Trips

Sat., 12/29/12 - Antarctica
        This morning we rode the zodiacs to a wet landing (wading in 8 inches of water for 15 feet to shore) at Danco Island in the Errera Channel.  There was one adelie penguin at the shoreline and several gentoo rookeries high up the slope.  It was fun to watch them waddle up and down their "penguin highways" from their nests to the ocean. 

          We hiked up to the top of the island through deep, crystalline snow.  Trevor, of the Expedition Team, made a path and everyone else followed in his footsteps.  Probably 60 people made it to the top (550 feet high) so we were glad to be among the first on the summit.  At the top was another 360° panorama of the bays and glaciers and it was quiet and pristine until lots of people arrived.  The weather looked like clouds and snow were coming in so we headed down before the crowd.  We are very glad we had the small baskets at the end of our hiking poles.  Many people did not and their sticks could not support them on the soft snow.  We had a fun time playing in the snow and glissading down the hill on our boots.             
            Our boots were always nice and warm because we put felt insoles in them and wore our woolen hiking socks and liners.  On several of our hikes the 40° temperatures seemed more like 60° so we were usually overdressed but were able to strip off some layers.  Most of the time we wore our waterproof gloves and never had cold hands.

Danco Island*
Landing the zodiacs	Adelie penguin
Penguin highways	Penguin highways
On top after a long, hot hike up Amazing views as far as you can see on such a grand scale
Spectacular views	And then you have to go down, of course
In the afternoon we sailed into Dallmann Bay in the area of Melchior Island and near Anvers Island and went whale watching from the ship.  We saw two humpbacks (maybe a mother and calf) and then orcas, which were playing all around and very near our ship.  There may have been 20 to 30 orcas in the pod.
Orcas	One orca
This one went right by the side of the boat and I got a quick shot from our cabin window	Pod of orcas*
Happy New Year!	The quote below, provided by the Expedition Team of the Corinthian II, really says it all about Antarctica.

Sun., 12/30-31/12 - Drake Passage
            We are lucky that the Drake Passage was very calm for our return journey.  We have only three-foot swells and a five MPH tailwind flattening out the swells. On the whole, given the reputation of the Drake, we have been extraordinarily lucky on this trip!!

            During the day we saw many birds flying around our ship, including black-browed albatross, fulmars, giant petrels and cape petrels.  They skim above the water very gracefully. We had a 25-minute presentation on the navigation instruments on the bridge.  It was interesting.

            We had a captain's farewell cocktail reception followed by a Captain's Farewell dinner.  It was after 10 PM and we decided to celebrate New Years with Paris, London, and Iceland and not wait for midnight in the Beagle Channel. 

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