This day didn’t begin well. Overnight we transitioned to the ‘normally calm’ Wilhemina Bay where both a zodiac outing and Orca team (Dick’s group) kayak excursion were to occur. The conditions were too rough for either, so we moved further south. We were jokingly reminded of the quote from the old ‘Dudley Do-Right’ cartoon villain, Snidely Whiplash – “curses, foiled again”.
To pass the time, Hannah J gave a presentation called ‘How to do Handstands in Antarctica’. A great name for sure but really about her experiences living at Port Lockroy, our destination for the afternoon. She spent Nov-Mar in both 2018 and 2019 at this lonely outpost and research station, nicknamed the ‘Penguin Post Office’. For one of those seasons the entire staff consisted of just 4 women – one of which was Ruth, also on our Expedition team! A fantastic story. It amazes me the breath of experiences these people have.
Passage through along the Gerlache Straight and into the Neumayer Channel is magnificent. Beautiful mountain scenery, glaciers, and ice shelves. The channel is quite narrow and flanked by incredible cliffs.
We’re in luck as humpback whales are spotted all along the route. Humpbacks can be individually identified by the pigmentation patterns of their tail flukes. Dick was able to get some good pictures of 3 separate humpbacks and their flukes. As part of the citizen science program, fluke pictures and locations are uploaded to the ‘Happywhale.com’ online database for use in tracking existing individuals and logging new ones. We’ve learned that one of our whales is a newbie to the database. And, we will be able to track all three’s movements through the seas as others post locations. Pretty cool, eh?
Humpbacks in the Straight
We did not expect our cruise to get this far south. The Seaventure anchored in Port Lockroy Bay, a natural harbor on Wiencke Island. Jougla Point is a small outcrop of rock on the Island on one edge of the bay. Jougla is notable for a large rookery of Gentoo penguins. A British base, also called ‘Port Lockroy’ was established on Goudier Island in the bay during WWII and operated as a research station until 1962 when it was abandoned. The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust took over management of the site in 2006 and now operates a museum and post office staffed during the summer months. The base was left unstaffed during the COVID epidemic. In October of 2022 a team of 4 women were chosen to reopen the based for the next season. Our very own Hanna J. was one of those four! She acted as postmaster during her gigs. They typically processed 70,000 pieces of mail sent by visitors from what is the most southerly operational post office in the world.
Mary and the Chinstrap zodiac group set out for a landing on Jougla Point, to be followed by Port Lockroy. At the Point it’s a tricky descent from the zodiac onto lots of uneven rocks covered in penguin poo. If fact, EVERYTHING is covered in penguin poo. The trail up is steep and slippery. Mary wisely followed Hannah L’s advice not to go up anything you can’t get down and got some great Gentoo shots from the landing zone. The zodiac landing at Port Lockroy was even more precarious, so the group headed back to the Seaventure.
Meanwhile, Dick & Ralph headed out with the kayak group for a zodiac landing first at Port Lockroy to check out the museum (shut down for the season the day before our arrival) and Gentoos. It was an interesting walk up the rocky, poo-covered trail to the base – especially in kayaking booties!
Even the Gentoos had a tough time getting up the rocks. But he did better than us!
Even though the museum and base were closed, Hannah was able to let us walk through the building. It’s pretty spartan and would be a tough place to spend a few months. Some of our group dropped off postcards at the mailbox. Hannah said they’d be picked up when the base opened in November, then sent to the UK via supply ship, finally on to their destination. That is, she said, unless the UK postal workers are on their annual strike. Gentoo everywhere – all over the grounds and many times inside the museum and post!
After checking out the base, Dick & company loaded onto the kayaks and cruised Jougla Point. The conditions were good – overcast but calm. Gentoo everywhere along the rocks and snowcaps. And, we had a front-row seat to the wedding!
Hannah L (our Expedition Leader) is certified to perform weddings in Antarctica. A fine spot on Wiencke Island was selected for Lauryn and Josh to tie the knot. Hannah performed the ceremony, Connie (Service Manager) was the Maid of Honor, and Ben (Expedition Photographer) the Best Man. It was just the five of them (not counting the penguins). No limo in these parts – the party rode zodiacs to the island. Lauryn wore a wedding dress and veil (along with her muck boots). Josh wore a tuxedo. They did it up right.
Congratulations Lauryn & Josh!
A day that looked pretty dismal at the start turned out fantastic!
Penguin count: 1500 (Gentoo)
Total trip penguin count: 637,250