Antarctic Sound, Crystal Hill & Snow Hill Island
We spent a very pleasant night cruising through the calm protected waters of Antarctic Sound, lulled by the comforting sound of the main engines throb, like the beat of a mothers heart to a sleeping infant. We made our way towards the northern-most tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Sometime in the early morning hours I noticed our ship was listing slightly to Port, and upon rising, discovered sustained winds of 40 knots, with higher gusts pressing against our Starboard side, producing the tilt I had noticed from my bunk.
Brown Bluff had been our mornings objective, but the severe conditions necessitated a search for a more sheltered landing. Our Expedition Leader, Trip Dennis, picked Crystal Hill which proved to be a perfect choice. Captain Skog managed to anchor very close to shore, which offered us enough of a lee to perform safe zodiac operations. For most of us, this was our first opportunity to set foot on the Antarctic Continent, proper. The more energetic among us climbed a steep slope for spectacular views of the surrounding landscape, while others were content to stroll the beach admiring the beautiful green-beryol crystals and take a Zodiac cruise among grounded icebergs where we found sleeping crabeater seals.
During lunch, the National Geographic Endeavour headed southward through Herbert Sound, between Vega and James Ross Islands and out into the Weddell Sea. As we sailed further south, Steve MacLean regaled us with the fascinating story of the 1901-03 Nordensköld Expedition.
In the afternoon, we reached Nordensköld's hut on Snow Hill Island. There we were blessed with warm temperatures in the fifties and the wind had dropped to little more than a gentle breeze. We visited the historic hut and found many beautiful marine fossils.
We spent a very pleasant night cruising through the calm protected waters of Antarctic Sound, lulled by the comforting sound of the main engines throb, like the beat of a mothers heart to a sleeping infant. We made our way towards the northern-most tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Sometime in the early morning hours I noticed our ship was listing slightly to Port, and upon rising, discovered sustained winds of 40 knots, with higher gusts pressing against our Starboard side, producing the tilt I had noticed from my bunk.
Brown Bluff had been our mornings objective, but the severe conditions necessitated a search for a more sheltered landing. Our Expedition Leader, Trip Dennis, picked Crystal Hill which proved to be a perfect choice. Captain Skog managed to anchor very close to shore, which offered us enough of a lee to perform safe zodiac operations. For most of us, this was our first opportunity to set foot on the Antarctic Continent, proper. The more energetic among us climbed a steep slope for spectacular views of the surrounding landscape, while others were content to stroll the beach admiring the beautiful green-beryol crystals and take a Zodiac cruise among grounded icebergs where we found sleeping crabeater seals.
During lunch, the National Geographic Endeavour headed southward through Herbert Sound, between Vega and James Ross Islands and out into the Weddell Sea. As we sailed further south, Steve MacLean regaled us with the fascinating story of the 1901-03 Nordensköld Expedition.
In the afternoon, we reached Nordensköld's hut on Snow Hill Island. There we were blessed with warm temperatures in the fifties and the wind had dropped to little more than a gentle breeze. We visited the historic hut and found many beautiful marine fossils.
