Brown Bluff & the Weddell Sea
The apocalypse averted, we awoke to the intimidating, matter-of-fact description of the conditions outside: “high clouds, -5 degrees Celsius, but with the wind it feels like -11.” Antarctica is one of the few places on the planet where, despite such an observation, scores of eager explorers hopped out of bed for our first landing of the voyage. As fortune would have it, as we approached the anchorage and entered the lee of the towering Brown Bluff, the temperature rose to a manageable 0 degrees Celsius. Some guests from Wisconsin laughed at the “mild, summer climate of Antarctica” and it’s true, it’s probably colder back home. Boats were lowered and loaded with red-coated looky-loos stepping foot on the Antarctic continent amongst throngs of busy adelie penguins. For some reason these energetic birds don’t enter the water in front of the colony, rather, they walk several hundred yards along the beach before they find a favorite jumping-off point and embark on a quest for sustenance. By late morning the chill had all but left us, and future destinations and hunger beckoned us back home.
Once fed, the bodily urge to nap was brushed aside by the thumps and growls of passing sea ice along the ship’s hull. It was time for a little exploring. This region of the Weddell Sea is still locked in a conglomerate of sea ice, bergy bits, and tabular ice bergs, making for limited passage but fantastic scenery. We plied our way through the ice under the watchful eye of snow petrels and frantic adelie penguins (they can never seem to decide which way to go). Just as we pulled back from the ice and 99% of us had let our energy level dip to dangerous, nap-inducing levels, Chief Mate James spotted several blows in the distance. Once again the layers were donned and we made our way on deck to watch killer whales in the cold, wild wind. It was clear that at least two different groups of killers were mingling since some were a diatom-coated ochre hue and others were classic black-and-whites. Perhaps the clean whales have just returned from a foray into warmer waters, ridding their sleek skin of fouling critters. Using a catalog of known killer whales as a comparison, we may be able to identify these animals and find out their relationships, or lack thereof.
With recap and dinner already pushed back due to our cetacean distractors, maybe it’s only fitting that five minutes into the evening’s recap we met another snag. A three-foot tall enigma was spotted from the bridge by able-bodied seaman Randy. With all apologies to the staff, recap has been canceled. An emperor penguin requests our undivided attention.
