My Diary
Sadly, before i have finnished updating the blog, i have lost my journal. I must have left it on a bus, and i am totally gutted. It was probably the most valuable thing to me and i can`t belive i have been so careless. Just to highlight how careless i have been i have also lost my North Face jacket and Oakley sunglasses.
The memories will stay with me for ever.
At this point in the trip i remember that ever day just kept getting better. We had some great lectures and the scenery outside was incredible.
Megan giving her talk on the research she carried out with the Australian Antarctic Survey teamMV POLAR STAR SHIPS LOG
Saturday 15th November - At Sea, Scotia Sea sailing to Elephant Island
Time: 12:00Latitude: 59° 28.1' S
Longitude: 49° 40.1' W
Wind: Force 2 South South West
Sea Conditions: Moderate (wave height 1.25 – 2.50m)
Pressure: 1008 mb
Temperature: 3ºC
Once again we woke, blessed with calm seas. Those who had been up on deck for the break of dawn had witness many whale sightings, the best of which occurred at around 07:30 and was announced over the PA system. A group of fin whales had come within 50 metres of the ship and we could clearly see their blows and pronounced dorsal fins. After breakfast John Harrison took to the stage in the observation lounge with his lecture The Nordenskjöld Expedition 1901 – 1903. He guided us through the complex tale of three separate groups, stranded in different places, and their great escape from the clutches of the Weddell Sea.
Ursula followed at 11:00, after she had spenthalf and hour decorating the lounge with various life sized whale hangings, with Incredible Hunters. During this session she focused on the constantly evolving feeding behaviours of her beloved Minke whales in the St. Lawrence Estuary, Canada. After feasting all morning on victuals for the brain it was time to allow our stomachs to catch up and we descended on the dinning room for lunch.
The afternoon’s entertainment began in the observation lounge at 14:30 with An Elephant Seal’s Life, a film made by National Geographic that uses underwater footage to showthese creatures foraging under the sea. It was really interesting to watch these animals move around so gracefully underwater, a stark contrast to their onshore manoeuvres that we witnessed at Gold Harbour. At 16:15 Megan followed on with her lecture Penguins, Krill and Fishing; which investigated the role Adélie penguins play in the management of the krill fishery.
After dinner the film Secrets of Antarctica; was shown in the observation lounge. It documented Operation Tabarin, a WW2 operation that established the first British Antarctic Base, in a short 30 minute film and continued with Dog Sledging in Antarctica, a training film from the 1950s about the techniques employed when using dogs as transport across the ice and snow.
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