We’ve
arrived! The seas have been wonderfully calm for us, and today we got to set
foot on Antarctic islands. Around breakfast time, we found a gorgeous iceberg
that looked like it had two chimneys. Guests streamed out on deck to witness
the first big iceberg and immortalize it in photographs.
The
morning passed with conference talks, a presentation on art by our National
Geographic Explorer Jennifer Kingsley, and a primer on ice sheets and sea level
rise by Global Perspective Guest Speaker Bob Bindschadler. Bob’s presentation
included a live demonstration with several volunteers playing the wind, water,
the continental shelf, and Antarctic ice shelves.
Our
morning was punctuated by several wildlife sightings, beginning with our
morning bird list. We saw several hundred chinstrap penguins porpoising into
the distance. Then a group of several humpback whales gave us our voyage’s
first cetacean experience.
After
lunch, we executed our first Zodiac operations—always an adventure as each
person experiments with layers, mittens, backpacks, cameras, ocean spray, and
the ubiquitous lifejacket.
Our
first landing was at Half Moon Island, which gave us the opportunity to hike up
a small peak (very windy!) and to see our first penguin colony. A group of
chinstraps lives there, and we saw them tending to their eggs, hiking, and
tobogganing down the slopes.
Tonight, we cruise toward the Weddell Sea to see what awaits on the east side of the peninsula.
