Signs of Life

(Tuesday Morning)

Our crew confirms today that this has been the smoothest crossing of the Drake Passage that they have ever experienced. Some passengers actually expressed some disappointment at this (!!!) So the main excitement this morning stemmed from all the signs of life that began appearing in the water. Little creatures skimming along the ocean's surface in successions of quick jumps. Sometimes in groups of up to ten at a time. Too small to be seals... you have to train your eyes on where the next jump may be, and when you are right, you can see that they are penguins.

Later, a huge bird lands and floats awkwardly on the water... our first albatross sighting.

Whales have been around since the Beagle Channel for those with a sharp eye, Melanie among them.

But I am getting ahead of myself. First, you have the cross “the convergence,” the place where the South Atlantic, or South Pacific, meet the Antarctic current that circles around Antarctica, and therefore the globe, at these latitudes. The convergence is a pretty well defined boundary, and the temperature of the water falls by several degrees when you cross it. We crossed the convergence last night near dusk, so this is our first daylight in the Antarctic Sea.

It is ironic that the colder water supports MORE life, but cool clear water is great for plankton, plankton is great for krill, and krill are the preferred menu item for penguins and many types of seals.

There is a lot of fog where the cold waters and warm waters meet, so the excitement on board this morning was limited mostly to the penguin show. So there was also time for our mandatory training for shore exploration parties. This training includes procedures for getting on and off the ship, what to wear and bring, and a lot about how to interact with the wildlife in a minimally invasive way. Most ships that ply these waters belong to the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators, which has guidelines for shore excursions... all of which seemed quite sensible and helpful.

Right after the training, and just before lunch, the fog lifted and we spotted our first land, Roberts Island in the South Shetland Island chain. Lots of pictures were being taken, but I have a feeling the scenery will only get more spectacular from here. Mainly, we were just excited and happy that our first landfall, on Half Moon Island, would be about on schedule. :-) Rob