By Sam and Bernadette
Skies were overcast with warmer temperatures on our second day anchored at Vernadsky Station (day 13).
A zodiac ride and short hike away was an old decommissioned British polar station now a museum documenting the living conditions of these early Antarctic explorers. A few seals and skua birds bookmarked our visit.
The afternoon gave way to light drizzle and most of the passengers opted for napping as other outings would have meant getting rather wet!
That evening, the two scientists on board gave presentations on the wildlife in Antarctica, shifting penguin populations and the unfortunate impact of climate change on this continent.
In this area there are three different penguin species in this region of Antarctica: Gentoo, Chinstrap and Adelie. The Gentoo’s habitat and nesting preferences have given them an advantage in adapting to the warming weather trend and their numbers are increasing. We are told the Chinstrap and particularly Adelie penguins are finding it harder to adapt and their numbers are decreasing.
On our journey back through the magnificent Lemaire Channel (day 14), we were hugely surprised by a humpback whale that surfaced right next to the boat and continued to surface and dive near the boat for a while. At one point it raised a flipper as if to bid us adieu as we slowly cruised away.
The water was calm and clear with a smooth glasslike surface that reflected the mountains in mirror image in its surface that day. Breathtaking mountains accompanied us throughout the Lemaire Channel but also beyond. Who knew that Antarctica, at least on and around the western islands of the Palmer Peninsula, was replete with stunning snow-covered peaks that plunge straight into the water, along with Pentagon sized icebergs floating everywhere? And sometimes you could not easily separate the low-lying clouds from the mountains!
Days were spent cruising to new stunning locations, exploring penguin colonies, hiking to fabulous lookout points, and kayaking the pristine waters. The Quixote crew went above and beyond to roll with the weather changes and make our trip fabulous.