Time 06:58, 64 degrees 56.17' South, 63 degrees 41.05' West, no clouds dry and sunny all day, Air Temperature 2 oC, Water Temperature 1.5 oC, Wind Northeast force 3.
Two passengers I met today who found my blog and followed it before joining the ship
Amazingly here are two more passengers who I also met today who had been following the blog before joining the ship.
First thing this morning we made another attempt to sail down the very narrow Le Maire Channel and once again the captain felt it was unsafe to try due to large amounts of ice in the channel.
The Le Maire Channel clogged with ice this morning.
We then sail the short distance to Port Lockroy and since we were early we stayed out in the bay for a few hours in glorious sunshine and for a while it was actually warm in any sheltered spot. While we were waiting two Humpbacks Whales entertained the passengers as they slowly moved across the bay. Standing there looking at the glaciers and mountains bordering the bay a thought that has been echoing in my mind since I first saw the Antarctic peninsula surfaced again. It is the difficulty I am having trying to comprehend the scale of the place without familiar points of reference to help me. It is only if another ship goes anyway close to the shore can you see just how big the place really it. Many of the peaks rise almost vertically to as much as 5,000 feet/1,300 meters and the volume of water locked up in huge glaciers which are everywhere is unimaginable.
A shot taken from the zodiac of part of the Seven Sisters at Port Lockroy.
We then went ashore at Jougla Point opposite the British base at Port Lockroy and showed passengers the Gentoo Penguin colony there. When we came ashore here on the first cruise last December there was a lot of snow on the ground. Now almost all had disappeared. Towards the end of the landing the unimaginable happened - a lone Emperor Penguin (of March of the Penguins fame) walked out of the sea and up through the nesting Gentoo Penguins.
The Emperor Penguin at Jougla Point, Port Lockroy this afternoon.
The Emperor Penguin towers over a "local" Gentoo Penguin.
It was a giant compared to the Gentoos. Emperor Penguins are the largest living penguin species at over 3 feet/1 metre tall. This time of year they come ashore to moult after putting on a lot of fat to see them through the complete change of all there feathers. During this time they have to come to land to moult and just lie on the ground for up to a month without eating until the new coat of feathers has completely replaced the old one. This bird was so fat it could hardly walk. It regularly called as if looking for other Emperors. They are extremely rare in this area and none had been recorded here for at least 16 years. It walked through the colony and eventually settled in the middle if a group of nesting Gentoos. As it stood there towering over them the Gentoos defended their nests by trying to peck it. It reluctantly responded by giving them a belt with its wing and refused to budge. We had to leave as another ship was due to land so it will be interesting to see on our next (and last) visit if it decided to stay to moult .
Kenny the Bear, from St. Mary's National School Cobh, Ireland - on duty at the Gentoo Penguin Colony today.
During these landings our Expedition Team Beach Master, Captain Dick Taylor is in charge of landing operations. Captain Dick Taylor of Port Orchard, Washington spent over 28 years in the U.S. Coast Guard until his retirement in 1989. He served on weather ships and icebreakers, in addition to several shore units. His first Antarctic assignment was in 1968 and for nearly 12 years of his Coast Guard career, he was assigned to or associated with icebreakers in the Arctic and Antarctic, including command of the Icebreakers Glacier and Polar Star in the polar regions, and Mackinaw in the Great Lakes. He also served on the U.S. Navy Antarctic staff at Port Hueneme, California and McMurdo, Antarctica. From 1990-94, Dick was an environmental observer for the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Cruise Ship Observer Program. As part of my continuing series of guest bloggers Captain Tayor will now explain his role on the expedition.
During these landings our Expedition Team Beach Master, Captain Dick Taylor is in charge of landing operations. Captain Dick Taylor of Port Orchard, Washington spent over 28 years in the U.S. Coast Guard until his retirement in 1989. He served on weather ships and icebreakers, in addition to several shore units. His first Antarctic assignment was in 1968 and for nearly 12 years of his Coast Guard career, he was assigned to or associated with icebreakers in the Arctic and Antarctic, including command of the Icebreakers Glacier and Polar Star in the polar regions, and Mackinaw in the Great Lakes. He also served on the U.S. Navy Antarctic staff at Port Hueneme, California and McMurdo, Antarctica. From 1990-94, Dick was an environmental observer for the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Cruise Ship Observer Program. As part of my continuing series of guest bloggers Captain Tayor will now explain his role on the expedition.
Captain Dick Taylor, Beach Master on the Expedition Team.
What do I do as beach master on Marco Polo? First a little background. Marco Polo, as a large ship going to Antarctica with passengers making landings on the continent and off shore islands, we are limited by our permit no more than 500 passengers and we, like all other ships, can only land 100 passengers ashore at any one time.
Passengers are divided into 5 color groups and organized to land ashore with staggered times, ie, Red group 1300, Blue at 1400, etc. this way, we never exceed the number of 100 ashore at the same time. Twelve passengers each are transported ashore in one of our six Zodiac inflatable boats. As each zodiac arrives, I tell the passengers what time it is and that they have one hours ashore and what time they are due back at the landing area. Also, I tell them to be careful of slippery ice and snow and not to trip and fall on the rocks. When each zodiac arrives at the landing, I note the number of passengers in each boat, then as additional passengers arrive or return to the ship, I add or subtract to maintain a running total of passengers ashore. This way I know how many we have ashore at any one time and keep within the limitations of our permit.
Also, because of my background with U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers, I lecture on “Ships In Ice”. This subject includes information and slides about ice, how ships operate in ice, the assistance icebreakers play in the resupply of the U.S. Antarctic Program at McMurdo Antarctica, and how icebreakers assist shipping the Great Lakes.
This is my 25th Antarctic season and 13th season working on Marco Polo.
Thanks Dick!
Wildlife seen between Lemaire Channel and Port Lockroy and on Jougla Point
Mammals
Humpback Whale 2
Elephant Seal 1
Birds
Giant Petrel 3
Emperor Penguin 1 (very rare sighting in this area !)
Gentoo Penguin 800+
Adelie Penguin 1
Snowy Sheathbill 3
Antarctic Shag 10+ (with downy chicks)
Brown Skua 9
South Polar Skua 2
Kelp Gull 60+ (with chicks)
Antarctic Tern 30+
Note: A + sign after the counts indicates that we saw at least that number but more may have been present.
