Water and Ice

We are back from our second landing of the day and it was yet another adventure. We sailed through the Gerslache Channel to get to our second destination and it was filled with pack ice. It was pretty exciting to sail though so much ice, but I found it even more interesting to see the water road that our ship carved through the ice pack and later how quickly it filled in as if we were never there.

The landing at Port Lockroy was short but very interesting; in addition to the penguins (which I could watch for hours) there was a small museum of the old base and several artifacts. This picture is of an old sled used to transport supplies across the ice.

My friend Anna suggested I bring something to give the people at the stations when you visit because it is so rare for them to get anything new from the outside. It sounded like a good tip, so we brought a few boxes of chocolates with us on the trip and dropped one off at the Polish station and another here at Port Lockroy. We have been told that only three people live at this base and it is very solitary. Luckily Cat remembered the chocolates just before we left. I told one of the ladies working there that we had a present for them and they were surprised and gracious. It was a small gesture, but they welcomed us into their homes basically and it was nice not to be empty handed.

Before I left the station, the lady stopped me to say that the gift was extra special because they had just lost all of their gifts in the Explorer sinking as it was making a post delivery from the U.K. I have to thank Anna for that tip when I get back, I was really glad that we were prepared to make such a gesture.

On the way back to the ship, the seas were pretty rough for our tiny boats and there was more than a little splashing. When we boarded the Fram, a passenger asked us if we had to swim back because we were so wet. The thing that struck me the most (and often) is that the spray turned to ice just before it hit us and then melted again so it was not just getting wet, but also pelted with ice.

Well, despite the fact that it is 2 am, it is still very light out and I have to prepare for an early morning landing on the peninsula. So I will give you another update tomorrow.