After sailing through the Gerlache Strait in a south-west direction, we prepared for our next scenic cruising day.
We have numerous additional personnel here with us; they joined in Buenos Aires or Montevideo and they will leave us in Ushuaia on Tuesday. We have lecturers/expedition leaders, an ice-pilot and unusually an IAATO (International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators) observer. She is here to observe that we adhere to the guidelines and environmental considerations while we’re in Antarctic waters. The weather was much the same as the previous day, however it wasn’t going to affect our day. Some photos before we approached the Channel…………
A massive Tabular Iceberg, several miles away. We passed it later in the cruise..
Neumayer, on the south-east coast of Anvers Island has a ‘zig-zag’ configuration; through the entrance and shortly after, a turn to port, (left); a straight section and then a turn to the right and then a turn left before entering the final section.
The entrance ahead
Slightly closer
The 1st turn left complete and the straight section ahead
Water-made caves
The right turn ahead
In the final straight section, we pass an Expedition ship
You may just be able to make out its guests ashore
Once completed, we turn to port into the Bismark Strait and thence back into Gerlache Strait, heading north-east this time, making for our next destination, Paradise Harbour, (sounds exotic, however no palm trees here 🙂 ). The intention being to transit the narrow channel next to the Chilean Polar station at Waterboat point and the penguin colony which inhabit the island too. We pass that Tabular berg again, this time closer. Calculated at ½ mile, (0.8 kms) wide and 320 feet (300m) high; this is 1/10 of it, the remainder underwater and (probably aground)
We approach via the Bryde Channel, oops looks like a great deal of ice.
But there are whales………….
Having negotiated the ice, we turn for Waterboat Point. I’m driving, so have only time for a quick photo….
Approaching the station, (middle right), all we have to do now is negotiate the ice
Made it, yeah!
.I’m going to ‘cheat’ again; this is what we brought guests here for…Ryndam, circa 2002…. smelly station 😕 The penguins really ‘pong’.
Chilean Station, complete with penguins (and do they smell!)
Past the island and Waterboat Point and out the other side. More ice of course……
An iceberg that looks like a tug
and one looks like a canoe
Out of the bay and as we do so, a look at Errera Channel on the other side of it. It looks blocked but I can fit in one more destination, let’s go to Wilhelmina Bay, just north of us, “there be whales there”. Into Wilhelmina and whales galore, I even found an ice yacht to add to my collection of ‘ice vessels’ 🙂
Sure enough, humpback whales everywhere. We stopped and ‘drifted’ long enough for everyone to get lots of photos and then turned slowly, leaving these wonderful creatures to their own devices.
The next day we were meant to make a call off Palmer Station, the U.S. base on Anvers Island, however we were told that, due to the Coronavirus, (how can you get a virus from drinking beer I wonder), Palmer has closed for visitors, they’re on lock-down, so I have to think of a substitute…. more later.
