Day 15- Port Lockroy & Almirante Brown

Day 15 - 18th Nov



Diary - still can`t accept that it is gone, despite spening a day ringing round the bus companies!






Today we entered into the Antarctic Peninsular. I got up really early to see the first glimpses. It was so exciting. After 2 weeks we are finally here.



Sara, in Antarctica, in her PJs.

The scenery has all been amazing and it just keeps getting better.

The sun rise, stuck behind the clouds but giving a beautiful start to the day.

I AM HERE!!!!! Getting deeper into the Antarctic

PORT LOCKROY
The Port Lockroy station is a British Antarctic Survey hut originally built in 1941 as part of thesecret British Operation Tabarin to monitor possible German warship activity in Antarcticaduring WWII. It was then used as a meteorological station until its small size made it hard toinstall state-of-the-art equipment. For many years the hut fell into neglect, then in the 1990s itwas restored to the way it looked in the 1950s.

This is the most-visited place on the Antarctic Peninsula and with that much human traffic, thepenguins offer an important study population for scientists interested in the effects of tourismon wildlife. Like everywhere else that studies the impact of tourism on penguins, the Lockroyresults show that there is either no impact on breeding, or breeding is better. The reasons arenot certain but it is likely that humans deter predators like skuas and gulls, and so reducepenguin mortality. This is not necessarily a good thing, since skuas have as much right toprosper as penguins. Such issues are part of determining good conservation practice everywhere, and are not unique to Antarctica.

The research station/museam/post office/good place to totally overcharge tourists and make a bit of money! Who cares, i bought a fleece and i love it. The island is divided in two and visitors can only visit one side of the island. This was to see how the penguins react to tourists. The penguins where the tourist are do much better as the tourist keep away the predators. The other half probably suffer more as a result as they are easier pickings.

Gentoo penguin, not my shot. I tried so hard to get a jumping penguins. I managed it but the best shot is one of their bottoms.

In the Museam, it was very intersting. You can get a job down here for three months of the year. At the moment there were three ladies and one man, that has been there for years. I am quite sure he has job satisfaction, an island full of birds!

The post office where we all sat scribbling away. It is the most southerly PO in the world.

We had picked up some supplies for the island residents. Gas and a shed load of beer!

On British soil in the Antarctic. BRILLIANT

In the backround you can see the penguins that are isolated from the tourists. The penguins that see tourists regularly are quite comfortable with our presence and came quite close.

Gentoo heading back to his nest.

And this is it, the tiny island of Port Lockroy.

Boats all loaded up and ready to move on to Paradise Bay.

Some huge ice bergs along the way

and more incredible scenery, this is Antarctica and i am in heaven.

The bit of the berg you see on the surface is only a fraction of it. You can see how much is underwater on this shot.

This ice berg has rolled. This happens as the ice under the water melts, it becomes top heavy and roles.

There was so much brash ice and there was so much ice around us it was like being in an ice palace.

We hiked up Almirante Brown to take in the beautiful views.

The zodiac cruise was possibly my favorite of the trip. I think this photo highlights how amazing it was.

This ice is tens of thousands years old.

A weddle seal taking a break

We spent about an hour out on the water, i think i could have spent three and still not be bored.

10,000 year old glaicier ice, you find out what this is for later......

This truely was paradise bay.

Looking down Almirante Brown, and what is the best way to get down......

.... soooo much fun! Julie flying down screaching with excitiment.

Perfect opportunity for snow angels.

I was desperate to sit on an ice berg, sadly this is as close as i was allowed to get.

The Polar star, looking elegant encased in ice.

So what did we do with the ice berg. Sea Breeze and Gin and Tonics topped off with 10,000 year old ice.

We are getting ready to head home, and i feel so sad, there is only one more stop. We had another BBQ in Paradise Bay. It was a great night spent with great new friends. Here are a few of the people that really made my trip special.

Celia, a magistrate in London and absolutley hillarious.

Rick and Jane, from Australia.

Michael, a police officer from the US. Our beach master and a great new friend.

Julie, works for Polar Star in Canada. This was the first time she had been out of Canada, what a destination for your first trip. We had lots of laughs and shared lots of secrets! She had two double beds in her room, it didn`t take long before gave up my tiny single to move in. It was like being back at bording school in the dorms, it was great fun.

Chris above and Joel below. Friends from school and working on the Polar Star, driving boats, doing all the heavy lifting and shifting, ships log and photos. We all had so much fun. They are living their lives as they choose and it really has taken them to some amazing places. They were a real inspiration and a breath of fresh air.

Did i have a school girl crush on one of them? Maybe.......

Christine, engineer lives in Dubai. She spent most of her time with her head down the toilet but when she was out and about she was full of beans.

And so to the BBQ, this little fellow clearly had no idea about the dangers of coal and lighter fluid.

Shirley and Judy, Patrick and Fran, Ian and Wendy, Jill, Richard, Gerry, Nick, Fernando and Aditi, Julie and Tim, Illy and Nick, Ken, the expedition team and everybody else. It has been an amazing trip and it was great to share it with you all.

MV POLAR STAR SHIPS LOG

Tuesday 18th November - Port Lockroy & Almirante Brown

Time: 12:00Latitude: 64° 49.6' S

Longitude: 63° 30.2' W

Wind: Force 3 South WestSea Conditions: Smooth (wave height 0.10 – 0.50m)

Pressure: 1004 mbTemperature: 4ºC

At around 06:30 we entered the Neumayer Channel, a passage that separates Anvers Island from Wiencke Island at a width of 1.5 miles. The snow covered mountains of both islands flanked the ship as we sailed though, the sky above them filled with beautiful lenticular cloud formations. As we reached our anchor point, breakfast was served and we fuelled up for the long day ahead. The Expedition Team were busy with the Zodiacs, high winds and waves at the gangway would give the drivers exciting conditions to operate in. The scout boat made its way slowly to Goudier Island, Port Lockroy where Rick Atkinson jumped aboard and was ferried to the ship. A former dog sledderin the Arctic, Rick lives at the former Operation Tabarin Base (A) over the summer, maintaining the building and running the post office service, with the help of his three assistants; Laura, Jude and Nikki. He ran a pre-landing briefing in the observation lounge after which we made our way through the wet gear room and out onto deck 3. The planned schedule had to be modified in light of sea conditions which were making Zodiac driving challenging. It was decided that stopping at Jougla Point would not be possible, instead Ian chose to divide the ship into two groups, those in port side cabins and those with cabins on the starboard side. The port side were taken across to Goudier Island first to see the small penguin colony and have a look round the restored base. There was also time for some retail therapy before returning to ship and swapping over with the starboard half.

We picked our way carefully around the gentoo penguin colony which was blanketed in a mixture of mud and guano. Each nesting bird sat on a ring of small stones, pain stakingly chosen by the penguins who seem to have a critical eye where pebbles are concerned. It was comical to watch the birds scan the ground for the perfect stone and then carry it back to the nest, carefully place it down and trumpet loudly with their heads raised to the sky as if to congratulate themselves on work well done. Rick has watched these penguins in the colony for years and believes that they arrive early to the nesting site and cover the area with their excrement in a bid to melt the layer of snow that covers the ground.

While we explored the island and sent various Antarctic postcards, the Zodiac drivers ferried supplies, picked up by the ship in Port Stanley, across to the base. Operations were held up at onepoint as a large iceberg drifted towards the gangway. Zodiacs waited by the ship until the mountain of ice was carried past, they could then resumed their shuttle service. Those of us who were on the water at the right time were treated to a close encounter with a leopard seal as they left the landing site and headed back to the ship.

The Captain and crew navigated to Paradise Harbour as we ate lunch. The Argentine station Almirante Brown, named after the father of their navy, sat on the shore as we made our way through the minefield of icebergs that blocked the ship’s path, finally arriving at anchor at 15:30.

This would be the only landing on the continent of Antarctica and therefore a necessary stop for those wanting to tick off that elusive seventh continent. This morning’s method of splitting us up into two groups was employed again this afternoon: half of us landing onshore while the others went on a zodiac cruise around the glacier bound Skontorp Cove. Those in the boats watched as the land party hiked to the peak of a high snow-capped rock outcrop. The hikers themselves were rewarded for their effort with great views over the bays below and found that a quick but daring decent could be made by sliding down the snow all the way to the bottom. Onceback at the landing site it was possible to wander round the huts of the unmanned Almirante Brown station before swapping into the Zodiacs.

This area proved to be fantastic for cruising; the cliffs that extended out around the bay to the right of the landing site were home to nesting Antarctic shags and terns. As we motored further around the bay, huge glaciers came into view that stretched right up into the mountains. Heavily crevassed towards the snout, the ice looked particularly unstable in places, we were even lucky enough to witness some large carvings that fell with dramatic effect into the water below. The Zodiacs wove in and out of icebergs, often following suggestions from those in the boat with cameras, searching for the perfect shot. Both crabeater and Weddell seals were seen, hauled out on the ice, which came in all manner of magnificent shapes, colours and textures. Some drivers took their boats into the brash ice and stopped their motors, requesting silence for a couple of minutes. The sounds of the bay, so easily drowned out by the noise of the engines, were incredible. Listening to the tinkling of brash ice, the lapping of waves against the cold, hard icebergs, the distant call of Antarctic seabirds and the occasional booming and cracking of the glacier was a truly memorable experience. On our return to the landing site, large amounts of brash ice had been blown into the small cove which made passage by Zodiac more difficult.

Unfortunately tonight’s BBQ had to be changed to an indoor format on account of the weather outside. Snow and cold winds meant that neither cooking nor sitting out on deck 5 was an option. Nevertheless, the observation lounge played host to another fantastic feast thanks to Brian, his chefs and the entire serving staff. On the way back from this afternoon’s landing, a few boats had picked up glacier ice and brought it back to the ship. On arrival it was washed, smashed up andplaced behind the bar. Tonight it was 10,000 year old ice that cooled our drinks; fizzing andpopping as the ancient air was released back into the atmosphere after so long.