Conditions: Fine
Air Temp: 16 deg C
Sea Temp: 0.5 deg C
Wind: Calm
Sea State: Mirror-like
Visibility: Crystal Clear
Barometer: 988 mb and steady.
Latitude: 64 deg 43 mins South
Longitude: 62 deg 36 mins West
Wednesday January 24th, 2001
After an extraordinary day yesterday, just as we were finishing dinner around 10.30 pm, a large minke whale came “blowing” right nearby. It must have sensed Seamaster because it sounded about 100 metres away and then reappeared once it was well past.
During the night we had a few more whales making passage westwards through the channel, snorting loudly before dipping below the icebergs. During the night and this morning we also had to fend off some very large lumps of ice that seemed to be attracted to Seamaster. It wasn’t a case of being able to push them away, even using the dinghy with the outboard had no effect, but we did manage to move Seamaster by pushing with boathooks off the ice as it came close. One particularly big lump, higher than the topsides of our vessel and many times as heavy, looked as though it might be good to dive on. Marc and I were standing on deck discussing such an opportunity after having just pushed ourselves clear, when it sedately turned upside down. Not such a good dive!!
Don and I have just come back from a morning ashore at the gentoo penguin rookery to be greeted by 2 more minkes cruising past. We are obviously anchored in their highway.
The gentoos on Danco Island appear to have had a very successful breeding season, with most adult pairs raising two chicks. Many of the young are already in their final plumage. Not too many weeks now before they have to fend for themselves.
Climbing slowly around the rookery, which is split into many separate areas, meant keeping a watchful eye out for the skuas. These beautiful multi-brown seabirds are the scavengers, ever watchful for the opportunity to raid a penguin nest and grab a young chick.
We followed the gentoo paths up through the snow – quite deep furrows that are their tracks to and from the sea way below. It was very comical to see several on the track going up and a number on the same track coming down. They didn’t acknowledge each other as they passed.
Don and I walked up a furrow in the snow that was only a few metres across from their main thoroughfare. We were walking side by side – humans and penguins. They gave us a cursory glance, but that’s about all. It was amazing to see how fast they went, and how good they are at climbing the steep and rocky hillsides that they call home. When they reached the nest site they were greeted by their ravenous chicks, who were not much smaller than the parents. The chicks wanted as much food in as short a time as possible.
We sat and watched them for a long time.
Which wasn’t difficult as the view was breathtaking…
Sir Peter Blake
"Having vision is not enough. Change comes through realising the vision and turning it into a reality. It is easy to espouse worthy goals, values and policies; the hard part is implementation."
Learn about Sir Peter Blake and his journeys around the globe