This
morning we had our second Continental landing and our second day with a
glorious weather. Blue skies and a Weddell Seal welcomed us at the sandy beach
of Neko Harbour, where hundreds of Gentoo Penguins were going in and out of the
water, sunbathing, or rushing up and down the steep hills that separate their
colony from the sea.
Now
that it is later in the season the penguin highways are deep channels in the
snow slope, in some places as deep as the penguins themselves.
Those
lucky enough to be kayaking or cruising enjoyed close encounters with a
Humpback Whale, while the rest of us looked at it from a distance. The amazing
icescape of the surrounding glacier tumbling into the sea captivated many of us
whilst the penguins carried on regardless.
During
lunch we crossed Gerlache Strait into the northern entrance of the Neumayer
Channel, which is extremely scenic with Winke Island to one side and the Anvers
Island to the other. The Captain slowed the ship to watch more Humpback Whales
before reaching Port Lockroy in the early afternoon.
Port
Lockroy, historic Site and Monument Nr. 61, is managed by the Antarctic
Heritage Trust as a living museum and is manned by a team of 4 who welcomed us
with opened arms. This season a BBC film team is also onsite filming a
documentary entitled “Penguin Post Office”. Our arrival on the base was filmed.
The museum captures life on the station in the 1950’s. The trust runs a small
shop and post office to support the Antarctic Heritage Projects, including the
conservation of other historic bases that we have seen during this incredible
journey.
The
chicks here seemed very clean and healthy. We witnessed some very touching
interactions between adults and chicks.
The
surrounding mountains were the playground for our snow shoe enthusiasts who
started and finished their trek from Damoy Point, the same place where the camp
for the night was set up later. We all enjoyed an incredible evening with
stunning colours as the sun dipped very low in the sky.
