As we had anchored off Port Lockroy overnight the landings started at 0730 but we were in the last group to go ashore at 0945 as they only take a maximum of 35 at anytime. So I had a leisurely morning going to the gym and then to breakfast before we disembarked.
Port Lockroy is a natural harbour and was initially used by whalers before the British established base A on Goudier Island - the earliest example of a British Scientific Research Station on the Antarctic. Today it is a living museum, with a shop, post office and colony of Gentoo penguins which live all around the buildings.
One half of the island with a further colony of penguins is out of bounds as they are doing an experiment to see the impact of tourism on penguins. Interestingly the tourist visited penguins are doing better - probably because we deter the predators i.e. the skuas who prey on the eggs and chicks.
As we landed we were welcomed by lots of gentoos sitting on nests - one chichi had hatched earlier in the morning and Franz had seen one on an egg with a hole in so another was likely to emerge soon! The chicks ranged in age from 0-3 weeks. I watched several keeping their nests clean by projectile pooing - neighbours nests didn't fair as well necessarily! Sheathbills were also present and scavenging amongst the penguins.
We went into the museum which was very interesting - lots of old cans of food with recognisable names and packages from my youth eg Pearce and Duff blancmange. We also spied some old receipes - one very unappetising one for seal brain omelette.
We spoke to some of the staff a young girl from Oban and a chap from Teeside who volunteer for the experience and get paid a small sum for looking after the shop, repainting and doing renovations during the summer. They have no running water so get showers every ten days or so from passing ships who also give them some fresh food otherwise it's all tinned - he said he never thought he would be as pleased to see a lettuce! The shop was amazingly well stocked so we couldn't resist, particularly as the profit goes to a good cause - the Antarctic Heritage Trust, based in Cambridge, who keep these historic sights going. So before heading back to the ship we bought a scarf and tie in antarctic tartan, a couple of nice thermal tops with Port Lockroy on them and sent a few postcards.
The ship the relocated to Pleneau via the very scenic and narrow ice filled Lemaire channel as we went through we saw a couple of leopard seals hauled out on the ice floes.
Anchored in the bay ( today's photo) we did a zodiac cruise around all the icebergs - this is often called the icebergs graveyard as they are brought by wind and currents and then become grounded and stuck until they break up and can flow out again as smaller icebergs. Needless to say natures ice sculptures were amazing - it was so still and tranquil - you could hear the ice, see the bubbles coming from the melting ice releasing the trapped air and watched as penguins effortlessly picked their way through the ice and resting leopard seals lay on the ice floes occasionally raising their heads to look at who was disturbing their slumbers.
A few lucky people got to see a very inquisitive minke whale - sadly not us but we saw the footage in the debrief and he looked lovely.
A very different and moody antarctic experience that gave us another flavour of this vast continent.
Back on board we had the debrief and plans to go to Deception island tomorrow.
For dinner we were invited to eat with the hotel manager along with the father and son from Sweden and Cindy and Kevin from Australia...... again we were the last to leave the restaurant - it's the 10pm daylight it just doesn't seem that late.