The Far Side of Antarctica Continued
At sea: December 13, 2007
When we arose, we had a very overcast sky and a white-out situation. the only place I could see the definition between land and sky was where there was a patch of open water. Otherwise everything was pure white, giving a strange feeling of endlessness. I guess our lives are always defined by boundaries, physical and mental. When those boundaries are removed it is confusing at first, but at the same time exhilarating and exciting. It is probably very similar to what astronauts experience when they float in space.
Fortunately conditions had improved by the time of our scheduled wildlife watch. The sun was trying to break through the clouds. It was possible to see the snow and ice more clearly. About 20 brave souls ventured forth on the bow, well wrapped up in parks, hats, hoods and anything else they could tie on themselves. It was snowing and windy and, obviously, very cold. The open water, when we came to leads, was already refreezing. I was not one of the brave 20, but participated by looking through the cabin window to see if I could spot anything moving outside. Other than guests and Expedition Team members, I did not any wildlife, so I believed I made a wise decision to stay warm inside.
After the wildlife watch, Norm delivered an appropriate presentation Peri-glacial Environment Freezing and Thawing in Antarctica. This was a fantastic talk, explaining much of what we were seeing around us!
Kara, marine biologist and Zodiac driver, introduced Russian language classes, after Norm's presentation. In addition to all Kara's other talents, she speaks three languages English, German and Russian. Akos, our ornithologist, also speaks Russian, so he gathered the eager linguists into a group to practice their lesson.
We don't need to announce art workshops anymore. David's disciples are ready after lunch with brushes and paint as soon as the tables are cleared in the lounge. Other guests are benefiting from the photography lessons delivered by our resident photographer, Daisy.
At sea: December 14, 2007
The day began with another wildlife watch. Despite the continuing cold, it was well attended. We all warmed up in the presentation room, while Bob delivered his incomparable presentation about Ernest Shackleton's epic journey in a small boat from Elephant Island to South Georgia.
Kara delivered another Russian lesson. The Hospitality Team, many of whom are Russian, were surprised at the effort made by our language students to converse with them in their native tongue.
The decision by some of our guests to wear t-shirts with Shackleton quotes to the documentary showing and the second of Bob's presentations about the "Boss" added a little extra something to the experience.
John Weller, one of our guests, is the author/photographer of a book about Great Sand Dunes National Park. He spoke about the lessons he learned while researching the book. His book on this subject is unbelievable beautiful and of course his images during the presentation were breathtaking. John is currently working on a Ross Sea project, called The Last Ocean. He explained that the ecosystem in the Ross Sea is relatively untouched. It is the last ocean on the planet which is not inundated by fishing.
Jonas announced at a meeting of all the guests this evening that the heavy concentration of ice through which we were sailing meant we could not go ashore for at least four days. He showed us a satellite ice chart, with less ice ahead of us.
At sea: December 15, 2007
I woke up early this morning, around 3AM. the light and ice were just magnificent. The sky was reflected in the small patches of open water and the sun's rays lit up the small ice floes and turned them into shades of gold. There were a few birds around, mostly Snow Petrels, my favorite next to the Albatross. To watch these beautiful little white creatures float over the ice and soar across the bow made me realize how very lucky I am to experience this unbelievable beauty.
We were slicing through fairly thin ice, just as if it were ice cream. Visibility was clear to the horizon and it seemed to me that we were the only people in this world of ice and snow.
As the weather continued to be so good, we conducted another wildlife watch on the bow. Later Jonas began a round of helicopter flight-seeing. Everyone was airborne for 15 minutes, circling the ship to watch Kapitan Khlebnikov break ice. The scenery was magnificent and the open water sparkled in the sunshine.
At lunch the main topic of conversation were the helicopter flights. After lunch, Kara changed hats to deliver The Antarctic Food Web. She put the Southern Ocean into perspective for us. So much of wildlife of the Southern Ocean rely on krill. If the ocean were to warm significantly, the amount of krill would be severely diminished. An event that could be catastrophic for so many creatures.
Ice Jam rehearsed. Judging from the happy faces, the participants really enjoy the opportunity to sing together each day.
In the evening the sun was still shining, becoming more beautiful the later it became. The ice floes appeared to be edged in gold with all shades of pink in the sky. These colors reflected on both ice and water.