Ascension Island
This voyage now has an established rhythm. The days at sea are used to prepare for the next island group followed by intense activity upon arrival. Nowhere will this activity be more intense than at Ascension. It would scarcely be possible to fit more into a day than we were able to. From before sunrise until well after sunset we made the most of what Ascension has to offer. From Zodiac cruising around the important seabird colony of Boatswainbird Island at dawn to the wonderful experience of watching green sea turtles egg-laying on a sandy beach beneath a star spangled sky. In between we had the chance to swim in the tropical waters of the Atlantic and to contrast the heat of the sun-baked lava rock coast with the cool and damp climate of the 850 m peak.
The voyage has also established a pattern in terms of the wildlife we are encountering. On each island group we have encountered endemic species - plants or animals unique to that location and found nowhere else on earth. Ascension was no exception. The location for our morning Zodiac cruise - Boatswainbird Island - is the only place in the world where the Ascension frigatebird breeds. Once ashore on the 'mainland' of Ascension we were able to see, with a little searching, five of the six plant species found only on Ascension. The evolution of endemic species on these islands underscores their remoteness, as does the time at sea necessary to reach these isolated rocks scattered in the Atlantic.
Our next destination is Cape Verde - five days at sea to the north. By the time we reach the islands we will have made another of the many transitions on this journey, for we will soon be crossing the Equator.
This voyage now has an established rhythm. The days at sea are used to prepare for the next island group followed by intense activity upon arrival. Nowhere will this activity be more intense than at Ascension. It would scarcely be possible to fit more into a day than we were able to. From before sunrise until well after sunset we made the most of what Ascension has to offer. From Zodiac cruising around the important seabird colony of Boatswainbird Island at dawn to the wonderful experience of watching green sea turtles egg-laying on a sandy beach beneath a star spangled sky. In between we had the chance to swim in the tropical waters of the Atlantic and to contrast the heat of the sun-baked lava rock coast with the cool and damp climate of the 850 m peak.
The voyage has also established a pattern in terms of the wildlife we are encountering. On each island group we have encountered endemic species - plants or animals unique to that location and found nowhere else on earth. Ascension was no exception. The location for our morning Zodiac cruise - Boatswainbird Island - is the only place in the world where the Ascension frigatebird breeds. Once ashore on the 'mainland' of Ascension we were able to see, with a little searching, five of the six plant species found only on Ascension. The evolution of endemic species on these islands underscores their remoteness, as does the time at sea necessary to reach these isolated rocks scattered in the Atlantic.
Our next destination is Cape Verde - five days at sea to the north. By the time we reach the islands we will have made another of the many transitions on this journey, for we will soon be crossing the Equator.
