Sunday 23 rd November :

Hope Bay, Antarctic Peninsula

I bowed out of the festivities at 2am last night, knowing that in 3
hours time we would be summoned on deck for a 5.30 am introduction to
Antarctica proper and a guaranteed landing on the least visited, least
inhabited, driest, coldest, highest and most remote continent on earth.
The after effects of the party and my new found familiarity with all
things Penguin, had me contemplating giving it a miss until later, but
the enthusiasm with which my room mate bounded out the door, brought me
to my senses.

Our cheery German leader, Monica announced that it was a beautiful
morning, so I was slightly confused to be met with overcast, cold skies
with a light snow falling.. I guess down here this counts as a beautiful
morning! Off we go in the zodiacs over calm seas with ice bergs, brash
ice and ’ bergy bits’ floating all round us. We land on a small strip
off beach backed by huge cliffs with some prime Adelie Penguin real
estate in between. It’s refreshing to be able to land and walk around
without constantly looking out for charging Fur Seals , and their
absence also makes the place a lot quieter and a lot easier on the nose.

The Adelies are my new favourite Penguin ! They are the smallest breed
we’ve encountered yet and lack any colourful markings but personality
goes a long way! Walking up and down the beach, which also has a
barrier of mini icebergs in the surf, they seem to be contemplating
whether or not to go for a swim and feed or not. There’s a lot of
coming and going and eventually one braves the small breaking waves and
a large group all follow, with some of them changing their mind
instantly and waddling back out, like us humans testing the water before
a swim. The reason for their hesitation is more than likely the
presence of their most common predator, the Leopard Seal, who can catch
and finish off four of these birds in an hour. But those who make the
open water are quickly transformed into speeding penguin rockets,
breaching the calm water with rapid jumps and dives as they head out to
sea.

We have our instructions to keep some distance from the birds so as not
to disturb them too much, but as I’m sitting on the shingle a large
approaching group head straight for me and surround me as they waddle
past, most actually pause and give me and odd look before moving on,
less than a foot away from me on all sides. It’s yet another amazing
moment and I’m glad I decided to overcome my hangover here rather than
snoozing it off.

After a couple of hours we zip back to the ship for breakfast and then a
short cruise over the bay for our first social call in the Antarctic.
We anchor just offshore the Esperansa Antarctic base of Argentina, and
head ashore to be met by soldiers, scientists, their wives and amazingly
their children. The base is primarily a military and symbolic one with
a small scientific presence and is manned all year round by a group of
forty or so hardy Argentinians. We’re given a quick tour and as we’re
all huddled around in our down jackets, hats and gloves a little girl
wanders by in jeans and a t-shirt !!, it’s a few degrees above freezing
but these are record temperatures for this time of year. Along with
the site of retreating glaciers, new beaches and the resulting explosion
in the Fur Seal population, it’s hard to avoid the obvious signs and
effects of global warming on this trip. Within minutes of most our
landings I’m peeling off layers and have yet to feel really cold
anywhere but out on deck on the ship.

We’re the first ship to land here since last April, and we get a
friendly warm welcome in the main hall along with coffee and cakes.
Everyone takes the opportunity to buy some mementos of their visit here.
and the hospitality is repaid with a rousing rendition of ’ An Puc ar
Bhuile’ sung by Donnacha.. what the locals made of this is unclear but
it was a great moment.

The rest of the afternoon the ship sails through the Antarctic Sound and
the very top of the peninsula, navigating around huge ice bergs. We’re
heading west and then south to the Gerlache Strait, where a jam packed
day of landings, zodiac spins and the much anticipated camp out on the
ice will take place. You have to get up at 4 am around here to see all
that it has to offer so there’ll be no repeat of last nights antics in
the bar.