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| Cape petrel |
A clear and sunny day as the FRAM transits northward across the Scotia Sea in light winds and small swells left over from a past storm. Bridge visits and lectures filled our day. Today our blog is enhanced as we are fortunate to include some reflections by Helen Joannidi and Nicola Rickett who joined us in Port Lockroy:
“We (Hen and Nikki) are absolutely delighted to be travelling on board Fram, as she sails north to South Georgia. Following the visit to Lockroy by Anja, her team and guests, we were whisked away two days ago from our little Goudier Island. It has been quite an adjustment, as we had arrived at Port Lockroy in early November, and have become accustomed to the ‘simple life’ amongst the penguins. We had even become used to the smell of the guano!
Here, life is very relaxed and comfortable on board. Having running water and food cooked for us is a real treat. Life on ship is luxurious by comparison – we can hardly believe how much space there is on Fram – we are currently sitting in the lovely café where there is tea, coffee and sweet treats available around the clock! All this, after a delicious buffet lunch prepared by the talented chefs – with so much variety we have been spoilt for choice. And even though this is a ‘sea day’ there is so much going on – Anja has been updating us throughout the day with her tannoy announcements, and we have been learning about whales and cetaceans, as well as other historic background information thanks to the excellent expedition team’s presentations. This morning we were granted a ‘sneak peak’ of the Bridge, with a tour and talk by the Captain himself – fascinating!
In comparison with conditions as we were leaving Lockroy, the Scotia sea is calm and we are enjoying bright sunshine and blue skies – long may it last as we approach South Georgia. Neither of us has visited the Falkland Islands or South Georgia before, so we are incredibly excited about this opportunity, and have been talking avidly about the adventures ahead with our fellow passengers. We are looking forward to explaining more about life at Lockroy in a presentation that we will give to everyone during one of the coming sea days. Everyone is curious about how we came to spend four months on such a remote island, running a ‘living museum’ for the Antarctic Heritage Trust (www.ukaht.org) , and we have been delighted to share our experiences with newfound friends on board. It has been a truly wonderful four months that we have spent on the ice, and travelling back to Buenos Aires with Fram is a fitting end to our Antarctic adventures. Many thanks to Hurtigruten, Anja and her team, and the Captain."
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| Sunrise in the early morning |