And again we slept in, even though sunrise was at 4.00! The Captain had warned us that by about 5.00 am we should expect rougher seas as we head through the Drake Passage.
This didn't happen and although there is a smooth 5 metre swell, the sun is shining through broken clouds and the temperature is 5 degrees. The good news is that the swell is expected to drop later this afternoon but so is the temperature.
It turned into a lovely afternoon but we did not venture outside. There is quite a bit of birdlife around, mainly petrals, but the was a large albatross doing a fly-by during dinner.
We opted for a shared table tonight and joined with another NZ couple from Tauranga, a couple from Melbourne and 2 from Florida. As the evening progressed we found out that the American couple had both worked on the space programme for many years - very interesting insights.
No show again tonight as we were far too late for the early show, so we opted for green tea and bed - a big day tomorrow, as we actually start our Antarctic scenic cruise.
Just a minor niggle, this is an exotic destination yet we have been given almost no Information on timings, wildlife expectations etc. In fact it was only in Ushuaia that Tony, our Cruise Director purchased some local maps, which he has now had laminated and displayed in the Mosaic Cafe. 🤔
Day 8
At last we really are in Antarctic waters but still steaming along at 17 kt's to reach our first scheduled cruise spot - Melchior Island. We should be there by 1.00pm which is fine as the weather is expected to clear a little by then. Currently it is cloudy, misty, cold & snowing! - not enough to settle, but snow indeed. Today's high is -5° (with a low of -6°), so the thermals are on.
While at breakfast we saw both a little iceberg (bergy bit or a growler) a hundred odd metres away and then a pod of dolphin, so we're pretty lucky so far. We still managed to do our one mile around the deck, but this time in the snow. We did catch sight of a whale off from our balcony, but as we are still doing 17kts, it's a bit hard to catch sight of them. We will however be slowing down once we reach Melchior Island, so we hope that the weather co-operates.
We had a quick bite at Mosaic and were just finishing our green tea when Melchior Island appeared, so straight up to the cabin. Well, we were treated to some magnificent views of icebergs (large, small & very large), penguins, another whale & baby dolphins (we think). Forgot to mention that the sun has come out, which adds to the magnificence of the sights we are admiring.
The beauty of being in the cabin is the ability to retreat to the warmth of the cabin on a frequent basis, as the temperature is still well below 0°. Of interest is that sunset tonight is 11.20, with sunrise at 3.20 - boy, it's going to be hard to get any sleep with so much to see as we keep cruising around the area.
Unfortunately icebergs blocked our entrance to Paradise Bay but we did a 360° so that everyone got a view up to the glacier before we retreated and slowly headed out to sea for the night - a safety measure.
We were so lucky at dinner tonight as we got a table for two right in the centre of the ship at the rear with spectacular views as we sailed out. The view was only surpassed by the lamb shanks! We lost internet for about 2 hours during the afternoon, but now we are back out in the open sea connectivity is restored - so far much better than anticipated/ advised.
Day 9
For a change we woke at a far more respectable time and pulled the curtains to find a huge block of ice just outside. We continued sailing up the channel for a while and then came to a halt.
The Captain announced that the conditions had changed overnight with a flow of icebergs now inhibiting our progress, so we are just sitting here - admiring the view. We were planning to get to Port Lockroy, which hosts the world's most southern Post Office around midday, so we'll see how it goes.
Funny thing is that each morning starts off overcast and then improves later in the day. I hope this holds true today, as it is a bit cloudy at present with threatened snow later. Captain has now told us that we are going to try to get into Paradise Bay again as both routes to Port Lockroy are icebergged! A bit sad, but hey, we are scenic cruising.
Usual morning coffee at Mosaic Cafe before we head upstairs for our daily walk. It is amazing how we are able to get our *hot* coffees (& biscotti) so quickly, both with service and delivery. It is also not too difficult to get a seat, but timing we have found is key. Do not try just before or just after a lecture or other event, but rather shortly after if has started!
Our walk around Deck 10 took a bit longer, as we stopped a number of times to take (yet more) photos. We saw 2 other cruise ships, well actually expedition ships along with 2 yachts. Still no whales so far.
Temperature remains around -1 but as we approach midday the breeze has picked up a bit, increasing (more accurately decreasing) the temperature due to the wind chill factor. We are sticking to the cabin!
Yes, we got into Paradise Bay and it is magnificent, with glaciers at the end, but really quiet & calm. We did see a couple of whales in the distance but they were too far away for photos.
However we were lucky that a couple of smaller icebergs had little gentoo penguins on them and although the first ones jumped off, the others played to the camera (not that they know what a camera is). Grabbed a couple of little rolls from Mosaic and had green tea for lunch in the cabin.
We have finished our most southerly cruising and are now quietly sailing in an overall northerly direction towards Deception Island. The sun has not broken through today but the cloud cover gives a different perspective to the variety of colors of the ice, rocks & sea.
Having said that I must admit that I am happily sitting inside admiring the view, rather than outside as we did yesterday. Sure looks like snow clouds on the horizon.
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