Ocean Tramp – heading north

Blog 14th Dec.

We woke this morning to our first grey skies and snow and a high tide allowing us to easily peer down into the old wrecked whaling ship. After all of the incredible wildlife that we have seen on this trip, I am sure that we are all glad that there is no more whaling in Antarctica. The Antarctic terns were still noisy and still annoyed by our presence, hard to blame them since they are busily nesting.
We set off north into a stiff wind, choppy seas, and rather sloppy snow that wet the deck, our clothes, and our faces, driving a deep chill into our bones. This might sound unpleasant, but it was in fact amazing. A deep quiet set over our boat allowing us time to reflect and appreciate the awesome and fierce beauty we have been travelling through. The tabular ice (large flat blocks of floating calved glaciers) was spectacular and the bergy bits (small pieces of ice) and the growlers (dense clear sea ice) challenged us and kept us alert.
Two very large and impressive humpback whales appeared off the stern of the boat, about 100 m, and graciously showed their tails again and again. We have seen many whales but each and every time is so beautiful and exciting.
We’ve anchored for the evening at Trinity Island, a cozy cove out of the wind and the snow, looking forward to a warm dinner and a deep sleep.