Sailing in the Scotia Sea
Yesterday we joined the MS Endeavour at Port Stanley and left the Falkland Islands heading out into the Southern Ocean. As we sailed out of the very protected harbour at Port Stanley we encountered sea birds in huge numbers. Our aim is soon to reach one of the most magical islands on Earth, South Georgia. Today was a busy day at sea. Albatrosses and other sea birds have been following the ship. To see the “Giants of the Ocean”, the Wandering Albatross for the first time is always an impressive encounter. An endless number of questions can be asked; Why are they so large? Where do they breed? How do they feed? What do they feed on?
The lecturers onboard are here to help us out with all these questions. The day has been full with education. Several lectures were given as an apetizer of things we will soon be able to get to approach closer, whales, seals, sea birds, penguins, geology, ice-bergs… What is the difference between an ice-berg, bergy-bit and a growler? Many new things to learn! Even if we are still “far north”, a few ice-bergs have been sighted and gives us a first clue that it is still only spring in the area we will be visting.
As we are approach the high latitudes we know that spring is short. The three weeks we are about to spend in the South, we are likely to see Antarctica rapidly being invaded by life. Penguins, and whales are returning to feed and breed, seals have recently given birth… Summer is short and intensive and to be able to see the start of this feeding and breeding frenzy is magical.
This evening as we passed the Antarctic convergence, the biological boundary of Antarctica, our captain Leif Skog invited us for his welcome party. As the sea was relativly calm most of us were able to join him and his senoir officers in the lounge, and later for a good dinner. This is the begining of something which already seems to be an adventure!
Yesterday we joined the MS Endeavour at Port Stanley and left the Falkland Islands heading out into the Southern Ocean. As we sailed out of the very protected harbour at Port Stanley we encountered sea birds in huge numbers. Our aim is soon to reach one of the most magical islands on Earth, South Georgia. Today was a busy day at sea. Albatrosses and other sea birds have been following the ship. To see the “Giants of the Ocean”, the Wandering Albatross for the first time is always an impressive encounter. An endless number of questions can be asked; Why are they so large? Where do they breed? How do they feed? What do they feed on?
The lecturers onboard are here to help us out with all these questions. The day has been full with education. Several lectures were given as an apetizer of things we will soon be able to get to approach closer, whales, seals, sea birds, penguins, geology, ice-bergs… What is the difference between an ice-berg, bergy-bit and a growler? Many new things to learn! Even if we are still “far north”, a few ice-bergs have been sighted and gives us a first clue that it is still only spring in the area we will be visting.
As we are approach the high latitudes we know that spring is short. The three weeks we are about to spend in the South, we are likely to see Antarctica rapidly being invaded by life. Penguins, and whales are returning to feed and breed, seals have recently given birth… Summer is short and intensive and to be able to see the start of this feeding and breeding frenzy is magical.
This evening as we passed the Antarctic convergence, the biological boundary of Antarctica, our captain Leif Skog invited us for his welcome party. As the sea was relativly calm most of us were able to join him and his senoir officers in the lounge, and later for a good dinner. This is the begining of something which already seems to be an adventure!
