RWSE Day 10: At Sea … Below 60° S

“The first great thing is to find yourself and for that you need solitude and contemplation — at least sometimes. I can tell you deliverance will not come from the rushing noisy centres of civilization. It will come from lonely places.” ~~ Fridtjof Nansen ~~ (from the Daily Program)

We are now below 60° S — officially in Antarctic waters … below the northern limit of the Southern Ocean … and in the Antarctic Treaty Area, which is a region where no territorial claims or military activities are permitted.

It was a busy day at sea with lectures and briefings … and plankton and navigation workshops. While it was cold on the outside decks, the sea state was calm enough for us to enjoy some fresh air. There were a number of whales … some fairly close, but still not close enough for decent photos. Mostly blows and some dorsal fins. EL Sara reported during recap that the bridge recorded 65 whales today. Otherwise … water, water everywhere.

Now that we are headed to the Antarctic Continent, it was time for a mandatory briefing on helicopter operations. First a safety video prepared by DAP Helicopters … then a review of how operations will work on Ortelius … key safety points reiterated by the “Air Boss.” Tomorrow we will do a dry run on the helipad and put into practice what we learned today.

Educational lectures followed — Matilda gave us an “Introduction to Ice” … 99% of Antarctica is covered by ice = 90% of the world’s freshwater ice … ice and snow that covers the water surface reflects back 90% of the sun’s heat … that number drops to 6% in open waters; Tennessee delivered part two of his “Pray for Shackleton” series … focusing on the explorer’s early years and his role in Scott’s Discovery Expedition, which reached 82 ° S as its southernmost point.

The Daily Recap was quick — Ortelius is moving along at a steady speed of 12 knots at the moment; it looks like the sea and wind states are going to cooperate for another day. That out of the way, EL Sara used a rope to help us visualize the sizes of the whales we are seeing; Matilda showed us how to read the ice charts and illustrated the ice coverage with sample photos; Tennessee answered a question about who was the first to see Antarctica … Bransfield and Bellingshausen are two of the explorers whose names come up in that regard, but he figures some unknown sealer was more than likely the first to do so.

After dinner, we wrapped up this sea day with a screening of “Lake of Fire” … a documentary about a group of scientists who came out to SSI’s Saunders Island to prove that Mount Michael, the highest point on the island, indeed has a lava lake in its crater … only the eighth one in the world. By the way, yes … there was popcorn!

Too bad Mount Michael didn’t show itself to us when we cruised by Saunders yesterday … but we did see the plume of steam coming out of the crater.Read more