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Report 12 February - Team B on board Pelagic towards Port Lockroy via Cape Renard
Fri 12th FebThe cruise through an iceberg graveyard was an awe inspiring start to a beautiful sunny day. The area, the western edge of Booth Island, forms a natural cul de sac, preventing icebergs drifting further north. We weaved our way through the bergs and brash ice, greatly appreciating our small craft's ability to squeeze through gaps inaccessible to larger vessels. We gaped at the monolithic bergs, many as big as cathedrals.
The initial effect rooting us to the spot then the race for cameras, followed by a frenzy of clicking - each view a picture postcard. There was not a breath of wind. The sun cast perfect mirror images of the icebergs on the sea, only disturbed by dripping water from the ever so slowly diminishing bergs. Warnings of enhanced uv levels have made us all cautious, however i felt i had to view this just for a moment without sunglasses. A moment was all I could take before being absolutely dazzled by the bright whiteness.
Suddenly, three Minke whales arrived. They were bolder than previous ones we've encountered. They came so close, we could see their silver, streamlined bodies a foot under the surface, then rising to reveal shimmering backs, gasping as if sighing contentedly. Too soon, it was time to move on. I sat at the stern of the boat absorbing the picture, trying to etch it permanently in my mind, perhaps to recall on a future cold, wet monday morning.
Cape Renard. Click for larger image.
En route to Port Lockroy, we diverted slightly to Cape Renard where a team of eminent German climbers are tackling the sheer face of this Antarctic mountain. From the yacht we could see them only as specks on the edge of a precipice, a third of the way up. Hamish, our skipper, contacted them by radio and found the venture was going to plan, they were on target to reach the summit within two days.
We reached Port Lockroy early evening and had the pleasure, for the second time, to experience a Gentoo penguin colony. Port Lockroy, an ex-british base and now a British Antarctica heritage site is a hugely popular stop for tourist ships. Because of this, the penguins are very used to humans and didn't mind us at all. An adolescent chick swaggered up to me to pose for my photographs and either curiously or hungrily had a chew, if penguins can chew, on my rucksack. It was so tempting to reach out and touch his fluffy coat - actually, it is feather but is so soft it has the appearance of fluff - or feed him some of my chocolate. Of course, I didn't. Not only would this be a gross mistake but would be in direct contravention of the Antarctica Treaty.
Back on board, Adrian was chef tonight and the cooking smells told us we were in for a feast. Dinner was a leg of lamb, cooked with rosemary and fresh lemon. Delicious - and Adrian says he can't cook. The lamb carcass was one of two we have carried dangling off the rear of the boat. Our vegetarian team members will be delighted when this particular ration is used up. We've collected a considerable amount of educational material which should be valuable on our return. It's now just gone midnight and we're still busy finishing reports and cataloguing material.
Heather Prodger
| Weather and Position Data | |||
| 1. Date | 2. Time | 3. Posn Lat | 4. Posn Long |
| 12/02 | 12.44 local | 64°-58.42S | 63°-42.39W |
| 5. Compass Heading | 6. Wind Speed | 7. Boat speed | 8. Wind Dir |
| 32° | 12 Knots | 6 Knots | -90° |
| 9. Pressure | 10. Air Temp | 11. Sea Temp | 12. Cloud Type |
| 98 972 |
+6°C | no data | cirrus |
| 13. Cloud cover | 14. Precipitation | 15. Sea State | 16.Comments |
| 60% | none | ripply | wind chill -2 |