Happy Thanksgiving from Antarctica! Having found a large piece of shore-fast ice (sea ice that is attached to land and therefore stable) the captain parked the ship in the sea ice for the evening. We woke up to a cloudy but beautiful day, the gangway was lowered after breakfast and we were able to go for a walk on the frozen ocean. Many didn’t think about the 1,500 feet of ocean beneath our feet or the six feet of ice we were walking on. The clouds lifted and the surrounding landscape was exposed. Beautiful mountains and tall cliffs were all around us. Several seals and penguins came out of the water near National Geographic Explorer to see what all the fuss was about. Many guests built snowmen, some walked the perimeter, a few even jogged for a unique Antarctic workout. The hotel department served hot chocolate with an added kick to top off our experience. After a group photo was taken in front of the bow it was time to extract the ship from her icy berth and move on to other adventures.
The afternoon was spent at Danco Island where a healthy Gentoo penguin population of breeders were setting up their nests for the summer. There was a lot of snow around the breeding sites but the penguins were attempting to make do with the conditions. There was a hike to the top of the island or just to the first level of breeding birds. Zodiac cruises were also available for those wanting to see the gentoos in the water, a few seals lounging about, or the amazing ice sculptures that littered the channel between Danco and the mainland.
Once everyone was back on board, the ship headed south towards our destination of tomorrow, Neko Harbour. An Antarctic continental landing.
