Antarctic Circle & Booth Island
Today we sailed to our furthest south position. Expedition Leader Tom Ritchie gently woke us up first thing to let us know that we were to cross the Antarctic Circle. Not many ships sail this far south and we were fortunate to have such good conditions to actually sail past the Antarctic Circle.
Shortly past the Circle we encountered heavy pack ice and had to start heading back north. Throughout the morning we saw humpback whales and we stopped to spend time with a mother-calf pair. It looked like they may have been feeding on krill as we saw patches of it on the depth sounder. We watched them for several surfacings and managed to get close looks at the pair.
In the afternoon we tried for a landing but again encountered heavy pack ice. It was very atmospheric as we slowly cruised through the ice and past several massive icebergs. This is what Antarctica is all about!
In the evening, we landed on Booth Island. It was another chance to look at the comical gentoo penguins as they trudged up and down their highways during this short but intense breeding season. The chicks were fairly large so there must be lots of krill in the area. We could just sit quietly and watch all their behaviors.
We also had a fantastic look at a leopard seal and saw the remnants of the Charcot expedition. It was a wonderful way to end the day!
Today we sailed to our furthest south position. Expedition Leader Tom Ritchie gently woke us up first thing to let us know that we were to cross the Antarctic Circle. Not many ships sail this far south and we were fortunate to have such good conditions to actually sail past the Antarctic Circle.
Shortly past the Circle we encountered heavy pack ice and had to start heading back north. Throughout the morning we saw humpback whales and we stopped to spend time with a mother-calf pair. It looked like they may have been feeding on krill as we saw patches of it on the depth sounder. We watched them for several surfacings and managed to get close looks at the pair.
In the afternoon we tried for a landing but again encountered heavy pack ice. It was very atmospheric as we slowly cruised through the ice and past several massive icebergs. This is what Antarctica is all about!
In the evening, we landed on Booth Island. It was another chance to look at the comical gentoo penguins as they trudged up and down their highways during this short but intense breeding season. The chicks were fairly large so there must be lots of krill in the area. We could just sit quietly and watch all their behaviors.
We also had a fantastic look at a leopard seal and saw the remnants of the Charcot expedition. It was a wonderful way to end the day!
