Devil Island & Weddell Sea
We are now about to wrap up 2011 and move into 2012, a new year filled with mysteries just like Antarctica was on New Year’s Day 1900. Practically nothing was known except parts of the outlines of the coast.
Today we touched areas which were mapped and named by the Swedish Antarctic Expedition 1901-1904, a true story of extreme survival in extreme environment. Snow Hill, Hope Bay and Paulet Island are all three important sites in this amazing story. Later as Captain Larsen from the ship Antarctica, established the first whaling station at South Georgia the impact on the ecosystem here in Antarctica was to become major.
Our last day of 2011 was filled with great events to add into a year soon to end. It started with a visit at Devil Island, one of many Adelie penguin colonies on the Weddell Sea side of the Antarctic Peninsula. As we approached the landing we saw Cape Well Met on Vega Island, also a significant site in the Nordenskiöld story!
Now we were able to add one of the two true Antarctic penguins as we walked through the large Adelie colony. We saw chicks in almost every nest but also saw how hungry skuas were having a field day, stealing penguin chicks to feed their own young. Here we also were able to see our first tabular icebergs and feel the real cold winds of Antarctica. At least we had some interesting experience getting back in the Zodiac through cold waves and winds to a warm and cozy ship.
As soon as we weighed anchor some killer whales were spotted. We tried to get close but the two large males kept their distance and instead captain made our course south, further and deeper into the Weddell Sea.
Throughout the afternoon we cruised towards Seymour Island, and the body of water we sailed is named Erebus and Terror Gulf. Names closely tied to the famous James Ross expedition to Antarctica 1840 - 42. More intriguing, both ships were earlier part of the fleet to attack eastern U.S. in the War of 1812! Both were built as Royal Navy bomb ships during the Napoleon Wars and later to become famous in the British Polar exploration.
We cruised between tabular icebergs of different sizes but soon the broken up sea ice became too dense. To steer north was the only option as we had no hesitation to repeat the experience from Nordenskiöld’s ship Antarctica and later Shackleton’s Endurance. Right before midnight, it was time to celebrate the past year and welcome in a new year with amazing light sparkling around huge icebergs in the Fridtjof Sound. From our stern to the south the sky was glowing reddish and the icebergs and the sea was painted purple. My guess few have seen a better firework for New Year’s Eve!
It will soon be time to fill a new year with great adventures, and it is a perfect start to know your first day of 2012 will be in Antarctica with more adventures.
Happy New Year!
