The sun rose slowly over tabular icebergs as we entered the Weddell Sea. Not long after, we were introduced to the most entertaining of Antarctic penguins, the Adelie penguin. The colony at Brown Bluff is in full swing. Most of the chicks are quite large now and require a considerable amount of food each day. We watched as penguin after penguin darted out to sea for their chick’s next meal. As we continued south in the Weddell Sea, we saw a male elephant seal resting on an ice floe and countless snow petrels. Between snow flurries, we got a glimpse of killer whales. The blowing snow shrouded their next move, and we will have to wait until tomorrow to try and find them again.
12/5/2024
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Marguerite Bay, Antarctica
Early this morning, there was an amazing sunrise over the distant mountains. Eventually when the ship awoke many hours later, we found ourselves parked in the fast ice of Marguerite Bay in Bourgeois Fjord. Shortly after breakfast, we disembarked the “penguin doors” and stepped out directly onto the fast ice. Some took off cross country skiing and others explored on foot. There were many crab eater seals around, perhaps as many as 200, in a variety of groups. It was a spectacular morning with almost no wind and blue skies. After a productive morning, the hotel department treated us to a barbecue lunch and a doughnut bar which some guests chose to eat on the outer decks of the ship, enjoying the amazing scenery. In the afternoon, we made a landing on the rocky terrain of Horseshoe Island to visit British Base Y which was established in 1955 by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey. In the evening, as we sailed north through Marguerite Bay, we enjoyed amazing scenery and after dinner we explored a narrow and scenic passage called The Gullet. It was a most memorable, enjoyable, and adventurous day here in Antarctica, and we’re all looking forward to tomorrow.