Iceberg cruising in the zodiacs
pictures from the zodiac
Kurt and I on the "continental landing"
Small shoreline of Neko Harbor
Seal watching from the zodiacWednesday, March 2nd
Today we started the day off by disembarking for Neko Harbor. This was our very first "continental landing" - this basically means that we were on the continent proper - and not the islands off the South Shetlands or Antarctic Peninsula.
Neko Harbor lies on the eastern shore of Andvord Bay, approximately 7 miles south of the Errera Channel. It was discovered by Gerlache during his Belgian Antarctic expedition (1897-1899), It is named for the floating whale factory ship, "Neko", which often used this bay. "Neko" operated between 1911-1912 and 1923-1924 in the South Shetlands and Antarctic Peninsula. The site is home to approximately 250 breeding pairs of gentoo penguins, some of which nest around the remains of an Argentinian refuge hut which was blown down by a storm in 2009. Weddell seals are commonly seen on the island.
This landing was a tough one. There was only a very small section upon which the zodiacs could enter. A "continental landing" is rare - as most islands are not accessible due to the ice coverage. We made it. We were able to climb up this small ice field. It was great to see the penguins sliding on the ground beside us.
Back to the boat where we had a great barbecue lunch and then the Marathon Awards Ceremony After recognizing the winners of each division and the overall, they did an auction for the mile markers and marathon banners. The funds raised would be given to charity. It was a neat event and good to see the many ages of runners who completed the race. 14 people were given special recognition - as they had completed their 7th marathoned continent. Something I hope to do in the future.
The afternoon found us back at Port Lockroy - the area we had visited yesterday. Port Lockroy lies on the western side of the Wiencke Island in the Palmer Archipelago. It was discovered by Charcot during his French Antarctic Expedition of 1903-1905 and named for Edouard Lockroy, a French politician and sponsor. Goudier Island is home to the restored British Antarctic Society hut and museum. The hut was Station A, referred to as Bransfield House. It was occupied between 1944 and 1962. Research carried out at this site focused on surveying the region, geology, meteorology, and botany - but after 1950, the emphasis switched to ionospheric research. The hut was restored in 1996 and is open to visitors during summers.
The big draw to Port Lockroy was the gift shop and museum. We were able to actually purchase something on the continent itself. I bought a couple postcards and mailed them. They are expected to be delivered sometime in November of this year. Wow! The mail was just picked up a few weeks back, it won't be taken again until the summer of next year.
The other really interesting thing about this island was the whale bones that were found on the shore. Pretty incredible stuff to see just how large some of these whales can get.
Back to the boat where we had some dinner and watched a movie in one of our rooms. The night ended with some good times in the bar --- knowing that we have just 1 more day of landings to go before heading out to sea.
Today we started the day off by disembarking for Neko Harbor. This was our very first "continental landing" - this basically means that we were on the continent proper - and not the islands off the South Shetlands or Antarctic Peninsula.
Neko Harbor lies on the eastern shore of Andvord Bay, approximately 7 miles south of the Errera Channel. It was discovered by Gerlache during his Belgian Antarctic expedition (1897-1899), It is named for the floating whale factory ship, "Neko", which often used this bay. "Neko" operated between 1911-1912 and 1923-1924 in the South Shetlands and Antarctic Peninsula. The site is home to approximately 250 breeding pairs of gentoo penguins, some of which nest around the remains of an Argentinian refuge hut which was blown down by a storm in 2009. Weddell seals are commonly seen on the island.
This landing was a tough one. There was only a very small section upon which the zodiacs could enter. A "continental landing" is rare - as most islands are not accessible due to the ice coverage. We made it. We were able to climb up this small ice field. It was great to see the penguins sliding on the ground beside us.
Back to the boat where we had a great barbecue lunch and then the Marathon Awards Ceremony After recognizing the winners of each division and the overall, they did an auction for the mile markers and marathon banners. The funds raised would be given to charity. It was a neat event and good to see the many ages of runners who completed the race. 14 people were given special recognition - as they had completed their 7th marathoned continent. Something I hope to do in the future.
The afternoon found us back at Port Lockroy - the area we had visited yesterday. Port Lockroy lies on the western side of the Wiencke Island in the Palmer Archipelago. It was discovered by Charcot during his French Antarctic Expedition of 1903-1905 and named for Edouard Lockroy, a French politician and sponsor. Goudier Island is home to the restored British Antarctic Society hut and museum. The hut was Station A, referred to as Bransfield House. It was occupied between 1944 and 1962. Research carried out at this site focused on surveying the region, geology, meteorology, and botany - but after 1950, the emphasis switched to ionospheric research. The hut was restored in 1996 and is open to visitors during summers.
The big draw to Port Lockroy was the gift shop and museum. We were able to actually purchase something on the continent itself. I bought a couple postcards and mailed them. They are expected to be delivered sometime in November of this year. Wow! The mail was just picked up a few weeks back, it won't be taken again until the summer of next year.
The other really interesting thing about this island was the whale bones that were found on the shore. Pretty incredible stuff to see just how large some of these whales can get.
Back to the boat where we had some dinner and watched a movie in one of our rooms. The night ended with some good times in the bar --- knowing that we have just 1 more day of landings to go before heading out to sea.
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