The first guest to the bridge this morning wondered out loud why the Ice Captain was driving. Unbeknownst to the intrepid explorers, he had been up since 2:00 a.m., threading us through an ice field to the North of Shag Rocks.
However, as the rest of us awakened to calming seas, a late breakfast was a treat to our normally busy schedule. Days at sea are a great time to enjoy the views of the unending ocean, catching up on relaxation, and to reflect back through all of our travels thus far – and learn more of our travels still ahead.
This morning, between breaks of enjoying the seabirds following the ship and perusing our growing photo libraries, we heard a detailed and inspiring talk from naturalist Karen Copeland about the wildlife of the Falkland Islands, where we are scheduled to make landfall in two days. We prepare for tours of the “metropolis” of Port Stanley and other more remote stops for hiking and birdwatching.
In the afternoon, we enjoyed a talk on Antarctic Sled Dogs from Naturalist Rod Ledingham, followed by a chocoholics dream: an all-chocolate tea time. Indulgence was unavoidable, and in the well-chosen words of Captain James Griffiths “…you won’t be laying on your deathbed wishing you’d swerved around that chocolate buffet.”
We followed up the chocolate with another treat of the Guest Laptop Gallery in the lounge. Laptops were loaded with slideshows of images taken on the trip thus far, and each collection was a great chance to see the places we’ve visited through other’s lenses. The images were all stunning and a great reminder of the incredible destinations already in our wake.
