There is a rude awakening at 0700 as the dinghy hoisted up on the starboard side of the boat next to Jon's bunk starts causing a disturbance to the quiet. On investigation it is clear the bridle has broken which was centralising the dinghy position, and the dinghy is swinging wildly in the now 20+ knots of wind, and the outboard engine is banging noisily on the hull. Everyone is called on deck and under a dark, menacing sky (it feels far too early) we hurriedly get the dinghy safely stored away inside its locker. And then we sneak back to bed awaiting daylight.
Come Ten o'clock Richard, James and Kim (me) prep up as Enderby Island Shore Party Numero 2, which involves some hours poking our heads above deck into 25 knots of wind and cold while debating whether we should do it today or wait for better weather. It's decided that - even though there is heavy mist - it isn't raining (yet) and the swell will just about allow a beach-landing . The dinghy touches shore on Sandy Bay next to a juvenile albatross gathering area, where we watch with amusement as they scatter themselves into their long gangly-legged take-offs; imagine an Airbus 330 taking off with one dodgy wheel, barely managing to get off the ground. We drop our emergency shore bag (thermal blankets, food rations and meds etc) next to the DoC hut, all the while under the watchful gaze of a yellow-eyed penguin, moulting her feathers as we're moulting our drysuits.
We stroll up the DoC boardwalk wowing at the array of flora and fauna but seeing very little wildlife, and in fact seeing very little in front of us at all as a thick fog has set in. We spot our first knee-high mega-herbs, 'bulbinella' (which look akin to giant broccoli mixed with feather dusters), not flowering this late in the year but still curious and attractive, and at the North end we sit on the cliff edge enjoying a quick snack and being swooped on by skuas and albatross as the wind picks up and the rain kicks in.
The boardwalk terminates here and we follow a barely visible path east along the coast. Along the way there are many wonderful encounters as we trudged through the mist; spotting tomtits, a falcon, red-crested parakeets, shags, and numerous albatross-pellets showing recently digested bird skeletons and feathers (including what looks like a green parakeet). The going is pretty tough on the ankles as we navigate around close-set tussocks and kelp-covered rocks at the water's edge, but every step is worth the challenge due to the numerous sightings of active albatross pairs, yellow-eyed penguins hopping across the rocks and hiding in burrows, and seal-lion pups playing raucously together in muddy pools grunting and snuffling to each other. There is up to 8m depth of peat across the island and the ground is incredibly moist and bouncy and fun to experiment with underneath our feet.
We adhere to the minimum of a 5m distance between us and the seals, but on one occasion we walk through a narrow area between a big group of highly stimulated and active seal-lions and a small lake, and we do not go unnoticed. The two young male pups start lumbering towards us, playfully open-mouthed and barking. We follow the guidelines from Jo at DoC, slowly backing away and holding out a rucksack for them to sniff and keep the distance, and they stop a couple of metres away still showing interest and curiosity.
We enjoy the chance to see them up close for a brief moment when from our left we are 'greeted' at speed by an aggressive female seal rushing from the water at twice the speed the young pups were approaching us. She makes some very clear, 'Back off, Humans! Beware my wrath and pointy teeth!' sounds, looking momentarily dragon-like as her breath condenses on the cold air. We hastily reverse at speed, leaving her to return to her young'uns and likely give them a bit of a telling-off.
We had been given the heads-up that you do not look sea-lions in the eye as this challenges them, and you do not run away and turn your back as they may think you are playing or vulnerable. The most likely medication needed on expeditions to these parts is strong anti-biotics as seals often bite visitors if the rules are not followed and their behaviour and space is not respected, and their mouths are full of bacteria humans are not used to fighting.
We spotted many yellow-eyed penguins in pairs or alone, some moulting and standing on patches of their small, white, waterproof feathers, some having beautiful black and white contrasted coats and bright colours of pink and yellow on their faces. It's hard to believe there was once a roaring trade for fashionable penguin skin hand-muffs for ladies c 1880, and more than 15,000 penguin skins were traded.
The walk generally takes 4-6 hrs depending on the fitness of the walkers and the desire to amble and study nature, and we managed to get back to the boat just in time for dusk, Kim being blamed (fairly) for the excessive 'standing' and appreciation of creatures and birds as we travel. (I appreciate the patience of my fellow group members).
The Enderby day is almost finished as we wait for our dinghy pick-up and witness a young albatross try to take-off from the beach, splashing his massive feet on the water making no upward progress, until he clumsily races up a wave and uses the curve of the surf to get airbound and away; imagine this with the E.T theme flight music and you've got the picture. Hugely entertaining and would surely cause a smile on any face of even the least likely of 'twitchers'. We get back to welcoming Moksha to warm up and snuggle under blankets and rest our weary legs.
The next day we hope to up-anchor and find a new bay with a new adventure.'