Saturday amongst the Danger Islands

There was great excitement amongst the Expedition Team last evening that weather conditions were making it possible for us to venture into the Wendell Sea! For the uninitiated,( us!) we could not understand this palpable sense of adventure! Apparently, this is an area that is usually very difficult to enter as weather in the area dictatrs the limitations of its accessibility. However, we have been extremely lucky with our weather conditions to date, so the Captain agreed to change course and expose us to this amazing part of the Antarctic.

The morning dawned in a foggy mist which led me to believe this epic journey would have to be reviewed. Not so! A sister ship that has more ice breaking capacity than ours, apparently is about two days ahead of us and had paved the way and gave advance weather advice to our crew. So, revised plan meant no landings on any of the Islands but morning and afternoon Zodiac cruises were possible.

Approx ninety minutes this morning in the company of a chatty South African Expedition Team member and an American helmsman brought us sailing amongst large and small icebergs, while the girls kept us entertained with their own personal stories of shooting the rapids, white water rafting and other such ladylike pursuits! What a sheltered life I have lived!! We also ascertained that there was a romance brewing between one of the girls and a gorgeous tall bearded male member of the Team! Nothing like a bit of gossip!! Back to Nature!!

These birds, that you may be able to see from my not so good photo, are called Shags, yes, you heard correctly and we had lots of information regarding their habitat, their digestive systems and their defecating habits! I shall leave it at that!!! We also saw many Fur Leopards on the shore, living quite amenably alongside the Penguins

Weather started moving in, so coffee in the wonderful Observation Lounge on the 9th Deck seemed like a good idea. The Icebergs floated by, each one larger and more beautiful than the last. I was blown away with the sheer stark beauty of nature in this pristine environment.

Slight afternoon delay, due to change in weather, but soon we were off again this time to Heroina Island, one of the Danger Islands. Andy, the Bird expert, was our Helmsman this time and we had a wonderful time seeing thousands of Penguins on Icebergs many of them dodging Leopard Seals, who were hunting furiously. Sadly, as happens in Nature, the Seals were quite successful in their hunting with the laws of Nature prevailing. The sight of dozens of Adelie Penguins grouped on Icebergs floating by, will stay with me for a long time to come.

I am now sitting in a warm lounge, glass of Chilean wine in hand, listening to a great pianist and watching for whales amongst the Icebergs! Pity about you, I hear you say!! And you are correct. This truly is a trip of a lifetime and I am aware how lucky I am. How my beloved John would have embraced this adventure, but these are the places where I feel close to him.