Pleneau Bay, Port Lockroy & Jougla Point & Polor Plunge - Antarctica

January 4

I forgot to add the photos of the whales bubble net feeding on the Portal Point post for January 2, so I have now added them. (none are great photos, but I added a few anyway.)

Pleneau Bay is known as the Iceberg Graveyard. Many icebergs find their way there and just stay. We did a 2 hour zodiac cruise amongst them. Some zodiacs got to get out and walk on the sea ice, but our 2 boats went in search of finding Leopard Seals. We got stuck at one point and a couple people used the paddles to move us off the bottom. Just a jaw-dropping beautiful place! One of the icebergs had such a beautiful blue glow coming from underneath and a couple of us joked that it looked like someone flipped on a switch for the tourists or it was a “Disney Iceberg”

 more snow on the deck this morning

 our zodiac

 the group walking on the sea ice

 Crabeater Seal

 Antarctic Shags

 Kelp Gull

 

We also saw some lovely pieces of “old ice”. The really clear pieces are the oldest pieces of ice from the bottom of a glacier that squeezes all the bubbles out of it. It takes years for that to happen. They looked more like crystal works of art than ice. The “family” grabbed a piece and asked if they could bring it back on board with them. Since it just melts they were allowed to do that. They brought it to lunch and asked the server to chop it up so they could put it in their drinks.

 

 

 Seals swimming

 Crabeater Seal

 Crabeater Seal

 

We had given up all hope of seeing a Leopard Seal, when we sited one! Just when we thought it was going to be as elusive like the Rhino in Africa. On zodiac cruises they travel in pairs in case one gets in trouble and with all of them split up there is more opportunity to see something special. All guides have radios so they can talk amongst themselves and report if there is something worth changing course and heading to where the others are.

 Leopard Seal

 

We had some beautiful scenery on our way to our next landing.

 Humpback Whale

me checking out the iceberg

After lunch we visited Port Lockroy. First, a lady came on board (4 women stay for 4 months there minding the post office and other duties.) Only 30 people at a time can go into the small museum so, we had a landing at Jougla Point for an hour and a half until it was our turn to go to Port Lockroy, which you could see from where we were.

 the ship from Jougla Point

 Port Lockroy form Jougla Point

 Gentoo Penguin prints in the snow

 Antarctic Shags & chicks

 Gentoo Penguin

 me watching the penguin

 whale bones

 this guy was resolved to get the "best photo"

 Grabeater Seal

 Greg & penguin

 me and penguin

 

Then, it was time to re-board the zodiac for the short trip to Port Lockroy.

 landing site

 old whalers chains

 dog sleds

 museum & post office

 

The cost to mail a postcard was $1.00 which gets it to the Falklands, then to the UK and then to its’ final destination. It can takes weeks to months.

 Dr. Fey

 where you mail the post cards

 

Some of the important research carried out at Port Lockroy, involved bouncing radio waves off the ionosphere to determine the best frequencies for long-range transmission. This ionosonde, known as “The Beastie”, was what was used to do it.

 Snowy Sheathbills

 Skua

 Will

 

Then, it was time for anyone doing the Polar Plunge to jump off the ship into the 0* (celcius) water in bathing suits. About half the ship did it.  It held absolutely zero appeal to us to want to do that.

 the 10 year old

 her mom

 

Much to the displeasure of most of the passengers we had another BBQ on deck again. A few revolted and took their plates into the closed dining room and a few of us grabbed some spots in the library. Like last time the people from the island were invited aboard to eat. We did the Lamaire channel again to resume our path headed northward.

Antarctic Peninsula -Pleneau Bay and Port Lockroy

06:00 - 07:00 A Continental Breakfast is served outside the Main Lounge

07:00 - 08:00 Breakfast is served in the Dining Room

TBA We hope to Zodiac cruise at Pleneau Bay

Pléneau Bay lies just south of the Lemaire Channel, separating Hovgaard Island and the Antarctic Peninsula. At the northwest end of the bay there is a passage between Hovgaard Island and Booth Island where the Pléneau Island groups can be accessed. Here we can find an iceberg graveyard, where both large tabular icebergs and older, rolled icebergs have run aground. Many of these icebergs have originated from as far south as the Ross Ice Shelf. This is also a good location for finding crabeater, Weddell and leopard seals hauled-out on ice floes and ice bergs. 

1) Crean 2) McCarthy 3) Vincent 4) McNeish 5) Shackleton 6) Worsley

12:30 Lunch is served in the Dining Room

TBA We hope to land at Port Lockroy

Port Lockroy and Damoy Point are both home to numerous nesting gentoo penguins. There is an extraordinary museum inside the old British Antarctic Survey (BAS) hut at Port Lockroy. One room within the hut is also a post office and gift shop where stamps, postcards and souvenirs may be purchased. Mail sent from Port Lockroy, however, can take from three weeks to three months to get to its final destination. The shop and post office accept USD, British Pounds, Visa and Mastercard. 

Due to the sensitivity and size of the island at Port Lockroy, this will be a split landing. While half of the ship visits Port Lockroy, the other half will visit neighboring Jougla Point, where there are nesting Gentoo penguins and Antarctic shags, and commonly Weddell seals hauled out in close proximity. 

We will have the opportunity to stamp your passports at Port Lockroy. If you do not wish to have your passport stamped please inform reception. 

1) McCarthy 2) Vincent 3) McNeish 4) Shackleton 5) Worsley 6) Crean

18:30 There will be a Recap & Briefing in the Main Lounge

19:30 Please join us on deck 400 aft for your Polar BBQ!

“To dine with a glacier on a sunny day is a glorious thing and makes feasts of meat and wine ridiculous. The glacier eats hills and drinks sunbeams.” - John Muir 

Sunrise: 02:53 Sunset: 23:42

You can see by the sunset times that it really didn't get dark, but it did technically set for a while.

Tomorrow we  have another full day of landings & zodiacs anticipated.