Shumskiy Cove, 66° 59.84’ S
A day spent below the Antarctic Circle! In the early morning hours the Endeavour entered the pack ice, very different from the glacial ice that formed the icebergs among which we have been sailing. Sea ice reaches a thickness of 6 to 7 feet in the winter of its creation, and then breaks into pieces and moves with the wind in the ensuing summer: the pack ice. Deftly, our Captain maneuvered the Endeavour between the low, flat rafts of frozen seawater, pushing ever farther to the south. Occasionally a large block of sea ice refused to yield and was neatly sliced, the pieces shoved to either side of our strong ship. Like the sailors on many a past Antarctic expedition we exchanged glances, wondering just where he would turn back … but on he pressed. There before us, in Shumskiy Cove, was the shore-fast ice, a large unbroken piece of sea ice still attached to the land and thus protected from the wind and currents. And still he went on until the ship was securely parked in the ice in a cove of her own creation at 66° 59.84’ S latitude.
It was a glorious day for a stroll on the ice, with the temperature in the mid-thirties but feeling much warmer in the total absence of wind. We crossed the 67th parallel on foot and stopped to greet a crabeater seal. She scarcely abandoned her morning snooze to return the greeting. Next: how about kayaking below the Antarctic Circle? Many took the opportunity to paddle peacefully along the ice edge, and returned to a warm cup of cocoa served on the ice. The final activity of the morning: the South Polar Plunge. Yes, indeed, a group of expeditioners stripped off their warm, snug clothing to dip themselves in the 31 degree water of the Polar Sea. We have succumbed to the Polar Fever and we are the better for it.
A day spent below the Antarctic Circle! In the early morning hours the Endeavour entered the pack ice, very different from the glacial ice that formed the icebergs among which we have been sailing. Sea ice reaches a thickness of 6 to 7 feet in the winter of its creation, and then breaks into pieces and moves with the wind in the ensuing summer: the pack ice. Deftly, our Captain maneuvered the Endeavour between the low, flat rafts of frozen seawater, pushing ever farther to the south. Occasionally a large block of sea ice refused to yield and was neatly sliced, the pieces shoved to either side of our strong ship. Like the sailors on many a past Antarctic expedition we exchanged glances, wondering just where he would turn back … but on he pressed. There before us, in Shumskiy Cove, was the shore-fast ice, a large unbroken piece of sea ice still attached to the land and thus protected from the wind and currents. And still he went on until the ship was securely parked in the ice in a cove of her own creation at 66° 59.84’ S latitude.
It was a glorious day for a stroll on the ice, with the temperature in the mid-thirties but feeling much warmer in the total absence of wind. We crossed the 67th parallel on foot and stopped to greet a crabeater seal. She scarcely abandoned her morning snooze to return the greeting. Next: how about kayaking below the Antarctic Circle? Many took the opportunity to paddle peacefully along the ice edge, and returned to a warm cup of cocoa served on the ice. The final activity of the morning: the South Polar Plunge. Yes, indeed, a group of expeditioners stripped off their warm, snug clothing to dip themselves in the 31 degree water of the Polar Sea. We have succumbed to the Polar Fever and we are the better for it.
