated continent. For some of us this was the final of seven continents visited and we duly recorded the moment with selfies and portraits in front of Charlotte Bay. Another short climb up a hill gave us panoramic views of the bay with multiple icebergs, a cruise ship, Ocean Tramp and Hans Hansson set against a backdrop of glaciers and snow-capped mountains. To top off this experience for us subtropical Queenslanders, it started to snow. Light, fluffy little flakes, not wet, slushy flakes. Of course, we couldn’t resist throwing snowballs, lying in the soft snow and channelling our inner kid!
By the time we got back to the Hans Hansson, Naomi had managed yet another triumph with rice and lime, chicken ragu and sautéed peppers. Dessert was delayed by yet another generous exhibition of bubble net fishing by a pod of five Humpbacks. This is apparently not often seen, so we felt doubly blessed. When we returned to the saloon, we were treated to a dulce de leche pie with whipped cream and edible glitter. What a way to end a remarkable day in this remarkable place.
From Andrew Teakle
Images by Bernadette Vincent
