My Diary - lost
This was out last landing. The last few days have been incredible but Peterment Island still did not dissapoint. Everyone is feeling sad that the trip is coming to and end but the last views on the island soon put smiles on our faces.
The Lemaire Channel, stunning.
Deep in concentration, the Captain and his crew carefully navigating through.
The route through the chanel
We were surrounded by mountains and cracking ice.
here you can see the narrow end to the chanel.
I am not sure why i didn`t think if it before but here i used my underwater housing and got some shots of the icebergs below the water line.
Speactacular.
We had to wait for these bergs to move so that we could squeeze through for out landing.
Adelie penguins. They are able to breed further south than the other penguins that we have seen.
Many were sat on eggs, there was lots of calling and whistling.
It was funny to watch as the penguins stole stones from each other nests. As one stole one from one nest someone else was stealing from his. It was a vicious circle, very entertaining to watch.
Stoney nest, with egg.
They really are beautiful.
Marking out the path to the last view on our landing..jpg)
It was spectacular and a really great way to end our trip.
I am so happy, this really has been the trip of a life time.
After lunch i ran up to the bridge. The Captain was on his own, i joked that if he needed a hand to let me know. Here i am steering the ship out of Peterman Island. He was amazed at how well i had done, my co-ordinates were spot on and i even called him sir. He asked if i had any worked on boats before, me? no, never, it is my first time, I will keep my little secret to myself!Wednesday 19th November - Petermann Island and Yalour Islands
Time: 12:00Latitude: 65° 07.7' S
Longitude: 64° 03.5' W
Wind: Force 7 North East
Sea Conditions: Moderate (wave height 1.25 – 2.50m)
Pressure: 1007 mbTemperature: 2ºC
Ian’s wakeup call came at the earlier time of 05:30 this morning, just as the ship entered the scenically stunning Lemaire Channel. Captain Jacek took us into this beautiful narrow strait between the mainland to port and Booth Island to starboard. He piloted a passage right through a myriad of icebergs and we emerged by Petermann Island. Approximately one mile long and hometo 500 pairs of Adélie penguins and around 2000 pairs of gentoo penguins, the island was discovered by a German expedition in 1873-74. As the first boats approached the landing site it was clear that the operation would be hindered by a group of large icebergs that blocked the bay.
Every now and then a gap would open up between the bergs, enough time for a driver to slip their boat through into the little cove beyond to where Ian was waiting to brief us. John Sparks had already flagged out a route to the top of the snow covered hill where he stood waiting for us in thecold, with great views over an iceberg choked bay. Those who had waited all this time to see Adélie penguins found them in small groups a short distance from the landing site. Many of them sat horizontal on their nests, incubating their eggs, suggesting that the birds here may well befurther on in there breeding cycle than the other types of penguins we have seen over the last few weeks.
On arrival back at the ship one could easily have been misled into thinking it was time for lunch, it was however still only 08:30 and breakfast was waiting for us in the dining room. During this much needed respite, the ship repositioned further south to the Yalour Islands, our southern most point of the whole expedition (65°13.8' S, 64°08.7' W). It was clear on arrival however that a Zodiac operation would not be possible due to Force 7 winds that were racing across the surface of the water. It was with great regret that Ian informed us over the speaker system that our last chance to leave the ship would be cancelled. The staff remained on the bridge for some time discussing other potential options but time was a limiting factor as the Captain had a duty to return the ship toUshuaia in time for flights. A compromise was reached and Ian made plans for a short Zodiacc ruise at Pléneau Island, using the lee offered by Booth Island as a barrier from the prevailing wind. On arrival all seemed positive and we dressed for our last cruise of the trip, lining up asusual on deck 3. We watched the rubber boats being lowered into the water. Soon it became obvious that conditions were getting dangerous and within minutes the Captain suggested we cancel the operation and Ian agreed. Drivers made their way back to the ship and those who stayed to watch the return of all the boats were entertained by a beleaguered Joel, fighting against the wind and waves, to bring the last zodiac out of the water.
During recap and briefing, Gary introduced us to the story of Lee Lantz, a man who got rich byselling Patagonian toothfish under the name Chilean Sea Bass. He went on to explain the consequent large scale long line fishing that decimated stocks of this fish. Raymond LeBlanc gave the expedition team a fantastic video that he had taken on Petermann Island earlier today. It followed a heated disagreement between two Adélie penguins which undoubtedly changed our perception of these quiet little birds. John Harrison concluded the session with one of his famous poems, The Zodiac Blues; a rhyme that never fails to induce audience participation. Dinner was then served in the dining room.
This evening in the observation lounge the staff showed one of their favourite films Around CapeHorn, a short montage of unique footage shot from all parts of one of the mighty P-Line CapeHorn square riggers: the Peking. Matchless commentary by Irving Johnson, spoken over the silent film he shot as a young man, from the perspective of a robust old age makes this an unforget tablepiece of cinema.
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