Booth Island, Antarctica
Lemaire Channel is a famously spectacular seven-mile passage running north and south between Booth Island and the Antarctic Peninsula. Framed by glacier clad mountains rising directly from the ocean and towering thousands of feet above, the channel narrows to a quarter mile in one section. National Geographic Explorer entered the northern terminus early this morning. With considerable ice covering the water in what is still the Antarctic spring, our transit was suspenseful as well as sublimely beautiful. Suspense and excitement grew when we encountered a small group of killer whales in mid passage. Swimming close to our ship, the whales provided fine views. The scene took on even more interest when we realized that the whales captured and consumed a seal.
Booth Island is unique in that all three species of “brushtail” penguins (Adelies, chinstraps and gentoos) nest in close proximity. This was a grand opportunity for penguin fanciers (and who isn’t a penguin fancier?). It is also the 1904 overwintering site of the great French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot and his Français expedition. Numerous artifacts remain from their encampment and their scientific endeavors.
The surrounding waters are well known as a trap for icebergs. We took advantage of this opportunity and put our Zodiacs into service to explore around these massive natural ice sculptures. That is when we found a group of crabeater seals swimming around the submerged toe of a berg. It was an aquatic ballet.
The afternoon was dedicated to pushing through the sea ice and heading south. Seals littered the ice, including a leopard seal with a large wound on its back, very possibly from a killer whale attack. We reached 65¢ª50’, the farthest south in the Peninsula region by any ship this Antarctic season. Along the way, we lowered a trusty Zodiac and delivered materials to be used by the British Antarctic Heritage Trust to restore Wordie House, an historic British base that is in the process of being restored.
Heading north, we again passed through Lemaire Channel on our way to Palmer Station, the U. S. research facility. National Geographic’s Kim Heacox, a master storyteller, shared his captivating “Together We Shall Be Splendid: An Antarctica Love Story.”
Evening recap was followed by an Argentine inspired dinner. After the evening meal, Bob Farrell, the Station Manager, and a group of scientists and support staff from Palmer Station came aboard and spoke with us, answering questions ranging from the types of research that they do to what life is like in this isolated scientific research station.
