Port Charcot
This morning we woke up early to watch as we sailed through the famous Lemaire Channel, a beautiful passage between Booth Island and the Antarctic Peninsula that is otherwise known as ‘Kodak Alley.’ There was a low, dense fog hanging in the cool morning air, but Trip, our Expedition Leader, encouraged us to grab a cup of coffee and come out on to the open decks – the hope was that the caffeine would lift the fog not just from our sleepy heads. The plan worked, and by the time we reached the southern end of the channel, we could see some of the mountain peaks against a backdrop of blue sky.
After breakfast, we went ashore at Port Charcot on Booth Island and once again the fog had closed in around us. This was not a bad thing as we were able to watch in awe as it burnt off exposing some incredibly stunning scenery. The mountains and their snow capped peaks loomed above us, and the sea was scattered with gigantic icebergs. We were led on a walk by our naturalists and we could tell that they were up to something – it all became clear when we reached the summit of a small hill; we were confused by the silhouette of what appeared to be a giant gentoo penguin – it was in fact an emperor penguin! Before returning to the ship, we went on a Zodiac cruise around the iceberg field. It was fantastic to be in the small boats as we cruised past the huge, icy monoliths – each one more fabulous than the previous one.
The afternoon was spent sailing inexorably southwards. At first we were able to make very good time, but as the afternoon wore on, we had to reduce speed on account of another bank of thick fog. By late afternoon, we encountered some ice, and on account of the poor visibility, the Captain decided that this was as far south as we were going to get – we made it to 65°33’ only 60 miles from the Antarctic Circle. After dinner, we went for a relaxing walk on Pleneau Island.
This morning we woke up early to watch as we sailed through the famous Lemaire Channel, a beautiful passage between Booth Island and the Antarctic Peninsula that is otherwise known as ‘Kodak Alley.’ There was a low, dense fog hanging in the cool morning air, but Trip, our Expedition Leader, encouraged us to grab a cup of coffee and come out on to the open decks – the hope was that the caffeine would lift the fog not just from our sleepy heads. The plan worked, and by the time we reached the southern end of the channel, we could see some of the mountain peaks against a backdrop of blue sky.
After breakfast, we went ashore at Port Charcot on Booth Island and once again the fog had closed in around us. This was not a bad thing as we were able to watch in awe as it burnt off exposing some incredibly stunning scenery. The mountains and their snow capped peaks loomed above us, and the sea was scattered with gigantic icebergs. We were led on a walk by our naturalists and we could tell that they were up to something – it all became clear when we reached the summit of a small hill; we were confused by the silhouette of what appeared to be a giant gentoo penguin – it was in fact an emperor penguin! Before returning to the ship, we went on a Zodiac cruise around the iceberg field. It was fantastic to be in the small boats as we cruised past the huge, icy monoliths – each one more fabulous than the previous one.
The afternoon was spent sailing inexorably southwards. At first we were able to make very good time, but as the afternoon wore on, we had to reduce speed on account of another bank of thick fog. By late afternoon, we encountered some ice, and on account of the poor visibility, the Captain decided that this was as far south as we were going to get – we made it to 65°33’ only 60 miles from the Antarctic Circle. After dinner, we went for a relaxing walk on Pleneau Island.
