RWSE Day 14: At Sea Along Riiser-Larsen

“I have come to the conclusion that life in the Antarctic Regions can be very pleasant." ~~ Captain Scott (1868—1912) … at the end of the Discovery Expedition ~~ (from the Daily Program)

Our wake up call today was by none other than Sir David Attenborough! OK, OK … so it was Tennessee imitating Sir David … very credibly, I might add. He had us going there for a while … and only gave himself away when he could no longer contain his mirth.

Peeking out the window, it was gloomy outside. Overcast skies. Choppy seas that had Ortelius dancing. Snowing by the time we went down to breakfast … and blowing 40 knots. After our fantastic day at the continent yesterday, Antarctica was not playing nice.

Having considered the conditions, EL Sara eventually came on the PA to break the bad news. Mother Nature wasn’t going to allow us to do anything off the ship. So, to Plan B we went. We would be having a day at sea … taking in lectures and participating in workshops as per the revised activity schedule.

As the day progressed, the snow continued … the temps dipping further … the winds gusting to 50 knots. Not a day to be on the outside decks, which turned icy and dangerous. There was an upside to the conditions, however. That we had following winds and seas meant that Ortelius was moving at a pretty good clip … and in the right direction. South!

Chloe gave part two of her lecture, “Zooplankton Diversity: A Hidden Universe Beneath the Waves.” Matilda’s lecture was about glaciers … how they are formed, how they move, and how they shape not only the environment, but the climate as well.

After lunch, Mui and I had a few hours to ourselves while workshops were presented on plankton and what it takes to go diving in polar waters. The sextant workshop had to be canceled, however, due to the sun being AWOL.

Before the daily recap, we went to part III of Tennessee’s “Pray for Shackleton” lecture series. The topic this time was the Nimrod Expedition of 1907-1909 … aka the British Antarctic Expedition. We visited the hut the expedition built and used at Cape Royds on our 2015 Ross Sea voyage. Thus, the lecture was all the more interesting for Mui and me.

It was during this expedition that Shackleton reached 88°23’ S … the southernmost point ever recorded on the continent at that time. He was just 97.5 nautical miles (112.2 miles/180.6 km) from the South Pole when he was forced to cut the trip short. The reason for doing so was to conserve resources and ensure the safe return of the team in the face of severe weather and dwindling supplies.

At the daily recap that followed, EL Sara was sadly the bearer of the news that tomorrow we will be in for more of the same as today — weather-wise.

There was, however, good news with regards to our quest to get as far south as possible. The latest ice chart from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute indicates that there is loose ice and open water ahead to enable us in our goal … fingers (and toes) crossed!Leggi altro