#7 is in the bag

At 0930 we boarded the zodiac to Portal Point, which marks the entrance to Charlotte Bay on the Reclus Peninsula. The boat ferried us to the shore, where I stepped onto the 7th continent. It was overcast and snowing, but the weather was secondary to the jubilation. I got up the hill and out of the way before tossing myself into the snow, furiously paddling my arms and legs into a snow angel.

We sighted our first penguins, at Portal Point. There are 18 or 19 species of penguins in the world, and these were gentoos. A minke whale was seen in the distance, but those on the zodiac tour had a better look at it. We climbed over the snow bridge to the highest point. The snow stopped briefly, the clouds cleared, and the scene was gorgeous. It felt like being on a whole different planet. The landscape was different hues of grey, highlighted by the fresh white snow, and punctuated with amazing blue.

There are no words or pictures that capture the color blue in a glacier. The water molecules are compressed so tightly that the only color that escapes is the blue. The phenomena creates a color so glorious that it can only be appreciated by the naked eye. (Sorry) In our later zodiac tour of Wilhelmina Bay, we saw a number of icebergs glowing blue. The color was so powerful, it backlit the fresh, white snow. We could only stare, with our mouths agape, as they slowly drifted by.

We also got to sight see a bit. There was an old, rusted out whaling ship run aground in (or near) Enterprise Island. About 100 years ago, the ship caught fire, so the captain ran it into shore in an effort to save all onboard. It worked. All 80+ crew lived to see another day. Now the ship sits, mostly submerged, in crystal clear waters, with icebergs harmlessly floating by.

As we came into another area, we found crab eater seals on an ice floe. One rolled onto his back, gave us a curious glance, and then went about ignoring us. We also saw small groups of penguins, floating by on small icebergs. They do nothing, and it is amazingly cute.

It is snowing tonight but the temperature has been mild. It has hovered around 32 degrees, so it has been comfortable. Well, comfortable for us, not so much for our Brasilian friends. We hope for good weather tomorrow, as it is a very full and long day. We head out on the zodiacs before breakfast; our wake-up call is 0530. Ugh.

Now that we are out of the Drake Passage, everyone is feeling better. At dinner, one of the crew said the Passage was worse earlier in the week, with swells up to 40 feet; we only had to endure 20-25 foot swells. I guess that makes us lucky? At dinner this evening I saw several people for the first time. Poor dears have been sick in their cabins for a couple of days now. The loud chatter over dinner is evidence of much calmer seas and improved gastric operation.Read more