Yesterday morning we left Port Charcot and began heading south, hoping to cross the Antarctic Circle in the next few days. The first miles took us through an amazing area of grounded bergs, every shape and size imaginable, and as we wove our way between them it was like sailing through a vast natural gallery of ice sculptures (see photo) We spent several hours marveling at the grandeur and beauty of the bergs and watching seals hauled out on smaller floes. We stopped for the night in the Argentine Islands where we walked up to a high point for spectacular views back towards the mainland at sunset, then got underway again very early this morning as we had a 60 mile run south to the Fish Islands. It has been a remarkable day. We started out in bright sunshine on a crisp and pristine day and it felt as if we could see for ever. The never ending chain of mainland mountains stretched away south and in all directions were massive ice bergs gleaming bright white. It seems that the further south we get the more spectacular the scenery becomes and the more wild and untouched the environment is. A light breeze helped us on our way and we used the jib in open stretches of water as we are counting every litre of diesel. All day the clouds were building up behind us and as we approached the anchorage on Flounder Island a grey wall was advancing, swallowing the islands we had recently passed. By the time we had tied our lines ashore it was snowing hard and we were glad to get cosy down below with the heater going.....
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In the last few days (or to be more accurate nights) we have had our first real encounter with ice and have not had very much sleep. Tied four ways in a snug, rocky cove at Port Charcot we had good protection from the strong NE wind that was blowing and although we could see the clouds racing over the mountain tops ahead of us we felt little direct effect. But large chunks of ice are being brought into the bay on the incoming tide and drifting towards us. Many are as big as the boat and with a lot more bulk as most of an iceberg is underwater - only about 10% is visible above the surface. Although tiny by comparison to the large tabular bergs that we can see floating past in deeper water these bits, often with extensive protrusions and shelves, are disconcerting as they thump against the hull and get caught on our lines, so we spend a lot of time trying to fend them off! With our stern facing out of the bay the rudder seems a bit vulnerable and we decided to remove our Aries wind-vane self-steering system just in case. It proved a wise move as that very night a chunk about 10m long and 1.5m high lodged itself right across the transom and might well have damaged the Aries. Ashore there is a fantastic penguin rookery spread over the hillside, mainly Gentoos but with small groups of both Chinstraps and Adelies mixed in. We are not the only ones bothered by the ice - we spent many hours watching the Gentoos try to pick their way across a shore covered with ice chunks (see photo) This was obviously their normal route from the sea back to the colony and creatures of habit that they are they didn't deviate from it despite the obstacles created by the ice. It was both hilarious and heart-breaking to watch them as they struggled from one awkward perch to the next, slipping and sliding and falling as they went, but determined to get across...
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Persistent NE winds in the last few days have brought the type of weather more typical of the Antarctic - low grey clouds have hidden the mountains and brought frequent rain and snow showers. The breeze has also pushed a lot of ice down the Neumayer Channel which is now clogging the bay outside the narrow entrance to Dorian Bay, but only the occasional bergy bit finds its way into our protected inner harbour. Ignoring the weather, we have spent many hours ashore amongst the Gentoo penguins watching their behaviour and the workings of a busy colony. They seem quite different characters to the Chinstraps we have seen so far and their chicks are beautiful, with grey and white down and bright orange bills rather than the uniform grey of the Chinstraps. Most of the chicks are well grown and can be left alone for long periods while the adults go foraging at sea, but we did find one much smaller chick with a parent in constant attendance (see photo) Their feeding behaviour with the older chicks is quite something to watch. A returning parent identifies its own chicks with calls and they peck and cry in eager anticipation. The adult then sets off at a brisk pace, waddling through the colony and hopping up and down rocks with the chicks in hot pursuit. The high speed chase often causes all sorts of chaos amongst the neighbours and is so frantic that the birds often slip and fall along the way. It usually ends on the edge of the colony when the parent stops and feeds the first chick to arrive and research suggests it might be a way of separating the weaker chick from the stronger. We also spent time watching the penguins in the water. When they first get in they wash vigorously using their feet and flippers to clean off the muck of the colony. In the shallow water of the anchorage we could see them swimming under the boat, suddenly graceful as they 'flew' throught the water in pursuit of krill, a tiny shrimp-like creature that is their main prey...
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