Lecointe Island and Orne Harbour, 2/17/2024, National Geographic Resolution
Aboard the
National Geographic Resolution
Antarctica
As we cruised by Lecointe Island this morning, we were surprised by calm waters and large numbers of humpback whales. We hopped into Zodiacs to cruise through the channel by Lecointe Island. We admired large peaks, glaciers, and humpback whales resting and demonstrating feeding behavior.
In the afternoon, we headed for Orne Harbour. Some guests went ashore to hike to Spigot Peak near a chinstrap colony. Others Zodiac-cruised, soaking in the ice and viewing chinstraps swimming nearby.
Growing up in Washington, Kelly has always felt connected to nature and the outdoors. With the Puget Sound and Cascade Range in her backyard, it came as no surprise that she decided to study environmental science, graduating from Santa Clara Universi...
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And so begins our last day aboard National Geographic Endurance … but certainly not the least! Our wake-up call this morning included a special note about the wonderful array of albatrosses soaring around us as we made our way back toward the tip of South America. The day was filled with a variety of presentations by the naturalist team, from conservation-focused education to stories from the field of photography and documentary filmmaking. In between talks, we enjoyed a few exciting breaks as we passed by the legendary Cape Horn and were treated to even more legendary Swedish pancakes! To round out a fantastic day concluding an incredible trip, we gathered for the Captain’s Farewell Cocktail Party and the slideshow of our photos from the trip… but it didn’t end there! We couldn’t possibly be sent home without an epic asado dinner and a show by the amazing Endurance crew band, the Shackletunes!!! As declared by our fearless expedition leader, Jamie Coleman: Antarctica completed.
This morning began at a leisurely pace as we made our way north toward Ushuaia. Despite its fearsome reputation, the Drake gave us little trouble under light winds and steel gray skies. These sea days provide premier opportunities to study pelagic birds, and the entire day there was a diverse attendance of petrels, prions, and albatrosses following our wake at close range. Of particular interest was a group of three Antarctic petrels that stayed with us for the entire morning. Inside the ship we had a wonderful series of talks about the ocean we sailed upon and the continent we were leaving behind. Plankton, ice, the history of whaling, and the long, strange prehistory of Antarctica all featured prominently. The wildlife show continued when a large group of fin whales were spotted in the distance. With some expert maneuvering from the bridge team, we all enjoyed great views of these enormous “greyhounds of the sea.” In the afternoon we had the chance to meet with our captain and some of the engineering team to learn about the inner workings of National Geographic Endurance . As always, the day ended with a lovely meal and some spectacular desserts.
We awoke to a Drake shake. Light-mantled albatrosses soared around the stern of the ship, dancing with the wind ever so gracefully. We started the morning with a presentation from our visiting scientist Dan, who shared the interesting work on phytoplankton he had been conducting during the journey. That was followed by Naturalist Johnny presenting on acoustics. During the afternoon, we celebrated our entrance to the Beagle Channel with ice cream and then proceeded with the voyage slideshow that was enjoyed by all. For our final dinner of the trip, we were treated to an Argentinian feast, which was very fitting as we arrived back in Ushuaia.
