Lemaire Channel, Booth Island and Dallmann Bay
Our valentine morning began with a lovely cruise through the ice in the Lemaire Channel, with glaciers reaching down to the sea. The Antarctic Peninsula and Booth Island peaks, dusted with new snow, form this beautiful 7-mile-long narrow passage to the south. First discovered in 1873-74 by a German expedition led by Dallman, but not officially named until Gerlache decided to honor Charles Lemaire, a Belgian explorer of the Congo. With the low ceiling adding to the mystery by keeping the peaks in the clouds, we had a fabulous time, and it was not even breakfast time yet!
Turning into the protected cove behind Booth Island, we boarded Zodiacs to explore an iceberg graveyard containing enormous grounded bergs. Looking up at the sculpted blue forms from sea level gave us a new perspective on their size. One large berg had a window that captured the top of the island, with the cairn in the view. Amazing photo opportunity and a glorious way to see yet another defining part of the Antarctic landscape. Those who went ashore hiked up the slushy snow to the cairn built at the top of the hill by Charcot in 1904 as a navigational aid. The pink and green snow algae added to the color palette for those enjoying seeing all three brushtail penguin chicks in one location. Adélie chicks are king of the rocky ledge, the chinstrap chicks were huddled together, surrounded by hoards of Gentoo penguins. Booth is one of the few sites where all three species can be seen nesting together. The wind picked up and we had our final landing in true Antarctic conditions – wind and sleeting snow pellets! Despite the weather, many of us found a quiet place to stand and absorb the beauty of this amazing place, soaking in the sounds of penguins calling and glaciers rumbling.
Time to turn northwards, spending a glorious sunny afternoon surrounded by snow-covered peaks in Dallman Bay searching for whales, and finding humpbacks! First a cow-calf pair entertained us with breaches, then a trio of large distant animals came to inspect the ship. They surfaced unexpectedly just off the bow, causing the Captain to put the engines in full reverse! We all got fantastic views of their different fluke patterns, the “fingerprints” that help us identify different individuals. Whale breath wafted over the deck! At one point, we had the trio off the port side, another pair in the distance to starboard and several blows in the distance! The ship continued north, escorted by these incredible animals. It was hard to leave. This place has touched us all, and we will carry visions of ice, penguins, and whales (not to mention hundreds of photos!) back with us.
