January 22 - ANTARCTICA!!! - Yankee Harbour.
We are here! Arose at 5:45 a.m. and dressed partially for the day. We were assigned a landing to begin at 8:00 a.m., but meanwhile, there was the approach to Antarctica, and Yankee Harbor.
Yankee Harbour is a small inner harbor entered from Shopski Cove between Glacier Bluff and Spit Point, indenting the southwest side of Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. It is 1.46 miles long in west-south-west to east-north-east direction, and 0.99 miles wide. It is bounded by Provadiya Hook (a glacial moraine) to the southwest, Parvomay Neck to the north and east, and Kladara Beach to the south. Yankee Harbour surrounded by volcanic rocks of the South Shetland arc, was known to both American sealers and the British (who called it Hospital Cove) as early as 1820, and this name is now established in international usage. Port Foster, the crater harbour of Deception Island, has at times also been referred to as Yankee Harbour. As well as mosses, lichens and algae, the flowering plants Antarctic Hairgrass and Antarctic Pearlwort occur. The site has been identified as an important Bird Area by BirdLife International because it supports a breeding colony of about 5000 pairs of Gentoo Penguins. Skuas, Wilson's Storm Petrels, and Snowy Sheathbills are also thought to nest6 there. Southern Elephant Seals, Weddell Seals and Antarctic Fur Seals regularly haul out on the beaches.
So many layers of clothing to assemble, and while I laid it all out last evening, still had to think about what I could/should wear now, and what to put on just before going down to check into our zodiacs. Should I put it all on now, would probably die of heat prostration while inside the ship.
Courtesy of Eric Goldring
Ate dinner tonight in my suite with the "kids"! Ordered a very good room service, ended with cookies and Irish coffee . . . . . because we were in and out of the suite in the icy cold, watching the parade of ice bergs and trying to take photos to share with all of you. Here are mine - John's are the best!!
The huge iceberg is 20 miles long and I forgot how wide - impossible to take it all in. We've been cruising around it for almost two hours. The views are incredible. My suite is on the tenth deck with a little more of the ship above me. The iceberg towers over the ship, and what we see above water is only one-eighth of it. Seven eighths are below the water line!!
Penguins out in the middle of the ocean on an ice floe.
. . . and then a smaller berg with glorious color . . . these last photos were taken at 10:00 p.m. in the natural light.
This looks more like ice sculpture!!
Yankee Harbour is a small inner harbor entered from Shopski Cove between Glacier Bluff and Spit Point, indenting the southwest side of Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. It is 1.46 miles long in west-south-west to east-north-east direction, and 0.99 miles wide. It is bounded by Provadiya Hook (a glacial moraine) to the southwest, Parvomay Neck to the north and east, and Kladara Beach to the south. Yankee Harbour surrounded by volcanic rocks of the South Shetland arc, was known to both American sealers and the British (who called it Hospital Cove) as early as 1820, and this name is now established in international usage. Port Foster, the crater harbour of Deception Island, has at times also been referred to as Yankee Harbour. As well as mosses, lichens and algae, the flowering plants Antarctic Hairgrass and Antarctic Pearlwort occur. The site has been identified as an important Bird Area by BirdLife International because it supports a breeding colony of about 5000 pairs of Gentoo Penguins. Skuas, Wilson's Storm Petrels, and Snowy Sheathbills are also thought to nest6 there. Southern Elephant Seals, Weddell Seals and Antarctic Fur Seals regularly haul out on the beaches.
So many layers of clothing to assemble, and while I laid it all out last evening, still had to think about what I could/should wear now, and what to put on just before going down to check into our zodiacs. Should I put it all on now, would probably die of heat prostration while inside the ship.
- First, cotton/wool socks (later would add the heavy wool socks)
- Thermal tights, and heavy tights over them. (later would add the waterproof pants)
- Silk turtleneck, thermal long-sleeved overskirt.
- Quilted zippered jacket (later would add the waterproof, hooded bright orange jacket)
- . . . and then, on top of all of that, you add the life jacket, which is quite heavy!!
Today, Adolfo is with us, as we are all wearing something that he wore in 2015 on our last cruise to Antarctica. He's happy!
While I dressed, kept checking outside and could see the crane that was lifting the zodiacs from the ship out into the water. The views from this suite are so good!
It was very cold outside. Fortunately, there was no wind, and the water was almost like glass, with tons of ice floating. Looked like a giant, dirty, slushy martini!!! As I write this, we are surrounded by glacial ice and snow on three sides of the ship. The photos I've taken just don't do justice to the grandeur, the scope, of what we are viewing. The only thing that could make the day perfect would be a blue sky. Right now, the sky is almost the same color as the snow and ice, so we have a huge, white to light-gray panorama, with some black rock and hues of glacial blue in the snow and ice.
Hundreds of Gentoo Penguins on shore, though I chose to take photos of only the solitary birds.
Hundreds of Gentoo Penguins on shore, though I chose to take photos of only the solitary birds.
Plumb tuckered out!
"I need a bath!" Giant Petrels that prey on penguin chicks.
This Mama's chicks won't hatch soon enough so they Capurro Penguins
won't be mature enough to survive the freeze.
Courtesy of Eric Goldring
Nice time ashore in Yankee Harbour, even though there was a slight drizzle. Today I left my walking sticks in the suite - won't do that again. Walking on uneven ground and slippery rocks coupled with old joints is not a winning combo!!
The sun just came out for a few minutes - got a couple more photos!
Note the zodiacs in the forefront.
The sun just came out for a few minutes - got a couple more photos!
Note the zodiacs in the forefront.
Ate dinner tonight in my suite with the "kids"! Ordered a very good room service, ended with cookies and Irish coffee . . . . . because we were in and out of the suite in the icy cold, watching the parade of ice bergs and trying to take photos to share with all of you. Here are mine - John's are the best!!
The huge iceberg is 20 miles long and I forgot how wide - impossible to take it all in. We've been cruising around it for almost two hours. The views are incredible. My suite is on the tenth deck with a little more of the ship above me. The iceberg towers over the ship, and what we see above water is only one-eighth of it. Seven eighths are below the water line!!
Penguins out in the middle of the ocean on an ice floe.
. . . and then a smaller berg with glorious color . . . these last photos were taken at 10:00 p.m. in the natural light.
This looks more like ice sculpture!!
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