Cuverville Island & Port Lockroy
It is often said that an English football match is a game of two halves. What happens in the first half often has little or no bearing on what happens after the fifteen minute break in the middle of the game. It could equally be said that today was a day of two halves.
After steaming south overnight along the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula, with a minor diversion for some humpback whales, the day began clear and calm on the Danco Coast at Cuverville Island. This region of the peninsula is known for beautiful land- and sea-scapes, with high snow-capped mountains rising from the ocean and glaciers tumbling down the steep slopes. Today did not disappoint. We deployed our fleet of watercraft and began exploring the area; by Zodiac, kayak and by foot onshore.
In the afternoon we relocated to Port Lockroy, a mere 25 miles away as the skua flies. As we approached the weather began to change, and given that the morning could scarcely have been any better, the change was not going to be a good thing. Before long the sky was gray, snow was falling, heavily, and the wind picked up, such that the snow was now ‘falling’ horizontally. Not that such things were going to stop us from going ashore at the restored British base now run as a museum (and gift shop) by the Antarctic Heritage Trust, but it did make the Zodiac ride to and from shore a very different small boat experience to those that we have quickly become accustomed to in the past few days. The return to a warm ship, hot showers and another fine meal was welcome, and a reminder that not all those to head south to Antarctica have been fortunate to travel in such comfort and style.
It is often said that an English football match is a game of two halves. What happens in the first half often has little or no bearing on what happens after the fifteen minute break in the middle of the game. It could equally be said that today was a day of two halves.
After steaming south overnight along the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula, with a minor diversion for some humpback whales, the day began clear and calm on the Danco Coast at Cuverville Island. This region of the peninsula is known for beautiful land- and sea-scapes, with high snow-capped mountains rising from the ocean and glaciers tumbling down the steep slopes. Today did not disappoint. We deployed our fleet of watercraft and began exploring the area; by Zodiac, kayak and by foot onshore.
In the afternoon we relocated to Port Lockroy, a mere 25 miles away as the skua flies. As we approached the weather began to change, and given that the morning could scarcely have been any better, the change was not going to be a good thing. Before long the sky was gray, snow was falling, heavily, and the wind picked up, such that the snow was now ‘falling’ horizontally. Not that such things were going to stop us from going ashore at the restored British base now run as a museum (and gift shop) by the Antarctic Heritage Trust, but it did make the Zodiac ride to and from shore a very different small boat experience to those that we have quickly become accustomed to in the past few days. The return to a warm ship, hot showers and another fine meal was welcome, and a reminder that not all those to head south to Antarctica have been fortunate to travel in such comfort and style.
