January 2, 2009 -- Part I

Another splendiferous morning! We had an early rise at 0600h and I was able to enjoy my toast and peanut butter on the stern deck, looking out at icebergs and Antarctic peaks. We headed out in the zodiac with Mark – a renowned whale spotter – into Iceberg Alley, near Pleneau Island. This area is also known as the iceberg graveyard as the shallow ground causes icebergs to run aground here. We saw some absolutely amazing ice and the sun was beating down on us.

As we moved through the brash ice with the zodiac, we attracted the attention of a 3 meter leopard seal who decided to hang around for a while. It was absolutely amazing to see this predator of penguins moving so smoothly through the water beneath our zodiac. As if it knew we wanted to get some good photos, the seal hauled itself out onto a small ice floe for a photo shoot. It soon slid gracefully back into the water and swam off, leaving us feeling awed and blessed.

As we headed back to the ship, we were treated to a group of gentoo penguins porpoising alongside the zodiac. Our morning cruise was capped off with William, the head bartender, delivering us piping hot chocolate out on the water. What a phenomenal morning!

Before lunch we passed through Lemaire Channel -- also known as the Kodak Gap -- with towering peaks (rising 3,000 feet from the water's edge) and large glaciers on either side of the ship. A humpback whale sighting off the starboard bow capped things off.

We've just finished lunch and we're on our way to Useful Island through the Neumayer Channel for our second landing of the day. Apparently more gentoos and some chinstrap penguins will be in store. Another fantastic day on "The Ice"!

...One seemed to have reached the very end of the world...land without form or expression, yet with a certain simple and primitive beauty in the colours of the grey-blue rock, shining through clear air, with the sea-wind singing over them.

~ James Brice ~