Day 7 – written on day 8
A, hoy mateys – I might have been hanging out in the bridge for too many hours so maybe I’m becoming part sailor? Hello everyone, another update for your leisure reading. Again, I am not reading emails right now (only super quick glances so as to not use up the time on the WiFi), signing on to cut and paste these notes is all I can really do. So thank you to those who are reading – I hope my words are helping to bring a sense of connection to a far away land.
Today we had an early start – it was another supremely beautiful day with bright sun and blue skies. Which meant…the day paddle group 1 was a go! That was the group Obi and I were assigned. This meant we, along with eight other guests would get the rare opportunity to sea kayak in Antarctica in the Weddell sea – in the coast of Croft Bay. Now this bay is known for a thick sheet of sea ice which forms directly from the beach. Typically this sea ice is thick enough to walk on. On this day it was not stable enough to stand on, so people not kayaking would do a split landing and zodiac cruise. Because we were day paddling we would instead be out on the water and not make a landing – which we were both more than fine with. I was so excited to see this continent from sea level. The start of the activity is all about gear. We met the other kayakers and headed to the gear room with a guide. This began the outfitting process. Now, even though the sun was shining it’s still cold. We kept our base and mid layers on, and even wore a light puffy jacket. This all went inside the wet suit. These are full body wetsuits with booties attached. The only parts exposed are your hands, neck and head. I had a suit with a back zipper and Obi had one with a front zipper. Putting them on, and especially getting your head through the narrow and very tricky neck is like the birthing process. Squeezing our heads through a small narrow opening – haha, but we both managed. On our feet over the suit we put on neoprene booties which zip up the side. Then our hats, life vests and gloves. I did not wear any gloves because the paddles have pogies attached which are neoprene hand coverings (very similar to the mittens people use on strollers which are attached to the stroller and you just slip your hand in. These act as wind and water protection. These are tandem kayaks, and inflatable. By the time we were fully geared up we were hot and ready for some cool air. We need to “burp” ourselves which means we pull the neck section slightly away from our body, then crouch down to be as small and tight as possible and actually squeeze out the air from our suits. This was awesome because before being burper I looked a bit like a blue snowman. Getting the air out also helps you to keep warm. After fully gearing up we ventured to the gangway to load into the zodiac. The zodiac took us about 3 minutes away from the ship and then we started transfering from the zodiac to the kayaks. A simple maneuver but one which requires form balance and coordination. Before I go on, I need to share that for Obi, this was a totally brand new and wildly unfamiliar experience. He does not know how to swim. He has never been in a kayak, let alone paddled one. As a result I put him in front so that I could control the boat more and help direct him. Well….we get into the boat and begin to paddle and I am noticing we are making sharp right and left turns. Hardly moving forward. Ha. It was a bit interesting at first, as I knew Obi was trying to figure it out and I could see other pairs cruising forward – a little bit of my competitive edge came through and Obi said I used some stern words. I suppose looking back, comments like, “Obi, turn right.” or “Obi, lift your paddle” or “Obi, stop paddling, let me do it for a moment.” with a sharp directive tone were not the most supportive…but…in all fairness I was trying to give him clear directions. I know this sounds worse than what it really was. Obi got some additional directions from our guide about posture, and how to use his full long arm and paddle positioning. So between the two of us, eventually Obi seemed to have a better understanding of movement and we made some ground. The experience was also not just about getting the boat to move though, as I wrote we were in a bay. Now, this is a bay that has a sea ice shelf and to our natural wonder grease icea. Wide vast sheets of this glass like ice which is the beginning stage of sea ice. Grease ice is the first layer and overtime, more and more thin layers build up causing larger, thicker pieces of ice. This ice was in tandem with the bay waters which were at times so calm the reflection was like a mirror. We were surrounded by mountains and a large glacier all funneling into the bay. Another picture perfect scene. Our colorful red kayaks, blue suits and white and yellow paddles were a striking contrast to the environment. We found a large ice floe with a seal and cruised by in our boats. Then we approached the grease ice – and spent about 45 minutes to an hour kayaking through ice. WOW, that was a new experience for me and tough. Ice ice cracks easily in some places given how thin or thick it was. The thinker sections required a strong forceful chopping stroke in order to get your paddle in. Then instead of pushing only water we were pushing sheets of ice. The zodiac went ahead and made a path, but the water moved so quickly that the ice sheets drifted to and from concealing the path quickly. It was a real effort, one which left us all sweaty and hot. The sound of cracking ice was loud and appetizing. Obi and I even had a few moments where our strokes were in sync – I copied his moves and we were looking pretty good by the end. He even instinctively put his oar in to steer at some points and my stroke allowed us to turn or position ourselves better. Yet again, another experience I will hold onto forever. When we got back on board we ran into one of our friends who asked how it went and if we would do it again. You can surely guess my answer – but, Obi said jokingly, “Yes, I would probably do it again, but maybe not with Fran…” We were all laughing. We returned all of our gear to the gear room and each took a shower and dried out our clothes given the sweaty mess we were. Ahh…a great morning indeed.
The afternoon excursion was also a split landing which means 100 people on land, while the rest are in a zodiac cruise. IAATO (International Association of Antarctic Tour Operations) only permits 100 people on shore at any one time (which is why people are split up for landings). Obi and I began the trip on land – which was an Addelle Penguin rookery. This was neat because we had the chance to walk along the shore/beach and watch as penguins come and go between the water and their nests. This was a site with thousands of penguins and a constant hum of honking, flapping, shuffling and other bird call sounds which penguins make. At the rookery we also saw chicks still small grey and very fluffy at their parent’s feet or burrowing down in the nest or on the ground. Laying down on the ground seems to be a warmer spot for the chicks and all the adult penguins stand next to them. Typically the Addelle penguins lay their eggs by mid-late november. The eggs hatch after 5 weeks so most of these chikcs were probably about 1 months old (if that). The penguins certainly noticed the 100 blue jacketed animals marching near their homes. Some would look at us, others would stand totally still and look away, some of them ignored us and others seemed to walk closer out of curiosity. We were told to walk along the beach in clumps, not a long line so as to make sure the penguins had access to and from the sea and their nests. How much of an impact we had on them – long term is unknown, probably not much at all, but it was impossible to ignore that while it was very special to be so close, it was disruptive to their natural habitat. The next day, I overheard some people mentioning how tired they were of these same penguins (Addelle are the only ones we have seen en masse so far). I was secretly appalled by their statement – I mean, we are in Antarctica seeing penguins – how could you lose sight of that or show any sense of dissatisfaction! We had an hour on the beach and so there were moments when I stood still and just observed their behavior. I noticed two birds doing what seemed like a mating call or dance. I even saw two sets of penguin brawls. Ideally these penguins mate for life, but apparently in the penguin world there is a lot of cheating on your partner. So, on two occasions I saw one penguin very aggressively chasing another. There was pecking and squawking, and lots of awkward running. Both birds tripped and fell a lot. The fights lasted about two minutes and ended with one being chased into the water and the other ended with the accuser running faster and away. Drama in the rookery! Our zodiac cruise explored some of the sea and glacial ice in the bay. I am constantly maveling the individuality of each piece of ice. Just like every single snowflake is different, every piece of ice is different. Their shapes are one of a kind and so it’s like they each have their own personality. Some shapes evoke seriousness like the rectangles or tabular ice-bergs. Others are more playful with the ice fingers or round holes throughout the ice. Some icebergs look like large apartment buildings with units or blocks. Others are cracked and seem to be straining to hold itself together. As inviting as these all are, they are dangerous. About 10% of an ice-berg is above water, the remaining 90% is underwater So when a piece breaks off or calves, the center of gravity shifts which is why they can roll or flip. Potentially causing a huge wave or suction into the water. So being cautiously curious is a requirement.
Every night at 6:30 pm all the guests gather in the Nautilus lounge for the daily recap and tomorrow’s briefing. It’s a great opportunity to hear a few highlights from the day or answers to questions guests had about something they saw. For example we learned about ice and grease ice. Then the expedition leader or EL, comes up and shares the plans for the next day. As always the plans can change but we go to bed with some expectations of what is to come.
So…I will leave you now because tomorrow’s recap and plans will begin shortly.
Love,
Franziska
ps. Right now we have 40 – 45 knot wind speeds. Yikes!
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