Neko Harbour, Cuverville Island and last day in the Antarctic.

12 Jan 2012. Neko Harbour and Cuverville Island. Early morning call, 6.30 for 7 am Breakfast and zodiac launch at 8. Weather again kind to us, sunny and little wind and calm seas. As we sailed into Neko Harbour we passed a very large iceberg that looks like a castle. It has caves and all manner of slots and holes in it. It may have been the other way up at sometime as the icebergs often tip over as they melt. Some bad news in that there had been a huge calving of the glacier near our proposed landing site. It will not be possible to land as the landing spot is covered in ice from the calving. So it is a zodiac only cruise. As it turns out this was another stoke of luck. It was not just us that could not get onto the beach but the poor gentoo penguins could not get ashore from fishing nor could the one on shore get off. It was very funny watching them try and negotiate the ice and find a way to and from the beach. They were falling off the ice and getting caught in all sorts of difficulties. We all felt sorry for them but it was fun to watch.
I am glad we were not ashore or in the zodiacs when the glacier calved.
Also as we could not land we did more iceberg cruising and we got some great up close views of the big iceberg and some other interesting shapes in many other icebergs. Some interesting layers of algae in the ice in red,blue and green.
We thought it could not get any better but they saved the best for last. The afternoon landing was at Cuverville Island. The weather was perfect. Not a breath of wind and the water was like a mill pond. This is the largest colony of Gentoo penguins in the Antarctic. But it wasn't them that took our breath away, it was the sheer beauty and spectacular scenery of this island. The icebergs floating in the bay on a dead calm sea were amazing. Everyone was blown away by our last few hours on the Antarctic. It was so quiet, everyone just seemed to stand or sit and take it in. As many said, you cannot describe this moment or capture an image which can convey how we all felt. The gentoos and the Brown Skua birds just ignored us completely. One skua walk right up into a group of us to have a peck at Ger's walking stick. It was if we did not exist. I have never experienced such relaxed wild life. It is, as Brian explained, due to the fact that they have no predators and hence are not threatened by us. They have done research at this island to see if tourist are affecting the penguins. They set up a no go area and a an area where tourist can go. They have found increased breeding in the area where tourist are allow to visit so they conclude there is no damage from our visits.
Nobody wanted to leave this place and time but in the end we were dragged reluctantly back to the ship. I think everyone was pretty emotional as we boarded the zodiacs for the last time. This day and moment will be in our minds for many years as one very special moment. We hope we can recall this moment for ever.
After dinner Ray gave us a talk at the bar on his life spying on the Russians while in the British navy, the Canadian navy and while working in the Antarctic. He is 78y and is still working here, driving the zodiacs in wet and wild conditions and is still loving it. An inspiration.
Next is the two day sail in the dreaded Drake Passage, let's hope for some big seas.
Sorry for so many photos but it was our last, and very special, day. It does not matter how many photos as there is no way they can convey the sights and feeling of the occasion

This is the biggest by far that we have seen.
This one has at sometime turned over completely.  What you can see above water was once below water.

The holes are approx. 3 stories high, to give you some idea of size.

Our house would fit into this cave.

Spooky, he is looking at us.

No that is not another penguin in there

Just another little iceberg

See they are birds, they can fly.

They are chasing us and they are faster than us.

Because of the recent calving not only could we not land but the locals are having trouble.
The gentoos returning can't get to shore and those leaving to feed and obtain food for the chicks can't get out.
This became a mess with lots of fun watching the efforts of the gentoos. 

Our boat and icebergs

Just some more ice.

Some very old ice, maybe 100's of years, from an old glacier.  No air in the ice so very old.

They come in all shapes and sizes.

Approaching our last island landing.

Just liked this scene

This skua thought Ger's hiking stick was worth investigating

Obviously not very tasty but the bird people were all a twitter.

How calm for our last landing?

He was a nice gentoo

The photo does not do justice to the scene.

Just liked this guy.

Keep away from my rocks.

I've got the ice now where is the Whiskey?

The colour in the ice is algae

It got calmer the longer we were here.

Time to say goodbye to the Antarctic.

Go pies.

How it was done.

Off the zodiacs and on to the ship for the last time, very sad moment.

Last view as we set sail for the Drake Passage.

Ray telling another story in the bar last night

Everyone loves one of my good dad/sandy club joke.

Mikkelsen Harbour and Curtiss Bay 11 Jan

11 Jan 2012. The best day ever and so many photos. Started with an early landing at Mikkelsen Harbour. Weather fine and we were greeted by two Weddell seals on the beach lying beside an old whaling boat and the bones of a number of whales. The gentoo penguin colony here is in the hatching stage. There were many pairs with pairs of day old chicks. The King and Emperor penguins only lay one egg whereas most of the others lay two. We watched one mother with an egg that we thought may have been about to hatch as there was some strange orange stuff on the egg. We stayed for at least half an hour but after we left the egg broke open and a new chick appeared, we missed it. We did see a few penguins return from fishing and when they reached their nest, where their mate was keeping the chicks warm, they greeted each other with the flap waving, neck stretching, throat yelling ritual that all penguins do as they return to the nest. We then watched them swap their position on the nest. Mum then fed the two chicks and dad did some more stone gathering to put on the nest before he went fishing. This all happens within a 2 metres of us and with hundreds of pairs. They seem to be completely uninterested and unconcerned about us. When the chicks grow old enough the mother will run away from feeding them and the two chicks will chase her. Once one gives up the chase she will feed the one that was the strongest and that chick will live. Tough life in the natural world.

Curtiss Bay The afternoon was the highlight. Perfect weather, hardly a cloud in the sky and except for the katabatic winds off the ice, very little wind. This was an afternoon only in the zodiacs, no landing, in Curtiss Bay. We spent 3 hours cruising among giant icebergs, ice flows and seals. We saw 2 leopard seals lying on icebergs, another in the water swimming next to an iceberg with a weddell seal on it and we also saw a crab eater seal lying on an iceberg. We could almost reach out and touch them. Well not the leopard seal as we were not going close to him. We saw icebergs calving off sections. The loud roar and the wave it creates as they calve is amazing. We were the last zodiac back but nobody complained except that we had to come back.

After dinner, The rock man said he could not describe all he had seen and so he had written a poem and it really did express what we all felt about the day. Everyone was on a high after this great day. Only one of the staff has ever been into Curtiss Bay so once again we have been blessed with such a great moment that will remain with us all, for years to come.

We only just discovered that the boat has a hot tub on the top deck so Ger. and I plus the two Kiwi girls got out in the freezing cold air and into the hot tub. Sailing along in the hot tub with icebergs floating by was a magical way to spend our second last night in the Antarctic Peninsula, we have called this our polar plunge. Tomorrow is a 7am breakfast and an 8 am zodiac launch followed by another one at 1pm and we need to be under way by 4pm as there is heavy weather expected in the dreaded Drake Passage. Nobody can believe we are near the end, it has been superb. Doubt that anything tomorrow can top today.

Ice Amphitheatre

An afternoon to remember

Cruising Curtiss Bay

A mere divet in the coastline

Where ice comes to play

With nunataks above

And snowfields below

Steep icefalls gasp

And heave as they flow

Ice meets the sea

And sun heats the cliff,

Which crack and calve

Setting icebergs adrift

Drawn to the bay’s shelter

And a veneer of floating beds

Are leopards and crab-eaters

Not swimmers, sunbathers instead

Team Kayak’s wake sparkled

For all to admire

Slicing silently through the slush

Never seeming to tire

Back at Ioffe

The gangway rises and falls

With the pulse of the ocean

And life returns to the halls

Smiles and stories abound

With all that we saw

A perfect day concludes

With Happy Hour in the ba’

What we enjoyed today

May one day be no more

If climate continues to warm

And glaciers retreat from the shore

So let’s raise our glass

And toast to the ice

To an Antarctic experience

We will never have twice

A Weddell seal

Yes, found it the southern most bird in the world, a south pole skua. The only bird seen at the south pole,exciting !!!

Gentoo with the egg about to hatch. About 30 mins later.

Finally home after you have been out fishing all day and I here all day with the two little ones, nag nag nag.
But I have bought back some food and you can have the rest of the day to go for a swim and see if you can fish like me.

Just an Iceberg

A little berg about 4M tall

Here are his big brothers

Just a little ice

Nice bit of blue ice

Is this an icy animal and was he big.

Now we are seening some big boys

This one tipped at some time. The dark line running from lower left to upper right was the water line before it tipped over.
As they melt unevenly they will tip over and sometimes invert

A crap eater seal or a weddell with a leopard seal in the water.

Nasty leopard seal

Our Kayak team and their zodiac and the weddell seal.

Weddell seal and paparazzi.

Leopard seal and a warm Geraldine.

Now here is a big iceberg.  This one was massive. Again see the ledge running from the most upper right hand point slopping down to the left, that was the water line before it tipped.

This was a lucky shot.  The iceberg was calving as I took it and Ger was smilling at me.
This is not a big iceberg compared to others.

Just another shot of the berg that had just calved.

Close up of the big one

Our polar dip with friends.