Saturday, November 15, 2008
A really GREAT day
Location:
54.08.838S
36.47.568W
Wind today: 3-5 knots, varying
Swell: 1 metre
We woke up this morning in the Bay of Isles. A quick peep out the
porthole revealed thousands of penguins on shore and swimming through
the ocean.
We finally made it ashore today! It was everything we could have ever
imagined, and more. King penguins met us on the beach, Fur Seals were
everywhere, and giant Elephant Seals lounged on the shore. Crossing
through was actually frightening! The fur seals were very aggressive
and threatening. One even took a charge at Olwyn, who, at five years
old, is the youngest member of our expedition. She handled it like a
pro, and was completely unharmed.
Further back on the shore, we reached the Woolly Penguins, which are
actually the chicks of the King Penguins even though theyre almost as
large. There were hundreds of thousands of penguins on the beach. We
just couldnt believe it. We can all only describe it as incredible – a
mass of penguins as far as we could see. We spent a long time on shore,
needless to say.
We came back to the ship for lunch, and it started snowing. It was
magical! A soft, powdery snow fell all around the ship, dusting the
mountains. We were due for another shore landing at Prion Island, which
is a nesting ground for the Wandering Albatross. But, we pushed that
landing back an hour in hopes the snow would stop. While it was
snowing, we relaxed in the lounge and listened to Ella Fitzgerald, and
the overall feeling was very Christmassy. It was so peaceful!
About an hour into the snow we received a second announcement about
Prion Island: the snow was not stopping in fact, getting worse, and so
we would just leave now! Away we went in the boats, right through the
snow.
Landing at Prion Island we had to negotiate with the fur seals to cross
the beach again, but once we were past that VERY scary obstacle, we were
able to walk on a wooden pathway to the top of the island. Being able
to land at Prion Island is really a privilege. It takes a lot of
paperwork, a special permit, and is open for only a very short season.
It closes this week, so we were very lucky to see it. While there, we
watched a female albatross feed her chick, which was a special moment.
We also found out even more interesting facts about the Albatross: It
reaches the age of reproduction sometime between 6 and 22 years of age.
It lives in excess of 60 years, and females have been documented as able
to chick at 60 years old.
While we were on the island, the snow lifted, and a massive view of the
bay opened up before us, with the sun shining brilliantly. Within the
space of an hour, we went from snow to bright sun, being able to stand
on decks in just a windbreaker. Amazing! We were all buzzing from such
an incredible day.
PHOTO: King Penguins, with their wooly chicks
