Sunrise: 4:23 a.m. Sunset: 9:38 p.m. Even with blackout curtains and pouring rain it gets light very early this far south. I woke up, showered and dressed. I assumed it must be about 7. Nope, 5:30 a.m. But since I was dressed and knew there'd be a crowd in the Crow's Nest this morning, I headed up.
I was correct. Even though we weren't scheduled to "arrive" until 8:00 a.m. the prime seats were taken. I still got a great view in one of the less comfortable chairs. By 8 it was a full house with rows of people behind me. Until about 8, for the past couple of days we'd mostly seen water and fog as we cruised south. Luckily, we had easy sailing, with some heavy seas but nothing too bad.
I won't bore you with blow-by-blow. We cruised slowly into Admiralty Bay and spent a few hours very slowly cruising and gazing in amazement at the glaciers, mountains, whales and penguins. And birds. So many birds.
As the rain stopped and the sun came out in patches, the colors transitioned from greys to deep blues until the water was such a light teal blue we could have been sailing in the Caribbean. Given that Antarctica is the driest place on the planet it might seem ironic that the day was so rainy but this is the season for it.
As we cruised into Admiralty Bay I think I was most surprised at the number of research stations we saw. Representing countries from around the globe, including Brazil (with the newest building, only 10 days old), Ecuador (who has one small building on a remote beach) and Poland. Some are staffed year 'round but most, like Ecuador, are only staffed during the summer months.
Because this is the most northern and warmest part of Antarctica, Admiralty Bay is known as Copacobana. A bit of ironic scientific humor.
Watching this amazing world glide by was a typical cruise experience. There were several of us in the front chatting, pointing out sights to each other and laughing. The shared experience creates an instant bond. I happened to be sitting amidst a group of Canadians. Before sighing any animal life, I suggested betting the way my dad and I used to when we went fishing.
The first person to see a whale, penguin or whatever gets a nickel. The person who sees the most animals gets a nickel. And the person to see the largest animal gets a nickel. One guy thought it was a nickel per animal and he was making a killing, since he clearly had eagle eyes. As we clarified the rules his wife pointed out he was just working hi way up to earn a whole nickel. He didn't care. Then I mentioned the exchange rate and that even if he won, he'd still owe me money. We laughed and just enjoyed seeing how many different animals we could see.
I went back to my cabin. After hours of focused attention, my butt and my eyes needed a break. And perhaps a nap. This is just the first morning of several days of slow cruising around the Antarctic peninsula.
The afternoon was more scenic cruising including the sight of a penguin colony on an island with over 1,000 penguins. They were stretched across a beach and more could be seen climbing the steep hills in switchback fashion.
I skipped dinner and went to bed by 10.
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