Today we woke up by Spert Island, a wonderful island by the tip of Trinity Island. The weather prevented our Zodiac cruises. Wisely, expedition leader Lucho created plan B, which turned out even better than plan A.
We headed into Mikkelsen Harbour and landed on D'Hainaut Island, a very small island with lots of history and wildlife. Mikkelsen Harbour was once a common spot for sealing and whaling ships to anchor, and the beach at D’Hainaut is filled with whale bones, a sad testimony to the horrors of the past.
On the island, we found Refuge Caillet-Bois, an Argentine refuge inaugurated by the Argentine navy on December 10, 1954. Originally, it was named Refuge Port Mikkelsen for the Danish explorer Ejnar Mikkelsen. In 1977, the name was changed to pay tribute to Teodoro Caillet Bois, an Argentine naval captain and historian.
Plenty of wildlife inhabits this small island, including small storm petrels, fur seals, Weddell seals, kelp gulls, skuas, snowy sheathbills, and gentoo penguins. The penguins are finishing their breeding season, and some adults are already molting.
During the afternoon, we sailed to our next destination, Elephant Island! The day was sunny and glorious, a great way to spend a day in Antarctica.
