South Georgia6 Mar 2010
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| After breakfast we had a little time to prepare and then we were called down to get on the zodiacs. The sea seemed calm until we got down to water level. It was probably the most difficult time loading that we have had so far. Once in the boat the sea seemed calm. The ride in to the beach and the beach landing went smoothly. We stood around and watched the King Penguins until the rest of our group arrived. Then we walked parallel to the beach down toward the glaciers. The footing was a little rocky but not bad. Then we had to wade across two branches of the melt water from the first glacier. They were more than ten inches deep and I was glad for the borrowed Wellingtons. The water was cold enough to be felt through the boot and wool sox. We continued on further until we reached a small hill which we climbed. They had told us that we would get a nice view down on the King Penguin colony – and they were right. We could see penguins packed solid all down the beach and up the glacial moraines. It is an even bigger colony than at Salisbury Plain. It was magnificent. I am glad that bytes are cheap, because I took well over a hundred photographs [or one photo a hundred times]. As much fun as it was, we eventually had to retrace our steps and catch a zodiac back to the ship. After lunch we had another of the DVD “Life in the Freezer: The Door Closes.” This episode spent a lot of time on a Leopard Seal catching and tearing apart a penguin and on what happened to the carcass afterwards. Later on the Captain was able to take us into Drygalski Fjord. I bundled up and joined the hardier passengers that stood on deck as near the bow as possible and watched the journey up the 7.5 mile body of water. We saw a very rugged landscape with lots of snow and ice. The nearer we got to the glacier at the upper end the more ice there was in the water. I was impressed that the Captain was able to plow through a lot of it. Finally there was too much ice and we turned back. Just to show what kind of ship we are on, just when we were all beginning to freeze there appeared a waiter and waitress with cups of hot chocolate, bourbon, and whipped cream. It was delicious and warm. It was a very thoughtful gesture. As we exited the fjord we were offered a half hour zodiac ride into a side channel. There wasn’t much drift ice and no rain, but I felt that I could see all I wanted from the deck. I elected not to go. I learned later that only one boat-load did go. Tonight at our daily recap, John read Samuel Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” to us. |
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