Lemaire Channel & Port Lochroy

The Booth Island landing from Port Charcot had to be cancelled because of too much ice in the sea near the landing site, and the sea conditions weren't good. The expedition team continued around the corner, in zodiacs, to see if Pleneau Bay/Iceberg Graveyard was a viable option to do a zodiac cruise, but the wind was too strong. So Booth Island walk and a zodiac cruise had to be cancelled.

The next best option was to see if Lemaire Channel (around the corner of Booth Island) was open and to see how far we would get.

During the last cruise the channel was too iced up to go through, but this time the ship managed to get through, navigating past icebergs in the narrow channel. On a clear day it can be very pretty, with striking rocky outcrops and steep cliffs into the channel.

When we rounded the corner of Booth island towards Pleneau Bay, the wind was still too strong for a zodiac cruise, so there was change in plan again.

We headed to Port Lochroy. The weather was gorgeous and the sea was a lot calmer. Staff at the base on Goudier Island came to give us a talk about the base's history, and restoration efforts. The base is now a tiny post office (the only one in Antarctica) and museum

After the talk the base personnel set up a 'shop' on the ship so that guests could purchase souvenirs. I decided to do the zodiac cruise that was offered around the bay, in the hope that I could see the 'shop' when I got back.

It was a nice cruise towards Goudier island and the base, and then partly into a channel to see glaciers. Last week's cruise, I had come up the channel on a zodiac when one of the zodiacs lost steering. The weather that day had been terrible but today the weather was very different and the sea was a lot calmer.

Paul was waiting for me when I got back to the ship and we were able to see what was in the pop up 'shop'.Read more