Antarctica, Day 5

64°32.296'S, 061°40.535'W, Portal Point, Charlotte Bay, Antarctic Peninsula

 Tbd S, Tbd W, Enterprise Island

Today we had two excursions. The first was to Portal Point on Charlotte Bay. This was our first opportunity to actually step on Antarctica, the seventh continent. The zodiac ride from the ship to the landing spot wound around several icebergs. We had our choice of an easier hike in the snow, passed some seals up onto a small peninsula overlooking the bay and our ship. The other option was to go up on to a glacier much higher for a 360 degree view. We opted for the easier route. Along the way you had to pass some fur seals. One seal would charge a person walking by. If they clapped their hands he would stop and back away. If you did not clap, he would continue charging. It is amazing how fast he taught people to clap. A small chinstrap penguin was at the landing site and hung around for quite a while, nonplussed at us and the zodiacs.

There was an incident on the other hike. One fellow did not stay on the path, cut across an area to catch up with the group and fell into a crevasse. Less than an hour later they were able to pull him out, with minor cuts and bruises and a very wounded ego. We are glad it was not serious and are reminded that this is a beautiful place with hidden dangers we need to be mindful of.

Our second excursion was at Enterprise Island. We piled 11 people plus the drivers into the zodiacs and went in search of whales and we found them! For an hour we stayed with 2 humpback whales as they fed on the surface. They had an interesting technique as they surrounded the krill and scooped them into their mouths and their throats expanded to take in large quantities. Hopefully some of my pictures will turn out. Besides whale watching we saw the wreck of a whaling factory ship that caught fire and deliberately ran aground to save the whale oil and the crew. We saw the remains of barrels used for whale oil and water boats used to collect and transport fresh water for the boilers on the factory ships.

It was a very exciting day. 

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