S Shetlands: King George Island

Around 2:00p, Expedition Leader Stephanie was back on the P/A to advise us that we were approaching Admiralty Bay on King George Island … the largest of the land masses that make up the South Shetlands.

We’d been able to enjoy the sights of the South Shetlands this morning from our veranda because there was nothing but open water on the starboard side of the vessel. That was not going to be the case this time. So, we bundled up and went up to deck 10, adding extra layers as the wind was downright brutal … especially when Insignia was changing its heading.

I found the scenery as we entered the Ezcurra Inlet quite interesting. On the port side — as we passed Arctowski, the Polish research station — the land was stark … no ice … no noticeable vegetation. Just rocky outcroppings. On the starboard side, however, the Emerald Icefalls streamed down from between the mountains. Some of them reached the water, retaining their tidewater designation. Others had retreated to land. It was an amazingly beautiful landscape. We didn’t go too far into the inlet before Insignia turned its bow around to explore other parts of the bay.

Stephanie described King George Island as a mini United Nations. Apparently there are 10 or so different countries with research stations established on the island … some of them operating only during the summer. In addition to the Arctowski station, we also passed by the Brazilian station — Commandante Ferraz — in the Martel Inlet where we saw the Stenhouse Glacier and the Ajax Icefall.

When Insignia turned its bow towards Admiralty Bay again to retrace its route to get out to the Bransfield Strait, the wind picked up again. We’d been having trouble keeping our cameras steady, now it was impossible. Standing upright was a challenge, too. We bid goodbye to the landscape and went indoors.

Due to the scenic cruising we’ve been doing, some of the activities that usually take place in Horizons have been relocated to other venues. For example, the Coffee Chat and Needle Point is held in the Insignia Lounge. The Afternoon Tea Time is in the Terrace Café … complete with the quartet providing music. To warm up a bit after our time out on deck, we stopped into the afternoon tea. Actually, Mui got some ice cream for himself … I enjoyed the tea and assorted treats. Not the same ambiance as in the Horizons Lounge. But that’s OK. The ambiance was outside the window.

Thus we have completed the Antarctica portion of our world cruise. Now, having rounded Cape Melville, we’re rockin’ our way around King George Island to enter the Drake Passage for our northbound crossing.

I wonder if the Drake will treat us to a lake or to a shake this time?Baca lagi