Port Lockroy and Gerlache Strait, Antarctica
This morning we anchored at Port Lockroy, a former British base, now run as a historic site by the British Antarctic Heritage Trust. We had two separate landings here. Ashore at the base, we could see what life was like living in Antarctica in the 1950s. The small but comfortable cabin has been restored and arranged as a museum, giving us a glimpse into the past. We also got a chance to participate in something a little more modern in Antarctica shopping. Yes, coming back to the present time, there was a chance to mail postcards and to take home a few souvenirs.
Our next stop was Jougla Point on Wiencke Island, the domain of the gentoo penguins. As we have seen elsewhere, the chicks were still young enough to need the protection (from skuas and cold) of their parents. But they are growing fast, and soon enough will be left while both parents go out to bring back food. Mixed in with the gentoos were nesting blue-eyed shags. Their chicks (two or three per nest) were nearly adult size. When one of the parents arrives at the nest, the three wobbly-headed chicks do their best begging to convince the adult that their need is SO much greater than either of their siblings – who are saying (presumably) the same thing. Unlike the dainty and smaller penguin chicks that put their beaks into the parent’s mouth, the shag chicks stuff their whole head, complete with a long beak, right down the throat of the parent. Other than the fuzzy down as a reminder, it was sometimes hard to tell where one bird ended and the next began as the long necks undulated back and forth during feeding.
After lunch, we headed north in the Gerlache Strait. For the first part of the afternoon we were treated to a winter wonderland of an Antarctic snowstorm. Then, in the late afternoon, as quickly as it started, the snow stopped, the skies cleared and we were awestruck by the mountains and scenery around us. Conveniently, at this same time, killer whales were spotted, so we filled the decks to get close looks at these amazing animals. Numerous times they surfaced just ahead of the ship, showing us their unique markings, as well as the yellowish coloration from the diatoms on their skin.
We enjoyed a delicious Argentine style asado dinner tonight… but before we could finish dessert, the announcement was made that there were more killer whales! As the evening went on, we soaked it all in – killer whales in every direction we looked, humpback whales near the killer whales and then right beside the ship, a nearly full moon above the mountains, and lighting that got better and better with each hour we stayed awake! On a night like this, sleep takes last priority.
